How Do We Do It? Volume.

 

It’s been just a bit over a week since I switched my program for the first time in a while. I had hit a plateau . . . well, more like a mezzanine . . . and the 5×5 wasn’t getting me any bigger or stronger. I don’t think that it matters which program you switch to so much as the fact that you’re switching it in the first place, but I chose “German Volume Training” for the next six weeks. Now, anyone can read about this bullshit on bodybuilding.com, but I’m just going to write what’s actually happening to me when I do it.

I was pretty skeptical of it because of the low weight involved. Other tough guys always told me never to lower weight, but these were just regular kind-of-strong-but-not-bodybuilder types. Part of me still feels wrong lifting what a baby bird or Bachelorette contestant might lift, but I’m actually already seeing results.

In reality, increasing volume can be a great way to put on size. Obviously it works differently for everyone, but for me at least, I’m pretty confident that after six weeks of this I will have basically exploded, and this echoes what guys like Elliott Hulse have said about it. I’m a scrawny person in general, and did a lot of endurance training. Keep in mind that in the running world, they actually say if you look good, you’re too fat to run.

Fuck that.

So it’s hard for me to put on mass. A lot of people seem to have this idea that scrawny people are just “naturally” that way and that all big and strong guys were born that way and didn’t work hard.

This is bullshit. Don’t listen to it. Ever. It goes in reverse too–some people tell other people that they “aren’t built for running.” Again, unless you’ve trained hard and are good at it, shut the fuck up.

Yes my frame is smaller in some places. I have small wrists and very long forearms. Sometimes it makes lifting a bit harder. But this doesn’t have anything to do with being able to put on mass. It’s not some magical sign from the universe that says “you don’t even NEED to lift because you can’t.” Fuck that.

Here’s what I’ve committed to for the next couple months:

Chest/back:

10 x 10 bench press

10 x 10 pulldowns

10 x 10 incline press

10 x 10 rows (also have played with supersetting 5 pullups with 5 dumbell back flys, but I’m not sure that even makes sense)

 

Shoulders/arms

10 x 10 shoulder press

10 x 10 concentration curls

10 x 10 dumbell shoulder fly

10 x 10 hammer curls

4 x 12-15 tricep ext.

 

Legs/abs

10 x 10 back squat

10 x 10 weighted step-back lunges

10 x 10 leg curl

10 x 10 calf raise

4 x 10 pullup crunch

4 x 10 hanging up and over crunch

Between each set, it’s important to keep the rest interval at a minute or less. That is what’s making it so hard, I think. Before, I didn’t time my rest intervals. Looking back it was a very lazy, casual program  (if you can even call it a program) and it’s no wonder I’d hit that underwhelming mezzanine.

Still, there’s a part of me that’s scared that my max will go down, since I could never bench press a lot to begin with. It was starting to get up to where I wanted it, but I don’t think much progress is possible until I give myself something to actually work with in terms of increasing strength. There’s only so much you can do with 180lbs at my height!

The hardest part is eating enough. Hunger takes on an entirely different form when you’re doing this. I’m not used to it. And the main thing that can screw this up for anyone is not eating properly.

Hopefully at the end of this, I’ll have gained enough to post before and after pictures!