German Volume Training — Phase 2 (Intensity)

Follow-up phase to classic German Volume Training. Same antagonist structure and exercise selection as Phase 1, but with higher loads and lower reps. The main lifts keep ten sets while reps drop across two consecutive three-week waves from six to four, with load rising by around 2.5% per weekly step. Three sessions per week, typically Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Prerequisite: Phase 1 (10×10) successfully completed.

Who is this plan for?

• Phase 1 of German Volume Training (10×10) successfully completed.
• Training Max from Phase 1 available — either field-tested or freshly estimated right after Phase 1.
• Ready for higher intensity: around 75–82% of 1RM across ten sets, shorter sets.
• Training goal: transition from pure hypertrophy to strength-volume — muscle gain alongside rising work capacity.

How it works

• Antagonist pairing and exercise selection: Identical to Phase 1. Chest and back, quads and hamstrings, shoulders and biceps train alternately as supersets.
• Ten sets with descending reps: The main lifts keep ten sets but reps decrease across the wave: weeks 1/4 six reps, weeks 2/5 five reps, weeks 3/6 four reps. Rest between sets around 90 seconds.
• Six-week double wave: Two three-week waves with descending reps and ascending load. In the second wave, the starting load is raised by around 2.5% from week 1. Total load progression: around 75% of 1RM in week 1 to around 82% in week 6. The weekly load is built into the plan — no manual adjustment required.
• Isolation superset: Identical to Phase 1. Three sets of 10–15 reps with double progression.
• No training to failure: On the main lifts, training still stops one or two reps short of failure on every set.

Pros & Limitations

Muscles trained

Avg. hits per week · Primary 1.0 · Secondary 0.5