German Body Composition Program Charles Poliquin Nutrition
This summer I was embarking on my dieting cycle with the goal to shed some body fat and get in better shape not only for summer but also as a great base to start my competition plans from for next year. My diet was going well and I was losing fat slowly dropping from 212-to-200 while still aiming to maintain or even increase my strength levels. Then the dreaded curse of dieting happened.
Dec 10, 2016. According to the current fitness lore on GBC training, the program is inspired by the studies of Romanian sports scientist Hala Rambie. Operating within. Utilising the above, Poliquin created the 'German Body Composition' training that people have been using over the past two decades. In a nut shell, his. Dec 10, 2016 Putting it Altogether. The man responsible for appropriating the above studies was Charles Poliquin, the Canadian born strength coach who has also popularised systems such as German Volume Training, Wave-Like-Loading and a series of other approaches. Utilising the above, Poliquin created the ‘German Body Composition’ training.
My strength started to decline and my personal best lifts started to get really heavy causing me a lot of frustration. As I persevered with the heavy weights I started experiencing aches and pains in my joints and I felt that I was starting to fight a losing battle. This made me assess my situation and come up with a new game plan.
First, I realized I needed a change from heavy lifting, but to what? That's when it dawned on me that even though I had tried many different routines in my time the actual principles used in my training were always essentially the same. Sure, I would follow different body part splits but the rep speed, rest time in-between sets and style of training were always similar.
Just previous to this I had been reading about German Body Composition Training in a book by a very knowledgeable UK bodybuilder called Jason Rickaby called 'The Natural Edge.' For those who aren't familiar with German Body Composition Training (GBC) it was actually the brain-child of world famous strength coach Charles Poliquin. After reading about this style of training I was re-motivated to get back in the gym with a new workout plan and unbeknown to me then on the path to some of my greatest workouts ever!
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What Is German Body Composition Training?
In a nutshell it is a method of super-setting different body parts in a session alternating between upper and lower muscles, working in a rep range of 8 - 15 per set, for up to 9 sets per bodypart split over 3 exercises while utilizing a controlled rep-tempo (4 second negatives and 1 second positive) and working extremely fast in-between sets (30-90 seconds). Plus, not training the muscle to complete failure.
Instead, use good technique and relying on the short rest periods to supply the intensity. Sounds simple? it is on paper, however in practice it really does take a good level of physical conditioning, motivation and pure intensity to keep going.
Now some people might have this confused with German Volume Training which is another great training system that Charles Poliquin has written about and has been popular in weight training circles for many years. This system is set up so that one major exercise is performed per muscle group for 10 sets and alternating sets with another exercise eg. Bench Press and Chins for 10 sets each. Although set not being performed not to failure.
The load selected for this would be 60% of 1 Rep Max and the idea was that doing just one exercise for 10 sets exposes the targeted muscle to so much stress that hypertrophy occurs. Now, I don't know about you but I like variety and the thought of doing 10 sets of just one exercise didn't appeal to me. Therefore, GBC training suited my personal style well.
A great part about GBC training is that it is actually recommended to cut back on your cardio training when doing this routine. The fast-paced workouts burns up calories like an inferno and although it is working on your anaerobic endurance your heart and lungs will be working really hard at the end of the workout. So effectively you're losing fat from hard weight training and sensible eating. That sounds good to me, here is the routine I used:
My Training Routine
- Day 1: Chest & Back
- Day 2: Rest
- Day 3: Legs & Calves
- Day 4: Delts, Triceps and Biceps
- Day 5: Rest
- Day 6: Repeat Day 1
Training Variables
- Number of sets: 9 per major body part/3-6 per minor body parts
- Number of reps: 8-15 reps per set
- Rest time between sets: 30-90 seconds
- Rep tempo: 4 second negatives and 1 second positive
Note: The rep tempo varies due to different exercises, I stuck mostly to the tempo above.
Day 1: Chest & Back
- Flat Dumbbell Presses superset with Barbell Rows: 3 sets each / 8-12 reps per set / 60 seconds rest
- Dips superset with Narrow-Grip Chin: 3 sets each / 10 reps per set / 60 seconds rest
- Hammer Incline Press superset with Deadlifts: 3 sets each / 8-12 reps per set / 60 seconds rest
Day 3: Legs & Calves
- Leg Extensions superset with Lying Leg Curl: 3 sets each / 10 reps per set / 60 seconds rest
- Squats superset with Stiff-Leg Deadlifts: 3 sets each / 12-15 reps per set / 90 seconds rest
- Hack Squat superset with Standing Calf Raise: 3 sets each / 8-12 reps per set / 60 seconds rest
Day 4: Delts, Triceps and Biceps
- Barbell Shoulder Press superset with Barbell Curls
3 Sets each / 10 reps per set / 30 seconds restRear Delt Machine superset with Tricep Pushdowns
3 Sets each / 8 - 12 reps per set / 30 seconds restDB Lateral Raise superset with Hammer Curls
3 Sets each / 8 - 12 reps per set / 30 seconds restSeated Tricep DB Extension superset with DB Shrugs
3 Sets each / 8 - 12 reps per set / 30 seconds rest
I found this style of training to be a breath of fresh air. I really looked forward to each session and it made me appreciate that you could have a great workout at an extremely high intensity level while not having to shoot for your heaviest weights in the gym. Previously, I have always been a huge believer in progressively moving heavier poundages and I wouldn't have used this routine if it wasn't for my need to have a break due to decreasing strength and small aches and pains.
