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The Misfit
06-03-10, 3:31 am
The following post is NOT my writing and is C & P from another forum.
This is a GUIDELINE for those considering DC training. I currently do not train DC, rather I am working on building an ACCEPTABLE foundation first and foremost; having read this I reverted back to a basic strength training program realizing I was far off from it (one must be ADVANCED in the bench, squat & deadlift before considering DC).

MY 2 CENTS:
I truly believe that the concepts/points brought forward in this post apply to training in general and that building an acceptable foundation (physical & mental) is crucial.



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

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.
As a general guideline, if you are not in the 'Advanced' category for bench press, squat and deadlift as set out in the below links, you are not IMO ready for DC.

http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLi...Standards.html
http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLi...Standards.html
http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLi...Standards.html

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 www.startingstrength.com. 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.

2.2 Recommended Reading Material

Please read:

(a) Mark Rippetoe Interviews
http://www.scribd.com/doc/3483857/In...-Matt-Reynolds
http://www.scribd.com/doc/3483849/In...-Matt-Reynolds

(b) Glenn Pendlay Postings
http://stronglifts.com/forum/lessons...lay-t8840.html

(c) Kelly Baggett Articles
http://www.mindandmuscle.net/article...tt/bodybuilder
http://www.higher-faster-sports.com/bodybuilding.html

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;
> 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:

http://www.youtube.com/user/daisimae
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPxtk6EzSAs
http://www.youtube.com/user/BrianB2368
http://www.youtube.com/user/skuclo

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.

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.

The Misfit
06-03-10, 3:47 am
More on DC from Super D, and Dante 'Doggcrapp' Trudel



Though honestly, I would prefer five years of serious lifting experience prior to even thinking about training using these methods. And I am not talking about a few years of half assing it at the gym while you're in college, training sporadically whenever you felt like it. That does not count one bit.
No. I mean five years of consistent, progressive, balls to the wall workouts. During this time I would expect even the average trainee to have put on at least 20-25lbs of muscle over and above their starting bodyweight.
This puts you at the intermediate level (barely) and like I said in my honest opinion that is the minimum requirement for training using the DC protocol.


Parts of this interview have been removed.



Dante’s Inferno
Who is he, and why is Doggcrapp training building so much muscle mass?
Interview by Ron Harris

RH: How and why did you come up with DC Training? Had you grown frustrated with other styles of training? Did DC Training evolve over time?
D:I started out with the old volume training concepts just like everyone else does who reads what Arnold and the boys did and what the newstand magazines put out there as "the golden rules".....but I got to a point where I started thinking "there is no rhyme or reason to this". It all seemed based on obsessive-complusiveness instead of deductive reasoning to what truly builds muscle mass. I think alot of modern day bodybuilding routines are built on "the must principle" which is fanatical bodybuilders thinking "I must do inclines and declines and cable crossovers and flat bench and pec deck and flyes for chest this workout or I wont have all the bases covered and I wont grow". I think thats flat out wrong and again comes from direct obsessive-compulsiveness. DC training did evolve over time as I trained more and more bodybuilders and noted their results. Back in the early 90's it was the same basic concepts as today but had slightly more volume to it. Thru trial and error over the last 13 years or so Ive honed it down to what you see today.


RH: What are the basic principles of DC Training?
D:Heavy progressive weights, lower volume but higher frequency of bodyparts hit, multi-rep rest pause training, extreme stretching, carb cuttoffs, cardio, high protein intake and blasting and cruising phases (periodization).


RH: Can you give me an example of how the bodyparts might be arranged in a typical training week?
D: For the majority of bodybuilders who are in need of size the following works the best

monday=chest, shoulders, triceps, back width, back thickness
wednesday=biceps, forearms, calves, hamstrings, quads
friday-repeat of mondays bodyparts
monday-repeat of wenesdays bodyparts

This above way bodyparts are hit twice every 8 days or so

For advanced bodybuilders (and with that I'm talking very elite bodybuilders and extremely strong people) I sometimes go with the following

monday=chest shoulders triceps
tuesday=biceps forearms backwidth backthickness
thursday=calves hams quads
friday-repeat of mondays bodyparts
monday-repeate of tuesdays bodyparts
tuesday-repeat of thursdays bodyparts

This way bodyparts are hit twice every 9 days or so and I can work on advanced bodybuilders lagging bodyparts somewhat better with this split.


