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GVT vs DTP

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Dec 28, 2018 9:30:00 AM

GVT vs DTP

GVT vs DTP

 

GVT is more beginner friendly and can be done with a barbell. DTP is extreme and only recommended with machines and Dumbbells. You also should know your way around bodybuilding before attempting it. 

 

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What is your goal 

 

Before you dive deeper into this article let me ask you some questions:

 

  • Why do you compare GVT and DTP
  • Why do you want to exercise 
  • Why is the status quo not satisfying

 

There is a reason why you came to this blog and research German Volume Training and the dramatic transformation protocol. What I often observe with beginners is that they spend too much time on what and how and too little time on why they go to the gym. 

 

Look up the TED talk “how leaders inspire action” by Simon Sinek to get a better understanding of the importance of your why to drive extraordinary results. The motivations I find most often in fitness are

 

  • Looks 
  • Performance 
  • Health 

 

If you are into looks you will be in for a hard time. The expectations Hollywood and Instagram set are entirely unrealistic. The images and movies you see have been more often than not optimized to the highest degree. The actors went through a vetting process of casting which whittled it down to the most attractive out of thousands. The models train half a year like beasts and then hunger themselves down for another half a year. When done they spent two days in several different gyms with a photographer to have enough material for a year. To keep up with this you will be hungry, tired and grumpy. The choices you will make will not always be healthy or help performance on the pitch. 

 

If you are all about performance you want trophies and records. Your exercises will not be picked based on how they make you look. Everything you do will be designed to have maximum carryover to your chosen field of activity. Diet will become merely a fuel to your ambition. The main driver will be intensity in the gym. You will tear muscles, tendons and break bones on the way to the top. The choices you make will not always be healthy or pretty. That will not matter when you put that new number on the board.

 

The last group is all about health. You seek balance on your life. The extremes are avoided. Therefore your risk of injury and burnout are pretty low. You don’t obsess about food and the gym. Staying active is your main goal. While you might not make the front cover of mean health or win a gold medal, you are happy. Who cares anyway. 

 

German Volume training 

 

German Volume Training is one of the most popular lifting programs out there. Established by Charles Poliquin it has been going strong for years. Because of its popularity, there are many variations out there. The one I like is 

 

  • 10 repetitions for
  • 10 sets at
  • 60% intensity with
  • 30 seconds of rest between sets 

 

With this template, I trained four times a week using the 

 

 

To put on 2.5kg in one month. Some variations allow for greater rest between sets. Experiment a little to find out what works best for you. 

 

The biggest advantages of German Volume Training are its simplicity and effectiveness. I have yet to find a program which made me blow up like it. 

 

The biggest disadvantages of German Volume Training are the time it takes and lack of maximum strength development. Getting ten repetitions for ten sets in is time-consuming. With 2 minutes rest between sets, you already spent 20 minutes in the gym doing nothing. It will also not help you much with developing your maximum strength. If you are a powerlifter or weightlifter you also need to practice triples, doubles, and singles. These are more specific to your sport. 

 

 

Dramatic Transformation Protocol 

 

The dramatic Transformation protocol does what it says on the tin. You will hit your body four times a week with a bodybuilding split routine. The days in between you will do cardio. To top it up you will shovel food in your face until you give up. The rep protocol is: 

 

  • 50
  • 40
  • 30 
  • 20 
  • 10
  • 20
  • 30
  • 40 
  • 50

 

You take rest as needed between sets. For the split, you can do upper body, lower body, arms and, abs and back. For exercise selection, the protocol leaves a lot of room for interpretation. 

 

The big advantage of the program is that it will effect a dramatic change in your body. The sheer volume will leave no doubt whether you Putin the work or not. Your body will grow. 

 

The biggest disadvantage of the program is that the volume stands in no proportion to the gains you will make. You can get similar gains with less volume and less risk of injury. If you consider this as a beginner stay away from it. This is a program for seasoned bodybuilders who know what they are doing. 

 

Should you do GVT or DTP

 

It always depends on what your goals are and where you wan to go. 

 

If you are a beginner who has no coaching and figures things out for themselves do German Volume Training. Especially when your focus is muscle gain. Be aware that a big clean diet will have a greater impact on the gains you make than what you do in the gym. If you wan to work with a barbell gradually ease in to it working you way from 5x10 to 10x10.

 

If you are a seasoned powerlifter you might want to try GVT for a cycle if one to three months to pump up a little. The change to lighter weights can also help to freshen up mentally. 

 

If you are a bodybuilder with access to a lot of machines who is stuck in their development try DTP. If this does not shock your system I don’t know what will. I personally would stay away from the big three lifts on this protocol. This has been written for dumbbbels, lat pulls and leg presses.

 

 

Topics: German Volume Training, Fitness, Strength