OK, I think I feel like doing a little rant about training…
When I first started lifting about 1.5 years ago I didn't know what the fuck I was doing. My nightly (I did every exercise almost every night) workout consisted of 10 sets of 10 of curls, shoulder presses, machine benches, machine butterflys, over head triceps extensions and whatever else I felt like doing that night (No, I didn't do any leg work, and boy am I paying for that now. Benching more than you squat is pretty humiliating). Can you say over trained? Good God, it's a wonder I got stronger at all.
I started to gain rather limited knowledge...enough to know I was training like a fool and wasn't going to get anywhere. So I wised up a bit and cut down the volume. When I got to college a year ago I still didn't really know what I was going, I was benching 135 for a few reps. Then I stumbled onto T-mag and suddenly I got a lot smarter training-wise. I'm not heralding T-mag as the one source of great information, but it was a start. Anyway, I'm a shit load smarter now, and I feel the gains I've made (I'm up to about a 250 bench -- not too great, but hey, not too bad either) are due in part to all the great training info in this and other websites.
So if you're still with me, you're thinking, "What the fuck is the point?" Well, that's a good question. I guess the point is I'm just grateful for all of the information present, and I'm grateful that I'm not like my friend who won't lift with me because I do "crazy" exercises. I asked him why it is that we've been training for the same amount of time and I bench about 75lbs more than him. He didn't have an answer. Any time I try to tell him to change his routine he just scoffs (is that a word?) and tells me I don't know what I'm doing. So what I'm saying is thanks to everyone at T-mag, everyone who posts on this board and all the other places I've learned something. If it weren't for all of those people, I'd probably still be doing my GVT-Stupidity routine I started on.
Glad to hear that you decided to do a little research and get off the high volume bandwagon. I lifted relatively high volume for 10 years and although I reached a body weight of 200 lbs, I didn’t really progress for about 8 of those years. The last year or so, I started reducing my volume to about 12 work sets per workout and I started making great gains for the first time in 10 years. Recently my gains tapered off again (at a body weight of about 220) so you know what I did? You guessed it, I reduced my work sets even further, to only 5 or 6 work sets per workout. For some reason alot of people are dead set against HIT, but I have reached a body weight of 240 lbs with 18" arms. Five years ago, if someone told me I could get to that point naturally, I would have told them they were crazy. So, you’re on the right track and if you’re gains taper off, be prepared to reduce your volume even further. It goes against common sense but it works.
I agree. GVT is about as stupid as those absolute bullshit Poliquin inch-in-a-day articles and routines.
Try PVT(Porn volume training) for awhile. Applying the principles of GVT to lesbian sex viewing. Not only will the overload enable you to enhance natural T production but the excessive Jenna Jameson poses may allow you to view life in a new light. A brighter, fluffier new light.
Nothing wrong with GVT. I think it is a great routine. Just don’t do it longer than 4 weeks. I ended up with bad tendinitis in my elbows for a year, because I was still gaining on the GVT program and pushed it to 8 weeks without changing exercises. Those damn weighted dips Gotta love 'em.
I reference to the training I was originally doing, I was doing 10x10 of curls, shoulde press, bench press, butterfly, and tricep extensions every night along with a few other exercises. Thats over 60 sets a night. I did that nearly every night with very few off days. That’s what I was refering to when I said GVT-Stupidity. I think GVT is a decent program, but its a little to boring more me to do it more than a month.
I don’t really have much to add, but i think gvt is a nice program too. I didn’t do any leg exersises except leg extentions my first year. Then i did a gvt program (altough all of my other bp didn’t do well), my legs grew 4" in just 2 months!!! :-). My squat increased 100lbs in those 2 months too. A lot of technique adaptions perhaps, but i felt a LOT stronger too!
Gotta love 'em.