10 sets of 10 reps / German Volume Training / GVT

[Phooey]

Thinking of trying this or some kind of variation of it. Anyone here tried it?

It sounds like it could be a bit boring but I need a change so will give it a shot for 5-6 wks starting January 2nd. Conflicting info on whether to rest or not between supersets? Day 1 will be chest+back... so for example would you do 10 reps of bench-press then immediately 10 reps of pull-ups, OR 10 reps of bench-press, wait 90secs, then 10 reps of pull-ups?

[ORD]

I have always ruled it out simply for taking so bloody long! Workouts must take hours and hours. Not sure that's sustainable for natural lifters.

[Phooey]

ORD said:

I have always ruled it out simply for taking so bloody long! Workouts must take hours and hours

I think you're getting confused with something else. Workout shouldn't take any longer than 60 mins. Should be intense if done properly with correct weights (60% of 1rm) and strict rest periods between sets. Could be a good shout for those stuck in a rut doing the same 2-4 exercises per bodypart..

have a read -

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/luis13.htm

[ORD]

The maths doesn't work on that - those workouts would take much longer than an hour. The rest periods alone account for most of an hour!

[Stu-nph26]

Phooey said:

Thinking of trying this or some kind of variation of it. Anyone here tried it?

It sounds like it could be a bit boring but I need a change so will give it a shot for 5-6 wks starting January 2nd. Conflicting info on whether to rest or not between supersets? Day 1 will be chest+back... so for example would you do 10 reps of bench-press then immediately 10 reps of pull-ups, OR 10 reps of bench-press, wait 90secs, then 10 reps of pull-ups?

I've heard of it but never tried it. It's meant to be brutal 10x10 squats is enough to put me off.

[Graemsay]

I did it for a couple of months last year. My programme was 10x10 on one exercise, with a few sets of an accessory move to finish (me) off.

The sessions took about fifty minutes. There's a fairly short rest period, about two minutes in my case, and then you're off again.

It wasn't particularly brutal, I tended to find the hardest part was around set six or seven where the end wasn't quite in sight, but I'd done enough to tire myself out. It was rather boring.

If you want to try it, then give it a go. It's probably not going to cause you any significant injury.

[ORD]

As far as I know, there's no scientific evidence that very high volume is beneficial. There is some evidence for high numbers of reps in a set (for squats) but not for 10 x 10. 3/4 x 20 would be better for squats. 3/4 x 10 would be better for upper body work. The studies are pretty clear on 3-4 sets being optimal for moderate to high reps. You would expect the balance between stimulating growth and initiating muscle breakdown to go wrong by the time you're on the 10th set.

(GVT probably works OK for very weak people because they are shifting so little weight and so not causing much breakdown. It's also probably good for burning fat. But if you're squatting 80kg, for example, 10 x 10 would mean lifting 8,000kg each workout!)