RH: One very radical aspect of DC Training is that there are no isolation movements. How do you answer those that believe muscles need to be worked from several angles at each workout for ‘complete development?’
D:Let me clarify that. My trainees have kind of put the notion out there that no isolation exercises are ever being used. I honestly dont care what exercise someone uses as long as he can be progressive on it over time. If someone really believes in an exercise then they can have at it. Obviously a tricep dumbell kickback which you can hypothetically go from 15 to 45lbs is going to be alot less effective than a close grip bench press where you can start at 200lbs and end up at 405 in my scheme of doing things. I think this all comes down to the "Must" principle again I was talking about earlier and obsessive compulsiveness. When Ronnie Coleman came into this sport from powerlifting did anyone see big gaps of muscle missing from his physique? Is Johnnie Jackson playing catch up with certain bodyparts from powerlifting all those years? I dont see distinct weaknesses in their physiques. They were just somewhat smaller versions of what you see today. People are doing every foo foo exercise under the sun thinking it bombs muscles from all angles and in my opinion all your doing alot of the time is wasting energy resources. Once a growth response is reached in a workout then pretty much everything done after that is just cutting into recovery time and burning up glycogen (and god forbid muscle mass). Steve Michalik and his gang were doing up to 75 sets per bodypart and with elite genetics to boot set absolutely no difference in size or advanced development than the people doing 20, 15, 10, 5, or even 1 set a bodypart (mentzer).


RH: Could you walk the readers through a set, DC style? Let’s assume the person is properly warmed up and ready to do a set on say, close-grip lat pulldowns.
D: They would explosively pull it down to the chest and then on the negative return they would resist (control) on the way up. I don't want specific seconds, or a certain time amount, I just want control on the negative to the point if they had to, they could easily reverse direction. They would keep going to the point in the set where they would reach failure, hopefully between rep 7 and 10. At that point, they would take 10-15 deep breaths (usually 22 seconds or somewhere in that area) and then start the exercise again and go to failure once again . Then another 10-15 deep breaths. And then once again to failure. During the rest pauses you do not stay strapped to the bar or anything, you take your 10-15 deep breaths and then get back in there. Oxygen is the key here. What I'm looking for in a restpause set usually is a 11-15 rest pause total (with 3 failure points in that set). That usually comes out to something like 8 reps (failure) ...10-15 breathes....4 reps (failure)....10-15 breathes.... 2 reps (failure) = 14 rp. (hypothetically a total of 11-15 rest paused reps is what im after).


RH: Because of the rest-pause nature of DC Training, there tends to be a good mix of machines used. Do you believe that machines like Hammer Strength can stimulate muscle growth as effectively as barbells and dumbbells?
D: I would like to see everyone build a base and use free weights whenever possible. If someone has a training partner, there is no worry at all using free weights with my methods. But sometimes my trainees don't have a spotter and in those cases I try to set them up on machines that they can "save" themselves on while going to the 3 failure points during a rest pause set.. For example, it's very easy to save yourself on an incline smith press at a failure point, you just turn the bar and rack the weight, while with the free weight barbell incline press, i would hate to see one of my trainees sitting there with a guillotine bar on his neck at failure and have no way to get out of it without screaming "help!" Regardless a lot of people misconstrue this as a love for machines when in actuality I'm trying to keep safety in mind for someone who does not have a spotter. Its as simple as that. If push comes to shove my choice would always be a free weight exercise over a machine if it can be done safely. Thats why I tend to use power racks and smythe machines alot, so someone can go to the well and back and not worry about becoming "tomato canned" for lack of better words (laughing)


RH: Here’s a direct quote from an Internet hater regarding DC Training: “It’s a lazy man’s training program guaranteed to turn you into a fat tub of lard.” How do you respond to a statement like that?
D:Well with any training routine regardless if it's mine or someone elses, if you throw cardio to the wayside and eat like a glutton your going to end up with an accumulation of adipose tissue (bodyfat). I have seen many people use different training methods while not having their diet dialed in - who end up eating gross amounts and the wrong types of food thinking thats the secret. They end up being a fat pile of "lard" and blame it on the training routine instead of the real reasons...lack of cardio and an idiotic diet.


RH: How is DC Training fundamentally different from other abbreviated training systems like Heavy Duty?
D:To be honest Ron this one always rankles me. The HIT advocates love to shove anything thats a lower volume training routine under their gigantic HIT umbrella. I don't beleive in Menzter's theories, I kinda though he went off the deep end at the end there getting crazy about overtraining and in no way want to be associated with "HIT" protocols. My methods are lower volume but extremely heavy. My whole mentality is based around progression over time. With the normal bodybuilder training a bodypart 52 times a year (once a week) and with my clients training bodyparts 75-92 times a year (hence that body part growing 75-92 times/yr instead of 52), thats how I am getting these guys up in muscle size so fast. I can't have them doing 15-20 sets per body part or I cant get them recovered and that defeats the purpose of this all. So its heavy, progressive, lower volume training with recovery in mind so I can get these guys training that bodypart frequently. People have such a hard time grabbing this low volume per workout concept. But in actuality Im doing the exact same things as most volume trainers out there if they look at the big picture. They might be doing 4 different exercises for their back in todays workout (hitting back once a week). Im doing those same exact 4 exercises in a weeks time, but in two separate workouts while training back twice in a week.


