AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH ARTICLES
The
German Volume Kettlebell Training Program For Size And Strength
Mike
Mahler
I learned about German Volume
Training (GVT) from top strength coach Charles Poliquin several years ago.
Coach Poliquin stated that many German athletes used the GVT protocol to
successfully add ten pounds of muscle. Here is how it works. Take 60% off
your one rep max on an exercise and do ten sets of ten reps. Use the same
weight on all ten sets and do not increase the weight until you can do ten
sets of ten with the same weight. This program is of course very effective,
but extremely brutal. Ten sets of ten on exercises such as squats and
deadlifts are real pukers and great way to handicap you for the rest of the
week. I remember the pain of getting up in the morning the day after doing
GVT for legs. Another drawback with GVT is that while following a 10x10
protocol will increase muscle size, it does not increase brute strength. In
fact many trainees reported that they actually got weaker after six weeks of
GVT. Hardly the results that we are after. Thus, I think that changing GVT
from 10x10 to a starting program of 10x5 is more appropriate. Now since we
cannot increase the weights incrementally with kettlebells, lets work on
other factors. First, start with 10x5 and when you can complete 10x5, go up
to 10x6. When you can complete 10x6, go up to 10x7. Once you can do 10x8,
move up to heavier kettlebells or pick harder kettlebell drills and start
back at 10x5. You can even start at 10x2 or 10x3 to get started and
gradually work up to 10x5 and above. Use the same kettlebells for all ten
sets rather than doing the some sets with heavier bells and some sets with
lighter bells. One final modification that you can do with GVT is to pick
two exercises instead of one. For example, do Double Lunges for five sets of
five and then double front squats for five sets of five right after. The
total volume will still be ten sets. This is a great way to get around
possible overuse injuries and the sheer boredom that can come with doing ten
sets of the same drill over and over again.
Here are two sample GVT/Kettlebell
Programs
Option One
Day 1:
A-1: Double Front Squat 10x5
A-2:
Double Swing 10x5
Double Windmill 3x5 l,r (left
and right)
Day 2:
A-1: Double Military Press 10x5
A-2: Renegade Row 10x5
TGU 2x5 l,r (left and right)
Option Two
Day 1:
A-1: Double Lunge 5x5 Double
Front Squat 5x5
A-2: Double Snatch 5x5, Double
Swing 5x5
Windmill 2x5 l,r
Day 2:
A-1: Seated Military Press 5x5,
Standing Military Press 5x5
A-2: Renegade Row 5x5, Double
Bent-over Row 5x5
Double Windmill 2x5 l,r (left
and right)
Key Points
Both options will work very
well. If you are someone that needs more variety in your workouts, then try
option two first. If you really want to improve an exercise such as the
Double Military Press, then try option one. Take a day off between each
workout. In other words, do day 1 on Monday, day 2 on Wednesday and then Day
1 again on Friday.
Featured Products
Lifeline USA Kettlebells
The marketplace is finally ready for a high quality kettlebell at a great price. I have no doubt that you will love these kettlebells and you cannot beat the price!
Kettlebell Weights Available:
- 4 Kg (8.8 lb)
- 8 Kg (17.6 lb)
- 12 Kg (26.4 lb)
- 16 Kg (35.2 lb)
- 20 Kg (44 lb)
- 24 Kg (52.8 lb)
- 28 Kg (61.7 lb)
- 32 Kg (70.4 lb)
- 36 Kg (79.2 lb)
- 40 Kg (88 lb)
- 44 Kg (97 lb)
I am very happy with the quality. The bells went though strict quality control measures and passed with flying colors. I could put my reputation behind any bell on the market and chose to do so with the LL bells. I have been training with them for a month and love them. I know you will as well!
Kettlebell DVD Combo Pack - Fat Loss and Mental Toughness PLUS Speed and Explosive Strength
Get both the Kettlebell Solution for Fat Loss and Mental Toughness and Kettlebell Solutions for Speed and Explosive Strength DVD's together for only $59.95 ($64.95 for International Orders).
US Orders:
Non-US Orders ($64.95):