I modified the GBC plan from the recommended super-setting of upper and lower muscles. Opting for more of an agonist/antagonist approach. This worked well, however next time I will try the upper and lower split to compare how that works out.
I followed a 4-week cycle of this program and each session never lasted more than 35-40 minutes. I was covering more work than I would normally do in double the time and I was always left feeling happily exhausted. The intensity was so high that I could feel the effects of the workout 2 hours after I had finished. Furthermore, once you have given yourself a few weeks to get used to this style of training you can start increasing the weights used. This makes even more intense when your using heavier weights and still shooting for the same short rest time between sets.
Benefits From Using German Body Composition Training
The benefits I gained from using this type of program were more than I had anticipated. Firstly, I was able to keep on losing body fat however I actually was doing much less cardio as I felt like this training style really stimulated my metabolism and I was burning off far more calories per session than I normally would. I ended up getting down to 194, a lose of 6 pounds in a month while actually eating more quality food than I had been doing which made my muscles look fuller due to the extra carbs, plus I felt great with more energy.
Secondly, I was able to train hard on the weights without the nagging pains I was previously getting in my rotator cuffs. Plus, as the weights increased I was getting the pains back. I believe it gave my joints a welcomed break.
Thirdly, my motivation for training went through the roof. I couldn't wait for my next session! I've always enjoyed training but when I get on to a routine that I like I can sometimes get caught in a trap of not wanting to change it. GBC really helped me appreciate the benefits of change and has made me more open to frequently mixing up my routine to keep my body off guard and continuously progressing.
Finally, when I went back to lifting heavy again after 1 month break from maximum poundage's I originally expected to be naturally a little weaker from not perform at my best weights. However, I was shocked when on my first heavy squat day back and everything seemed light! My previous best had been 335 pounds for 6 reps. So after I had performed what seemed an easy 15 reps with 315 pounds I went up to 365 and knocked out a smooth 5 reps and felt great.
I wondered why my strength went up and after a closer look at my training I feel I was previously doing too much cardio and that was harming my recovery and growth from weight training. Therefore, backing off the cardio allowed my body to recovery better. Plus, having a change from my normal training style helped to break my plateaus and stimulate new strength gains. GBC training really helps increase your tolerance of lactic acid and your anaerobic endurance. I feel that in 4 short weeks I noticed some significant improvements in these areas. Poliquin wrote that there is a relationship between lactate and growth hormone release. Therefore, training with short rest periods really stimulates the pituitary glands to naturally release GH which a big bonus when aiming for increase muscle mass and strength.
How German Body Composition Training Plays A Part In My Routine
I was so impressed by the results I got from this training system and the enjoyment I got out of following it I now intend to cycle it into my training frequently. I plan on following a more traditional heavy weight training system for 4-6 weeks and when I start to feel that I've either reached a plateau or just a general feeling of need to change I will switch to the GBC training for a 4-week period.
This is a great training method to follow if your training is in a stale patch, or you've had injuries and struggle to lift the heavy weight comfortably or just want a challenging routine which isn't too time consuming but very productive with the potential to get some great improvements.
References
The Natural Edge by Jason Rickaby
'How to Deep-Six Holiday Fat' by TC Luoma in Testosterone No. 34
All the best,
How to Deep-Six Holiday Fat
I've got a little round belly
That shakes when I laugh,
Like a bowlful of jelly..
It's gotten to be a holiday tradition. Every year, around Christmas time, I go home to Michigan to visit relatives and friends. And every year, despite my best intentions, I come back carrying an extra five or six pounds of blubber. I half-expect the goons at the airport x-ray machines to notice the bulge in my shirt and strip-search me to expose the dynamite-packed vest I'm no doubt wearing.