RH: From talking with Dave Henry, I understand that record keeping and ‘beating the numbers’ from the previous week is a critical component of DC Training. Can you explain why?
D: Progression. Simply progression. Some people go into the gym with no plan at all and just absolutely wing it. I've never understood that. I bet any money that if I logged their workouts that 2 weeks later or 6 weeks later or even 12 weeks later when they do those same exercises again they are probably using the same 120LBS or 225LBS or 315LBS they used 2,6,12 weeks previous. Thats not progression! Nothing has changed, that to me is repeating something you've already done and will not force the body to grow further. Thats a waste of time in my opinion. With my methods, you are held accountable for todays workouts versus the last time you did this workout. Trust me, when you have that kind of imperativeness and your log book is your arch mortal enemy, you are in for the fight of your life! You have the man in the mirror to answer to. Do you want to drive home knowing the logbook kicked your ass? Or do you want to drive home knowing you destroyed the logbook and showed it who the damn boss is around here?!?! My trainees look back sometimes on their log books and find out that they are 50 to 200 lbs higher on those exercises months later. What does that equal out into? Adaption and rapid muscle mass accumulation.


RH: Do you think a person would get better results with DC training as opposed to standard volume training if he was using steroids, not using steroids, or would that have no impact either way?
D: To be totally honest, anyone using steroids on any training routine known to man is going to advance forward faster than if they did it au natural.


RH: Do you train anyone in person? Are you available as such, or do you prefer to do everything online and on the phone?
D:I used to train people in person. But training people is just a side job for me and I usually reject 70% of the people who contact me regarding training them.. Im very particular on who i want to train. They have to have the right, determined mind set, and its my way or no way. This is my reputation on the line and Im not going to screw with that reputation by taking someone on who isnt going to listen to me. I'll train a genetically gifted pro or I'll train someone with genetics like Woody Allen, it does not matter to me. I just need to feel that we will work well together, so I have an extensive questionairre everyone must fill out before I make my decision.


RH: One odd thing is that you don’t believe in doing any direct work for the traps. What’s your reasoning for that?
D:Name the 2 bodybuilders out of the 400 pros that have the most gigantic traps. Ronnie Coleman and Johnnie Jackson. Everyone and their brother is doing shrugs but why did those two former powerlifters join the bodybuilding ranks and have traps that stand up to their ears? Deadlifts. In my opinion there isn't a 225-275lb shrug on this planet that could ever equal the trap size you can accomplish by doing 300-650lb floor deadlifts and rack deadlifts.


RH: Where do you stand on cardio? Do you believe everyone should do it year-round, that those trying to gain mass shouldn’t do it at all, or that it should never be done by bodybuilders?
D: I believe highly in cardio, almost universally. The problem is with most bodybuilders, thats the first thing they skip. The only people I believe should not be doing cardio are some severely ectomorphic people, with fast metabolisms and/or teenagers who could pretty much eat anything and not gain any appreciative bodyfat. I feel almost everyone else should do it to varying degrees according to that specific individual. Its very hard to give recommendations and cookie cutter that without knowing anything about the individual of course. One of the staples I've found through training people who had a difficult time gaining weight, was when I had them do cardio (walking on treadmill or around the neighborhood) first thing in the morning upon arising that the rest of the day they would be as hungry as a bull and would eat so much that they would finally gain muscular weight. Whereas they couldn't gain weight when they weren't doing cardio because their appetite was lacking.


RH: I also understand that you don’t believe in the concept of ‘bulking up,’ correct?
D: I believe in the following Ron, I am trying to get people to put on as much muscle mass in the shortest amount of time possible. I don't believe ANYONE should become a fat pile of crap in that quest. I have people eating gross amounts of food up to a new level in size, but I shore up bodyfat gain by limiting carbs at times during the day, food combining, cardio, carb cuttoffs and using certain fat burning supplements like green tea, etc. My trainees most likely eat more food than people "bulking up" per se but I am adamant about not letting people use the "bulking up" excuse to become sumo wrestlers in the offseason.


