DC Training!

[JKurz1]

Ok..I've done the research...read the stickys....and am totally sold on DC Training. Want to start Monday, I just need some assistance in developing a solid routine and diet to go along with it....I've been training hardcore for about 5 years....I've tried every method and routine imaginable...well, almost.......this one sounds the best........I'm 6'2....185......7%......and too damn skinny.......just afraid to lose the 6-pack in the past, but f-it now...I'm ready to hit 225 (again)........

Could I just get an explanation on the warm-up sets, followed by the one intense set, and the static holds.........also, could you help me out a post some of your current routines, diets, etc......may take some effort, but karma will follow.......

I'm thinking I may try the 2 on 1 off instead of the every other day....bad idea? Thanks again...

 

[JKurz1]

For example:
Monday
Bench press, 1x10
Standing press, 1 x 12
Close grip bench, 1 x 10
Pulldowns, 1 x 12
Bent-over rows, 1 x 12

How many warmups for each exercise....how many total sets?
Take Bench - it says 1x10 - that's one working set of 10 reps? Can't be all, can it?

 

[FatRat]

I just copied and pasted the DC program that I started last Monday for you.

Warm up as much as needed, usually 2 or 3 sets min. Hard sets are rest paused twice with 6 - 8 seconds negative on most excersises.

1A – Mon
Incline Smith Press 11-15 RP (2)
Push Press 11-15 RP (2)
Tri Dips 11-15 RP (2)
Chest, Shoulder and Tri Extreme Stretch
Reverse Grip Pull down 11-15 RP (2)
Deadlift Straight Set x 8 (pos one more of 4)
Back Stretch

1B - Wed
Standing Straight Bar Curl 11-15 RP (2)
Preacher Reverse Curls Straight Set x 12
Bi Extreme Stretch
Seated Calf’s Straight Set x 12 (5 sec drop + 8 sec stretch)
Hamstring Curls 15-20 RP (2)
Squats 2 x Straight Sets 4-8 and 15-20
Quad and Ham Stretch

2A - Fri
Bench Press 11-15 RP (2)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 11-15 RP (2)
Lying Tri Ext. 11-15 RP (2)
Chest, Shoulder and Tri Extreme Stretch
Wide Pull downs 11-15 RP (2)
Pulley Row 11-15 RP (2)
Back Stretch

2B – Mon / Tues
Incline Dumbbell Curls 11-15 RP (2)
Reverse Curls Straight Set x 12
Bi Extreme Stretch
Leg Press Calf’s Straight Set x 12 (5 sec drop + 8 sec stretch)
Stiff Leg Deadlift 11-15 RP (2)
Leg Press 2 x Straight Sets 4-8 and 15-20
Quad and Ham Stretch

3A - Wed
Incline Bench 11-15 RP (2)
Smith Shoulder Press 11-15 RP (2)
Side Raise Straight Set x 12
Close Grip Bench Press 11-15 RP (2)
Chest, Shoulder and Tri Extreme Stretch
Chins 11-15 RP (2)
Bent Over Row Straight Set x 8 (pos one more of 4)
Back Stretch

3B - Fri
Preacher Curls 11-15 RP (2)
Hammer Curls Straight Set x 15
Bi Extreme Stretch
Calfs Straight Set x 12 (5 sec drop + 8 sec stretch)
Good Mornings Straight Set x 8 (pos one more of 4)
Hack Squat Machine 2 x Straight Sets 4-8 and 15-20
Quad and Ham Stretch

 

[FatRat]

Only thing is mate that I know you love the volume. You will find it tough mentally to walk away after that set and leave that body part alone. I hope you can do it though, as you will love the results.

 

[JKurz1]

ok...11-15??? Is that 11-15 reps, then 2 sets of rest pause? Give me a weight example for your day one....what exact weight would you use for each exercise and how many warmups do you do? I'm readddy to nix the volume!

 

[FatRat]

no, aiming for between 11 and 15 reps after both rest pauses. Might look like: 8 reps - fail, rest 10 seconds, 3 reps - fail, rest 10 seconds, 2 reps fail. That's 13, in the target range so increase the weight next time.

