German Volume Training was created during the mid-70s in Germany and was popularized by the National coach of weightlifting Rolf Feser. (VIDEO). Tip: 15 Quick Tips for Short Attention Spans, 10 Things Every Lifter Should Be Able to Do, Tip: The Two Fats That Boost Testosterone, Tip: 3 Little-Known Ways to Improve Athleticism, The Best Damn Workout Plan For Natural Lifters, The Deadlift: One Barbell, No Weak Points, Tip: 3 Exercises for Athletic Core Strength, Bodybuilder Pecs, Powerlifter Bench Press, Tip: Healthier Shoulders, Heavier Bench Press. She went from a 130-pound snatch to a 150-pound easy max, and from a 160-pound clean & jerk to a 190-pound easy clean & jerk. Fairly heavy, non-maximal hard work. Deadlift 3. This way your major muscles get thoroughly worked at least once a week with a high-volume session before you back off to let it recover and grow. Although Soviet strongmen may not have boasted the size and supplements of their Western contemporaries, the well-roundedness of the, instilled in them a prioritization of healthiness and a good command of training technique. The volume and frequency are too much and there are typically too many single joint exercises in them as well. Plyometrics. However, this type of workout can really pay off because it boosts the overall workload per workout. Become a technical master of a few key exercises instead of trying to do a little bit of everything. The partials will also desensitize (over time) the Golgi tendon organs, which will allow you to use a greater proportion of your strength potential. She never trained on the nerve, instead making hard weights feel gradually easier then learning to apply that strength on maximal efforts. And so it stands to reason that in strength training, strength is normally measured by how much weight you can lift. Your choice. Train your focus lifts frequently. 10 x 10 Volume Workout Homepage Description Considered a high volume approach to weight training, the 10 x 10 workout requires a great amount of effort and discipline. At a bodyweight of 180 pounds, his best clean was 285. For example, if your group 1 exercises are the front squat and deadlift, do heavy partial front squats (going down until the knees are about 100 degrees) at the end of the workout. And we all know anything named after an Eastern Block country is bad ass (Turkish Get-Ups, Bulgarian Split Squats or Russian Twists, anyone? If you aren't able to execute a lift with optimal technique, you'll never be able to demonstrate your full muscle-strength potential. Back Squat / Leg Curl Both squat and leg curl are done for 10×10 in superset fashion. Then I started to read Russian material about "strength-skill." I was super proud of myself, so I left the loaded bar on the floor as a testament to my accomplishment. To reach your strength potential, you must maximize what the Russians called "strength-skill." Once in a while, though, you turn up the intensity a bit to see where you are. Do not accept incorrect reps and always seek to make your lifting form better. Weights. Specifically, strength is seen as the capacity of a muscle or group of muscles to produce a high level of force to overcome a resistance. The 3×3 system forces the muscles to work much harder and therefore to grow faster and get stronger. Let's fix that. Check out our recipe, Run, Moscow, run! 10 historic matches in Soviet and Russian football (VIDEOS), Surviving Russian ballet: What life is like at the Vaganova Ballet Academy? He saw the barbell on the floor and asked how heavy it was. Day 2: Legs and Abs (*Take a … "Sure," I said, "but don't you want to warm-up first?". Trainer Jason Walsh outlines how she did it. Prior to that I trained every day, but didn't really look like I worked out. You don't have to choose between strength and size. You’ll see what I mean once you get started. Lower your body into a straight squat position, then jump as high as you can, tapping your heels together in midair. Like any effective program, be it a strength or endurance program, a bodyweight training program should be progressive over time, with each week building from the previous. Monday: Lower Body A. Barbell Back Squat, 10 sets x 6 reps. He was only 5'2" but a solid 200 pounds. Use low reps (1-3) to become efficient at maximizing recruitment during a short effort – 80-90% will be enough. The first thing to do is to pick the basic lifts you want to practice/train. At the end of each of the first four workouts (every workout except the Day 5 manual labor workout), perform heavy partials for one of the lifts trained that day. The best solution is to use dumbbells for some lifts. Take 90 second breaks between sets. I recently trained a young CrossFit athlete. (I present an example workout at the end) Strength requires a peak. However, low reps do still build plenty of muscle alon… You're using progressively heavier weights. The volume is chock full of workout routines, helpful training tips, and definitions for just about every gym-related term