RH: Do you believe in taking scheduled breaks or layoffs from training?
D: yes, my whole concept is based on "blasting" and "cruising". I have every trainee of mine "blast" for somewhere between 6-12 weeks all out and then I have them do a cruising phase which is maintenance training for 10-14 (sometimes 21 days) depending on how long their blast was. It has to be done. The people who try to go all out all year round with this are the ones who go into overtraining mode and eventually recede in gains


RH: Should a bodybuilder stay on the DC style of training year-round, or do you recommend phases where they do something different, like higher volume or a routine that features more isolation exercises?
D:I think as long as they blast and cruise correctly (some obsessive compulsive bodybuilders refuse to do so) they can do DC style training year round


RH: As Dave Henry put it, DC Training isn’t for everybody. What type of traits would you say an individual needs to possess to successfully follow it?
D:You have to be a bulldog, no doubt about it. And above all else you need to debrainwash yourself of the preconcieved notions that everyone in this sport has which come directly from being taught from an obsessive-compulsiveness viewpoint and reasoning. And I think you have to be a little bit crazy. If your 2 bolts short of a carwreck, DC training is for you jack!!!


RH: Hopefully this interview will solve the mystery of the mysterious Dante and give a clear overview of what DC Training is all about. I thank you very much for speaking with me.
D:Us Massachusetts guys have to stick together Ron! thanks for the interview


**(SIDEBAR
(please just list the exercise or exercises a client might use (since I know back gets two), and only indicate sets if it’s being done for straight sets rather than rest-pause)

****D:as said earlier any exercise that you can be progressive and safe on could be used but Ill list a short hypothetical sampling of what someone could do (after fully warming up thru progressive sets)

DC Training by bodypart

Chest:
incline smythe press (11-15rp)
hammer strength press (11-15rp)
decline barbell press (11-15rp)

Backwidth:
front rack chins (11-20rp)
close grip pulldowns (11-15rp)
front pulldowns (11-15rp)

Backthickness: (back thickness exercises and quad exercises arent rest paused due to safety reasons of fatigue and loss of form)
deadlifts straight sets (6-9reps) + (9-12reps)
T-bar rows straight set (10-12 reps)
rack deadlifts (6-9reps) + (9-12reps)

Shoulders:
military presses (11-20rp)
hammer strength presses (11-15rp)
upright rows (11-20rp)

Quads: (quads are done again with no rest pause because of safety reasons, but after progressive warmups there is a heavy set and then what I call a "widowmaker set" for 20 reps with a still heavy, but lighter weight)

free squats (6-10 rep straight set) 3-5 minute rest and then (20 rep widowmaker)
hack squats (as above)
leg press (as above)

Hamstrings:
lying leg curls (15-30rp)
seated leg curls (15-30rp)
sumo press leg press (pressing with heels only- straight set of 15-25 reps)

Biceps:
preacher curls (11-20rp)
barbell drag curls (11-20rp)
dumbell curls (11-20rp)

Forearms:
pinwheel curls (straight set 10-20 reps)
hammer curls (straight set 10-20 reps)
reverse grip one arm cable curls (straight set 10-20 reps)

Triceps:
reverse grip bench presses (11-20rp)
close grip bench presses (11-20rp)
EZ bar tricep extentions (15-30rp) (elbow safety)

Calves: (all calves are done with an enhanced negative, meaning up on big toe, 5 seconds lowering down to full stretch and then a brutal 10-15 seconds in the stretched position and then back up on the big toe again. It really separates the mice and the men--this is an all straight set)
leg press toe press (10-12 reps)
hack squat toe press/sled (10-12 reps)
seated calf raises (10-12 reps)

The Misfit
06-03-10, 7:50 am
Thoughts from Dante 'Doggcrapp' Trudel (READ THIS)



Alot of people ask me how I come to conclusions on things.....alot of all this you can deduct from what you see going on around you at gyms and from just watching people. Alot of what I do is "reverse engineering"--I think things out backwards to find out the reasoning. You can sit there and study medline all day long but until you have a practical brain to think how it pertains to bodybuilding, your not going to get very far in applying it. For example alot of people freak out about the controlled negative on reps in DC training and why the heck its done. Besides what science agrees with, think of certain instances or hobbies or jobs with repetitive movements with the repeated same load. Boat rowers, sawing lumberjacks and gymnasts. They all do repetitive movements with the same load, a boat or canoist rower is trying to power along a boat as fast as he can, a sawing lumberjack is using power to saw down a tree, a gymnast does repeated movements with bodyweight. All are pushing the limits trying to use as much power as possible for the task at hand. Which one of those three has a discernable musculature? Boat rowers dont have huge backs, sawing lumberjacks dont have huge arms but gymnasts always have that musculature. They sure arent eating to get huge and most likely they arent doing incredibly heavy weight training but you can always see the musculature on a gymnast. Why? Well which one of those three does controlled negative movements? The rowers and sawers are just using positive movements and it does virtually nothing for their musculature (science agrees with that theory-concluding that the positive movment is a strength/priming phase and the eccentric is where the magic happens)--the gymnasts on the other hand are all doing heavy eccentric and controlled negative work (iron cross/rings, pommel horse etc etc etc)--the moral of the story is your whole thinking in all this should get to the point where your curling a weight up just for the simple reason of controlling the descent downward so you can get bigger

