All Things GVT
I'm bored so I decided to put together a decent explanation of GVT, along with some different points of view on this kind of training. I see Dr. X is guinea pigging it, so I hope he can add his own experience with it. Most people I talked to say that after your body adapts in a few weeks, no more results. So I'd do the 10x10 for a few weeks, then 10x6..All the way through AGVT.
This first part is regarding an exerpt from a Poliquin seminar. Holds some great info about Poliquin's recommended supplements and some technical jargon: Click here. Quote:
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Why does this work for some people, but not for (from what I read) most others?
Poliquin believes that some of the blame can be attributed to fiber types. That being said, as I recall, Poliquin advocates finding your 1 repetition maximum (1RM) on a given exercise. Then, rest ten minutes and perform as many reps as possible at 85%of your 1RM of that same exercise. For most, this will amount to 5 reps. If you perform fewer than 5 reps, you are likely fast-twitch (FT) dominant for the involved muscle(s). For 5-8 reps, you are mixed fiber type. For more than 8 reps, you are slow twitch dominant. Note that exercise patterns can affect one's fiber type. I'm not a scientist so I don't know how this holds up in a court of law. :D For a superb article on the relation of fiber types and training click here! Article written by Ian King. A few problems arise with GVT. The first is overuse issues concerning joints. Obviously, even with the light weight, 100 total reps with one exercise is a lot! Another issue is the high level of boredom. According to Christian Thibaudeau, muscle imbalances can also occur, which makes sense. This brings me to the next point...GVT program tweeks: The first one is OVT: Optimized Volume Training by C.T. Using chest for an example. Instead of bench pressing 10x10 with X amount of weight, this program has you do 5x5 flat press (supersetted) with flat flyes, also 5x5. The flyes have a tempo of 6-0-2 to increase TUT [time under tension]. After the 5x5 is done, you move on to another angle such as inclines and do the same thing: 5x5 presses (superset) with 5x5 flyes. Consequently, both the GVT and OVT both equal a grand total of 100 reps! Another one found Here called GVT: 2000 follows the original program more closely. It's written by TC Luoma. Here is an exerpt of that article: Quote:
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Is German Volume Training Hypertrophy-Specific? Full article by Bryan Haycock found by clicking here!
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According to the SAID Principle (The acronym for "Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands."), your 10 RM should increase with GVT unless you're overtraining or cannot handle the extreme volume. That being said, I could definately see myself in the future doing something like this on the short term. Maybe not the 10x10, but maybe to 10x6 which is the second phase of GVT. I've done the AGVT (Advanced German Volume Training) and had pretty decent success with it. I, as you all know, used a spreadsheet for the program that can be found Here! I hosted it to Clutchfitness.com for everyone to use. Everything is calculated in, just input what weight you use on the first day of 10x5 and it'll automatically program the rest of the weights for the remaining 50 days. |
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His formal education includes a B.Sc. Kinesiology and a M.Sc. Exercise Physiology. Poliquin has coached Olympic medallists in twelve different sports including the US female track and field for the Olympics 2000. He has coached the Canadian short-track speed-skating team, and many professional athletic teams; such as the Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadians, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Some of Poliquin's professional athletes include: Al MacInnis of St Louis Blues hockey team, who won the Norris Trophy for the strongest slap-shot in the NHL, Nanceen Perry who has held the world record four times for the 200m, Michelle Freeman, the number one hurdler in the world, Chris Pronger, winner of the Norris and Hart Trophy, who plays with the St. Louis Blues hockey team, Dan Weinstein, who is the world champion medallist for short track speed skating, and Joe Nieuwendyk from the Dallas Stars Hockey team who won the Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup trophies. Charles Poliquin has also produced world championship medallists in bobsleigh, kayak, judo, powerlifting, biathlon, luge, alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, swimming, speed skating short track, figure skating, and speed skating long track. Visit his website by clicking here! |
More on sarcoplasmic hypertrophy since it plays a major role in GVT.
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For exercise selection, most recommend sticking with dumbbells, with the exception of legs. Obviously, it will allow you to have a greater ROM (range of motion) as well as the safety aspect of dropping them down once failure is reached.
Poliquin says to adapt to the limitations of your gym. Me personally, my gym is way to large to do squatting supersetted with leg curls. Plus, they are on opposite ends of the gym. These factors will force you to make a decision. Either find different, yet similiar exercises, or just do each 10x10 exercise straight through while allowing less rest between sets. Example: -I'd choose to do chest/back in a day for GVT. Reason being, the antagonistic supersetting will allow your work capacity to increase. This means that by supersetting bench with rows, you're more able to push out more reps. I cannot speak for most gyms, but at my gym (L.A. Fitness), the cable rows are on the opposite end as the benches are. So, my choices are either just doing presses w/out supersetting with 60 seconds rest between sets, or (what I'd do) bringing the dumbbells you'll use across the gym and use the cable row bench for the presses. |
awesome info 0311, I might have to give this a short run after my waterbury method ends. Should be a nice change of pace.
