The DC Training Method – Advanced Routine For Size and Strength

If you happen to be especially interested in fitness and bodybuilding, then you won’t need us to tell you just how many faddy diets and training programs have been developed over the last few years, each one promising you, miraculous results in a matter of weeks.  This unfortunately, appears to be especially evident in the bodybuilding world, where there’s seemingly a new program developed every single day, promising lean muscle gains in a matter of weeks, or possibly even days.

Here’s a tip for you right now. If any program suggests it can allow you to add x amount of pounds of muscle, in a few weeks, stop reading, as it will be complete nonsense. To add lean muscle to your physique, no matter which program you happen to be following, you will require months, possibly even years before you see especially dramatic results.

One program which has proven to be extremely effective however, is one developed by Dante Trudel, which is known as Doggcrap training. Now, don’t worry about the name, we’ll explain that shortly, and instead, prepare yourselves to be enlightened and amazed once we delve a little deeper into what this training program can actually do.

What actually is Doggcrap (DC) training?

Ok, before we go any further, we’ll first tackle just what the heck is up with the name of the program. As mentioned previously, Doggcrapp training was developed by Dante Trudel. The program got its name from Dante’s nickname on a forum where he used to post regularly, his username was ‘Doggcrapp’. Dante has since expressed regret over the name, which is why many people now refer to this method of training as DC training.

So, now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s look at what it actually involves. Basically, DC training was designed to be used by seasoned, experienced bodybuilders (just search for some of the trainees that use it), to help them gain significant amounts of size and strength over prolonged periods of time (years rather than months).

DC training relies on the basic principle that progression is key to size and strength gains. For example, with DC training, every single workout you should be looking to improve upon your previous efforts, whether that be by lifting heavier weights for the same amount of reps, or simply performing more reps than you did previously.

The main features involved with DC training are low volume, high frequency sets, with an emphasis on rest-pause techniques.  For this program, users are required to perform just three workouts per week, where each body part is worked during each session. After each session, users will take a day off to recover, so for example, a typical training split may be MON/WED/ FRI or Tues/Thurs/ Sat.

What makes DC training especially unique, is the fact that you only perform one working set per body part. Now, some people may think this is crazy, but this method is tried and tested. Although users only perform one working set, this particular set will be one of the most intense, and physically demanding sets you could ever imagine. Many of which are carried out via the rest-pause technique.

Rest pause is basically where you perform several reps until you can’t do anymore, and then rather than setting the weights down, you get your breath, recover slightly and take between 10 and 20 deep breaths, before banging out several more reps to failure, and so on. That means, if you’re required to perform 15 reps on this program, then you’ll perform 15 reps, no matter how many times you have to pause and catch your breath.

Another interesting feature of DC training, is that users actually are required to carry out a ‘static rep’ at the end of their rest-pause set, where they are required to hold the weight in the positive (power) position, for between 30 to 60 seconds. The reason for this is adds extra TUT (time under tension) for the muscles, which Dante believes helps activate the fast twitch muscle fibers, responsible for additional muscular growth.     

DC training programs

Now that we know what DC training is all about, let’s take a look at some typical examples of programs. With DC training, users will train 3 days per week, where there are actually two separate workouts. This means that each workout will be performed three separate times every two weeks:

• Tuesday – Workout #1
• Thursday – Workout #2
• Saturday – Workout #1
• Tuesday – Workout #2
• Thursday – Workout #1
• Saturday  – Workout #2

For each body part, users are required to choose ONE exercise. With DC training, it’s recommended you choose your 3 favorite exercises for each of your body parts, so you can then cycle them over the next few weeks. So, for your chest exercises, you may choose: flat bench barbell press, incline dumbbell press, and hammer chest press, where you’d then rotate them over each workout. So for example:

Workout #1:

• Chest – Flat bench barbell press/ hammer chest press/ incline dumbbell press.
• Shoulders – Standing military press/ seated dumbbell press/ lateral raises.
• Triceps – Triceps dips/ skull crushers/ close grip barbell bench press.
• For back width – Chins/ Wide grip pull-ups/ close grip pulldowns.
• Back Thickness – Bent over one arm dumbbell rows/Deadlift/ T-bar row

Workout #2

• Biceps – Dumbbell alternating curl/ hammer curls/ EZ bar curls.
• Calves – standing calf raises/ leg press machine raises/ smith machine calf raises.
• Hamstrings – sumo deadlift/ seated leg curls/ glute raises.
• Quads – leg press/ front squat/ hack squat.

Here is a sample week’s worth of training:

Tuesday   RP = REST PAUSE

• Incline dumbbell press (11-15 reps RP)
• Seated shoulder press (11-15RP)
• EZ bar skull crushers (11-15RP)
• Close grip pulldowns (11-15RP)
• T-bar rows (6-9 reps) plus an additional  (9-12 reps) both for straight sets

Thursday

• Hammer curls (11-15RP)
• Standing calf raises (10-12 reps)
• Seated leg curls (15-30RP)
• Hack squats (11-16 reps)

Saturday

• Incline dumbbell flyes (11-15RP)
• Standing military press (11-15RP)
• Close grip barbell bench press (11-15RP)
• Wide grip pull ups (11-15RP)
• Bent over one arm dumbbell rows (10-12 reps straight set)

Cardio is another important element of DC training, and it should be performed on your days off from training in order to maximize your results. For best results, follow 3 – 4 low intensity cardio sessions per week, preferably performed on an empty stomach, as your body will use fat as an energy source, as opposed to glycogen which it would ordinarily extract from the food you’d recently consumed.