Dc Training?

On a side note... did my first 20 rep widowmakers this morning on leg press (squats are next week), and... uhhmm... well, words cannot really describe it. You will either love them or hate them. Thankfully I love training legs.

The quad stretch after though... woah! Talk about pain! Damn.
 
tribaltek said:
6 weeks in. I'm loving this!!!
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You got me hooked bro. I read about DC training a while back but not thorough enough for it to catch on. Thx for explaining everything out in detail, and as a result, ive been organizing up my own DC routine for the past few days to probably start the week after next. Im adding in a few things, but its pretty much exactly how you have laid the training principles out, so ...... thanks again for giving my something to be excited about after the New Year.
 
Seriously man... once you understand it... get it nailed down... follow all of the principles... it's like nothing else you've done before. I've tried Max-OT, 5x5, HST, etc. and none of them keep me wanting to go back for more like DC.

I'm growing pretty well, and keeping my stomach measurement down too.

DC for life!
 
I just think it's tough mentally to have to use such big weights every workout,.. but no doubt, it works!!
 
Really? I think its tough mentally doing lighter weights because I find it annoying. Like the 15-rep weeks in HST... I hated them. The rep range in DC is perfect for me.
 
tribaltek said:
Really? I think its tough mentally doing lighter weights because I find it annoying. Like the 15-rep weeks in HST... I hated them. The rep range in DC is perfect for me.
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Yea man for sure! This last blast I used 15-20rp on most things and I did not notice as much growth as the 11-15rp. I was usually hitting over 20 on most everything which may be why. The reason I went higher is because of joint and CNS issues. AND because Im too strong for our school's weight room. No im not THAT strong our weight room is just pu$$y.

Also I relize I cant experience the same gains each and every time without the use of some serious gear. Im going to cruise for about 4 weeks and **** the school weight room im guna fork over the $25/month (which is a lot when your in college and have no job) to go to the Total Fitness up the road and GFH.
 
Went ahead and decided to start monday, got the routine all set up, and now since its on paper, I can honestly say it makes alot more since when looking at the training, sets, and recovery days off, as a whole. Im going to hit it for the next month and see if I like it; if I do, it'll stay with it til my next cycle.
 
tirtle88 said:
is there a range of weight you should be lifting b4 you're ready for dc training?
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This is not exhaustive, but I'd like to help some of the newer DC trainees with some basic but important facets of DC training.
Dante - If any of the info here is overstepping the mark, please let me know

(I will add to this thread when time permits - no doubt I have left some things out, so bear with me).

PRE-DC

1. Before Even Considering Beginning DC:
> you should have exhausted all other avenues; i.e. DC should not be one of the first dozen or so routines which you have attempted;
> you should have built a solid foundation (mass/strength) from a few years of consistent training (more on this below in item 2);
> you should have learnt a great deal about nutrition and how your body reacts to different foods; i.e. are you sensitive to carbs; are you lactose intolerant etc;
> you should have learnt how to perform all of the major lifts with correct form;
> you should have learnt how to train with very high intensity without sacrificing good safe form;
> you should have learnt how to read your body and gauge recovery to prevent going into overtraining;
> you should have your body fat under control;
> you should be training at a very well equipped gym; and
> you should have learnt that consistency in training, diet, rest etc over long periods of time is the key to transforming your body.

2. Building a (strength/mass) Foundation
If you are being brutally honest with yourself and do not feel that you are advanced enough to be doing DC yet, there are many great routines out there.
The best routines are those that focus on progression with the basic compound movements; i.e. squats, deadlifts, bench pressing, military presses, dips, rows, chins etc.

DO NOT JUMP FROM ROUTINE TO ROUTINE EVERY FEW WEEKS OR MONTHS, DO THEM STRICTLY AS LAID OUT AND BE PATIENT.

Below are some time proven options for building a foundation: -

2.1 Basic Strength Routine

This is a routine based on Mark Rippetoe’s book called “Starting Strength”. You can buy the book at Invalid Link Removed. Mark's clients generally gain 30-40 pounds in around 6 months.

The program is very simple, but also very effective.