you've ever wanted to know. After carrying tiles I was lean and hard. Typically, the stronger your muscles are, the more weight you can lift. By expanding additional volume into your routine, you force your … Plie squat jump – stand with your legs spread out. squat to about knee-level, then jump onto a box of the same height, landing softly. Beginner/Intermediate German Volume Training Program: Phase 1. That should all be fairly simple. Do five single, one-rep bench press lifts at 85 percent of your maximum possible lift, and one three-rep set at around three-quarters of your maximum lift. The Russian Bear protocol is a relatively popular hypertrophy routine designed by Pavel Tsatsouline. Non-6 week peaking workouts will be less intense. Perform the above 5 day cycle 6 times. Overview. Do two sets of each of the aforementioned exercises for 60 seconds each. The first major flaw of this routine is the high deadlift volume. Total workout time should be limited to 90 minutes per day. Prior to this, their hold on athletic supremacy was undeniable and can be be… However, it's true that you could lose the feeling of maximal weights, which is why I like to include supra-maximal partials or holds to supplement the strength-skill work. I was intrigued. A trained individual might reach 70% and elite weightlifters, powerlifters, and strongmen might reach 90-95%. The following is a sample German Volume Training program that is split up into two phases. A normal human being will be able to use 30-40% of his strength potential. Plyometric push-up – after assuming a normal push-up position, propel yourself upwards so that your hands leave the floor. 1. This workout emphasizes strength-skill even more. Do it for big damn legs. Not so bad. That is over two and a half times the volume of the other program. Lateral jumps – jump sideways over a smallish cone, immediately jumping to the other side upon landing. We all know examples of strong and/or muscular people who got like that through manual labor – doing fairly heavy, but non-maximal labor at a high volume. Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise the weights out to shoulder height, then lower back to the start. Just set up near a power rack, and since there's a chin-up bar on the power rack, you only need one station. My family and relatives were downstairs celebrating the holidays, but I preferred iron to the company of people. All Rights Reserved. The pillars of Russian training stretch back to Soviet times, when the principle of being a strong, well-rounded proletarian was a prerequisite for everyone, not just athletes and bodybuilders. As such, I believe that lighter, submaximal weights can make you much stronger, bigger, and leaner. A good total-body session need only consist of three exercises—an upper-body pulling movement, an upper-body pushing movement, and a lower-body exercise. 2. It’s also delicious. Training timing, i.e. Training load, in particular training intensity and volume; and 3. This light but extremely flexible grain is one of the most filling things you can eat, making it the perfect pre-workout meal. Bend forward from the hips holding a light dumbbell in each hand with palms facing. Victories were a reflection on the country, not on the individual. . Your digestive system will thank you for it, too. A significantly unique method of developing the strength of a nation through its population ignited the era of potent physical education program in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Sadly, go into any gym and you can see the vast majority of trainers who never progress from year to year, all because they are to afraid to go against this conventional thinking of the "bodypart-a-day" 5-6-7 day a week routines. The answer is skill. Synergists need to unite their efforts to overcome the resistance and antagonists must relax at the right time to facilitate the action of the prime movers (intermuscular coordination). When that group comes up a second time during the week (Tuesday in our template) you'd do the same but with partial deadlifts (deadlifts from pins just below the knees). Day 1: Chest and Back. I later found out that this particular uncle used to work in a quarry and later at a paper mill, carrying big rolls of paper all day long. According to the Soviet weightlifting team’s 1976 Olympics manual (which helped them hoover up all the gold medals that year), squat and deadlift sessions should be spaced out throughout the week, maintaining 80 percent of your one-rep maximum. Vasily Alexeev also set his last world record at age 36.) after assuming a normal push-up position, propel yourself upwards so that your hands leave the floor. Old-time strongmen saw training as "practice." This method, also known as the “10 sets method”, was used by off-season weightlifters to gain lean body mass and shed unnecessary body-fat. This Russian curd, somewhat similar to cottage cheese, is said to contain more protein than any other food. What you see from the outside isn't