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GVT and cutting [Article]

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Oct 12, 2018 9:30:00 AM

GVT and cutting

GVT and cutting [Article]

German Volume Training and cutting can go together. A bulk is a better partner for GVT. If you combine GVT with a cut focus on maximum tension in every repetition. Scale back on weight as needed.

 

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What are your goals 

 

Why do you want to cut and do German Volume Training at the same time? Chances are you want to get ripped. Be very clear about your goal before you embark on the journey. Fussy goals get fussy results. Why do you want to get ripped? Do you want to impress the other sex? Do you want to prove that it is doable? Are you fed up with looking at yourself in the mirror? Whatever brought you here, I encourage you to dig deep to uncover why you step to the plate. It makes all the difference. The main goals that I see in fitness are:

 

  • Looks 
  • Performance 
  • Health

 

If you are all about looks you feed on the media. The constant stream of perfect happy faces on Facebook & Instagram. Be aware that these are only staged snapshots. Models prepare an entire day to get that shot. Even YouTubers prearrange the set up in their homes to make it more appealing to you. What you see is not real life. It is a fabrication to get you to buy something. Still, aspiring to greatness is good. Just be prepared that it might be a lot harder than it is made out to be. Otherwise, everyone would be chiseled. If you want to get anywhere with your six pack you will be hungry for a couple of months. You might feel drained and tired. Bodybuilders are their weakest in competition day because they have been extracting nutrients. This is not necessarily healthy. It also does not help when you want to perform on the pitch.

 

If you are all about performance you care about trophies. You want to make the podium. At least a better personal record would be nice if that is not happening. To achieve this you will constantly pick the exercises with the most carry over to your sport. The intensity in the gym and in the pitch will be high. You will need nutrients to perform. Food will fuel your ambition. The main driver will be the exercise you do. Injuries are common and you know how to deal with them. You might not look the prettiest and make the healthiest choices. But you won’t care as the crowd loves you for winning. 

 

The last group is mainly interested in health. If you are in this group it is all about balance. You like yoga and try different diets on a regular basis. Training is there to make you feel better. Extremes are avoided and the middle ground is where you feel comfortable. You will not make the front cover or win the championship. The good things that you also couldn’t care less and have a good nights sleep. 

 

German Volume Training

 

German Volume Training is one of the most popular beginner hypertrophy programs out there. There are many templates out there. My personal favorite is 

 

  • 10 repetition for
  • 10 sets at
  • 60% one repetition maximum with
  • 30 seconds rest between sets

 

With this template, you can go far. I managed to pack on 2.5kg of muscle in a month using the

 

 

You can also use machines like the leg press, leg curl and lat pull down. Everybody to their own tastes. 

 

The biggest advantages of German Volume Training are its simplicity and effectiveness. You do not have to do a lot of calculations to do. I personally have not found a more effective workout to pump me up. I am not a bodybuilder though so look up some other material and references to form your opinion. 

 

The biggest disadvantages of German Volume Training are the time it takes and the lack of clear progression. If you rest for two minutes between sets you are already twenty minutes in the gym doing nothing. That is for one exercise only. This is why I like the 30 seconds rest. The progression to bigger weights is also not really clear. It’s hard to estimate in between 100 reps whether you have done well or not. 

 

Cutting 

 

A cut is a bodybuilding term for going into caloric deficit. This means that you burn more calories in the day than you take in. Some people might say you are going on a diet. 

 

Depending on your goals your cut can be more or less extreme. Always consult a doctor before you make extreme changes to your diet. Depending on which calculator I whip out I need 2000 to 3000 calories a day. 1500 a day would, therefore, be extreme. 

 

Some also include the process of extracting water out of your body in a cut. Only do this if you want to compete in bodybuilding and under professional supervision. That is usually where things go really bad. 

 

Depending on whom you ask a cut can mean many things. To me, it is an extreme diet with a big caloric deficit to attain a certain physique by a certain date for a short period of time. Therefore all women go on a cut before their wedding ;). 

 

Can you combine GVT and cutting 

 

I personally think that GVT is more suited for a bulking than a cutting cycle. A bulking cycle puts you in an extreme caloric surplus to pack on muscle. You won’t care if a couple of pounds of fat come with it. GVT is very demanding on your body, otherwise, you are doing it wrong. If you combine it with cutting be sure to listen to your body and lower the weights when you get weaker. A cut is geared towards definition. I find that the isometric holds and very slowly performed repetitions are better to obtain this goal. GVT, as I programmed, is not ideal for that. Scale back to 40% of one rep maximum and milk every set. 

 

Further reading 

 

 

Topics: Lift stronger, German Volume Training, Fitness, Strength