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Old 03-20-2006, 01:05 AM
Darkhorse Darkhorse is offline
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Default DC Training – An Overview

I only ask that noone repost this writeup elsewhere and keep this exclusively here at bb.net. Thanks in advance.

Here's an writeup that me and Protobuilder did for another website a while back about DC Training. It's one of the most hardcore programs I've ever done. Just in case anyone gets a wild hair up their ass and wants to try it, I hesitate to recommend it unless you've got a very solid foundation of experience! Back when I tried it about a year ago, I did some things right, and some wrong. Hindsight being 20/20, I'd give this another go for sure since I've increased my knowledge 100% since then..

By 0311 and Protobuilder

Doggcrapp training is an intense, high frequency, low volume training system built around one key principle—you must get stronger! Doggcrapp, the online name of the mastermind behind DC training, believes that size comes from strength. If you’re getting stronger, you’re getting bigger! On the DC method, you typically train three days a week (M, W, F) using one hardcore working set per bodypart. You hit half your body in one workout, half the next, and then repeat. This has you hammering each bodypart twice in 8 days, which allows for more growth cycles than a typical high volume workout. It is absolutely critical that you know your body before using DC training and, thus, it is intended for trainees with at least four years of heavy iron training.

Here are the basic principles of DC Training:

Get Strong = Get Big!

Every bodybuilding system seeks to build the biggest bodybuilders possible. But they all use different methods. DC training forces you to get stronger and stronger on your lifts. As long as your weights are going up, you will get bigger and bigger because your muscles are forced to adapt to ever increasing loads. When was the last time you added 10 pounds to your lifts? DC argues that if you aren’t getting stronger, you’re wasting your time.

High Frequency, High Intensity, Low Volume

On the DC system, most people work out three times a week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is most common. Here’s the basic two-way split:

Monday – Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Back width, & Back thickness
Wednesday – Biceps, Forearms, Calves, Quads, & Hamstrings
Friday – Repeat Monday’s workout
Monday – Repeat Wednesday’s workout

Those trainees who sling a lot of iron and who need a lot of warm-up sets can do a three-way split: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday. This split is only for people with excellent recovery abilities though. Here’s the three-way split:

Monday – Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Tuesday – Back, Biceps, Forearms
Thursday – Calves, Quads, Hamstrings
Friday – Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Monday – Repeat Tuesday
Tuesday – Repeat Thursday, and so on.

Here’s how you do it: Pick three exercises for each bodypart in order from your favorite to least favorite out of the three. You should use only compound movements. You’ll do one of those exercises each workout. So, on Monday for example, you’d do one working set of Incline Smith Machine Press. Then you’d move on to shoulders and do the same thing, then triceps, etc. When your next chest workout rolls around on Friday, you’ll do your second chest exercise. Again, you’ll do only one working set before moving on to shoulders, where you’ll do your second shoulder exercise, etc. It’s really pretty simple:

• pick three exercises for each bodypart
• do one exercise per workout for each scheduled bodypart
• perform only one working set for each bodypart

Frequency and Intensity are the keys to growing with only one exercise and one working set.
• Frequency—you’re hitting each bodypart three times in 14 days so you’re going through more growth cycles than a typical bodybuilding split.
• Intensity—your working set employs controlled negatives, rest-pause (you’ll rest-pause twice during your working set, which is like doing 3 “mini sets”), and a 6-8s. negative at the end of each rest-pause mini-set.

Here’s how a sample workout would look using rest/pausing:

Perform as many warm up sets as needed. These don’t count! An experienced, strong lifter may need 6 warm up sets for squats whereas a new, weaker lifter may only need two before they’re at their working weight. After warm up, do one all-out, hardcore working set: pick up the bar and go to absolute failure. You should fail on the negative, and your rep range can be anywhere from 15 RP up to 20-30 RP (rest/pause) depending on the exercise (e.g., bench vs. hamstring curls) and the bodypart (e.g., calves vs. biceps). At failure, end on the negative and re-rack on the bottom, then take 12-15 deep breaths (should take about 20 seconds). Then go to failure again (should get 2-4 more reps), rack the weight on the negative, and take 12-15 more breaths. Then knock out 1-2 more reps and, if you’re an advanced lifter, perform a 20 second static hold just short of lockout. The working set is followed by 60 seconds of extreme stretching. Then you move on to your next bodypart.

EACH AND EVERY REP IS PERFORMED WITH AN EXPLOSIVE, POSITIVE AND CONTROLLED NEGATIVE. On your last rep of each rest-pause set, you execute a painful 8 second negative. This is why DC advocates using machines such as hammer strength and smith. It’s a lot easier to re-rack the weights on the bottom safely and to incorporate a 20-30 second static at the end of a working set (final rest-pause).

Logbook

Because strength is critical, you must get stronger each and every workout. You absolutely must track your progress with a logbook. Each workout, you look back at your logbook and try to either increase your reps or increase the weight you used last time. If you cannot, DC has an interesting motivational tool—you lose the exercise! Because you picked your three favorite exercises, you won’t want to lose them so you’ll push yourself to beat your last workout! This period is known as a blast (see below). You’re only job in life is to kill the logbook. This method ensures that you keep getting stronger and stronger on each exercise. Once your strength stalls out, you change to a new exercise and try to get as strong as possible on that exercise.