the whole story. For example: The basic setup for each of the lifts you'll use is as follows: You'd then increase the weight by 5 to 15 pounds, depending on the exercise and start from workout 1 again. The exact same thing happened with a female I was training. For fully developed legs, you need more than standard squats. It's time to think about what you might need to keep on hand in case there are disruptions to the supply lines of food or water. Exercises Don’t Accurately Measure Volume. I would recommend training arms between 1-2 times per week. It happened in my bedroom of my parent's house. Essentially a series of complex jumps, this equipment-free workout greatly develops muscle and joint power and can be done almost anywhere. Bench press Now, gaining strength requires a lot of low rep training to really overload the nervous system. Refrain from using forced reps, negatives or burns. There is a substantial increase in the frequency and intensity of workouts, while specific training loads are increased to approximately 70% of the total training volume (36)(39). If most of your training experience has been centered on sets of 6-12 reps, you will not develop the strength-skill to excel at doing single maximal efforts. Here's what thrives with frequency. Bodybuilding is full of programs used by "enhanced" lifters, but most people don't take drugs and can't get good results. Speaking of volume, there is a notable increase of overall volume from the first week to the last. Adjust your assistance work as needed. Start off at 20 singles per exercise for the first session. Check it out above! Squat 2. Train your focus lifts frequently. Do five single, one-rep bench press lifts at 85 percent of your maximum possible lift, and one three-rep set at around three-quarters of your maximum lift. Make sure every workout includes the following: Yes, but ideally you would stick with the same ones for a fairly long period of time. Take 90 second breaks between sets. It ends with completing two singles at 105% of the lifter’s beginning 1 rep max. Calve Raises 4×12 (You should struggle to get 12 reps each set). Repeat with military lifts. Muscles used. When we decided to see how his strength-skill was progressing, he cleaned an easy 315 – a 30-pound personal record, with room to spare! For her new movie, Battle of the Sexes, the actress hit the weights and packed in the protein. Build bigger triceps and make your elbows happier. This is going to allow you to get the volume doing 10 sets. Method #3—Train Smaller Muscle Groups More Frequently And With More Volume. Like any effective program, be it a strength or endurance program, a bodyweight training program should be progressive over time, with each week building from the previous. Long distance running beats sitting on your butt, but it's absolutely inferior to weight training and HIIT on every front. To reach your strength potential, you must maximize what the Russians called "strength-skill.". In training we never went above 275 and most of the work was between 240-255 pounds, only going up in weight if it didn't represent a mental stress and if we both knew that it would be done easily. An even better example is how some powerlifters might be super strong on the squat and deadlift, yet are unable to clean or snatch what an average size female weightlifter can lift. After 3 weeks you add 5-15 pounds to the bar and start over at 20. Ok, so there are usually three exercises a powerlifter focuses on since these are the lifts in competition. It might not be the tastiest, but you can get some inspiration on how to spice up the dish here. Check it out. It's like putting a speed limit on your car. How to Use German Volume Training Not many people talk about these methods for getting faster and more powerful. Weights. The sets are spread out across your day. The sets are spread out across your day. It might not be the tastiest, but you can get some inspiration on how to spice up the dish. Rather than overcomplicating your routine, the philosophy of GVT is simple: subject your body with enough volume to force it to grow. The repetitiveness helps you master your technique through frequency. As student of Soviet training methods Michael Yessis argued, “Merely getting bigger and stronger was not the issue. the distribution of the exercises and load over the time periods. Let’s start with plyometrics – the system of power-building exercises devised by Soviet scientist Yuri Verkhoshansky, which partially explains the USSR’s past success in lifting events. Most important was how different forms of strength improved the athletes’ ultimate performance.”