If done with out the use of steroids, one can only gain 1lb of muscle (at the max) per month. Though it may be boring, we don’t do the work out for that reason. We work out to see results, get bigger and stronger. The GVT does a very good job of this if done correctly. And besides most lifters know that the pump from this work out is pretty good. Your chest feels full and so do your triceps. And its a really good feeling.

*Note: I make all of these comments under the assumption of natural, PED-free conditions.*

Assuming someone is approaching each session with complete enthusiasm, I would still be skeptical of the effectiveness of this programme in terms of hypertrophy, obviously disregarding Poliquin’s exaggerated claims. It would be my opinion that while volume is high (possibly excessive for PED-free lifters), the training frequency per body part is actually quite low (once every five days, generally) which, while necessary for recovery due to high volume, is probably a hindrance to overall hypertrophy which I’m not convinced the volume compensates for.

Secondly, i feel that the tempo of the reps (4 second eccentric, x concentric) at the 10 rep range significantly decreases the intensity which, like you indicate, will probably not hit the ‘sweet spot’ in terms of hypertrophy. I would advocate a 2-3 second controlled eccentric for anyone looking to attempt this programme in order to increase the intensity. Would you agree with that or do you think the time under tension is the critical element to this programme?

I would promote the Gironda 8×8 over this for the reasons above in the sense that it can be used more frequently with a greater intensity but, again, that also suffers from similar problems to GVT in terms of lack of variability and possible overuse. It also advocates shorter and shorter rest periods (sub-30 secs) rather than increasing intensity, which is probably stepping into muscular endurance territory.

I have to say you hit the nail on the head in that ultimately a programme does not have to be monotonous to be effective, particularly for people for whom lifting is a hobby. The same results can be achieved from more variable workouts that adhere to the same basic principles.

I’ve been doing GVT for two weeks now, but only or one body part – shoulders. That might seem weird, but it’s because I’m recovering from a slight injury to my trapezius, and training heavy still bothers it a bit. I’ve already noticed increases in the size of my shoulders and triceps on this routine. It may not be optimal overall, but it does do exactly what it was designed to do – pack on mass.

As always, you need to sift through information to separate the wheat from the chaff. It is rather unfortunate that Poliquin makes such claims (on a fairly regular basis), more so because these tend to be, as you noticed, exaggerated even beyond the usual norm of a fitness salesman. This does, however, make it easy to separate the BS from the usually great training info he gives out.

JR

Thanks for your time. Merry Christmas.

Hi, Merz 🙂

Again, I never said GVT doesn’t work. It just doesn’t deliver miraculous gains it promises (which is, after all, to be expected), nor is it, by its design, superior to the vast array of all the other hypertrophy oriented programs. This was basically the point I was trying to make in the article. If we’re going to go even deeper, the entire concept of a “mass gain routine” is useless for a vast majority of trainees, since any progress you are to make bodybuilding wise (presuming your BF is under control already) will be by gaining muscle mass.

About my personal experience with GVT. I probably have the workout logs from that time, I’d just have to look for them on my old computer. I follow the same nutritional protocol year-round, don’t use supplements, and have adhered to the routine for 6 weeks, as it is prescribed.

Actually believing such an outspoken routine would yield better results, I did take pre- and post-routine measurements (both weight and important girths). All were within the boundaries of “statistical error” – very slight increases in girths that could be attributed to my imagination and expectations, weight changes within my usual 2 kg weekly undulation.

I agree that this could be carried out better and in more detail, but I presently don’t have the desire to do it, for a multitude of reasons, ranging form the fact that this is a busy time of year for me, when I need my workouts fixed in the week, short and efficient, to less objective ones, such as the dreadful boredom of the routine. 🙂