Extreme stretching

Extreme stretching (AKA fascia stretching) is an integral part of the DC method. After each working set, you must do a 60 second extreme stretch. This is the hardest part of the training! One minute is a long time. The quickie explanation [by Dan Moore] is extreme stretching causes microtrauma from forcing sarcomeres to produce tension at extreme length, where damage is most susceptible. By holding it for 30-60 seconds, you initiate the stretch reflex, which increases the tension in that area, thus boosting tension and therefore acute damage. There’s some speculation about stretching activating gene expression with satellite cells. The greatest benefit from extreme stretching is that it will enhance your recovery time so you can be able to keep up with the increased frequency.

Here’s how to execute some extreme stretching:

Chest: Grab a set of dumbbells and drop down into the deepest fly you can do. Make sure to pull as much air into your lungs as possible. The first ten seconds you’ll be squirming into the deepest position you can, then the next 50 seconds you’ll be struggling to hold on. You can keep the dumbbells by your side, arms bent. Usually you want to pick a weight that’s half of what your 6-8 rep max is.

Shoulders: Use the smith machine barbell and put it shoulder height. Reach behind you and grab the barbell palms up. Then walk out until you’re on your heels, then roll your shoulders down. Hold for 60 seconds.

Triceps: Grab a dumbbell and sit down on a bench with a barbell to your back. Put the dumbbell behind your head like a triceps extension. Use your head to push the dumbbell down. You obviously use one at a time.

Back Width: Dead hang from a pull-up bar. Use weight if you need to. You might use wrist wraps to ensure you don’t fall down and die.

Back Thickness: There’s no way set in stone. Typically, grab a doorknob or machine and round your back while you stretch.

Biceps: Use an Olympic bar in a squat rack or smith machine and set it neck high. Standing in front of it, grab the bar behind you with an overhand grip (palms down). Slink down with one foot forward and one foot back and try to hold for 60 seconds.

Hamstrings: Put one leg up on a barbell or any machine, toe pointed out, try to push your knee down and hold for 60 seconds.

Quads: Facing a barbell in a squat rack about hip height -- grip it and simultaneously sink down and throw your knees under the barbell and do a sissy squat underneath it while going up on your toes. This one’s hard to explain.

Blasting & Cruising

One unusual thing about DC training is it doesn’t have bulking and cutting phases. DC makes a persuasive argument that it’s better to constantly gain a little lean muscle rather than fatten up and then lose muscle while trying to also lose the extra fat.

DC training involves blasting and cruising phases instead. During the blast phase, you lift as intensely as possible for as long as you can. Five to eight weeks seems like the norm depending on your intensity and recovery ability. You’re beating the logbook each and every workout. Once you stop beating the logbook, it’s time for a cruise! So you must know your body and know when you’re about to lose strength and overtrain. Just before you overtrain, you shift to a “cruise” phase.

A cruise is nothing more than taking it easy for a few weeks. This cruise block is your time to fully recover your body before your next blast. Slightly back off the weights and try other exercises you’ve wanted to do. You still perform just one working set, but you don’t use rest-pause and you stop a rep or two short of failure. Your sets should be 12-20 reps.

Every trainee has to cruise at some point to avoid overtraining and injuries. During the cruise phase, you relax mentally and physically. If you miss a meal, it’s okay. You’re not out to beat your logbook. You’re rebuilding your mental and physical energy to get ready for another a hardcore blast. People who “refuse to cruise” will overtrain quickly and stall out, possibly permanently. You’ve got to cruise.

Diet

Doggcrapp doesn’t believe in a carefully tracked, super-strict, calorie-counting diet. Also, diets are highly individual so the variables will change for each trainee.

There are some basic principles though. You’re basically on a constant clean bulk. High protein is a must! You do count protein grams and must get at least 2g. per pound of bodyweight. Eat protein first at each meal. Keep your carbs moderate and stop eating heavy carbs after 5-6 pm. After 5-6pm, it’s only lean meat and veggies. You eat moderate amounts of fats. Doggcrapp is a big proponent of extra virgin olive oil and recommends that you use it to get in extra calories. In one tablespoon of olive oil, you get 120 calories in the form of mono-unsaturated “good” fats.

To stay lean, you do cardio 0-3 times a week, doing about 45 minutes at a moderate fat-burning pace. It’s most recommended to walk for 45 minutes upon awakening to kick your metabolism into gear. Also, DC recommends that you eat fewer calories on light activity days.

Overall, Doggcrapp is an exciting, strength-focused system. By constantly forcing your muscles to lift heavier weights, your body should adapt by getting stronger and bigger! This program is only for advanced trainees, having at least 4 years of training. One of the many reasons is because DC trainees must learn their body to avoid overtraining.

If you give Doggcrapp a try, be sure to post about it in our forums. It’s a fairly complicated system for anyone’s first time through, but some members here at Clutch know it well.

“Doggcrapp” is the online name of Dante, the developer of the Doggcrapp system. For more information on Doggcrapp training, visit his website at www.intensemuscle.com. Information for this article was compiled from public sources, some written by Doggcrapp, freely available on various Internet forums and articles.
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Last edited by Darkhorse; 04-23-2006 at 12:18 AM.
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