Alternate Workout A and Workout B every other day, 3 times a week; i.e. MWF.

e.g.

Week 1:

M - Workout A
W -Workout B
F - Workout A

Week 2:

M- Workout B
W - Workout A
F - Workout B

Repeat.

Do your warm-ups and then do the work sets listed below with the same working weight.

Workout A
3x5 Squat
3x5 Bench Press
1x5 Deadlift
**2x8 Dips (or assisted dip machine or decline DB bench press)

Workout B
3x5 Squat
3x5 Standing military press
3x5 Pendlay or BB Rows
**2x8 Chin-ups

** = optional.

Form:
Make sure that you learn proper form before using heavy weight.
Do not ever sacrifice good form for more weight.
Post videos on here for constructive feedback on your form, or enter ISOM.
Check out the links below from experienced members here.
Always lower the weight with control.

Isolation Exercises:
If you think that you need more isolation exercises for arms, think again.
Your arms get hit by doing bench (triceps), dips (triceps), military press (triceps), BB Rows (biceps) and chin ups (biceps).
Do not add any direct arm work - we will worry about the detail once the foundation has been built

Poundages:
Do not increase the weight until you get all sets with the target weight.
Start about 15% below your max when starting out.
Aim to increase your lifts by around 2.5% every week if you make your targets.

Warm-up Sets:
Do enough to warmp up and nothing more.
If you are doing 200lb squats for 3 sets of 5:
Do something like > 55 x 5 > 95 x 5 > 145 x 3 > 175 x 2 >>> then 200 x 5 x 3 sets

If you are lifting your working sets under 150 I would cut out the 3rd warmup set of 1x5 because it wont be needed.

Rest interval
Take enough rest so that you are ready to give your next work set 100%.

Diet
Read up on this site or contact local nutrition expert, Skip.

3. Before Starting War with the LogBook
You should:
> Read all you can here at this forum - read and re-read all of the stickies; search all threads/posts made by Doggcrapp, In-Human, KidRock, MassiveG, SuperD, Gollum, BigDownUnder, BrianB2368 and theNatural: copy the important info to a word doc for future reference;
> Put together a DC routine and diet based upon the info which you have found here and according to YOUR BODY;
> 90% of trainees make the best gains on the 2 way split done three non-consecutive days per week (i.e. Mon/Wed/Fri) - do not make the mistake of doing the 3 way split because it will most likely not be the most suitable DC routine for YOU;
> the 3 way split is used by highly advanced trainee's to bring up weaker body parts and in some cases those with sub-par recovery levels, in which case it is done on a lower frequency;
> Start a new thread in here - post your training history; age; weight; height; bodyfat; photos; activity levels during the day (student/labourer); metabolism; carb sensitivty; food allergies; any pre-existing injuries etc; your DC routine and diet to get some constructive criticism;
> Take a week off training while you are finalising your DC Program;
> Order any supplements which you may need from trueprotein.com and use a discount code to get a 5% off (mine is in my signature), or even better yet order in bulk and get a larger discount in conjunction with the discount code;
> Make sure that your gym is very well equipped because eventually you will need to switch exercises;
> When selecting exercises, choose compound movements which allow you to use heavy poundages and allow for greater progression;
> Use a controlled negative on all exercises;
> Get yourself a logbook to record your workouts - the primary aim with DC is to use progressively heavier weights with strict/safe form;
> Get yourself some scales to measure your food;
> Take some pictures of yourself and also take your body measurements;
> Get yourself some wrist straps for deadlifts, barbell rows, hammer curls, rack chins etc;
> Get some Inzer knee wraps to use for squatting;
> Have a look at the following videos online of DC trainee's using correct form:
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> Consider purchasing the following DVD's by advanced DC trainee's (note: these trainee's are highly advanced and may not be using the 2 way split which is more suitable for you):
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4. Nutrition
DC Nutrition is highly individual but having said that there are some basic guidelines which most can follow and adapt to suit their specific situation.
I'm not going to divulge anything here which is not already freely available (otherwise Dante would have my head on a platter).
Food is like the engine for the machine with DC - without it you will remain in neutral and make little to no progress.
DC is all about making mass gains and keeping bodyfat in check (more on this later).
You will need to monitor your nutrition every month based upon strength gains and other measurements (photo's and body measurements - the most important being waistline).