Since when did tempting your friends or relatives with tray after tray of lipid-laced goodies become a way of showing your affection? I don't eat crap during the year, but when I visit home, I feel like I'm in some sort of dietary cat house. Instead of being enticed by a parade of loamy-loined babes, I'm confronted by an endless stream of apple pies, Christmas tortes, cookies, brownies, and fried foods (yes, fried!), all of whom shout, 'Try me, I know how to show a sailor a good time!'
Given that I'm a dietary celibate during the year, all this food is just a little too much temptation. I nibble a bit here and a bit there, feeling a little proud that I'm able to resist doing a double half-gainer into a plate of buffalo wings and ranch dip. Trouble is, no matter how many dishes I turn down, the cumulative effect of taking about ten or eleven thousand nibbles sends my liver into overdrive, Fed-exing package after holiday package of fat over to the gut for storage.
Maybe it's some sort of plot. Maybe all the Michiganders are druids, and they're fattening me up for some pagan ritual. I should have realized it that one morning when I woke up to find my father-in-law brushing me with a honey-mustard glaze and my mother-in-law shoving an apple in my mouth.
Well, just as obscuring my abs with fat has become a yearly tradition, so has the January and February fat-loss training program. It's not a New Year's resolution, mind you. I don't make resolutions. It's just a harried response to the environmental anomaly commonly known as holiday overeating.
I don't do a bunch of aerobics, either. I largely agree with Nelson Montana's views on aerobics and fat loss. In a nutshell (a candied nutshell, no doubt), traditional aerobic training interferes with strength gains. Instead, I use a modified version of something Charles Poliquin calls 'The German Body Comp Program.'
The entire program can be capsulized in one sentence: keep your rep ranges high and your rest intervals short. If you ask Charles about it, he'll tell you that there's a direct relationship between lactate and growth hormone. In other words, if you elevate your lactate levels by doing lots of work in a short amount of time, you'll cause your pituitary gland to spew GH like a lawn sprinkler. This GH will, in turn, cause an overall decrease in fat mass. He cites researchers like Romanian exercise scientist Hala Rambie and American exercise expert William Kramer.
Both conducted experiments showing that a dramatic increase in GH production occurred with sets of ten as opposed to sets of five. Furthermore, rest periods of 30 to 60 seconds were superior in this regard to longer rest periods.
Sure, I'll buy all that. But do I believe that the exercise-induced elevation of GH is responsible for all of the fat loss experienced through the German Body Comp Program? Nahh. Hell, you can inject pure GH into people and it won't cause all that much fat loss (unless you're grossly deficient in GH).
I think fat loss is a lot more complex and involves a pretty intricate interplay between several sex steroids and GH. Of course, on the other hand, fat loss is a lot simpler, too. If you conduct a greater amount of work in a given amount of time, you'll burn more fuel. That's what the German Body Comp Program does.
In reality, the program is actually somewhat aerobic, only this aerobic program won't burn up any muscle tissue. In fact, most people who undertake it actually put on muscle. Why? Well, just like any new program, it exposes your muscles and nervous system to new stimuli, and hypertrophy is the result. You may not actually gain any weight, but you'll undoubtedly improve your fat to lean body mass ratio.
The program is simple. You can easily devise your own Body Comp Program by keeping a few principles in mind:
1) Super set all exercises. For instance, do a set of a lower body exercise, and follow it up with an upper body exercise.
2) Keep rep ranges, in general, between 8 and 12 (although you may want to do some sets of 15-20).
3) Rest only 30 to 60 seconds between sets. If your first movement in an upper/lower body superset is squats, you might want to rest 60 seconds before attempting your second movement. However, if your first exercise is a fairly 'easy' exercise, like leg extensions, you might only wish to wait 30 seconds before doing the second part of the superset.
4) Do a different Body Comp workout each day, doing three or four workouts a week. (Charles' actual program involves 12 separate workouts, done in succession. After the 12 workouts are completed, you simply start with the first one again. This whole 'cycle' can be done up to three times, depending on how much fat you want to dump.)
5) Work larger muscle groups, such as quads, back, and chest, earlier in the workout.
6) Try to keep a balance between all body parts so that none are neglected.
I've included three such sample workouts at the end of this article. Remember, though, that these aren't the exact workouts that appear in Charles' program. I've modified them. For instance, Charles believes in taking a little more rest after working some of the larger body parts. Like after doing a set of back squats, he might suggest resting up to 120 seconds. I tried it that way, and it didn't work that well for me, so I cut the rest periods in half.
Furthermore, Charles recommends chewing on a slab of Canadian bacon in between sets, but I think fat loss is more easily accomplished if you forgo eating hog meat. Wait a minute..I'm sorry, he recommends eating Canadian bacon during sex. All this high-volume, low-rest work got me confused.
