German Volume Training (Complexes)

8-17-16

Adam Boily MS, MATJS, USAW

German Volume Training (Complexes)

Here are the main points to understand and keep in mind:

The structure – Each day begins with a corrective exercise designed to supplement the theme for the day. For example, if the theme of the day is upper body, you may begin with rotator cuff work. Second, you’ll notice the numbers next to the exercises. If two exercises are to be paired, you’ll see a “1” and a “2.”
Notice that each day works to build opposing muscles. The first two complexes are press focused while the second two complexes are pull focused. Complete all exercises starting at the top and reading down for each day.
The main concept for building muscle with this style of workout is “time under tension.” This means the muscle will hypertrophy the more time it is placed under tension. We accomplish this with long tempos (i.e. 402), working 6 days a week as well as with high volume (i.e. 5×5). As the athlete becomes stronger/muscle grows, the more weight he or she can handle and the more the muscle will hypertrophy.