There was a study some years back which included 3 groups--elite sumo wrestlers who did no weight training whatsoever, advanced bodybuilders and advanced powerlifters--about 20 in each group. Now there is a lot of variables here but they took the lean muscle mass of each group and divided it by their height in inches. Surprisingly the sumo wrestlers came out well ahead of the powerlifters (2nd) and the bodybuilders (very close 3rd). This is a group who did no weight training at all but engorged themselves with food trying to bring their bodyweight up to dramatic levels. How is a group that is doing no weight training having more muscle mass per inch of height than powerlifters and bodybuilders? For anyone that doubts food is the greatest anabolic in your arsenal, you better get up to speed and on the same page as what my trainees have found out. Gee now what would happen if you actually ate to get dramatically larger like a sumo, but actually weight trained like a powerbuilder (which is what we train like), and also did enough cardio/carb cuttoffs etc to keep bodyfat at bay while doing all this? Are you guys coming around to how I think yet....in how to become the biggest bodybuilder at the quickest rate but keeping leaness on that journey?


PAYING YOUR DUES

This post is for everyone in this forum--its very important to read over--VERY IMPORTANT. Want to know the average trainee that comes to me? He is 35-45 years old and after 10-15 years of lifting weighs 175 to 210lbs. He looks at me as the guy that somehow can pull a bunny out of a hat and make him that 250lb ripped bodybuilder walking the streets.... where he couldnt even get close to that level by himself. He is scrambling around because he doesnt want to get to 50 years old never feeling what it was like to walk thru a crowd and people gawk, stare, and point because he is a damn good bodybuilder. Well what the hell have you been doing all these years?!?!?! You should of put in your f*^&ing dues like the rest of us. These same guys think Im a miracle worker that can somehow add 80lbs of muscle mass on their frame while losing 30lbs of fat while keeping incredibly lean thruout the journey to get there. Well guess what? YOU FUCKED UP. Want to know the fastest way to walk around at 250 ripped--THE ABSOLUTELY G'DAMN FASTEST WAY TO GET THERE? TAKE 2 YEARS AND EAT HUGE AMOUNTS OF FOOD, AND TRAIN WITH BRUTALLY HEAVY WEIGHTS, AND BECOME A BIG FAT OFFENSIVE LINEMAN LOOKING GUY AT 330LBS....AND NO IT WONT BE PRETTY...AT ALL. MOST OF ALL DONT DO ANYTHING THAT COULD POSSIBLY EVEN IMPEDE THE SLIGHTEST IN MUSCLE MASS GAIN. Just eat copious amounts of food (up to 500-600 grams of protein) and bring your bodyweight up the charts which will allow you leverage and strength gains to allow you use the incredible weights you have to use in the gym to accomplish this. Then after being at that level for density reasons for awhile, you can slowly take it down and I mean slowly and most likely have the most muscle mass gain your genetics allowed in that time frame. That is the probably the fastest way in the shortest time to get there. But definitely not the most desirable but truth is truth. Am i recommending that approach--HELL NO, but if we are talking about getting this done as fast as humanly possible then I have to be blunt. Noone wants to look like a fat slob even if it means the end result will be much closer to their ideal. And these guys 35-45 years old want me to keep them pretty boy lean and wave the magic wand and make them into Milos Sarcev after they pretty much just wasted 10-15 years of training.
I dont like using myself for an example but I will here. I started training at about 20 at 137lbs and predominantly spent the next 15 years eating tremendous amounts of food, training with very heavy weights but keeping active so I am at a leaness I personally am satisfied with. I topped out at about 303lbs and but currently hang around 283-288 because thats what I like to be at. I put my dues in here. I might jump in a show if time allows but because of my schedule currently we will have to see how that works out. Mainly Im looking forward to the day I can kind of relax and not push the limits like I have all these years. The 6 meals a day every day, and the war with the logbook along with lugging around 285-300lbs sometimes becomes very tedious. I go to bed at nite thinking exactly what Im going to do and what all this hard work will easily allow myself to do when I decide to crank the dial downward. Cardio will be done 6 times a week for health and bodyfat reasons and that will take priority.