Now, you have a few choices of how you can structure this workout. You can use the 'templates' I've provided to help you structure your own workouts. You can use my three modified Poliquin workouts and write nine more of your own. Of course, that may be a real pain in the ass to a lot of you. You can, instead, just write three more for a total of six and go on a six-workout cycle. That would probably work nearly as well, and you could simply stop doing the cycles once you've reached the desired body fat percentage.
Your last choice is to simply buck up and buy Charles' book. It has the distinctly weenie title of 'Manly Weight Loss,' but the information is good. We only have a limited supply in stock. So if you want a copy, call our toll-free order number at 1-800-525-1940.
The book lists all 12 workouts, including some sample diets that you may want to use in conjunction with the program. (Personally, I drink about four meal replacements a day, having a snack and a sensible meal along the way. Simple, but effective.) It also lists some suggested supplements, but since another company paid to reprint the book, no Biotest supplements are included. Oh, well. That's the way business goes.
I have to tell you, though, that if you're not used to this kind of workout and if your aerobic capacity sucks, you're going to feel like pulling a Linda Blair. You'll get used to it..either that, or you'll die and you won't have to worry about trivial things like fat. Personally (WARNING: SENSORS DETECT A PRODUCT PLUG APPROACHING..), I find that a scoop of Power Drive, taken about 45 minutes beforehand, allows me to work out without weeping and cursing my friends and relatives for sabotaging my waistline.
Try the workout and let us know what you think.
Sample Workout 1
A1) Lying Leg Curls
Reps: 15-20
Sets: 3
Tempo: 201*
Rest: 45 seconds
Description: Pull toes in toward the body as you raise the weight and extend them away from the body as you lower the weight.
A2) Seated Cable Row to Neck
Reps: 15-20
Sets: 3
Tempo: 211
Rest: 30 seconds
B1) Seated Leg Curls
Reps: 8-10
Sets: 3
Tempo: 402
Rest: 30 seconds
B2) Incline Dumbbell Presses With Rotation
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 301
Rest: 30 seconds
Description: Use a 45-degree incline. Start with palms facing each other and pronate hands while pressing the dumbbells.
C1) Hamstring Leg Presses
Reps: 10-20
Sets: 3
Tempo: 201
Rest: 45 seconds
Description: Place feet high on platform.
C2) Seated Incline Curls
Reps: 8-10
Sets: 3
Tempo: 301
Rest: 30 seconds
Description: Use a 45-degree angle. Keep wrists cocked back.
D1) Dumbbell Shrugs
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 201
Rest: 30 seconds
D2) Swiss Ball Crunches
Reps: 8-10
Sets: 3
Tempo: 202
Rest: 30 seconds
*Tempo refers to how fast you should do the movement. The first number means how many seconds you should take to do the eccentric, or lowering, part of the movement. The second number means how long you should pause between the eccentric and the concentric portion of the lift. And the third number, of course, refers to how fast you should lift or raise the weight.
Sample Workout 2
A1) Front Split Squats
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 303
Rest: 30 seconds
Description: Front foot should be elevated (elevate the forward foot 5-8 inches and turn the lead foot slightly outward).
A2) Close-Parallel Grip Pulldowns to Chest
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 221
Rest: 30 seconds
B1) Good Mornings
Reps: 8-10
Sets: 3
Tempo: 402
Rest: 45 seconds
B2) Flat Dumbbell Presses
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 221
Rest: 30 seconds
C1) Seated Calf Raises
Reps: 15-20
Sets: 3
Tempo: 101
Rest: 30 seconds
C2) California Skull Crushers
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 201
Rest: 30 seconds
Charles Poliquin German Body Comp
D1) Upright Rows
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 201
Rest: 30 seconds
D2) Leg Lifts Off a Bench
Reps: 8-10
Sets: 3
Tempo: 201
Rest: 30 seconds
Sample Workout 3
A1) Back Squats
Reps: 15-20
Sets: 3
Tempo: 201
Rest: 60 seconds
A2) Bent-Over Rows
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 212
Rest: 60 seconds
Description: Pull the barbell to the sternum and pause briefly. Keep a slight curve in the back.
B1) Straight Leg Deadlifts
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 501
Rest: 30 seconds
Description: Despite the name, keep a slight bend in the knees.
B2) Wide Grip Sternum Lat Pulldowns
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 321
Rest: 30 seconds
C1) Dumbbell Lunges
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 20X
Rest: 45 seconds
Description: Turn foot slightly out. Push off explosively.
C2) Standing Close-Grip Barbell Curls
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 401
Rest: 30 seconds
D1) Decline Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
Reps: 10-12
Sets: 3
Tempo: 201
Rest: 30 seconds
D3) Leg Lifts Off a Bench or Swiss Ball
Reps: 8-10
Sets: 3
Tempo: 201
Rest: 30 seconds