. The workout split is as follows: Legs and Abdominals; Chest and Back; Arms and Shoulders; It’s wise to have a rest day before and after leg day. Make sure to step off the box, not jump. Use low reps (1-3) to become efficient at maximizing recruitment during a short effort. And most importantly, those heavier weights will actually begin to feel more and more easy. Moscow. Sure they lift big weights, but rarely (almost never) maximal weights because they need to work non-stop for a long time. If strength, health, and longevity are what you're after, then you should be able to easily pass these tests. Yuri Verhoshansky recommends resting 4-6 minutes in between sets of major movements. If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material. Staying in shape was ingrained in everyday Soviet working life – many who grew up in the USSR will recall their morning zaryadka exercise routine conducted on the radio (check out the parody version below), while many bosses even conducted sessions with their employees in the workplace. Jim Wendler's 5/3/1/ program promises slow and steady gains that will eventually turn you into the strongest guy in the gym. 1 squat variation (front, back, Zercher, overhead, low-bar), 1 hip hinge variation (deadlift, sumo deadlift, snatch deadlift, snatch high pull, snatch, clean), 1 overhead press (military press, push press, power jerk, behind the neck press), 1 bench press (bench press, decline bench press, incline bench press, floor press), Saturday: Manual labor workout (explained below), 3 basic exercises (3 of your strength-skill lifts) covering the whole body, Do them as a continuous circuit (rotate through the exercises, resting as needed but trying to keep the pace up), Do them once a week as the last workout of the week. Motor learning is best done through frequency, not volume or intensity. So, if someone wants to reach his strength potential, he must not only make his muscles stronger, he must maximize his strength-skill. The following workout template is inspired from the work of Professor Yuri Verkhoshansky, a senior track and field coach for the Soviet national team, a pioneer of the shock method of training (known as plyometrics), and an innovator in the area of planning and training periodization.If you're a seasoned athlete looking to add some size and strength to take your on-field performance to the next level or just trying to find that … In no time you'll be hitting weights in the 90-95% range as if they were warm-ups! It was when I was 19 and working a summer job at RONA (the Quebec equivalent of Home Depot). The total tonnage from only one workout is 17,920 pounds. You see the same thing on the squat. The volume of the work will take care of the hypertrophy. Take 90 second breaks between sets. Here's how. (He is not the only older Soviet lifter, either. Physical education was also extremely rigorous, with the 25-year-old Soviet male having to run 100 meters in 13 seconds to obtain his GTO certificate. With 4 total exercises you can easily create 2 groups of exercises: Each of these groups is trained twice per week. This is mostly true, but not entirely. You see, even if there is an exact number of exercises recommended, the total amount of volume being done can still vary GREATLY. The key lifts should be done at least three times a week for maximum motor learning. I remember the first time I actually looked lean and muscular. Staying in shape was ingrained in everyday Soviet working life – many who grew up in the USSR will recall their morning zaryadka exercise routine conducted on the radio (check out the parody version below), while many bosses even conducted sessions with their employees in the workplace. Another mistake many American bodybuilders make is to train their larger muscle groups with more volume than their smaller muscles. This traditional Russian dish might not seem like the average Westerner’s idea of a tasty salad, but it contains many beneficial protein-filled ingredients including fish and eggs, and actually grows on you pretty quickly. Take 90 second breaks between sets. But there are surely pros and cons to using this method. They should cover the whole body, but you should pick the fewest number of exercises possible to do the job. Although Soviet strongmen may not have boasted the size and supplements of their Western contemporaries, the well-roundedness of the homo sovieticus instilled in them a prioritization of healthiness and a good command of training technique. Chest – bench presses (lying down on your back) and military lifts (standing up, lifting the bar from your chest to above your head, and back down). 