Back to the subject on hand here. So what will all this hard work for the past 15 years allow me to do? I'm in my mid 30's now so for the rest of my 30's and thru my 40' and 50's i can pretty much walk around at 250lbs hard as a rock at a very low bodyfat percentage. Ive set myself up so that will be very very easy. I actually have to do much less than everything I do now (except cardio) to be there. Ill use guys in this forum for examples, Inhuman and massive G are both around 5'9", 5'10" and are offseason 280 to 300. They have spent the time and food consumption and paid their dues to get there. Massive G I believe is mid 30's and Inhuman is early 40's I believe. Both these guys will be able to crank this down and enjoy walking around with full abs, hard as granite with veins everywhere at 240-260lbs. They have set themselves up and paid their dues in their 20's and 30's to do that. You guys that are 35-45 years old who want this but weigh 175-210lbs are playing catchup and are so behind the race its sad. My point of this post is to get guys in their early 20's to think, to get guys who just blew 10 years of training who are in their 30's to think, and to get guys who just blew 10-15 years of training who are in their 40's to think. Am I advising bulking up? No that was a hypothetical example. Im advising you get your freaking head on straight if you want this so bad. That means extreme food intake pronto, with the heaviest weights in good form that you can use progressively, extreme stretching and enough cardio (and bodyfat protocols) that it keeps you at a leaness your satisfied with as you get dramatically larger. This sport isnt unlike a career. You have to set yourself up early so you can be right where you want to be late. Theres alot of you guys 35-45 years old in this forum, some that I even train, that think they want it but really dont have what it takes to go get it. I see it in their workouts they send me (they take the easy comfortable road never pushing the limits) and for those that I dont train I sometimes see it in your posts---you just dont have what it takes. I can only provide a guide to get there, I cant create an inner drive for you.
You have to start thinking in terms of point B from point A. Do you really think that eating 3000 calories with 225 grams of protein and doing the Weider "confusion training principle" to keep your body offguard will somehow magically make your 175lbs into 250lbs of rock granite monstrosity? Every year of training is so damn important. If you just trained for a whole year and only gained 2lbs of muscle mass, you just pretty much wasted a productive year of training--its gone--its lost and you arent getting that year back. Three weeks ago I was contacted by someone in his early 40's who had been lifting for many years, weighed about 170lbs and showed me a picture of Geir Borgan Paulsen and said thats what he wanted to look like and can i get him there?!. Laughable. Geir Borgan Paulsen is 50 years old and looks freaking phenomenal. He is a tiny bit (and i mean every so slightly tiny bit smaller) than he was when he competed in his 30's. Instead of wasting years and years of lifting getting absolutely nowhere, Geir spent his 20's and 30's eating huge amounts of food and training with heavy heavy weights so that he could walk around all thru his 30's, 40's and now 50 years old jacked to the hilt. Not many people have a better front double biceps than Geir no matter what age they are.....here he is http://www.nutritionoutlet.nu/galler...02/borgan.html
What Im hoping to relay to you slackers and dreamers that are in this forum is that you have to put your time in and pay your dues in this sport. Your 2-3lbs gain a year arent going to get it done so unless you want to get to 55 years old and look back and think "wow besides the people I told and myself, noone even knew I was a bodybuilder and I never made it"....you better get your ass in gear and your head on right and get this done now. Gaining fat is easy but if you never lifted how long would it take for you to gain 80lbs of fat from 175 to 255lbs? Probably a year and you would have to forcefeed yourself to get there. Just think how long it takes to put on 80lbs of muscle mass which is an extremely "hard to come by" commodity. This sport is about extremes--using weights you havent used previously, taking in amounts of food to build greater muscle mass-in amounts you never have done previously, and GETTING THE CARDIO DONE to keep you at an acceptable offseason training bodyfat that keeps you happy. Get your act together and think this all out or quit your complaining and dreaming and take up tennis.

