German Body Composition Training - for HOME!

German Body Composition Training (GBC) is a unique training protocol that both challenges the mind and muscle! It's an especially important protocol for anyone training at home right now. 

GBC builds strength and muscle endurance while also having an incredible effect on body composition. This happens by allowing you to push through the ‘pump’ due to changing the movements and reps throughout the set. Each set is done by starting with heavier and more complex movement for lower reps, then with minimal to no rest, transitioning down in weight and complexity while increasing the total reps. 

Let’s look at an example of a set:

6 Front Squats

12 Front Rack Reverse Lunges

20 Air Squats (unbroken)

As you work through this set, the last few reps of each movement will be pretty challenging and the very last reps of the whole set might feel almost impossible. Getting the last few Air Squats unbroken is where the burn starts to really kick in and your mental strength starts to get challenged. This challenge happens because you are close to your threshold at each movement then switching to a different/easier one allowing you to keep moving instead of hitting failure. Because your muscles are already pre-fatigued quite a bit you will have to really dig deep and fight the pump to finish those last reps.  

Next let’s talk about the benefits that come from GBC training - especially while you’re at home. Because of all the reps and the total time under tension for each set, it allows for a boost to your strength and muscle endurance at the same time. This also allows you to increase your ability to recover from pushing your muscles to threshold, either in training like this or in difficult WODs. GBC has a huge positive body composition effect. Due to the lactate produced, there will be an increase in growth hormone, which causes increased lean muscle mass production and decreased body fat. 

Because of the many ways this can be done and the simplicity of the movements that can be put into each set, this can be great training for all levels. GBC builds not only better body composition and strength, but also the muscular endurance to keep pushing through the wall and the mental fortitude to keep working when things get tough!