Your weight will be well down because of the very slow negative, you have to leave your ego at the door. I dont have the exact weight I used last week to hand as my training log is in my kit bag in my car, but on the Smith Incline it was 50kgs a side (about 265lbs?) and I did strict Millitary in the end with about 25 kg's a side (about 154lbs on the bar). Dips with bodyweight, went way off target reps, but that was my aim for the first week.

These weights are way down on what I might use for straight sets for example, but at the start of this training I have found from experience that you want to have a good run up so be hitting reps in the higher end of the scale, and also it takes a few weeks to get used to the very slow negatives which are killers.

Warm up 2/3 4 sets, more at the begining of the session, less towards the end. Chest maybe 4 sets, Tris maybe 1 set.

 

[JKurz1]

I have to spread my karma (somehow) else, I'd give you more.....thanks bro....still a tiny bit confused


Ok..so you walk into the gym....your first exer. is smith incline.....you put a warmup weight on the bar and rep out what 10-12? Then again with a slighter higher weight 10-12.....then you load up to 265......do 8 reps...rest for 15 secds.....squeeze out 3 more....rest 15 seconds.......squeeze out 2 more and you are done......right?

Where do the negatives fall into play?

 

[FatRat]

I walk into the gym, and do some light warm-up sets, however i would do them for any other thype of training. Maybe 20lbs a side for 12 reps, then 30 lbs a side for 10 reps, then 45 a side, warm up however you like. Dont worrry about negatives or rest pause for warm ups.

Once you are ready to go you load up the working weight and start to rep out, lowering the bar over 7 or 8 seconds each time (this gets hard). You fail, maybe at 9 reps, rack the bar. Take 10 deep breaths (10 secs roughtly) sit back down and repeat using the slow negatives once again. You will probably only get 3 or 4 reps this time, so rack it once you fail, 10 deep breaths, then go for another 2 or 3 reps.

 

[JKurz1]

PERFECT....gotcha....how long should I be in the gym?

 

[louden_swain]

A good rule of thumb is to pick 2 or 3 of your most favorite exercises and alternate them each workout.

This will help prevent burnout and the stagnation of progress.

Its a great program and you can make some good gains in both strength and size.

Warmups are pretty simple. . nothing to failure just enough to get the muscles accustomed to the new loads for example. . lets say that you can use 225lbs for 11 or 15 reps. . here is how you would prepare for this:

warmups:

135lbs x 10
155lbs x 5
185lbs x 3
205lbs x 3

Then bang!!. . .an all-out set with 225lbs

as soon as you reach failure rack the weight for 10 seconds. . .then unrack and bang out an additional 2 or 3 reps . . on the last rep you hold in a static position (as long as you can). . .when the weight starts to come dowards, you can convert this motion into a negative.

This is high intensity and will cause an extreme amount of muscle fiber damage.

On your all-out set, it is important that you have a spotter.

This mostly applies to pushing movements such as:

incline presses and seated barbell presses.

I hope some of this information helps.

 

[JKurz1]

Thanks bro......think I got it.......I may have to use dbell sometimes (I know its not the best) but many times won't have a spotter.....Arnold and CUtler both have a video where they use this method (also in Pumping Iron).......doing dbell curls...and cutler I think was doing dbell rows.....we'll see...I'll keep ya posted......looking to put on 25-30lbs by tomorrow....well, I'm not starting untiul Monday with this program, so by Tuesday I should be about 225.....LOL......now I just need to learn to lose the 6-pack and EAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[guldukat]

Warmups are pretty simple. . nothing to failure just enough to get the muscles accustomed to the new loads for example. . lets say that you can use 225lbs for 11 or 15 reps. . here is how you would prepare for this:

warmups:

135lbs x 10
155lbs x 5
185lbs x 3
205lbs x 3

Then bang!!. . .an all-out set with 225lbs

as soon as you reach failure rack the weight for 10 seconds. . .then unrack and bang out an additional 2 or 3 reps . . on the last rep you hold in a static position (as long as you can). . .

*snip*

Good post Ian.

The only thing I might add is that, when you're ready to start rest-pausing reps, focus more on very deep breaths instead of looking at a stopwatch (or clock, or whatever ).