OVER ANALYZING

Im seeing a repetitive phenomenon with the people I train that I want to state here. Ive trained alot of people now in the last 2 years on the net and also in person previously. I keep noticing the same things-basically on how various trainees brain's work. When people contact me for training, the guys who have a big work ethic and believe in a system of training whether its mine or westside or 5x5 or whatever, and hammer it and hammer it hard come to me as big people already. These are the bodybuilders you see out there in the street. Big guys that you know lift, there is no doubt that they are bodybuilders. On the other hand I have gotten alot of guys who have been lifting 5-10 years and you would never know they lifted even once unless they made it a point to tell you about it (and many do--LOL). And Ill tell you what the overwhelming continual trait those guys have. THEY OVERTHINK THIS, OVERANALYZE, keep second guessing themselves, follow this routine this month and that routine the next, and Flex magazine the third month. It all depends on what they happen to read that week. HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHAT WORKS IF YOU SWITCH IT EVERY DAMN MONTH? Ive showed TPC some of these emails in the warehouse and he didnt realize the extent of what I was telling him about. Ive had a couple guys in the last 2 months who have been lifting for 5-10 years and by their pics it would be embarrassing to tell anyone that they actually lift. Both of these guys are sending me emails talking about iso-tension at the top of bicep curls, worrying up and down about the statics, should i flex the pinky finger inward to make more of a contraction on my alternate curl, should my forearm be perpendicular to the earths axis at the bottom of the shoulder press (you get the drift). I went off on one guy and felt bad about it after but he kept saying "well how I used to do it is..." and "well Ive always done it this way" My answer was "well why do you look like shit if your old way worked so well"? Noone will ever know who these trainees are because its my business only but I want them to read this to get it clear in their heads. If you double triple or quadruple your training weights in good safe form over the next year/s or so your basically (with diet) going to be double or triple your current muscular size. If your going to sit there and overanalyze this shit like its rocket science (which it isnt I dont care what anyone tries to make it out to be) and worry about things that really arent going to add up to pounds of muscle mass, then blame yourself when you never get there. Are you going to be a happy man at 50 years old when you look back and think "Wow I screwed up, I never looked like a bodybuilder, never achieved my goals, never got dramatically bigger, and its gone now.....IM too old to make up for that lost time" because thats where alot of you are heading if you dont get your heads on straight. I blame alot of the muscle magazines for this. Alot of articles are ghost written for pros or are solo articles by people who are 165lbs who never made a huge change in their physique themselves. They try to portray lifting weights as this huge science (and they splurge up their articles with 8 vowel words and searching thru the thesaurus to find a word that makes them look extremely intelligent)--I go back to the beggining of cycles for pennies on this---The absolute strongest you can make yourself in all exercises, coupled with food intake to eat your way up to the new musculature will allow you to hold the most muscle mass on your body that your genetics predetermine. You want to worry bout something? Worry about that damn logbook. Worry about staying uninjured in your quest. Worry about not missing any meals. Worry about somehow someway making yourself the strongest bodybuilder you can become. Im not talking singles here. Im talking 9-15 reps rest paused. A brute. A behemoth. A human forklift. I guess i had to use this post to vent because TPC saw me pissed off in the warehouse today after answering emails such as "Dante should I try to isolate the upper portion of the pec muscle and hold the peak contraction and flex hard at the top of every rep for about 5 seconds?" If you have been lifting many years with no muscle mass to show the last thing you need to worry about is peak contraction--GET THE DAMN WEIGHT UP AND BEAT THE LOGBOOK WITH BIG WEIGHT JUMPS (and then Ill and you will be happy)

The Misfit
06-03-10, 7:55 am
Last bit of stuff...



There is alot I could write about for advanced trainers and every time I start, I stop. And the reason is, the basic way Ive set everything up here is to bring people to the "advanced level" as quickly as possible. I know if I start talking about what I do with advanced guys, alot of ego's will start churning and people will start thinking "well im advanced too!"
I see guys in here weighing 170lbs asking why their chest and arms wont grow. Heres the most likely reason. YOUR 170LBS at 6 foot tall!!!! Your not supposed to have 20 inch arms and huge pecs at 170lbs. Do you think your idol Arnold at 235-240lbs onstage with huge guns and pecs would of had huge guns and pecs at 170lbs? No that means 65-70lbs less muscle mass on him and he would of looked like......well....like YOU!
Im pretty good with basic human nature. And if I say "here do this, this will bring you from 150 to 225 the quickest way I know possible" to a beginner to intermediate bodybuilder, and then say "ok lets do this, with a highly advanced bodybuilder"....what path do you think that beginner to intermediate bodybuilder is going to take? He is going to follow the advanced guys routine because thats what he wants to be like.
Alot of the guys I train in this forum who are highly advanced that I put on that 3 way split (4 day a week) program....with unique adjustments I do for that specific individual, end up saying the same thing to me in emails. "Dante I see why you dont tell those guys in the dogg pound about this stuff, it would just get screwed up beyond belief"
Look at the guys who come in this forum lately and pretty much do their own thing even though Ive laid it out to them how you go about all this. All I hear of late is "hybrid, tweaking, adding" etc. And thats with the basic way of doing things. Now what do you think is going to happen if I tell you what I have the Pro's and nationals/usa guys I train do?

