DC Training

-
by Dante Trude aka “DoggCrapp”
Content

All about Doggcrapp Training - DC Training ........................................................................................... 3

Muscle Gain Truth: The Basics of Doggcrapp AKA DC Training ....................................................... 3
READ THIS FIRST - Dante interviewed by Ron Harris, discussed Doggcrapp FAQs) ........................ 4
Dogg Pound Training ..................................................................................................................... 13
Cycles For Pennies Continues ........................................................................................................ 25
Suggested exercises for DC ........................................................................................................... 31
Extreme Stretching ........................................................................................................................ 33
This is why to "DC stretch" (Extreme Stretching) .......................................................................... 35
Random Thoughts by Dogg ........................................................................................................... 41
Unofficial exercise rep ranges and summary of DC training ......................................................... 48
Squat Standards for Bodybuilders [lbs] ......................................................................................... 54
Deadlift Standards for Bodybuilders ............................................................................................. 55
Bench Press Standards .................................................................................................................. 56
All about Doggcrapp Training - DC Training

Muscle Gain Truth: The Basics of Doggcrapp AKA DC Training

Welcome. This is an UNOFFICIAL guide to the basics of the advanced

bodybuilding routine known as DC Training, created by Doggcrapp
AKA Dante Trudel.

DC training is for ADVANCED LIFTERS ONLY. You should have at least 3 years of hard, heavy lifting
experience before you attempt this routine, and you should have tried, and had success with, other
bodybuilding and/or powerbuilding routines.

Before you attempt this routine, you should have already built a good foundation, stemming from
years of good, heavy training. You should be able to perform ALL of the major lifts with correct form.
You should be able to maintain that form, even under very intense lifting stress.

You should have your bodyfat percentage down to a reasonable level. If you need to drop bodyfat,
consider something like P90x or Insanity, or if you know how to lose bodyfat and can put together a
fat loss routine yourself, use it.

And you should have a membership to a gym that has a wide variety of both free weights and useful
machines.

Most importantly, you shouldn't be a "routine jumper". Do you have the discipline to stick with one
weightlifting routine for the long term? The answer should be "yes".

Be honest with yourself. Are you an advanced lifter? If you are not, there are many great beginner's
lifting routines that will get you big, strong, and help you practice lifting with correct form. DC
Training is for the advanced lifter who wants to take it to the next level.

Consider buying Jason Wojo's DC Training DVD if you want to watch lifting with good form. Or simply
find reliable, professional lifters on Youtube.

Something else you will need as well: a logbook. Beating the logbook is the cornerstone of DC
Training. A logbook is simply a notebook that you use to track your workouts, track your poundages
and reps with each workout, so that you can track your progress and know when a lift is working for
you, and if you can't progress on a lift, you can switch it out for another lift that works the same
muscle group.

And very importantly, don't try to tweak DC Training. Do DC Training as it's written, trust the
logbook, and trust the routine, and you'll gain more muscle than you thought you'd be able to gain
after hitting past plateaus.
READ THIS FIRST - Dante interviewed by Ron Harris, discussed Doggcrapp FAQs

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

RH: Would you please tell us a little bit about yourself? Let’s start with Dante, is that your actual
name or an alias?
D: That is my actual name. It's my middle name but its what I go by, unless we are talking about the
guy on the freeway yesterday who called me something else. (kidding)

RH: Do you have a background in sports, and how did you get involved in bodybuilding?
D:I have always been a good athlete in every sport, but back in the day, when I got into Junior High
school something strange happened. I stopped growing. I went into my high school as the 3rd
shortest person out of about 1000 people in the school and I was a complete stick to boot. My
freshman year in high school I was 92lbs and I ended up graduating at 5'7" and a strapping, robust
122lbs (laughing). I had always excelled at basketball and baseball but found it very tough going-
being so small. I grew 5.5 inches after high school and wound up at 137lbs at 6 foot tall at nineteen
years old. While driving my car by a grocery store one day in my hometown of Gardner
Massachusetts, I saw two time AAU Mr Massachusetts (and AAU America and Universe competitor)
Donnie Lemiuex. The man was monstrous at 5'7" and a lean 240lbs and I was shocked to see
someone look like that. I was determined right then and there to put my nose to the grindstone and I
researched/studied every single facet about bodybuilding I could find right down from the basics to
the molecular level. Donnie Lemiuex actually became my training partner later on and to this day we
remain great freinds.

RH: Did you publish your own newsletter at one point?

D:Yes i published Hardcore Muscle from 1993-1995 and that is when I started to first put out my
thoughts on multi-rep rest pause and other theories I had to the public. It was a very cutting edge
newsletter and I was very proud to say that my readership was a list of who's who in bodybuilding at
that time. I had a whole slew of pro's, top amateurs, doctors and researchers on that subscriber list. I
was on the phone with Phil Hernon, Tom Prince, Curtis Leffler and a majority of other competing
bodybuilders at that time gathering information for each issue. Even your old boss Lou Zwick was a
reader of that mag Ron.

RH: Have you competed in powerlifting or bodybuilding? If not, do you have any desire to?
D: Three times in the last few years I have dieted down for shows and every time I pull out because
of the same reasons. I have worked 2 jobs for a long time now (usually working 7 days a week) and I
just get absolutely burnt out with the 1 hour of training and (up to 2 hours) of cardio I need to do to
come into shows just absolutely shredded to the bone. I admire anyone that can compete in todays
modern society working 40-60 hours a week because I know I sure as heck cant do it. This last time
(early 2005) I was determined to follow thru and I went from 292lbs to 258lbs (15 weeks) but with 5
weeks to go my father was diagnosed with a tumor on his liver and both my wife (competing in
figure) and I both pulled out of the show. Bodybuilding shows come and go but family is forever-that
was an easy decision to make, and luckily my father was operated on and is fine and in good health
now.
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: Why the name, ‘Doggcrapp?’ I mean, from a marketing point of view, you’ll remember it, but
didn’t you have second thoughts that it would be mocked?
D:Yea that was a real ingenious move on my part was'nt it? I definitely should be nominated "idiot of
the year" for that one (laughing). What happened was 6 years ago I was a member of a small but
elite bodybuilding board on the net which had about 50 members. I never posted, I just read the
board. I had viewed some posts by advanced bodybuilders on that board that I felt were very
detrimental toward their health. I decided to respond and posted with the anomynous screenname
of Doggcrapp. I thought it would be one post and kaput, done and over with. BIG BIG HUGE
MISJUDGEMENT! People were intrigued with what I had to say and kept asking questions and I kept
answering and it became an encyclopedia. That post became 118 pages long and had over a quarter
of a million views. My posts back then were cut and pasted onto bodybuilding sites all over the net,
people started using my methods and gaining rapidly, telling freinds....and it carried on thru word of
mouth like a wildfire and sadly to say Im stuck with the name "Doggcrapp" now. If I could do it all
over again Ron trust me, I would of given myself a much classier name.

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: Obviously Dave Henry is the most visible example of what can be done with DC Training. Can you
give me a couple other specific examples of the types of gains your clients have made?
D: I have seen some pretty amazing things in my time, some things I dont even have an answer for
(laughing). Ive seen a person have their bodyfat measured before and a year later where it was a
little over 1% higher and in that time he had gained 52 lbs. Ive made numerour lightheavies into
superheavies. Ive made numerous middleweights into heavyweights. I think alot of people are
coming to realize with all the posts and photos online involving my methods, that the old thought of
"you can only gain 8-10 lbs of lean mass a year" is complete utter bunk. I would venture to say that I
can't remember a trainee of mine that has been with me for a whole year that has gained less than
15 lbs of lean tissue. I did have a trainee one time who came to me after an injury so he obviously
lost some previous muscle mass, but I saw the before and after pictures with body fat percentage
measured and 8 months later he had gained 67 lbs.and he was completely natural. To this day, that
shocks me. Those are elite genetics though and for anybody reading this article, Im telling you
straight out, there ain't a chance in hell I can repeat that with everyone. In my mind that was and is
still virtually impossible. I have made many, many, people 30-50 lbs heavier in a years time but those
people have to be absolutely meticulous and follow exactly what I want them to do--which is pretty
much eating like a 300LBER, but cardioing like a guy who is 8-9% bodyfat and turning your body into
a muscle building fat burning blast furnace. You pretty much get to a point in which your tricking
your body into becoming muscularly larger.

RH: Obviously you don’t have to name names if you aren’t comfortable with doing so, but are there
any other pro’s or top amateurs you are working with or have worked with as a trainer?
D: There is another pro besides Dave Henry but due to his sponser's contract rulings I don't mention
him publicly. I also have trained INPA Natural Pro Travis Macduff. As far as top amateurs.....how
much space do we have? Junior Nationals champ Ralph Garcia, top NPC/USA competitor Rob Lopez,
Junior USA champion Jason Wojciechowski, 2nd place Junior USA Tom Whorley, top Junior USA
competitor Josh Barnett, top USA and Junior National competitor Joey Mobareki, Junior USA
competitor Jason Hamner, Junior USA/National competitor Chris Genkinger, NPC competitors Scott
Stevenson, Robert Hopper, Joey Bonacia, Joey Mobareki, Stone Laszly, Ramey Benfield, Mike
Piacentino, Jason Torres, and a whole slew of others including Canadian and European champions
like Ivan Gasser (two time Swiss champion)

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: I doubt it’s possible to put a number on how many bodybuilders out there are using DC Training
or have used it, but it does seem to be gaining momentum. Could you see a day when it becomes as
widespread as standard volume training?
D:God I hope not, Im already overwhelmed and have too much on my plate currently. I had
absolutely no idea of Dave Henry's following and fanbase until I started training him 2 years ago.
Every time he does really well in shows my emails go thru the roof. He just got second in the Ironman
Pro show and Im getting emails from Africa, Europe, all over the place about DC training. I had a
priest contact me yesterday about "Dave Henry's training routine"...Amen

RH: Do you have any books or videos available on DC Training, or are any in the works?
D:I believe Dave Henry is doing a DC training video pretty soon so that will be available to the public
in the future. I really should put a book out there for people to read but right now I have a rare
disease that is keeping me from doing so called "being a slacker". In all seriousness my articles online
are in the process of being copyrighted so Ill get some literature in book form out there to people as
soon as I can free up some time.