Assuming you have already contacted Dante and he cannot take you on (for whatever reason), I suggest that you contact Skip for nutritional guidance - it will be well worth the investment

General
Eat 6-8 meals per day every few hours.
Try to stick to protein/carb and protein/fat meals; i.e. avoid mixing carbs/fats where possible, particularly if you have endo tendencies/struggle to keep bodyfat under control.
Eat as many 'real food' meals as possible - at least 50 per cent minimum.
Prepare your meals in advance - plan ahead and it will make it easier.
Buy your food in bulk to get discounts and use coupons.
We use a 'carb-cutoff' in DC - i.e. we do not take in any carbs after say 6 p.m. (depending on the individual).
Most meals after the carb-cutoff comprise of protein and salad/veggies.
An important exception to carb-cutoffs is the post workout shake and meal - you take that in no matter what time you workout.

Protein
Should be 1.5g~ x bodyweight for naturals and around 2g x bodyweight for enhanced trainee's.
Dante is very fond of beef - make that a staple of your diet and you'll find out why.
Good sources of protein = beef, eggs, egg whites, chicken, fish (tuna, salmon etc), turkey, whey, casein etc.
If you are going to use protein shakes as a meal, I suggest you use the 'TeamSkip' blend from trueprotein:
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This can be used with some fat (olive oil or almonds) or carbs (ground oats or waxy maize) to make a meal for on the run.
Stick to faster acting protein for post-workout shakes - this will be addressed later.

Carbs
Just how many depends on your amount of lean mass, activity levels, metabolism and 'carb sensitivity' - do you get fat just looking at rice?
If so, you will need to be very strict with carbs and limit them to breakfast, pre/post workout only.
If you are not carb sensitive and have a roaring metabolism (like many ecto's) or have high activity levels due to work commitments - you will not need to be nearly as strict.
This is where experience comes into play - you should already be advanced and know how your body reacts.
Good carb sources = oatmeal, rice, potatoes, yams, and waxy maize starch or dextrose/maltodextrin or even grape juice for post-workout, etc.

Fats
Olive oil is often used in DC for those who really struggle to put on weight - start slowly and work your way up, otherwise as Dante says you'll be strapping yourself to the toilet.
Not everyone should be using olive oil - only those who really struggle to put on weight.
Make sure you buy it in a dark container and keep it in cool place - otherwise it can go rancid.
Good fats = olive oil, fish oil, avocado, almonds etc.

If you are an endo:
1. Limit carbs to breakfast, pre & post workout.
2. Keep protein levels high (ie 1.5-2g x BW)
3. Stick to protein/fat or protein/carb meals, except after carb cutoff which should be protein + vegetables.
4. Protein sources - lean beef, chicken breast, tuna, turkey breast, egg whites.
5. Carb sources - white rice or white potatoes (only for post workout meal), basmati or brown rice, yams & oatmeal predominantly.
6. Fats - try to incorporate some fish oil or olive oil, but don't go overboard.
7. Cardio - BCAA's then 45 mins in the morning on off days.
8. Green Tea.
9. Stay well hydrated.
10. Focus on beating your log book.
11. If beat up, take a day off.
12. Keep a food diary > just as important as your log book.
13. Stick to the diet for at least 4 weeks & make adjustments from there.
14. If you hit a plateau:
> first reduce carbs a little for breakfast.
> second increase frequency of cardio to every morning except leg days, & increase duration of cardio to 60 minutes
 
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This is an awesome thread! I just started DC a few weeks ago after doing some serious reading on intensemuscle.com. I thought training less often wouldn't be good but i'm absolutely loving going in and kicking my logs ass each time i go in. I hope more people give this training program a try.
 
I'm in the process of getting ready for my next blast and I believe just the thought of it is packing some pounds of muscle on :). I work harder during a DC workout than any other workout. There is just something about beating that damn log book everytime I workout.
 
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