"Newbiebodybuilder Chippy Walker": "oh hey Dante Ill add that to my regimen too even though im only 182lbs and been lifting for 2.5 years!"

Maybe I have a different way of looking at things than alot of the guys reading my stuff. Ive always looked at things as a long term plan, and Ive noticed even with the guys I train that alot of them look at things from a "this past 2 weeks, this week, or even "TODAYS WORKOUT" plan. If you gain 20-25lbs of muscle mass this year, thats amazing and you should hang your head high with pride. But that didnt happen in one workout--that takes a year! Thats 150 to 200 workouts strung together with progressive training and progressive eating and cardio to tie up lose ends, not "TODAYS WORKOUT"

My basic plan is

a)take you from the run of the mill lifter you are today and turn you into an advanced bodybuilder the absolutely quickest way possible

b)that doesnt happen in 5 weeks. Thats a 2 to 3 year plan usually and if you think you can turn yourself into a 3.5 LBS per inch of height lean bodybuilder in the next couple months, your sadly misinformed and no wonder alot of you guys are jumping back and forth from routine to routine and are so clusterfucked in the head you dont know what the hell your doing.

c)Once i get you up to that advanced muscle mass size....and thats all Im asking for, 2-3 years of your time, that aint much when you consider all the people around you in the gym who have been slaving away at it for 10-15 years.... and most of them you would of never thought touched a weight in their life walking down the street. Is that going to be you? Are you the guy who 10 years from now is in the gym and nobody knows in everyday life that you even lift unless you make it a point to tell them you do? (embarrasing)

d)So you can fast track this and get there quickly (where were you as a bodybuilder 2-3 years ago, thats not so long ago now is it?) or you can longtrack this and take the next 8-10 years of lifting and try to become something special by worrying about the little things (slightly weaker bodyparts) on the way up to becoming a big thing (advanced bodybuilder).

e)Again once I get you there, where you have a great deal of muscle mass accumalated and yes you might have some weaker bodyparts than others but you are definitely carrying alot more muscle mass than the next guy....we get down and brutal and start grinding out some unique ideas to get those weaker bodyparts caught up with everything else.

Alot of you guys try to ride off on the horse before it starts even pulling the cart. YOU WANT IT NOW! Well in that confused overanalyzing hyperactive quest to "get it NOW" you might be setting yourself back as far as how advanced you could become as a bodybuilder timewise. I personally hate accomplishing something in 5 years when I knew I could of done it in 2.5 There are alot of things I did when I started out that I wish to god I could get that time back.....because I honestly waisted YEARS not months, YEARS of productive building time by trying to disect this stuff with an electron microscope when a sledgehammer would of done the trick.

There are alot of local bodybuilders who I trained before I started training people online who I see now and then at the gym or around the San Diego area, and they actually listened to me when they were beginning or intermediate bodybuilders...they did exactly what I told them to do because I guess in person Im a little more convincing than words on a webpage online. And now they are advanced bodybuilders and I still hear some of them say "thanks for helping me Dante" or "thanks for getting my head on straight with this stuff"

I take pride knowing that I helped them "not waste valuable time", years if you will. I also saw how the visual side of this sport is all encompassing to people. Some of these guy's freinds scoffed at the training they were doing, you know the same old "not enough sets, you need to do cable crossovers for the inner pec bro, what about burnout sets?) bullshit. When these same guys started flying by their compadres and co-workers guess who were the first people spreading rumors of "juicing" or came running asking them questions "tell me what your doing bro, your getting swole!"

As you can tell of late ive been getting very frustrated with all this crap, because I keep wanting to shake some sense into alot of the people that come into this forum and say to them "I am trying to help you here, and your fighting against me"...so my attitude has changed somewhat to "well Ive done all I can do, if all the pictures, posts, and examples Ive left over the last 6 years proving this out to you, doesnt mean anything, then screw it....do your own thing then"
One of you emailed me and asked why I wasnt correcting people in the pound anymore on various threads. Why? Because I really dont feel I have to anymore...it is what it is. I dont need to and dont want to try to convince people anymore. Do what you want to do training wise. With my methods, either do it and do it right or do something else.
So you guys see my dilemna here, I put alot of stuff out in the open the last 6 years and you see the arguments and how completely screwed up it gets, with people doing hybrids and adding, whatever. If i talk about new stuff Im doing, my headache gets 10x of what it is right now.

The Misfit
06-03-10, 8:00 am
I know that this is "a lot" to read BUT!! anything that takes time is worth doing. There is a whole lot of rich, useful info in the above posts so take time to read the whole lot...knowledge is power

Peace