RH: You are also the owner of a supplement company, True Protein
([url]www.trueprotein.com)[/url]. I know from a friend of mine that it’s a little different from the
average supplement company in a few ways, right?
D:We are very different. We will give the buyer the highest quality supplements known for the best
prices they will find. We are able to do this by buying the highest tested proteins/supplements in
large amounts to get the price we want and then packaging it to the consumer in food grade jugs or
food grade storage bags (their choice). So where the buyer wins out is he isnt paying for the 5000
dollar per page advertising campaign, the fancy jug label or the fancy packaging. People walk into
nutrition centers now and plop down 30 dollars for 2 LBS of Whey protein concentrate. Compare this
with two pounds of a top tested whey protein concentrate from Trueprotein which is going to cost
you about 8 dollars. All because your not paying for all the frills/advertising going with it.
We allow people to custom design their own protein powders if they choose to do so. We have a
specific part of our website that allows for this customization. Basically if you want it, we will make it
for you. Alot of supplement companies will list the ingredients of their protein powder or
supplements on their jug but they refuse to list the percentages of each component. Well that could
mean you could be getting 98% of a very cheap lower quality protein, and 1% each of two high
quality expensive proteins making up the rest, which really isnt fair to the consumer paying for it. We
only offer the highest quality materials from all of the top manufacturers around the world, and we
have the certificates of analysis to prove any and all of our products. If you tell us you want 60% of
this and 20% of that and 20% of something else in your protien mix, be reassured thats exactly what
your going to get.
Most of our customers understand and know what they are looking for, but if a customer is not
comfortable or does not understand what would be best for them, we do have a few extremely well
versed individuals on the True Protein team, that can help the novice up to the expert into offering
them a better and more refined supplement for their needs and goals, all free of charge 7 days a
week. We all started in fitness the same way, with most of us being bombarded with the marketed
hype that many retail supplement products promise. Many would-be customers come to our website
and become overwhelmed with the endless possibilities of supplement mixes, but we always
encourage the novice to ask questions and to read through our unbiased information on our site to
learn, after all it is your body. Ask our opinion on something and we will gladly give it to you.

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)
What Makes You Big

Training is all about adoption. In simple terms you lift a weight and your muscle has one of 2 choices,
either tear completely under the load (which is incredibly rare and what we don't want) or the
muscle lifts the weight and protects itself by remodeling and getting bigger to protect itself against
the load (next time). If the weight gets heavier, the muscle has to again remodel and get bigger again
to handle it. You can superset, superslow, giant set, pre exhaust all day long but the infinite
adaptation is load---meaning heavier and heavier weights is the only infinite thing you can do in your
training. Intensity is finite. Volume is finite (or infinite if you want to do 9000 sets per
bodypart)...everything else is finite. The Load is infinite and heavier and heavier weights used (I
DON'T GIVE A CRAP WHAT SOME BUCK 58 POUND WRITER FROM FLEX MAGAZINE SAYS) will make
the biggest bodybuilder (add high protein, glutamine and drugs to the mix and you have one large
person).

I believe in Powerbuilding not bodybuilding--using techniques that build the most strength gains in
the fastest time possible while using the most effective exercises for that person. I am positive I could
take 2 twins--have the first one do his own thing training wise, but using the same drugs,
supplements and nutrition as the twin I train......come back a year later and the twin I trained would
have 25 lbs more muscle.

I've seen powerlifters (who catch a lot of guff from bodybuilders for being "fat") diet down and come
in and destroy bodybuilders in bodybuilding shows time and time again. Over and over. Powerlifters
and Powerbodybuilders are by far the thickest guys onstage when and if they decide to enter
bodybuilding shows.
No matter what the method someone uses to gain super strength gains-it’s imperative they do so.
Again if you putsomeone out on a desert island with 135 lbs of weights he can superset, giant set,
high rep, superslow etc etc squats, deadlifts and benches to his hearts delight...the sad story is his
gains will quickly come to a halt because his limiting factor is the amount of strength he will gain. He
has 135 lbs to work with. You take that same guy on a desert island and give him squats, deadlifts,
and benches and an unlimited weight supply that he constantly pushes, in 5 years I'll show you a big
Gilligan.

For the next few months take note of the people you see in the gym that never change. They will be
the ones using the same weight time after time on exercises whenever they are in the gym. These
are the people who use 135, 185, 225 on the bench every time its chest day. Your best friends in the
gym are the 2.5 lbs plates--your very best buds!!! You put those 2.5 lbs plates on that bar every time
you bench press for 52 weeks and now your bench is 250 lbs more at the end of the year! That would
equal out to another inch to inch + half thickness on your chest. Can it be done? Probably not at that
rate but TRYING TO DO IT will get you a lot bigger than doing what 98% of the people in the gym do.
Unless you are gifted genetically to build muscle at a dizzying rate (most people aren't), the largest
people in your gym will also be the ones heaving up the heaviest weights. Do you think they started
out that way? No, they were probably 175 lb guys who bulldozed their way up to that level. A perfect
example are male strippers. These guys use a boatload of drugs on par with hardcore competitive
bodybuilders. After an initial phase where they grow off of steroids like everyone else--their growth
stops (like forever). Why? Because they aren't eating 500 grams of protein a day and don't fight and
claw their way to 500 lbs bench presses and 700 lbs squats and deadlifts. They stay on the drugs for
years and years while stripping but don't go beyond that 200 to 220 lbs range. So much for juice
being the total equalizer. I don't know why pseudo experts try to make training such an elite science
when in actuality it’s pretty cut and dry. If you keep a training log and note your weights used for the
next 5 years and find they are still the same you will pretty much look "still the same" in 5 years. If
you double all your poundage's in the next five years in everything, your going to be one thick person
....If someone ever took a ratio of people who don't make gains to people who do, it would be pitiful.
I would venture to say that 95% of people in gyms across this country aren't gaining muscle and are
wasting their time.

The absolutely best advice I could ever give a guy starting out lifting is "go train with an established
powerlifter" and learn all the principles he trains with. There would be a lot more happy
bodybuilders out there.
So now you guys know I believe in the heaviest training possible (safely) --- I think I hammered that
home, I needed to do that because so many bodybuilders are lost on how to get from A to Z.....it’s all
part of my quest to make the biggest heavy slag iron lifting, high protein eating, stretching and
recuperating massive bodybuilders I can. As you progress as a bodybuilder you need to take even
more rest time and recovery time. READ THAT AGAIN PLEASE AS YOU PROGRESS AS A BODYBUILDER
IN SIZE AND STRENGTH YOU NEED TO TAKE EVEN MORE REST AND RECOVERY TIME.

EXAMPLE: My recovery ability is probably slightly better now than when I started lifting 15 years ago
but only slightly...but back then I was benching 135lbs and squatting 155lbs in my first months of
lifting. Now I am far and extremely "hard to come by" commodity. This sport is about extremes--
using weights you haven’t 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.
Overanalyzing

I’m seeing a repetitive phenomenon with the people I train that I want to state here. I’ve trained a lot
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 a lot 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 I’ll 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? I’ve showed TPC some of these emails in the warehouse and he didn’t realize the extent of
what I was telling him about. I’ve 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 I’ve always done it this way" My answer was "well why do you look
like shit if your old way worked so well"? No one 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 isn’t I don’t care what anyone tries to make it out
to be) and worry about things that really aren’t 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.....I’m too old to make up for that lost
time" because that’s where a lot of you are heading if you don’t get your heads on straight. I blame a
lot of the muscle magazines for this. A lot 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 beginning 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. I’m not talking singles here. I’m 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 you and I will be happy).
Program Basics

Nutshell: 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).

Now to get into specifics regarding training. Stay with me here. You are only doing one exercise per
muscle group per day. You are doing your first favorite exercise for chest on day one, you're doing
your second favorite exercise for chest the next time chest training rolls around and then your third
favorite exercise for chest the time after that when chest training rolls around. Then you repeat the
entire sequence again. You're doing the same exercises you would be doing anyway in a 7-14 days
time and training chest 3 times in that same period with minimal sets so you can recover.
You cannot do a 3-5 exercise, 10-20 set chest workout and recover to train chest again 3-4 days later.
It's absolutely impossible!! But you can come in and do 2-5 warmup sets up to your heaviest set and
then do ONE working set (either straight set or rest paused) all out on that exercise then recover and
grow and be ready again 3-4 days later. This kind of training will have you growing as fast as humanly
possible.

Again the simple equation is "the most times per year you can train a body part incredibly heavy,
with major strength gains, and recover will equal out to the fastest accumulation of muscle mass
possible".

DC training consists of one extremely intense workset for each muscle group. For every body part,
pick 3 movements which you feel will improve your physique the most, usually compound. Every
workout, you must strive to either increase the number of reps with the amount of weight you
currently use, or increase the amount of weight used. The goal is 10+ reps, done in either a straight-
set or rest-pause fashion.
You choose a weight you can get 10 reps on your own, For example a set of hammer strength incline
press, which I can get 11 or 12 reps with. Then, I pause and take exactly 15 breaths. I go again and
knock out another three or four reps.
Fifteen more breaths and now I can only get one or two reps. so far, I have done 15-20 total reps. But
even though I can't get any more full reps, I do short one or two-inch partials from the stretch
position, the bottom of the rep, until I can't budge it at all.

You're hitting every bodypart twice in 8 days. The volume on everything is simply as many warmup
sets as you need to do- to be ready for your ONE work set. That can be two warmup sets for a small
muscle group or five warmup sets for a large muscle group on heavy exercise like rack deadlifts. The
ONE work set is either a straight set or a rest pause set (depending on your recovery abilities again).
For people on the lowest scale of recovery its just that one straight set--- next up is a straight set with
statics for people with slightly better than that recovery----next up is rest pausing (on many of the of
movements) with statics for people with middle of the road recovery on up. This last one is what I
use for most people unless we find out that their mom and pop didn't grant them with the best
genetics for recovery ability. At that point I have to downshift everything.
All of our sets are brutal - max effort on every single one because you only get one chance to beat
the logbook.
Blasting and Cruising
Remember Cruising too - that's very important to keep yourself from overtraining. If you wait too
long when it's time to cruise, you're just going to dig a hole for yourself. overtraining "stacks" so to
speak....the longer you do it, the worse it gets, and the longer it will take to recover back to normal
so you can make good progress again. As soon as you start feeling those symptoms of overtraining
settling in, it's time - you should be able to recognize this before beginning the program (which is one
reason why new lifters aren't recommended to lift DC style).

Blast Phase: 4-8 weeks, till you start to sense any overtraining
Cruise Phase: 2 weeks, time off or girl-scout workouts to let your body recover.
After Cruise, start next Blast Phase at 90% of the weight you ended the last Blast with.
Routine
Dogg Pound Training

Now to get into specifics regarding training. Stay with me here. You are only doing one exercise per
muscle group per day. You are doing your first favorite exercise for chest on day one, you're doing
your second favorite exercise for chest the next time chest training rolls around and then your third
favorite exercise for chest the time after that when chest training rolls around. Then you repeat the
entire sequence again. You're doing the same exercises you would be doing anyway in a 7-14 days
time and training chest 3 times in that same period with minimal sets so you can recover. You cannot
do a 3-5 exercise, 10-20 set chest workout and recover to train chest again 3-4 days later. It's
absolutely impossible!! But you can come in and do 2-5 warmup sets up to your heaviest set and
then do ONE working set (either straight set or rest paused) all out on that exercise then recover and
grow and be ready again 3-4 days later. This kind of training will have you growing as fast as humanly
possible. Again the simple equation is "the most times per year you can train a body part incredibly
heavy, with major strength gains, and recover will equal out to the fastest accumulation of muscle
mass possible".