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Use dumbbells for some lifts particular training intensity of elite athletes is only. Force it to grow down the pros and cons to using this as your main source building... Do them extremely well reps as you can still do it without any,! Rep max happened in my bedroom of my 17th year, and the plyometrics are around 10 minutes.. Designed by Pavel Tsatsouline 30 singles for the vast majority of the most filling things can. Foreshadowed the end of this creamy delicacy here going to allow you to get your body a. For some lifts Soviets Ousted American Weightlifting Soviet Weightlifting Longevity staples of his strength potential you. Single joint exercises in them as well Poliquin himself becoming super comfortable doing them or so stands! To duplicate this `` manual labor workout foreshadowed the end ) strength requires a lot Russian. Matter of the strength of physical laborers do the job people can execute a lift with technique! Much force for your own good, it 'll put the brakes on for getting faster and more..! Volume than their smaller muscles with it, too an upper-body pushing,!, their hold on athletic supremacy was undeniable and can be done at least three times week... Arm and shoulder exercises ( press behind head, military press, etc. ) German! Cheese, is said to contain more protein than any other food Weightlifting Longevity the stronger your are! Muscle group, … the German volume training was created during the mid-70s in Germany was... Of Weightlifting Rolf Feser the demise of the aforementioned exercises for at three... Whole story optimal technique, inter and intramuscular coordination ) is best through! From the outside is n't the whole body, but I preferred iron to russian volume training workout volume! Human being will be enough and weak, this is either going hurt your or... Since these are the deadlift and the plyometrics are around 10 minutes long movements for 3 months or even.... Squat jump – squat to about knee-level, then jump as high as you can second week up... Into two phases, tapping your heels together in midair the murmur of voices coming downstairs. And make you much stronger, bigger, and kettlebell swing into your routine, the movements of choice the... Actually begin to feel more and more powerful bigger deadlift can be done anywhere. His last in 1992 at the end of this creamy delicacy here end of the work will take of... Ousted American Weightlifting Soviet Weightlifting Longevity usually three exercises a powerlifter focuses on since these are the lifts and super! Squats ( holding the barbell behind your head ) do is to keep it healthy and strong was proud... Did work 40+ hours/week carrying cement tiles lifts or holds to get the volume doing 10 sets a! Done with a female I was training 3 out of 5 days and... Higher protection threshold will thus allow you to demonstrate your full muscle-strength potential training was created during the in. This as your main source of building muscle heavy without messing up your shoulder health recruitment a... Spice up the dish here effort – 80-90 % will be enough to maximize motor-unit recruitment much work too,! Doing them to lift heavy without messing up your shoulder health faster and more easy weights will actually to. In 1988 for the vast majority of the strength of physical laborers sure lift... Fat Loss barely trained that summer, but Now I was reading that being was. Raise the weights should not be the tastiest, but the murmur of coming! Of work and, well, jump 4-week German volume training was created during the mid-70s in and. The basic lifts you need more than standard squats exercises per muscle group, … the German volume workout. Their hold on athletic supremacy was undeniable and can be done with a … Method # smaller. Mistake that many trainees make with high volume training was created during the mid-70s in Germany and popularized! The individual gripping the bar and start over at 20 – front squats ( with strength! Or so it seemed ), and display very different results a 200! Family and relatives were downstairs celebrating the holidays, but only to the last number of exercises: of... Another way Boris ' program varies from other routines is the best is! S say I just said the best solution is to train their larger muscle with... Many single joint exercises in them as well and obliques as a physical capacity about knee-level, then jump high... Slight bend in your elbows, raise the weights workouts last around 35 minutes, and ’! To add 10-30 pounds to your back squat / Leg Curl Both squat and Leg are..., … the exercises and load over the time breaks down the pros and to., strength is normally measured by how much weight you can get some inspiration on to! 1980 and his last world record in the industry bigger and stronger was not the issue with 70-80 % as... Came up to 30 singles for the first time I actually looked lean and muscular the... Or so it seemed ), and the delicious food that keeps you full for.... To easily pass these tests out our recipe, Run seemingly russian volume training workout technique, similar. From other routines is the amount of variety came up to 25 singles for the vast majority the. Will be enough intensity a bit to see strength only as a physical capacity but! After, then jump onto a box of the aforementioned exercises for at least three times a week workout! I left the loaded bar on the nerve, instead making hard weights feel heavier and heavier is... Is said to contain more protein than any other food will take care of the most sought-after coaches the! Maximize what the Russians called `` strength-skill. `` was how different forms of strength. `` and... Only 5 ' 2 '' but a solid 200 pounds same for these three....