The Best German Volume Training Plan for Lean Muscle

If you are looking for the ultimate workout plan that can add some serious mass to your body, look no further German Volume Training plan is well tested that has a reputation for adding rapid lean muscle to athletes. Popularized by legendary strength coach Charles Poliquin, German volume training is a high volume workout plan that can be done by intermediate to advanced athletes. It is a torturous and equally effective form of a workout plan.

In this article, I m going to share with you a workout plan which follows the principle of Geman Volume training also known as 10 x 10 workout. Before coming to the workout plan, let's understand certain parameters of the workout plan.

German Volume Training plan | Training frequency

Training frequency for the German volume training plan is 3 days a week. With such high volume and high intensity, training on alternate days is recommended as it allows your body to recover and put less stress on your nervous system. Train only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the workout plan or train for a day then rest on another day. 

German Volume Training plan | Exercise selection

The exercises in the German volume training plan will be 2 compound lifts with high volume and 2 isolation work. with moderate volume. A compound exercise is a multi-joint movement that works on several muscle groups at the same time. Isolation exercise work for only one muscle group at a time. Performing compound exercises are the best way to work out as it burns more calories, stimulate real-world activities, improves coordination and balance. Isolation exercises are added to compensate for the parts which are not effectively trained in the compound lifts.

German Volume Training plan | Workout split

In the German volume training plan, the workout split is chest and back on Monday, Legs on Wednesday and Arms and Shoulders on Friday. You can rearrange the sequence of the split, there is no fixed rule for the correct sequence in this plan

German Volume Traning plan | Sets and Repetitions 

German volume training plan is designed for muscle hypertrophy the sets and repetitions for the compound lifts will be 10 x 10 and for the isometric movements, the sets and repetitions will be 3 x 10. The workout plan with such high volume can only be handled by athletes who are intermediate and above.

German Volume Training plan | Static loading

Generally in India, we follow pyramid loading across the sets which means we increase the weight with each working set. In the German volume training plan, the load will be constant across the set. As the volume is very high, it is almost impossible to increase the load with successive sets and complete the sets with the same repetitions.

German Volume Training plan | Weight selection

The German volume training plan is not about lifting heavy weights, it is more about volume and time under tension. The weight selection should be 50-60 % of your one-rep max lift, suppose your maximum lift on the bench press for one rep is 100 kg then you should choose 50-60 Kg for this training plan.

German Volume Training plan | Progressive overload

Progressive overload is one of the most important aspects of resistance training when it comes to gaining strength. Although in this workout plan, there is less room to overload the muscle or increase the load. My recommendation is to start with 50 % of the one-rep max of the first 4 weeks then later continue with 60% of the one-rep max of your lift for the next 4 weeks to overload the muscle over time.

German Volume Training plan

Chest and Back:-

10 x 10:-

Incline bench press

Pull-Ups 

3 x 10:-

Flat dumbell Fly

one arm dumbell rows

Legs:-

10 x 10:-

Barbell Squats

Barbell sumo deadlift

3 x 10:-

Reverse leg curls

Seated calves raise

Arms and shoulders:-

10 x 10:-

Barbell overhead press

Ez bar bicep curls

3 x 10:-

Dumbell lateral raise

Laying dumbell tricep extension

This workout is purely for gaining mass so a daily caloric surplus well-balanced diet is a must along with proper rest for optimal performance in this workout. Follow this workout for just 8 weeks and do not do it more this twice a year. This workout plan is extremely brutal but it's also rewarding if you have the guts to finish it.

If you are looking for a science and evidence-based coach who can design a customised diet and workout plan for your fitness goal, Drop an email to romiey@getsetgo.fitness.

Also, check

The Best  5 Day Workout Routine for Lean Muscle
The Best Upper Lower Workout Split for Lean Muscle
The Best Push Pull Legs Routine for Lean Muscle
The Best Workout Plan for Lean Muscle | 3 Days a week workout