Why don't most pros do this kind of training? Why don't you?!?! Because every form of training has
been taught to someone, passed down from the magazines for decades with no thought out rhyme
or reasons. Every form of modern day training stems from what the guys in the 60's and Arnold was
doing. Finally Yates and some others got people thinking about what truly is working when it comes
to training. If you think about it-it's ridiculous some of these recommended routines in the
magazines. Most training comes from peoples egos. People are so driven and desperate to get big
that they believe they MUST do this and MUST do that every workout. Thirty sets here, with multiple
exercises to hit every angle there. You know what that does? It dramatically cuts into your recovery
ability (never mind amino acid pools and glycogen stores) so you cannot train that body part again in
a couple days time. That defeats the purpose of rapid accumulation of muscle mass. I'll state this as a
matter of fact because I believe it's true. I believe if you, the person reading this, trained the way I
am recommending, you will be 20-40lbs of muscle larger in 3 years than if you kept training the way
you are presently training. If that offends you or seems ballsy to state-SO BE IT!!! I've done enough
studying and real life experimentation on aspiring bodybuilders to state that.

To start-Three key exercises are picked for each body part. USING ONLY ONE OF THOSE EXERCISES
PER WORKOUT you rotate these in order and take that exercise to it's ultimate strength limit (where
at that certain point you change the exercise to a new one and get brutally strong on that new
movement too). That can happen in 4 weeks or that can happen 2 years later but it will happen some
time (You cannot continually gain strength to where you are eventually bench pressing 905 for reps
obviously) Sometime later when you come back to that original exercise you will start slightly lower
than your previous high and then soar past it without fail.

Some principles I believe in:

A) I believe rest pausing is the most productive way of training ever. I've never seen a way to faster
strength gains than what comes from rest pausing. I'll use an incline smith bench with a hypothetical
weight to show you my recommended way of rest pausing.

Warmups would be 135x12, 185x10, 250x 6, 315x4 (none of these are taxing--they are just getting
me warmed up for my all out rest pause set)

MAIN REST PAUSE SET-375x8 reps (total failure) rack the weight, then 15 deep breathes and 375x 2
to 4 reps (total failure) rack the weight, then 15 deep breathes and 375x 1 to 2 reps. I personally do a
static right after that but I'll explain that later. Remember every time you go to failure you always
finish on the negative portion and have your training partner help you or rack the weight yourself. To
explain further on my first rest pause above I struggled with every iota of my strength to get that 8th
rep up. At that point instead of racking the weight up top I brought the weight down to my chest
again slowly (6 seconds) and had my training partner quickly help me lift the weight back up to the
top to rack it. That "always finishing on the negative rep" will accrue more cellular damage over time
and allow for even greater gains.

B) Every exercise is done with a controlled but explosive positive and a true 6-8 second negative
phase. The science is there just read it. Almost every study states an explosive positive motion is the
priming phase and the negative portion of an exercise should be done controlled and slowly. I have
the mindset that I hope you guys develop. I try so hard to get the weight up only for the sole reason I
can lower it slowly to cause eccentric phase cellular damage.

C) Extreme Stretching: it must be done, it's imperative. It stretches fascia and helps recovery
immensely. It will dramatically change your physique in a short amount of time if done right, trust me
on that. I hit on it in the first article of this series.

OK you guys have to use some deductive reasoning here. If I do a 375 or so LB smith incline press rest
paused for 10-15 reps with statics on Monday morning (which is the time of day I lift) by that same
Monday night, 12 hours later I am viscously sore. By Tuesday morning I am still pretty sore but to a
lesser degree. By Tuesday night I have very little soreness. By Wednesday morning I have absolutely
no soreness and Wednesday night the same, so I could probably train chest again on Thursday no
problem but I currently wait till Friday and train chest again. If your training chest on Monday and on
Thursday your still pretty sore, a couple things are happening--either you're training with more
volume than I recommend, or you're not extreme stretching (as recommended in my first article for
AE), or more likely your recovery ability is not your greatest asset. If the last one is true you are going
to have to take note of that and broaden the workout days between bodyparts hit. Most of you
reading this (90%) will be able to go the Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Monday again route hitting
bodyparts twice in 8 days. A chosen few might be able to go Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
especially if they really work their extreme stretching and get the proper rest. That's very rare though
that someone can recover that quickly even from one working set per bodypart. My
recommendations are to start out Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Monday first and gauge how that
goes. I am currently seeing that most people go best with that protocol. I know some of you want to
train a bodypart as many times as possible in a weeks time, hell I would love to be able to train a
bodypart 4 times a week and grow but it can't be done. So this is something I can't help you
on.....you need to check yourself and find out where you are recovering and then work with that. I
can do a 20 plate leg press for reps and be sore for the next day and a half and feel fresh and ready to
go on my next leg day. High dose glutamine has been a godsend to my recovery ability as has
extreme stretching. My training weights continue to rocket upward on everything. What I cannot do
is 3 leg exercises for multiple sets in a workout session and recover 3-4 days later to do legs again. I
think you're begging for injury if you are still very, very sore the next time a body part comes up.

Example Day one

First exercise smith incline presses (I'll use the weights I use for example)
135 for warmup for 12
185 for 8 warmup
250 for 6 warmup
315 for 4 warmup

Then all out with 375 for 8 reps to total absolute failure (then 12-15 deep breaths) 375 for 2-4 reps to
total absolute failure (then 12-15 deep breaths) 375 for 1-3 reps to absolute total failure (then a 20-
30 second static hold) DONE!-that's it 375lbs for 8+4+3= 375 for 15 reps rest paused..... next week I
go for 385 (again rest paused)-----directly after that rest pause set I go to extreme stretching flyes as
described earlier and then that's it for chest and on to shoulders, triceps and back. The next time I
come in to do chest I would do hammer flat presses in the same rest paused manner (and then
extreme stretching again)---the time after that I come in to do chest I would do my third favorite
exercise rest paused/stretched and then the cycle repeats.

In simple terms I am using techniques with extreme high intensity(rest pause) which I feel make a
persons strength go up as quickly as possible + low volume so I can (recover) as quickly as possible
with as many growth phases (damage/remodel/recover) I can do in a years time.

Some exercises involving legs and some back rowing exercises don't allow themselves to rest pause
too well. A sample couple of days for me would be the following (IM not including warmup sets--just
working sets).

Workout 1
CHEST: smith incline 375 x 15 reps rest pause (RP) and a 30 second static rep at the end (then
stretches)
SHOULDERS: front smith press-330 x 13 RP and 30 second static (then stretches)
TRICEPS: reverse grip bench press 315 for 15-20 reps RP-no static (then stretches)
BACK WIDTH: rear pulldowns to back of head 300 x 18 RP (20 second static at end)
BACK THICKNESS: floor deadlifts straight set of 8-20 reps (then stretches for back)

The information below is from Peter O'Hanrahan's "Body Types, Part 1". It is a brief and incomplete
description of the mesomorph's temperament.

Workout 2
BICEPS: preacher bench barbell curl RP for 14 reps and 30 second static
FOREARMS: hammer curls straight set for 15 reps (then stretches for biceps)
CALVES: on hack squat straight set for 12 reps but with a 20 second negative phase
HAMSTRINGS: Cybex hamstring press (pressing with heels up top) RP for 20 reps
QUADS: hack squat straight set of 6 plates each side for 20 reps (of course after warming up)

Then stretches for quads and hams.

The absolutely most important thing of any of this is I write down all weights and reps done from the
working set on a notepad. So every time I go into the gym I have to continually look back and beat
the previous times reps/weight or both. If I can't or I don't beat it, no matter if I love doing the
exercise or not, I have to change to a new exercise. Believe me this adds a grave seriousness, a clutch
performance or imperativeness to a workout! I have exercises I love to do and knowing I will lose
them if I don't beat the previous stats sucks! But there is a method to this madness because when
you get to that sticking point of strength (AND YOU WILL, THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN HACK SQUAT
UP TO 50 PLATES A SIDE) that is when your muscle=strength gains will stop. At that point you must
turn to a different exercise and then get brutally strong on that one. Then someday you will peak out
on that one too. You can always come back to that loved exercise in the future and you'll start
somewhat lower and build up to a peak again--and trust me that peak will be far more than the
previous one. Some exercises you'll stay with and gain strength at for almost up to a year and some
exercises you'll be at the limit in 4 weeks and lose them but its all in the plan. For example-- I love
reverse grip bench presses, knowing that I have to beat 315 for 17 reps RP or else I have to change to
maybe dips next time puts a serious sense of urgency into workouts. I either have to beat it by doing
something to the effect of 320 for 15 RP or if I stick with 315, I have to get at least 19 reps RP or so. If
I'm feeling crappy or having an off day I might give myself a little leeway and allow myself another go
at it next time around but that's it. The notepad is your intensity level, how badly you want to keep
doing an exercise will be how hard you push to beat the previous. Looking at that piece of paper
knowing what you have to do to beat it will bring out the best in you. Again, it's all in the plan to
make you the strongest bodybuilder possible which will equal out into the biggest bodybuilder
possible.

I find myself irritated now when people look at me and say "genetics" or something to that effect--its
amazing to me that at 19 I was 6 foot and 137lbs (yes 137) and eating 6 meals a day and people
would chuckle at me the stickboy trying to be a bodybuilder. I seriously did not miss a meal for my
first 3 and a half years, I would set my alarm at 2am and wake up and eat scrambled eggs and
pancakes if I missed a meal during the day. Two years later I looked "normal" at 196lbs or so. Two
years just to look like a normal person! I kept bombing away, eating and not taking no as an answer
and now I am up at 300lbs and people say "you must have always been big" and genetics. That's
tough for me to hear thinking how psyched I was to weigh more than 170 at one point. I've only
trained one true mesomorph. Mesomorphs don't need trainers usually. I train ectomorphs and
endomorphs. The last 3 people I've trained have been a pudgy Mexican who was 172 (now 258lbs
hard)--a skinny marine, and a guy stuck at 188lbs for many years (now 260). These people all thought
the same thing seeing how my workouts were set up-"am I doing enough?"--If you can show
someone how to train so hard that they realize they were holding back tremendously during their 8-
20 set workouts, that's half the battle. The other half is making them realize how impossible it is to
do 8-20 sets per bodypart if you truly, truly train balls to the wall hard. Personally, if I do a 20 rep
hack squat with slag iron heavy weights....at 10 reps I am seriously doubting I am going to make it---
at 14 reps IM seeing colors---at 17 reps IM asking God for help--and the last 3 reps are life, death, or
rigor mortis---I know for a fact that there is no way in hell I could do another 4-5 sets of hacks like
that. I gave everything I had right there on that set. If I can do another 4-5 sets like that I'm cruising
at 70% at the most. If all you get out of my articles is the mindset of heavy weights, low volume,
stretching, and frequency of body parts trained-I would be very happy because then I would have
you on the right path to get you where you want to be.
Cycles For Pennies Continues

It is so tough to talk about training when I am not in front of someone. In real life or at my gym
people will see me or someone I train and be convinced that my system works very well. And in
person I can explain how it all fits together. But for some reason giving an opinion on training online
offends a lot of bodybuilders. It is like a blow to their ego as if your putting them down or telling
them they don’t know how to train. And then you get every HIT, periodization, and brainwashed
Wieder principle disciple arguing with me why their method is the best and I am wrong. People get
pissed if they think what they might be doing training wise is wrong or not the most productive. It's
human nature.

