Darkhorse

Here's one of my old writeups for this program:

Advanced German Volume Training is a training program made by Charles Poliquin. It incorporates the use of 10x5, 10x4, and 10x3 supersets. He designed this program for trainees who wanted to lift heavy weights while at the same time liked the concept of GVT.

A Quick Comparison between the two:

GVT:
-low intensity
-high volume
-lighter weight
-typically start with 60% or so of your 1 rep max
-strength endurance training accompanied by some hypertrophy
-10 sets of 10 reps
-uses a progressive overload meaning if you hit all 10x10, increase by 5%
-very big drain on the cns (central nervous system), so frequency is once a week per each muscle group.
-Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy

AGVT:
-higher intensity
-high volume, however not as much as GVT
-heavier weight
-typically start off with 75% or so of your 1 rep max
-hypertrophy accompanied by accumulation of fatigue
-10 sets of 5, 4, and 3 reps
-uses a progressive overload that’s automatically factored in. Increases are explained later.
-less drain on the cns, so muscles will be worked once every 5 days per muscle

AGVT Program Description:

1. Training Frequency: It is recommended to work each body part every 5 days, BUT ONLY DOING THE SAME EXERCISE EVERY 10 DAYS. The routine outlined in the end will make things clearer. The exercises done in the two different workouts for the same body part should be similar, yet different enough to tap into a different motor unit pool.

2. Reps: According to Charles Poliquin, for the advanced trainee, doing more than 5 reps is a waste of time, as the average intensity will be too low. The reps should vary for each one of the six workouts. The reps are always going to change every ten days because reps are the loading parameter to which one adapts the quickest.

3. Rest Intervals: There is minimal rest between sets. If the exercises are performed in sequence, then it’s 90 seconds. If they are performed as a superset, then it’s between 90-120 seconds. The short rest periods will give you a process of accumulative fatigue. The rest periods are important to keep constant, so it’s recommended to have a stop watch handy because it will be tempting to lengthen the rest between sets.

4. Tempo: For long range compound movements such as squats, dips, and chins, use a 40X0 tempo; this means you would lower the weight in four seconds and immediately change direction and lift explosively for the concentric portion. For movements such as curls and triceps extensions, use a 30X0 tempo.

5. Number of Exercises: One, and only one, exercise per body part should be performed. Therefore, you want to select the most bang for your buck exercise. Triceps kickbacks and leg extensions should be your last choice—squats and bench presses are priority. For supplementary work for individual body parts you can do 3 sets of 6-8 reps.

6. Overload Mechanism: Once you are able to do 10 sets of x reps with constant rest intervals, increase the weight on the bar by the percentage outlined in the article and repeat the process. This program does not incorporate negatives, burns, or any other of those techniques.

AGVT Workout:

Here is an example of the program. This isn’t the exact one that Charles Poliquin recommended. I made some changes just due to my own personal preferences.

Day 1: Chest and Back

A-1: Incline Barbell Presses
10 sets of 5 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 100 seconds

A-2: Pull-ups
10 sets of 5 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 100 seconds

B-1: Parallel Bar Dips
3 sets of 6-8 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 90 seconds

B-2: Cable Rows
3 sets of 6-8 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 90 seconds

Day 2: Legs

A-1: Back Squats
10 sets of 5 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 100 seconds

A-2: Lying Leg Curls, feet pointing away
10 sets of 5 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 100 seconds

B-1: Dumbbell Lunges
3 sets of 6-8 on a 30X0 tempo, rest 90 seconds

B-2: Romanian Deadlifts
3 sets of 6-8 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 90 seconds

Day 3: Off

Day 4: Arms

A-1: Incline Off-Set Dumbbell Curls
10 sets of 5 on a 30X0 tempo, rest 100 seconds