I say that because at first, I tried following an arbitrary rest scheme for the rest-pauses...IIRC, I rested 15-20 seconds, and I really struggled to get one more rep with a weight I could otherwise handle for 10 "fresh."

The deep breathing let me do more like 3 reps on the first rest-pause "set," and 1-2 on the second bout.

Thus, I went from something like this

reps rest
10--count 20 sec.
1--count 20 sec.
0

to this:

reps rest
10--15 deep breaths
3--15 d. breaths
1 or 2, plus static.

Those 3-4 extra super-hard reps translate to more stimulation.

Deep breaths! LIGHT WEIGHT BABY!

 

[JKurz1]

light weight? Good point....how do you know where to start? If its too light, you'll feel like you didnt do anything....too heavy, and it's worthless....

 

[guldukat]

light weight? Good point....how do you know where to start? If its too light, you'll feel like you didnt do anything....too heavy, and it's worthless....

That's a joke, apropos nothing It's what Ronnie Coleman says a lot in "The Unbelievable." Right after he did a set with over 750 for 4 on the deadlift, he let the weight slam on the floor and said, "LIGHT WEIGHT!"

You'd have to see it. It's hilarious

As far as where to start, you know the answer--don't let my stupid jokes throw you!

Simply, pick something that lets you hit 8-10 to failure for most exercises. For legs you can do somewhat higher reps, and for some biceps movements, particularly types of dumbbell curls, Dante likes one to approach 20 reps total (including the rest-pauses). Rack deads and deadlifts are less than 8 reps total if I remember correctly, as few as 5 for the racks (?).

The rest-pauses will take care of themselves brother. Don't sweat them.

 

[JKurz1]

ANyone go 2 on and 1 off?

 

[louden_swain]

ANyone go 2 on and 1 off?

Follow the recommended split. . .it allows you to receive adequate rest.

It will be easier for you to give 100 percent each workout.

 

[guldukat]

ANyone go 2 on and 1 off?

You could. I don't recommend it unless:

1--You're training "assisted";

and/or

2--You have exceptional recovery ability.

From what I recall, Dante's original routine was a 2 on, 1 off, 2 on, 2 off, so you could train each bodypart twice a week. He found that too many guys overtrained that way, though I don't know how long they followed that routine before progress stopped. (Probably not very long.)

I'd go with his current recommendations. You wouldn't be able to blast very long before you'd need to back off, so in the long run, training a bodypart 3x in 2 weeks means more productive workouts.

Generally speaking, I'd follow the program to the letter. I quibbled with some of his advice at first, still set very much in my old ways (low rep freak), but I came to discover that everything he suggested had a well-reasoned purpose.

THE only change I might make is to play around with exercise order a little, particularly on biceps/leg day. I get so damn nervous about squatting, leg pressing etc. I just HAVE to get it out of the way. So far that hasn't made me so sick that I couldn't get in hammies and calves afterwards, though a time or two I did have to visit the bathroom before I could finish the workout

That said, there's also merit to doing quads last in the routine. It's very hard, but at least when you get to the 20 reppers you KNOW you don't have any more work to do!

Oh, btw, definitely try the stretches he recommends on the bottom of each rep for calves. Mine are genetically gifted so I've neglected them in the past, but they just exploded using the DC method, moreso than I expected.

 

[louden_swain]

Jkurz1,

Is this your split routine for DC:

workout 1 - chest, delts, triceps, and back

workout 2 - biceps, forearms, calves, quads, and hamstrings

?

 

[collegiateLifter]

I would go 10-15 deep breathes between rest pauses, for about 30seconds or so, but don't look at your stopwatch. I think that 10seconds is too little.

 

[JKurz1]

Louden - have started yet, but that looks like a solid split, eh? One question. Squats....I do them regularly, but NEVER have been able to go to my fullest potential in weight because my knees ahave always been very weak (tall).....So, my 1x20 on squats would be very light and I'm afraid it will negate the effects......could I do leg press (rest pause) or something instead?

 

[JKurz1]

Is there any way to split this program to where you can train 5x/week? Instead of every other day?