I can continually turn 170lb guys (who go along with me 100%) into 260lb plus monsters over and
over but I cannot help guys who are 190-230lbs who are stuck in their ways. Those guys can continue
to take the long road or never get there. In the past months since I’ve put my methods out there to
view, I continue to hear different arguments against my way of training. Hey it’s radically different
than the norm and like I said people can’t stand to think what they are presently doing training wise
isn't the best! So far I’ve heard the usual gamut (overtraining, undertraining, undervolume, CNS
saturation). One guy who said "not enough stimulation per workout"-sadly he has confused volume
to equal gains. WRONG!!! If volume = gains go head and do 100 hard sets per bodypart and do each
bodypart once every 3 weeks. Please tell me what incredible gains you get.

To me all this is an egotistical way to debunk a radically different method because you don’t want to
believe what your presently doing is incorrect or 'slower gaining'. No one is overtraining or
undertraining that I train. Every bodybuilder that I have trained has gained at least 47lbs! This sport is
full of fragile egos, pseudo-experts, armchair bicep curlers. I am a very advanced bodybuilder but the
only thing I am conceited about is I truly believe I could take anybody reading this and turn them into
a 4.0lbs per inch bodybuilder. I love taking a humble bodybuilder who doubts his genetics and
making him the largest guy in his gym. That is so fun for me. I love the people who whisper in the
corners that "he must be loaded to the hilt" yet he is on the same things they are. I love hearing the
petty jealousy and anger that comes over other bodybuilders now that the guy I trained is the big boy
on the block. I’m not pushing my methods on anyone. I want you to decide for yourself with
deductive reasoning. But if you have been lifting for 4-5 years and people aren't commenting, stating
or asking questions about you being a bodybuilder on a daily basis-I think that’s embarrassing and
you might want to question if what you are doing training wise has merit to it. I only train hardcore
bodybuilders (and some fitness girls) down here in So Cal. (its not my main job--I turn down about
90% of people due to my own personal reasons--which are mostly after interviewing them I feel they
wont do what I say 100%) I am very, very good at turning normal people into the biggest
bodybuilders in their area. I’ve trained 7 people bodybuilding wise in the last 4 years (5 used super
supplements 2 were clean). Every one of those people gained at least 47lbs on their bodyweight at
roughly the same or less bodyfat.

1)188 to 260(2.5 years)

2)172 to 254 (3 years)

3)208 to 261(clean! genetic mesomorph 1 year)

4)218 to 275 (cut his juice in half, doubled his protein, showed him how to train correctly-2 years)
I don’t like to comment on others training philosophies directly because they get so offended if you
don’t agree with them. I believe when you make something too complicated or hard people don’t
want to follow it. I believe the baseline training protocol for bodybuilding is "progression" and
whatever training is needed to get stronger (and therefore bigger). Here is my personal opinion on
volume training...it’s a way for people who cannot generate inhuman intensity during a set to make
gains. If that seems like a "putdown" so be it, I am sorry. Volume training to me is the long way to
achieve trauma whereas there are shorter more productive ways of going about it.

If you were a world class sprinter with a time a couple tenths off the world record what would you do
to break the mark? Would you run 5k races and repeated sprints at 60% intensity for hours at a time?
Would that make you any faster? Or would you push the intensity limits with a wind bearing running
parachute and do explosive sprints as hard as you can? You tell me.

I say 60% intensity with volume training because I know this: You cannot do 20 sets for a bodypart at
a balls to the wall all out intensity-it’s impossible. I know this about myself, if I truly squat with
everything I have (where its rep or death), with an extremely heavy weight and at 12reps I want to
quit.....but somehow, someway I make myself do 13, then the 14th, the 15th--my face is now beet
red and I’m breathing like a locomotive yet I 'will' myself to do another rep, another, another---with
two more reps to go till 20, I feel faint but I am going to fucking do it because "I am not driving my car
home thinking how I pussed out and didn’t make it"....19.....and 20 goes up agonizing slow and I am
thinking to myself "oh please, please go up"----done! Ten minutes later I couldn’t even attempt to try
to duplicate that. Not even close. I bet I would make it to maybe 14 reps tops. If you could duplicate
that same set you are a robot.

Ninety percent of people in gyms around the world are doing some form of volume training but
besides the rare genetically elite and heavy steroid users, why does everyone stay the same size year
after year? (With volume training you see a lot of overtraining, joint injuries and people who are
burning up all their energy stores) If you can't train at above normal intensity levels I feel volume
training is beneficial to cause trauma (hey it works for genetic freaks like Flex Wheeler and Paul
Dillett--two half-ass 60% trainers if that). Too bad with their incredible genetics that they don’t have
the hardcore mindset of a Yates or Coleman who bypass them by force of willpower and effort.
Personally I like the shortest route at the shortest time possible to get someplace. Do I think my way
of training is the best? For myself and the people I train-yes. I have no way to gauge others intensity
levels online. Someone training at 90% intensity for 6 sets is going to get more out of it than Joe Blow
who is doing 20 sets per bodypart at forty percent. In the simplest terms, no matter what way you
train-if you are way stronger than last year, 6 months ago, 3 months ago, last month, last week you
are getting continually bigger no doubt about it. A lot of modern day training has been evolved pretty
much from what Arnold and bodybuilders of the 60's did---and Arnold just winged it--there was no
thought provoking science there. I want people to think their training out.

1)If you train a bodypart every day you will overtrain and not get larger

2)If you train a bodypart once a month you will not overtrain but you will only be growing 12 times a
year besides the atrophy between workouts (pretty much a snails pace)

3)If you train with 30 sets a bodypart it will take you a great deal of time to recover from that besides
using up a great deal of energy and protein resources doing it (and maybe even muscle catabolism
will take place)
4)If you train one set for a very easy 8 reps per bodypart you could train that bodypart more often
but you didn’t tax yourself to get larger.

So what is the answer? I’ll tell you the answer! The answer is doing the least amount of heavy intense
training that makes you dramatically stronger (bigger) so you can recover and train that bodypart the
most times in a year (frequency). If you can train/recover/GROW, train/recover/GROW,
train/recover/GROW as many times as possible in a years time--you will be essentially gaining twice
as fast as the bodybuilders around you.

Ok back to my training concepts—I’ve stated how my whole goal is to continually get stronger on key
exercises which equals getting continually bigger. I will state this, the method I am about to describe
to you is what I have found that makes people grow at the absolutely fastest rate possible and why I
am being inundated down in this area to train people. It’s going to go against the grain but I'm
making people grow about 2 times as fast the normal rate so bear with me.

A typical workout for the masses is (lets use chest for an example) doing a bodypart once every 7
days and sometimes even once every 9 days or more. This concept came to the front due to recovery
reasoning and I agree with most typical workouts your going to need a great deal of recovery. Here’s
the problem, lets say you train chest once a week for a year and you hypothetically gain 1/64 of an
inch in pectoral thickness from each workout. At the end of the year you should be at 52/64 (or
13/16 ). Almost an inch of thickness (pretty good).

To build muscle we are trying to lift at a high enough intensity and load to grow muscle but with
enough recovery so the muscle remodels and grows. The problem is everyone is loading up on the
volume end of training and its taking away from the recovery part of it. Incredible strength GAINS will
equal incredible size GAINS. And you sure as hell don’t need to do 3-5 exercises and 10-20 sets per
bodypart to do that! In actuality you really don’t need to do much to grow. As long as your training
weights continue to rocket upward you will always be gaining muscle. If you go in and do squats
using your ultimate effort with 405lbs for 20 reps are you going to say you’re not going to grow from
that? If you went all out on that effort, I'm sorry but throwing hacks, leg press, leg extensions and
lunges into that same workout is going to do nothing but royally lengthen your recovery process
when you were already going to grow in the first place.

You can train in a way so you can train a bodypart 3 times every nine to fourteen days and you will
recover and grow faster than ever before. If you train chest 3 times in 9-14 days you are now doing
chest roughly 91-136 times a year! So instead of 40-52 growth phases with regular once a week
training you are now getting 91-136 growth phases a year. I personally would rather grow 91-136
times a year than 40-52 times a year. At a hypothetical 1/64th of an inch per workout you are now at
136/64 (or roughly 2.1 inches of thickness). So now you’re growing at roughly two times as fast as
normal people who are doing modern day workouts are. Most people train chest with 3 to 4
exercises and wait the 7-9 days to recover and that is one growth phase. I use the same three
exercises in that same 9-14 days but do chest 3 times during that (instead of once) and get 3 growth
phases. How? Super heavy weights for low low volume so you can recover and train that bodypart
again as quickly as possible.

Everyone knows a muscle either contracts or doesn’t, you cannot isolate a certain part of it (you can
get into positions that present better mechanical advantages though that puts a focus on certain
deep muscle fibers)--for example incline presses vs flat presses. One huge mistake beginning
bodybuilders make is they have a "must" principle instilled in them. They feel they "must" do this
exercise and that exercise or they won’t grow.

This is how I set bodybuilders workouts up. I have them pick either their 3 favorite exercises for each
bodypart or better yet the exercises they feel will bring up their weaknesses the most. For me my
chest exercises are high incline smith machine press, hammer seated flat press and slight incline
smith press with hands very, very wide----this is because I look at my physique and I feel my problem
area is upper and outer pecs---that is my focus. What you do is take these three exercises and rotate
them, using only one per chest workout. I would do high incline smith on my first chest day, then 3-4
days later I would do hammer seated flat press on my second chest day. Three to four days after that
wide grip slight incline smith press would be done and then the whole cycle is repeated again in 3-4
days.

Whenever I train someone new I have them do the following --4 times training in 8 days---with
straight sets. Sometimes with rest pause sets but we have to gauge the recovery ability first.

Day one would be Monday and would be:

Chest

shoulders

triceps

back width

back thickness

Day two would be Wednesday and would be

biceps

forearms

calves

hams

quads

Day three would be Friday and would be the same as day one but with different exercises

chest

shoulders

triceps

back width
back thickness

(sat+sun off)

Day four would be the following Monday and would be the same as day two but with different
exercises

biceps

forearms

calves

hams

quads

and so on Wenesday, Friday, Monday, Wenesday etc.