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Maybe in the future I'd do something like this:
2 Weeks- GVT 2000 (I like that setup better than GVT) 3 Weeks- GVT (second phase- 10x6) Using original GVT setup. 4 Weeks- AGVT (which rotates 10x5, 10x4, 10x3 every 10 days) I think the German Volume Training would be the only training that could get away with the low frequency that it does. The DOMS I hear is unreal, but more importantly, it'll take much much longer to supercompensate since the volume is so high. I will do something like what I outlined above after everything already planned as a break from the heavy ass stuff I'll have going. Anything longer than 3 weeks on any volume program like that would definately result in diminishing returns...(IMO) |
Recovery Techniques:
This thread wouldn't be complete without a list of recovery techniques needed to survive. Epsom Salt Baths Epsom salt is also known as magnesium sulphate. Our first restorative technique consists of bathing for 10 to 20 minutes in a warm/hot bath to which 200-400 grams of Epsom salt is added. This is a very simple and effective way to relax your muscles and decrease inflammation. It’s also a good way to increase blood magnesium levels and prevent bloating due to excessive water retention. Restorative Pulse Electromyostimulation Sub-tetanic (non-maximal) EMS utilized in a low-intensity pulsating manner can act much like a sports massage. It can stimulate blood flow to the muscles by creating a pumping effect. It can also induce a state of relaxation in the muscles and help breakdown adhesions between muscle fibers. A discharge frequency of 1 to 9Hz is recommended for this purpose and the duration of the treatment should be 15 to 20 minutes. Intensity (current amperage) should be kept low. Yet another benefit of this type of EMS is an analgesic effect or a diminution of pain. This is best accomplished at a frequency of 5Hz. One recovery method I find to be particularly effective is to drink a protein and carbohydrate shake and have an EMS recovery session 15 minutes after. This will bring a lot of amino acids and glucose to the muscle, speeding up its reconstruction and supercompensation. Cryotherapy This technique refers to ice massage. Put some baby oil on your muscle (to prevent shock) and put ice in the middle of your muscle belly. Start to gently massage the muscle in a circular motion with the ice. Gradually increase the diameter of the circles. Perform this action for five to ten minutes. This strategy is very effective at decreasing pain and excessive inflammation and can thus help prevent overuse injuries. Contrast Baths and Showers Alternate between 30 seconds of cold water and two minutes of hot water. Perform this cycle three or four times. This technique is very effective at increasing peripheral blood flow, thus facilitating recovery. Again, don’t use this method if you're suffering from an overuse injury or excessive inflammation. Glycogen/Protein Resynthesis Drinks An ideal post-workout formula would include fast-absorbing proteins, high glycemic carbs, and some additional BCAAs (which have been shown to drastically increase protein synthesis and decrease protein breakdown on their own). Neural Restorative Drinks Emphasis on supplementation for increased neural efficiency has just begun to take its place in the sun. For a while it was something that only innovative coaches who were "in the know" utilized. Now it's really catching on. At first, supplementing with nootropic supplements was used to potentiate a workout: basically you'd drink it 30 minutes or so before a session to maximize performance. And it’s very effective at that. However, I recently began using it after a workout. Why? Because I found that using it this way can actually increase CNS recovery! Massage Contrary to what most people believe, massage therapy doesn’t actually increase blood flow to the muscles (Shoemaker et al. 1997), so this isn't the mechanism of action for this particular restorative technique. However, massage still provides several benefits. The duration of the massage treatment will vary depending on the size of the athlete and whether it’s a localized or whole-body massage. Kurz, quoting Geselevich (1976), gives the following recommendations: Bodyweight of 132lbs or less: whole body = 40 minutes, localized = 20 minutes Bodyweight 133-165lbs: whole body = 50 minutes, localized = 25 minutes Bodyweight 166-220lbs: whole body = 60 minutes, localized = 30 minutes Bodyweight +220lbs: whole body = more than 60 minutes, localized = 35 minutes -Localized massage can be performed as a self-massage (except for the back muscles, unless you're Cirque du Soleil material), while whole body massage requires hiring a therapist. Whole body massage is best used once or twice per week. Most athletes shouldn't have more than two whole body massages per week, unless they're in an overtraining state. -Remember that progress is dependent on the amount of stimulation placed on your body and on the capacity of your body to deal with and recover from that stimulation. By using restoration techniques, you're actually working on both factors: by recovering faster and more completely, you're able to train more often and more intensely and your body can overcome the training stress more easily. To read the full article Click here! |
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good info. btw |
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