A-2: Close Grip Bench Press
10 sets of 5 on a 30X0 tempo, rest 100 seconds

B-1: Thick Bar Reverse Curls
3 sets of 6-8 on a 30X0 tempo, rest 90 seconds

B-2: Skullcrushers
3 sets of 6-8 on a 30X0 tempo, rest 90 seconds

Day 5: Off

Day 6: Chest and Back

A-1: Flat Barbell Presses
10 sets of 5 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 100 seconds

A-2: Close Parallel Grip chin-ups
10 sets of 5 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 100 seconds

B-1: Incline Dumbbell Presses
3 sets of 6-8 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 90 seconds

B-2: Barbell Rows
3 sets of 6-8 on a 30X0 tempo, rest 90 seconds

Day 7: Legs

A-1: Heels Elevated Front Squats
10 sets of 5 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 100 seconds

A-2: Lying Leg curls feet inward
10 sets of 5 on a 30X0 tempo, rest 100 seconds

B-1: Front Press
3 sets of 6-8 on a 30X0 tempo, rest 90 seconds

B-2: Hamstring Sled
3 sets of 6-8 on a 40X0 tempo, rest 90 seconds

Day 8: Off

Day 9: Arms

A-1: Barbell Curls
10 sets of 5 on a 30X0 tempo, rest 100 seconds

A-2: Low decline close grip bench presses
10 sets of 5 on a 30X0 tempo, rest 100 seconds

B-1: Preacher Curls
3 sets of 6-8 on a 30X0 tempo, rest 90 seconds

B-2: Behind the Back Dips
3 sets of 6-8 on a 30X0 tempo, rest 90 seconds

Day 10: Off

Day 11: Do the Day 1 routine using Workout 2 pattern

Workout 1: 10 x 5

The goal of Advanced German Volume Training method is to complete 10 sets of 5 reps with the same weight for each exercise. You should begin with a weight that you can lift for 10 reps to failure (10 RM), if you had to push it. For most it would be 75% of their 1 rep max. Here’s a calculator that will help. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/1rm.htm
Example- Bench Press- 1 rep max is 300 lbs, do use 225 x 5 for this exercise.

Workout 2: 10 x 4

Increase the weight by 6-7% and strive to do 10 sets of 4 reps with that weight. Usually this is 10-20 pounds. (5-10) per side.
Example- 235 x 4

Workout 3: 10 x 3

Increase the weight of workout 1 by 8-9% and strive to do 10 sets of 3 reps with that weight. Usually this is a 20 pound increase. 10 per side.
Example- 255 x 3

Workout 4: 10 x 5

Use the weights you used in workout 2 and go for 10 sets of 5, which should be very easy.
Example- 235 x 5

Workout 5: 10 x 4

Use the weights in workout 3 and go for 10 sets of 4, which again should be easier.
Example- 255 x 4

Workout 6: 10 x 3

Increase the weight again by 20 pounds. By now it’s 275 x 3. From here you could keep going so long as you are still seeing results. It’s always best once you hit a plateau to switch to another lifting program for a few months, then come back to this one. This is periodization.

Spreadsheet: Fortunately for anyone wanting to try this program out, I made a good looking spreadsheet that you’ll need in order to keep track of what weight you’re going to do for a particular day. Once you input the weight in the first day’s 10x5, the spreadsheet will automatically use the proper increments to increase the weight for the remaining weeks. Usually there will be a decimal point, so just round up or to the nearest weight you will use.

Observations: I’m sure some of you happened to notice that shoulders is missing. This was by design. Doing that amount of volume for the presses and pulls more than works your entire shoulder. I tried the program and really liked it. My shoulders were usually hurting the worst pretty much the entire cycle. If ten sets of inclines don’t work your shoulders, then you must be a genetic freak. I have read that some people substitute one of the chest days for shoulders, but I just don’t see a need. During the program, I’ve found that the first supersets took me a total of just under 25 minutes if I remember correctly. This entire program lasts for around 55 days and is a welcome change from the same old same old.

Darkhorse's Sig:

"The greater the development and strength of the main muscular structures of the body, the greater the size and strength potential of the small areas of the body." - Stuart McRobert

OCSC