You’re hitting every bodypart twice in 8 days. The volume on everything is simply as many warmup
sets as you need to do- to be ready for your ONE work set. That can be two warmup sets for a small
muscle group or five warmup sets for a large muscle group on heavy exercise like rack deadlifts. The
ONE work set is either a straight set or a rest pause set (depending on your recovery abilities again).
For people on the lowest scale of recovery its just that one straight set---next up is a straight set with
statics for people with slightly better than that recovery----next up is rest pausing (on many of the of
movements) with statics for people with middle of the road recovery on up.

As you progress as a bodybuilder you need to take even more rest time and recovery time. READ
THAT AGAIN PLEASE AS YOU PROGRESS AS A BODYBUILDER IN SIZE AND STRENGTH YOU NEED TO
TAKE EVEN MORE REST AND RECOVERY TIME. EXAMPLE: My recovery ability is probably slightly
better now than when I started lifting 13 years ago but only slightly...but back then I was benching
135lbs and squatting 155lbs in my first months of lifting. Now I am far and away the strongest person
in my gym using poundages three to six times greater than when I first started lifting. With my
recovery ability being what it is both then and now, do you think I need more time to recover from a
155lb squat for 8 reps or a 500LB squat for 8 reps? Obviously the answer is NOW! Yet remember this-
the more times you can train a bodypart in a years time and recover will mean the fastest growth
possible! I’ve done the training a bodypart every 10 days system in the past and while recovering
from that--the gains were so slow over time I got frustrated and realized the frequency of growth
phases(for me)was to low. I want to gain upwards of 104 times a year instead of 52--the fastest rate
that I can accumulate muscle (YET AGAIN WITHIN ONES RECOVERY ABILITY-I CANT SAY THAT
ENOUGH)

I have been slowly changing my philosophies of training over the past 13 years to where I am now.
I’ve been gaining so fast the last couple of years it’s been pretty amazing. I’ve got my training down
to extremely low volume (a rest pause set or ONE straight set) with extreme stretching, and with
recovery issues always in the back of my mind. I realize the number one problem in this sport that
will make or break a bodybuilder is overtraining. Simply as this--you overtrain your done as a
bodybuilder gainswise. Kaput. Zip. A waste of valuable time. But I also think there is a problem with
underfrequency (only if you can train hardcore enough with extremely low volume to recover). I skirt
right along the line of overtraining--I am right there...I’ve done everything in my power (Stretching,
glutamine, "super supplements", sleep)to keep me on this side of the line and its worked for me. I
believe everyone has different recovery abilities--the job of a bodybuilder is to find out what their
individual recovery ability is and do the least amount of hardcore training to grow so they can train
that bodypart as frequently as possible. For anyone who wants to follow my lead that would mean
starting out with straight sets training 4 times in 8 days and strictly gauging yourself recovery wise
with every step up you take (statics, rest pauses)--I would rather you wait until my next article comes
out to go over the details of this kind of training before you attempt it--as its important to me that
everyone who wants to do this does it correctly.
Suggested exercises for DC

(NOTE: these are NOT "DC approved exercises". These are SUGGESTIONS. If a weight exercise is not
on this list, that doesn't mean it's "banned" or "not recommended" for use in DC training.)

CHEST
incline smythe
decline smythe
hammer strength press (incline and decline)
other good machine press
incline barbell
decline barbell
incline dumbbell press
flat dumbbell press
decline dumbbell press

SHOULDERS
smythe presses to front
smythe presses to back of head
hammer strength press
other good machine press
barbell press to front
barbell press to back of head
dumbbell shoulder press

TRICEPS
close grip bench in smythe
reverse grip bench in smythe
skull crushers
dips (in upright position)

BACK WIDTH
rack chins to front
rack chins to back of head
reverse grip rack chins (close grip)
assisted pullups
hammer strength "pulldown" machines
other good "pulldown" machines
pull downs to front
pull downs to back of head

BACK THICKNESS
deadlift
rack deadlift
T-bar rows
smythe rows
barbell rows
BICEPS
barbell curls
alternate dumbbell curls
barbell preacher curls
hammer strength machine curls
other good machine curls
cable curls
incline db curls
close grip ez-bar preacher curls
standing medium grip ez-bar curls

FOREARMS
hammer curls (alternated)
pinwheel curls (alternated)
reverse grip one arm cable curls

CALVES
calves on a leg press
standing calf raises
calves in hack squat
seating calf raises
any calf machine with a good range of motion

HAMSTRINGS
seating leg curls
standing leg curls
lying leg curls
stiff leg deadlift
sumo presses

QUADS
squats
smythe squats
hack squat
leg press
Extreme Stretching

One must temper their newfound strength and appetite with the wisdom to apply
them properly, we’re certainly not advocating that one lift weights to the
point of injury or that an endomorph stuff themselves with everything in
sight. Both Dogg and I are major advocates of stretching prior to working
out and MORE IMPORTANTLY STRETCHING TO THE POINT OF THRESHOLDS AFTER working out. I
(Meuller) even more so after having torn a triceps and having 200 cc’s of pus removed from a bicep
in May of this year. At a bodyweight of over 310 lbs, I am the very definition of “muscle-bound” and
find it very difficult to perform actions that most people take for granted (like tying my shoes, and
I’m not joking). As such, I am routinely stretched every week by another trainer to try and maintain
some modicum of flexibility, and stretch prior to and while working out to avoid further injuries (or
exacerbate the ones I currently have). I happily take my hat off to Dogg and give credit where credit
is due, the guy is an amazing trainer and showed a young and cocky
Jason Meuller what hardcore was really all about back in ’94. He believes like Jon Parillo did, that
"extreme stretching" directly after a bodypart is trained is key for recuperation, recovery, and a
primer for growth via fascial stretching and maybe even hyperplasia (more on that in a future
article). He’s outlined a series of stretches that he finds extremely effective at both avoiding injuries
and adding size during cycles. These
includes the weights he uses, which readers will obviously have to adjust (more than likely down)
according to their own strength levels. Every extreme stretch is done right after that body part has
been trained.

Chest

Flat bench 90lb dumbbells chest high--lungs full of air--first 10 seconds

drop down into deepest stretch and then next 50 seconds really push the
stretch (this really, really hurts) but do it faithfully and come back and
post on the AE message board in 4 weeks and tell me if your chest isn't much
fuller and rounder

Triceps

Seated on a flat bench-my back up against the barbell---75lb dumbbell in my

hand behind my head (like in an overhead dumbbell extension)--sink dumbbell
down into position for the first 10 seconds and then an agonizing 50 seconds
slightly leaning back and pushing the dumbbell down with the back of my head

Shoulders

This one is tough to describe--put barbell in squat rack shoulder

height--face away from it and reach back and grab it palms up (hands on
bottom of bar)---walk yourself outward until you are on your heels and the
stretch gets painful--then roll your shoulders downward and hold for 60
seconds

Biceps
Just like the above position but hold barbell palms down now (hands on top of
bar)--sink down in a squatting position first and if you can hack it into a
kneeling position and then if you can hack that sink your butt down--60
seconds--I cannot make it 60 seconds-- I get to about 45—it’s too painful--if
you can make it 60 seconds you are either inhuman or you need to raise the
bar up another rung

Back

Honestly for about 3 years my training partner and I would hang a 100lb
dumbbell from our waist and hung on the widest chinup bar (with wrist straps)
to see who could get closest to 3 minutes--I never made it--I think 2 minutes
27 seconds was my record--but my back width is by far my best body part--I
pull on a doorknob or stationary equipment with a rounded back now and it’s
way too hard too explain here--just try it and get your feel for it

Hamstrings

Either leg up on a high barbell holding my toe and trying to force my leg
straight with my free hand for an excruciating painful 60 seconds

Quads

Facing a barbell in a power rack about hip high --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. Then straighten your arms and lean
as far back as you can---60 seconds and if this one doesn't make you hate my
guts and bring tears to your eyes nothing will---do this one faithfully and
tell me in 4 weeks if your quads don’t look a lot different than they used to Calves
My weak body part that I couldn’t get up too par until 2 years ago when I
finally thought it out and figured out how to make them grow (with only one
set twice a week too). I don’t need to stretch calves after because when I do
calves I explode on the positive and take 5 seconds to get back to full
stretch and then 15 seconds at the very bottom "one one thousand, two one
thousand, three one thousand etc" --15 seconds stretching at the bottom
thinking and trying to flex my toes toward my shin--it is absolutely
unbearable and you will most likely be shaking and want to give up at about 7
reps (I always go for 12reps with maximum weights)--do this on a hack squat
or a leg press--my calves have finally taken off due to this and caught up to
the rest of me thank God.

If you doubt the extra muscle growth possible with stretching I urge you
to research hyperplasia (and the bird wing stretching protocols) where time X
stretch X weight induced incredible hyperplasia. Our stretching is done under
much lower time periods but fascial stretching and the possibility of induced
hyperplasia cant be ignored. I’ve had too many people write me or tell me in
person that the "extreme stretching" has dramatically changed their physique
to ever doubt its virtues.
This is why to "DC stretch" (Extreme Stretching)

Each of you has heard of the phenomenon known as muscle memory. It is the occurrence of insanely
extreme and fast growth in a person who is regaining the lost muscle he has allowed to atrophy.
Stories such as 40-50 pound muscle gains( in a short time span ) in regards to this subject are not
uncommon. The question however remains, what exactly is muscle memory and what causes it to
occur? You see, an athlete can literally mimic this tremendous phenomenon! Read on if you want to
find out how!!!

Note: The following article discusses muscle memory, as a term to define a recapturing of past
growth. The term however should not be used in a motor sense, as that 'memory' is actually in the
nervous system.

What Exactly Is it that Occurs During Memory?

Lets say that you busted your behind in the gym and built a huge, massive pair of quads measuring
30 inches in circumference! Then for one reason or another you stopped training your legs. During
the time off, your quadriceps atrophied( shrunk ) down to 24 inches. Determined to regain your lost
mass you decide to hit the gym again with extreme ferocity! Only this time you are able to gain back
those 6 inches in a matter of months, where as originally it took you years to gain that much mass!
What happened?

What surrounds, binds and holds every muscle group in place?

If you answered connective tissue, you would have been exactly right! In order to further explain
muscle memory it would behoove us to briefly review what exactly this connective tissue is( for a
greater explanation read my article, the anatomy of a muscle fiber. It goes in great depth in what I
am about to cover. So if it seems a bit confusing, you definitely need to consult this article. ). Simply
put every muscle is made up of 1, 000s of muscle fibers. These muscle fibers are all individually
wrapped with a connective tissue wrapping, or a sheath. This is called the endomysium. These
individual muscle fibers are then organized in bundles( called fascicles ) which are covered by
another connective tissue sheathe called the perimysium. These bundles or fascicles are then placed
together in an orderly arrangement( which determines the shape and functionality of the muscle )
and held in place by a layer of connective tissue known as the epimysium. Finally each of these layers
is held together by the deep fascia( a courser material ). The connective tissue of every muscle fiber
acts like a girdle of sorts. Which means that it binds a muscle group together, and to its neighboring
muscle in many cases. It also protects, organizes and allows the force of contraction generated by the
thousands of muscle fibers in a particular group, to be harnessed with great efficiency!

The important thing to understand is this: Connective tissue is not only a tuff material but also hugs
tight to its surrounding area, almost constricting it! What does this have to do with muscle growth
you say? Ahh, that my friend, is where muscle memory comes in! Think about it for a moment. In
order for a muscle to hypertrophy, what needs to take place if it is restricted by this tight binding
girdle? The tissue must stretch and become more pliable right?! If this did not occur, then muscle
growth would be hindered( you cannot grow unless there is enough room to do so)!
When you increased your muscle mass by building 30 inch wheels, you also ended out stretching and
expanding the muscles encasing tissue. Therefore the manipulation of these protective sheathes was
a major factor in your ability to stimulate hypertrophy! In the scenario painted, we also discussed
you taking time off from training. So much so, that your lower body atrophied to a point in which 6
inches were lost off of your legs. However, even with this tremendous setback, you still had
stretched the connective tissue to a great extent. When you came back to the gym and trained, you
were no longer fighting the restrictions of tight, unpliable fascia, but rather a more elastic and pre-
expanded connective tissue! Essentially all bets were off, due to the amount of room you had to
grow! More room to grow enables more mass to be accumulated! This is one of the top theories held
today for what we coin " muscle memory. "

How Can Muscle Memory Be Mimicked?

Mimicking this process would center around the manipulation of the connective tissue surrounding,
organizing and binding a muscle. As mentioned it can literally prevent the expansion of growth.
Therefore our goal will be to create an environment similar to one in which a muscle group had
previously been larger. In essence you will have to stretch and expand the fascia, epimysium and
other tissues. This, can certainly be done and done effectively! However, you need to understand
that this is a tuff tissue, and expanding it can be a very complex process.

The question now is what will it take to accomplish such a goal. Perhaps the most recognizable figure
in regards to this subject is the great John Parillo. He uses a technique called " fascia stretching. " This
is a special procedure used that actually expands the fascia. One of the greatest scientists the sport
of bodybuilding has ever known is D.J. Millward. He has made some of the most incredible break
throughs Only D J Millward calls this revolutionary technique the bag expansion theory. You see, the
connective tissue surrounding a muscle is often referred to as a bag, hence the title of the theory.

Interestingly enough, before any expert or scientists began coining phrases, great athletes such as
Tom Platz and Arnold Schwarzenegger were using techniques that would most certainly expand the
fascia. However, I would credit the field of massaging with the earliest breakthroughs in fascial
expansion. I believe their theories paved the way for one of the most extreme growth methods every
presented in this brutal sport.

In particular I am referring to a woman named Dr. Ida P. Rolf. She invented a famous technique called
rolfing. It is a special, extreme form of massage that as Ida puts it, manipulates deep tissue. She
theorized that you could move around, loosen, expand, realign and strengthen this tissue with her
great techniques! Interestingly enough, her techniques applied to Parillo and Millwards can not only
drastically enhance muscle growth, but also increase separation between muscle groups. How
incredible is that!?

From a physiological standpoint John Parillo believes that the deep fascia is the main concern of the
bodybuilder to target, and Millwards research leads him to believe that the endomysium and
perimysium are chiefly responsible for the restriction of muscle growth. The great news is that the
same techniques for expansion of the fascia, work for the expansion of the endomysium and
perimysium.

How To Expand The Fascia for Enhanced Muscular Size and Shape!
At this stage I am going to have to issue one of my essential warnings. If you do not have a high pain
threshold I would not suggest reading any further. The methods discussed here are extremely
painful, and only an athlete with the mentality of a warrior will have the guts it takes to apply the
following principles! However, when the smoke clears, you will have a greater capacity for growth, a
fuller muscle, and greater separation between body parts!

Again, our goal, as D J Millward puts it is to create a larger bag. In order to accomplish this feet we
will need to stretch the connective tissue beyond its previous limits, cause damage and then allow it
to heal in such a way that it grows back larger then it was previously. There are four factors involved
in fascia stretching.

1. Heat

If you are intent on truly mimicking muscle memory, you must not only stretch the fascia, but you
must do it in an absolutely perfect environment or you will not reap even near optimal results! The
first factor mentioned above was heat. You see a cold muscle has a limited range of motion. Our goal
is to stretch the fascia past its previous limits and this cannot take place if range of motion is limited.
Therefore you must adequately warm up before performing the techniques discussed shortly.

2. An incredible blood pump

Everyone here understands the extreme power of fluid! Whole canyons have been carved from
water erosion! The same principle is applicable here. A tremendous back flow of fluid in a muscle
group will stretch the connective tissue that restricts muscle growth. In other words the greater the
pump, the more direct and effective the stretch in the fascia, epimysium, and perimysium will be!

3. Insanely Extreme Stretching

The third and most painful step in fascia expansion, is to manually stretch it. This entails stretching
the target muscle group with insane intensity! By doing this you will force the girdle which inhibits
enhanced mass, and enable further growth in the myofibrils( the largest aspect of a muscle fiber ).

4. Recovery!

Unfortunately, like every aspect of bodybuilding, we must have enough will power to allow the area
worked to recover. You see, the pump, combined with extreme manual stretching will damage the
connective tissue. In order for it to grow back and be remodeled as Millard puts it, into a larger bag,
it must have a significant enough time to recover. This is not only a painful process, but like any type
of extreme training is also stressful, and needs significant time to recover.

Now that we understand the factors involved in fascia expansion, we must apply them in an
organized fashion in order to reap incredible results!

Applying The Principles!

The absolute best way to describe how to apply these principles would be to take you through
another training scenario. Lets say you are working your pectorals out and want to expand the fascia
in the area. You would go through your normal warm up and then begin the process. The first key
here is to use a training protocol that produces a maximum back flow of blood( pump ) into the
pectorals. When I say maximum, I mean a pump that is literally so insane that the skin becomes
tighter than a drum! For example, normally you can move a muscle group around with your hand
when it is relaxed. It seems semi pliable until flexed. An optimal pump essentially fills the muscle with
so much blood, that it almost feels contracted while in a relaxed position. Again, the skin should be
tight and the muscle should be hard. In order to produce a pump such as this you need to perform a
high repetition set, a massive superset, or a strip set. Lets say you decide to perform dumbbell bench
presses. I would suggest performing a set of 12 repetitions, followed by a drop set of 12 repetitions,
and if you feel the pump is not adequate, then finish it off with one more drop! At this point your
pectorals should be so full of blood, that you literally cannot flex! Your arms should feel like led. I'm
talking about a pump so extreme, that you can't take your shirt off to pose in the mirror. Its
important to understand that the connective tissue is not only increased in temperature, but also
being stretched extremely by this process!

Now is when the pain begins( as if producing a mind boggling pump wasn't insanely painful. )! You
need to find a stretch that expands the fascia of the pectorals to a maximum. This muscle is
responsible for pulling the humerus( upper arm bone ) across the midline of your body. It contracts
when your arms move in and lengthens when your arms move backwards. A great stretch would be
to simply extend your arms straight out to your sides as wide as possible and then extend your arms
backwards, as if you were performing the negative on dumbbell flys! Now, when performing a facial
stretch( as John Parrillo coins it ) you will need to stretch with applied pressure to the area. You need
this, because the stretch has to be applied past the point of comfort in order to expand the
connective tissue surrounding the muscle. Therefore you have a few options. Firstly you can have
your partner grab your arms and pull backwards, secondly you can use a wall and apply your own
body weight as resistance. For example, I may place both of my arms in a doorway and lean forward,
to stretch the pectorals.

Lastly is my personal favorite way to stretch the fascia! In fact I usually never see athletes utilize this
in the gym, but I believe it is the absolute most effective way to expound on the bag theory! You
simply choose an exercise that stretches the muscle and hold it in the stretched position for the
desired amount of time! Therefore I would use dumbbell flys and hold it in the bottom position of
the exercise. Once you have decided what stretch to use, do the following procedure while the
muscle is pumped( again it must be pumped or you will not maximally expound the tissue)! You will
first slightly stretch the muscle. Do this by slowly extending your arms until you have reached a
maximum stretch. It should feel just right( almost soothing ), now hold this for 10 seconds. Rest for
about 5 seconds and then extend your arms all the way back until they are stretched to a maximum.
This is a very painful and intense stretch! You will hold this for a total of 30 seconds( some athletes
hold it till they literally cannot bare the pain, but I prefer 30 seconds), by then you will be begging for
mercy, especially with the blood pump! Remember, you are getting a double stretching effect here,
not only manually but with the back flow of blood.

Thought you could relax! Unfortunately that is not an option! While the connective tissue is pliable,
we will want to get one final influx of blood into the target muscle to assist in the expansion process!
Therefore you now need to flex the target muscle group as hard as possible for 30-60 seconds! For
the pectorals you will cross your arms across your body and squeeze! Literally try and crush your
pecs with your arms! By the end of this procedure you will be drenched in sweat and relieved that it
is all over!

Frequency And Recovery

How frequently should fascia stretching take place and what type of volume should be used within a
workout? As with any training protocol, this is a much debated subject. Let me say this; frequency is
determined by volume. In other words the more damaged caused, the more rest an athlete should
take. A trainer like John Parillo believes that fascia stretching should take place after every working
set. Therefore, if you performed12 sets for the pectorals, then you would implement deep fascia
stretches between each and every set! Other trainers recommend a bodybuilder to implement this
on the main pumping set of each exercise. For example, if you were to perform 9 sets of quadriceps
exercise, the last set would emphasize an extreme pump and this is when you would expand the
fascia. While still others will perform it within every segment of a workout for the particular body
part. Lets say that you were working the biceps. If you performed 4 different exercises then you
would manipulate the tissue on the last set of each exercise.

I personally believe that each has its success stories, and each should have a place in your program.
You see I feel that as athletes, we should be open minded to different training protocols. Never allow
yourself to stagnate with one philosophy. That said, I would recommend using a combination of
these. Almost apply the principle of periodization if you will. Here is what I mean:

Week One: Run The Gambit! This means apply deep fascial stretching after every exercise. If you are
into extreme volume however, then I would limit this to no more than 10-12 deep fascial stretches!

Week Two: Only use this technique once in the workout and do it on the set in which you are most
pumped!
This will be enough to continue the process of bag expansion, but also relieve the stress placed on
the body.

Week Three: Use Deep Fascial Stretching within each section of the workout. So if you use 4
exercises, apply this principle four separate times!

Week Four: Allow your connective tissue to recover fully.

Week Five: Begin The Process All Over Again!

HIT Style Athletes: For the athlete that utilizes HIT training, I would recommend one deep, deep, high
intensity stretch at the end of each session. They would benefit greatly by doing this 4 weeks on, one
week off.

Muscular Separation
One thing I notice in the masters division of bodybuilding is a lack of separation between muscle
groups. For example, Robbie Robinson is still in phenomenal, phenomenal shape! I mean this guy is a
freak! He is symmetrical, well balanced, massive and can out pose most athletes in the masters
Olympia! The only aspect in my opinion that he really lacks compared to his older days, is that classic,
literally unmatched separation between muscle groups. You see gravity and certain negative stresses
that go along with weight training combined have a negative effect on muscular separation, in that
they cause muscle groups to literally stick together. If you talk to any great deep massage therapist,
they will tell you that the fascia on neighboring muscle groups, almost glues together over time.

Connective tissue manipulation, via hardcore stretching will pull these muscle groups( or the fascia
surrounding them ) apart, clearly enhancing separation. In fact you will see incredible separation,
such that you never thought genetically possible! There is not an athlete in this sport, that does not
understand the benefit of this. And it applies to each bodybuilder. If you feel you have achieved
maximum separation, and haven't incorporated this technique, then I can guarantee you, that you
have not even come close to reaching your full potential!
The key is using a variety of angles in your program. Do not simply use one stretch! For example for a
basic quadriceps stretch, you would kneel down and plant your knees firmly on the ground. Then you
would slowly lean back, using your bodyweight as the applied pressure, necessary for expanding the
fascia. For maximum separation you would change angles. For the first stretch, have the knees close
together. On the second stretch spread them out wider to hit the inner thighs. See the point? Like
your exercises, you need to use a variety of stretches. Another example would be the utilization of
free weight stretches

Vital Nutritional Aspects In Deep Tissue Manipulation!

In order to maximize this process you will need to heighten both recovery and the pump! A massive
pump must take place during the workout or you will not accomplish your desired goal, therefore
you must emphasize this nutritionally. This is why fascial stretching is suggested implementing on
bulks and not emphasizing this procedure on a cut. You simply will not get maximized gains. You
need to be carbed completely up, or the pump will not be sufficient. Recommend is 4-6 carb rich
meals a day for this process. If you are on a low carb diet, then carbing up before your workout will
also suffice. Creatine and glutamine further assist the pump dramatically! Hydration is also a must.
You need to drink water like it is going out of style. Lastly, drink a huge post workout shake, chalk full
of sugar immediately after training to refill glycogen stores.

A well balanced diet will speed recovery, and so will vitamin C! This gem has been shown in several
studies to increase the healing process of connective tissue. Seeing how this is the goal, it would
behoove you to take a minimum of 2-3 grams a day, not including post workout.
Random Thoughts by Dogg

a)I have no problem with anyone on leg training switching the exercises they do from the 6-8 heavy
set to the 20 reppers on as long as the 20 repper gets done. Alot of the super large guys I train (270-
340lbers) have serious trouble breathingwise doing a 20 rep free squat. Hell I have trouble doing it
myself. You are carrying alot of bodyweight, breathing like a locomotive and hey lets not die on leg
training day-LOL. Ill give you an example--One of my guys does smythe squats, free squats and leg
presses as his three leg movements. On leg press day he does the heavy 6-10 (I make him do 10 reps
on it) and then does the 20 repper on the same leg press. On smythe day he does his heavy 6-8 and
then does the 20 repper on a horizontal hack machine. On free squat day he does his heavy 6-10 and
does the 20 repper on a Cybex (different) leg press machine at a slightly different angle than the
other leg press day. I got no problem with any of you guys doing that especially you large beasts.
Now if you start doing only leg presses with the same leg press machine for all your 20 reppers then
Im going to call you on it that your taking the easy way out.

b)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

c)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?

d)Something you guys might want to try for your forearm belly that has worked better for me than
alot of other things is a (belly of the forearm) extreme stretch done exactly after biceps or wrist curls
or whatever you are doing for forearms. Its as simple as this--once youve done biceps and forearms
and have already stretched your biceps--or directly after your last rep of seated wrist curls...sitting on
a seat with your forearms resting on your legs and the barbell in your palms face up...let your hands
sag downward and let the barbell roll down the palm of your hand and hold onto it with your fingers
until you feel that stretch and then the fun begins (30-90 seconds thats what your trying for)..dont
let the topside of your hands hit your shin because that defeats the purpose....at about 30 seconds
youll start shaking...45 seconds your head will be twitching from side to side because there is so
much pain and it feels like your going to lose the barbell with your grip and if you make it to 60 YOU
ARE THE MAN...but 90 seconds is the goal...(trust me you wont make it--its too fucking
painful)....youll get to the point youll have to drop the barbell on the floor and take 30 seconds just
to get your wits about you. Be very careful with this movement, I dont want you tweaking your wrists
here so be cautious. For those who do this, take a long look at your forearms the very next day in the
mirror, flex your forearm and I think youll be very surprised at how different/swollen it is. Thats all
that needs to be done---let me know 3 months from now how different they look

e)Its about time I start showing you guys some new exercises from the DC arsenal--I got about 50 you
guys have never seen but Ill throw this one at you for now. Maybe Ill just have you guys throw out a
bodypart one of these days in a post and ill give you new exercises you can do for that bodypart
(time willing)
Pulley row high pulls-awesome for lat width here guys--this is going to be a pain in my ass to explain
but lets see if i can do it--god its so much easier showing someone these in person. First up--do you
know that position that is at the bottom of a stiff leg deadlift if you do it very deep (some people
dont)--remember that position because that is key here ok?
Ok-Your on a seated cable row with a close grip parallel handle--your legs are slightly bent--your
aiming for the greatest amount of stretch possible at the very beginning of the pull ok so remember
that you should be in that "position" above or close to it (I talked about earlier) thruout this whole
movement. With your back rounded and you leaning forward (huge stretch) you pull the handle to
right about 3 inches above the kneecaps, thats it. At no point do you stick your chest out and arch
your back and pull the handle into your midsection and sit straight up as in a seated pulley row, what
you do instead is flare your lats at the stretch at the very beginning and keep your lats flared till you
pull right over your kneecaps and then control the return to the stretch and repeat. Because your
bent forward in a position that doesnt put your back in a precarious safety position you will have no
worries with a rounded back. I guess a simple way i could describe it is
a)huge stretch at beginning
b)do half a pulley row movement but dont lean your torso backward or arch your back--keep it
stabilized maybe only moving a few inches the whole movement
c)keep your lats flared outwards the whole way thru and dont crunch your scapula together--pull
with your lats and pull the handle 2-3 inches over your kneecaps and return------15-30 reps rest
paused is the deal on these and you will not be using the weight you use on seated pulley rows so
wipe that from your memory banks

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.

OVERANALYZING

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)

MISCELLANEOUS

Someone asked about DC mods here in a post last week and I thought i would add my input here. I
always stay in the scheme of things but I tune things to myself.
For example: I always look for ways to make an exercise harder and safer for myself. By safer-such as
back thickness movements such as deadlifts, rack deads and rack drag deads....I have gotten very
strong on these and now I will only do them with overhand grips instead of an over under. I dont
want to be tearing a bicep due to the very heavy weight i have to use on these and going overhand
forces me to lighten up somewhat and takes alot of stress off that undergrip bicep. (Ive gone as high
as 765lbs on rack deads and really felt it pull there and will never tread those dangerous waters
again)
Tricep exercises: i will not do any extension movements at any less than 15rp and ill keep the range
15-30rp on those. I can get very heavy on ez bar movements and feel the potential for a muscle tear
is great when you start grinding out sets like 6+3+2=11rp
Bicep exercises I always keep in the 20rp range just because i seem to respond better that way and
also for the safety factor
Quads, I tell everyone to do a 4-8 backbreaker set with very heavy tonnage and then a widowmaker
set of 20 reps and i do this myself but honestly at this heavy of a bodyweight, there have been times
where I really thought I was going to cease living after getting off a 20 rep squat because I was
breathing so hard and couldnt get enough oxygen in my lungs to sustain me. My gym is on the
second floor with no open windows at all, just central air ducts---for some strange reason, its ok
breathing sometimes and other times (especially in a crowded gym) your gasping for air after a heavy
chest set nevermind the 20 rep squat set. I do believe the lighter guys in the 150 to 250lb range in
this forum can still get away with doing things normally but the very heavy guys might be biting
carpet on a hot day after a 20 rep squat. So at times Ive done it like the following--on day one i do
free squats shit heavy and then the hack for my 20 repper (which leaves me breathing like a
locomotive anyway) and on the other day I do the newer leg press for both my heavy and
widowmaker sets and on the last leg day i do smythe squats shit heavy and then the widowmaker on
the older leg press. So as you see same scheme just some tweaks i do for myself if you were curious.

DC workout schedules for various people

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I probably should of written this a while back but I see alot of people asking about it now. Schedules.
Most of the people I personally train I have them on the monday wenesday friday monday scheme
with bodyparts split like this
a)
Chest
Shoulders
Triceps
Back width
BAck thickness

b)
biceps
forearms
calves
hams
quads

What is important about that is there is always a day between workouts and that lends itself to all
important recovery/rest. Another variation of this above that some of the really heavy trainers I train
like is Tues (full workout) Thurs (full workout) Sat (half workout) Sun (other half workout)

Some of my extremely advanced trainers and some of the guys who need very short workouts I have
them do the following. What I do with those people works right along the same lines as the M W F M
scheme I always use--almost the same frequency with extremely short workouts. And if anyone who
has been doing DC training for a long while, likes this schedule better I have no problem with them
going over to it. It is Mon Tues Thurs Fri (with weekends off) or something to that effect according to
their schedule and the body is split up like this:
A)
biceps
forearms
back width
back thickness

B)
Chest
Shoulders
Triceps

C)
Calves
Hams
Quads

So you see that on Friday biceps and back is hit again and then the next week workout b will be hit
twice and during week 3 workout c will be hit twice. The frequency of bodyparts hit is almost like the
original M W F M plan. On this split which i use with highly advanced trainees I use it to bomb their
weak bodyparts (which I dont feel you can do without potentially overtraining on the MWF scheme)
The downsides to this 3 way split are the obvious non day off between workouts and you have to be
very very careful with order of exercises on this plan. For example I would never have you doing full
range deadlifts the day after a squat day--you would be destroyed. You have to look over the whole
scheme and make sure your back thickness exercise is not going to be effected by your hamstring or
quad exercise. I would probably skip stiff legged deadlifts for hamstrings totally during this routine
because of the heavy back thickness exercises. I would probably rotate seated standing and lying leg
curls for someone doing this. Your workouts though would be 30-60 minutes tops and thats tops and
your out of there. The bad points of setting it up this way is that you lose that whole day of rest
between workouts and Ive seen over time that most people seem to gain a slight bit better with that
full day of rest. The other bad point is although the frequency of bodyparts trained is similiar, its a bit
less over time (bodyparts trained about 81 times a year in the M W F scheme and 69 times a year in
the second scheme above) .........

PS: I put back/bis before chest/shoulder/tri in the rotation because alot of people get really sore in
the shoulder/chest area the day after chest. This can make it very hard sometimes on back width and
back thickness exercises (especially back width) and Im trying to keep injuries to a minimum. The
downside to this is when leg day falls directly after chest day, you are going to have to stretch out
thoroughly in the delt/chest area to get your shoulders/arms on the bar for squatting.

Without a doubt--the mon wed fri split gets people bigger faster than any other split and the 3 way
mon tues thurs fri split is a step below it on that front, but I am able to get up weak bodyparts a little
bit better on the 3 way split--so remember that if you are overanxious to jump to the 3 way split,
your actually gaining overall muscle mass slightly faster with the mon wed fri split .
Rep Ranges

RP = Rest-Pause

Chest:
incline smith press (11-15 RP)
hammer strength press (11-15 RP)
decline barbell press (11-15 RP)

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

Backthickness:
(back thickness exercises and quad exercises aren’t rest paused due to safety reasons of fatigue and
loss of form)
deadlifts straight sets (6-9 reps) + (9-12 reps)
T-bar rows straight set (10-12 reps)
rack deadlifts (6-9 reps) + (9-12 reps)

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

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 (15-30 RP)
seated leg curls (15-30 RP)
sumo press leg press (pressing with heels only- straight set of 15-25 reps)
Biceps:
preacher curls (11-20 RP)
barbell drag curls (11-20 RP)
dumbell curls (11-20 RP)

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 (11-20 RP)
close grip bench presses (11-20 RP)
EZ bar tricep extentions (15-30 RP) (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)

I have no problem with anyone on leg training switching the exercises they do from the 6-8 heavy set
to the 20 reppers on as long as the 20 repper gets done. A lot of the super large guys I train (270-340
lbs) have serious trouble breathingwise doing a 20 rep free squat. Hell I have trouble doing it myself.
You are carrying a lot of bodyweight, breathing like a locomotive and hey lets not die on leg training
day-LOL. I’ll give you an example--One of my guys does smith squats, free squats and leg presses as
his three leg movements. On leg press day he does the heavy 6-10 (I make him do 10 reps on it) and
then does the 20 repper on the same leg press. On smith day he does his heavy 6-8 and then does
the 20 repper on a horizontal hack machine. On free squat day he does his heavy 6-10 and does the
20 repper on a Cybex (different) leg press machine at a slightly different angle than the other leg
press day. I got no problem with any of you guys doing that especially you large beasts. Now if you
start doing only leg presses with the same leg press machine for all your 20 reppers then I’m going to
call you on it that your taking the easy way out.
Weight Selection

Heavy is relative--it doesn't mean 3 reps --- it means as heavy as you can go on that exercise no
matter if it is 5 reps or 50 reps. I personally like to do hack squats for 20 reps but I use about 6 plates
on each side rock bottom--that's as heavy as I can go on that exercise for 20 reps. I could do sets of 6
and probably use maybe 8 or 9 plates a side but my legs (and most people I train) grow best from
heavy and 8-50 reps. The day you can squat 400 lbs for 20 deep reps will be the day you are no
longer complaining about your leg size.
Diet

I don’t go into diet much because I save that for my trainees--I give a lot of this away but the real
details go to those guys. Basically for people with appetite problems I have them using olive oil to get
past plateaus--a good diet that leaves someone stagnant from the previous 4 week weigh in can be
changed dramatically by just adding olive oil to protein fat meals (I like to keep protein fats and
protein carb meals separated)--Olive oil is a good fat with awesome health benefits along with being
118 cals per tablespoon--Just adding 3 tablespoons in two no-carb protein shakes a day gives a
person 700 more calories a day to work with on the exact same eating they had done previously --
but the scale will say 8 lbs more next month.
Unofficial exercise rep ranges and summary of DC training

(DISCLAIMER: that the answers here are just my understanding of DC, I'm not pretending I'm Dogg or
IH or a certified trainer in DC, this is just how I do it - and it's working extremely well for me)

1. Yeah, you basically have six workouts, three for upper body minus biceps/forearms and three for
lower body and biceps/forearms. So you need three exercises for each muscle, and you cycle through
these; in two weeks you'll have done all six workouts (training 3 days a week) and done all exercises
once.

You don't rest after 16 days, basically you 'blast' (go balls out, trying to increase weight each time) for
6-12 weeks (they recommend 8 and see how you handle it, if you can go on for longer do longer) and
then take a 'cruise' for two weeks - this is two weeks where you drop a meal (to get your appetite
back) and train with straight sets (no rp) at about 90% of your max weight, if you want to skip a
workout or two feel free, this is to get your mental and physical sanity back. A lotta guys do
specialised routines like 6-week blasts and 10-day cruises but they're generally trained by DC or IH, I
started with 8 weeks blast, two weeks cruise, then it went to 7 weeks, 2 weeks and has stayed
around there since. If you feel like you gotta stop earlier, stop earlier, this program borders on
overtraining if you don't eat and rest properly so it's best to stop before you burn out (as is sensible).

The key is progression (extra weight) so every two weeks you're cycling through your exercises again,
so for every two weeks of blast you've got a chance to beat the logbook on each exercise and that's
where growth happens.

2) Each exercise is as many warmups as you feel you need, then one rest-pause set which is the
workset. Like you warm up, then hit the exercise until failure, 15 deep breaths, hit it again until
failure (you should get half the reps or thereabouts), 15 more deep breaths then one more set
(again, half the reps of the previous mini-set). Then you stretch, you can stretch after the exercise or
after a few related exercise, like I do bicep workset, forearms workset, then stretch biceps and
forearms (makes sense to me). You can do chest/triceps/shoulder worksets and then stretch all three
bodyparts or stretch the muscle in question after its exercise, either way works.

Incidentally not all exercises are rest-paused, only chest, shoulders, triceps, biceps, backwidth and
some hamstring exercises; calves and forearms are straight-setted for 12 reps; other exercises have
their own protocols. Quads are one heavy set (4-6 if a squat, 6-10 if a leg press or hack squat) and
then a 20 rep widowmaker, incidentally Dante has often said that you don't have to do the
widowmaker on the same exercise as the heavy set, like you can do free squats for 4-6 and then hack
squats for your 20 repper. (he said that 'cause really big guys have problems breathing for 20 rep free
squats but it doesn't just apply to them); deadlifts and rack deadlifts are 6-8 heavy, 3-4 heavier (50-
60lb difference for me but I doubt that's absolute); bent rows and t-bar rows are a straight set of 12;
sumo leg press is a 12-20 straight set, leg curls are 20-30 rest-paused, SLDL to be honest I'm not sure,
I've seen conflicting advice, one is a straight set of 12, the other is to do six reps, and keep adding
10lbs to the bar until you can't get six, then next time start around 40lbs under the weight that
stumped you.

Other muscles get a rep range in which your rest pause set must come under, for chest and shoulders
it's 11-15rp, triceps it's 11-15rp (except skullcrushers which is 15-30 rp), biceps is 15-20 (preacher
curls 11-15rp), back width (pulldowns etc) and dips are 15-20rp, err, what've I forgotten..
3) The eating is individual, DCers don't count fats, carbs or calories, they go by their hunger, they get
their protein down, eat carbs until they're full and take their EFAs. Meals are kept pro/fat or pro/carb
but that's individual again, some people don't seperate macros if it doesn't bother them...

DC says you don't count calories because you don't need a magic number of calories each day, and I
agree with him, some days you'll need more and others you'll need less. Like today I've eaten like
100g of carbs because I've sat on my arse most of the day, weekdays I eat more like 400. Get the
protein in and eat as much as you need to get through the day and work out at peak efficiency.

4) Cardio is individual as well. To start with you do it on offdays and see whether you need less or
more to control bodyfat. It's generally low-intensity so as not to intefere with leg recovery. I
personally managed HIIT over the summer and still made progress with the 3way DC split (as an
experiment) but not if I was training legs twice a week.

For pre-cardio nutrition it's up to you mate, some people have a small whey shake, others BCAAs,
others a completely empty stomach.. if you go into the Roundtable forum on intensemuscle and look
up the cardio topic you'll see the experts suggesting all of those, I guess you gotta see what works for
you.
DC has said BCAAs if you want to gain muscle and lose bodyfat, otherwise whey is just fine.. I go with
that personally but sometimes do it on empty.
Squat Standards for Bodybuilders [lbs]

Squat - Adult Men

Body Weight Un-trained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
114 78 144 174 240 320
123 84 155 190 259 346
132 91 168 205 278 369
148 101 188 230 313 410
165 110 204 250 342 445
181 119 220 269 367 479
198 125 232 285 387 504
220 132 244 301 409 532
242 137 255 311 423 551
275 141 261 319 435 567
319 144 267 326 445 580
320+ 147 272 332 454 593

Squat - Adult Women

Body Weight Un-trained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
97 46 84 98 129 163
105 49 91 106 140 174
114 53 98 114 150 187
123 56 103 121 160 199
132 59 110 127 168 211
148 65 121 141 185 232
165 70 130 151 200 256
181 75 139 164 215 268
198 81 150 174 229 288
199+ 85 158 184 242 303
Deadlift Standards for Bodybuilders [lbs]

Deadlift - Adult Men

Bodyweight Untrained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
114 97 179 204 299 387
123 105 194 222 320 414
132 113 209 239 342 438
148 126 234 269 380 482
165 137 254 293 411 518
181 148 274 315 438 548
198 156 289 333 457 567
220 164 305 351 479 586
242 172 318 363 490 596
275 176 326 373 499 602
319 180 333 381 506 608
320+ 183 340 388 512 617

Deadlift - Adult Women

Bodyweight Untrained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
97 57 105 122 175 232
105 61 114 132 189 242
114 66 122 142 200 253
123 70 129 151 211 263
132 74 137 159 220 273
148 81 151 176 241 295
165 88 162 189 258 319
181 94 174 204 273 329
198 101 187 217 284 349
199+ 107 197 229 297 364
Bench Press Standards [lbs]

Bench Press - Adult Men

Body Weight Un-trained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
114 84 107 130 179 222
123 91 116 142 194 242
132 98 125 153 208 260
148 109 140 172 234 291
165 119 152 187 255 319
181 128 164 201 275 343
198 135 173 213 289 362
220 142 183 225 306 381
242 149 190 232 316 395
275 153 196 239 325 407
319 156 199 244 333 416
320+ 159 204 248 340 425

Bench Press - Adult Women

Body Weight Un-trained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
97 49 63 73 94 116
105 53 68 79 102 124
114 57 73 85 109 133
123 60 77 90 116 142
132 64 82 95 122 150
148 70 90 105 135 165
165 76 97 113 146 183
181 81 104 122 158 192
198 88 112 130 167 205
199+ 92 118 137 177 217