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It is pretty much impossible to go to a bodybuilding forum these days and not see a lot of mention about DC’s training system. Does it work? Hell yes! If it didn’t it would have faded into oblivion long ago. Here are some of the reasons it works so well IMO.
1. It’s obviously very low volume. Say what you will about HIT, it works wonders for MANY, MANY trainees. Most lifters simply do too many sets, of too many lifts way too often. They overtrain horribly, and don’t grow. DC’s system has you doing 4-6 WORK sets a session, usually no more than 3 days a week. That is a great formula for success for the previously perpetually overtrained.
2. His system is scalable and he is not dogmatic in making the workload fit the individual trainee. While the base setup calls for all work sets to done in rest-pause fashion Dogg knows this often proves too much for those that do not recover well and often has is charges doing some sets rest-pause, some strait sets to failure. Or if need be, only straight sets to failure. The workout frequency is scaled to fit recovery ability also, and this is at least or more so as important as the variable intensity levels.
3. For those that can take it, the rest-pause sets provide the fastest path to hit the muscle fibers deeply with the least amount of sets (one).
4. Dogg’s routines are based primarily on the big compound lifts and the leg-work is often done for relatively high reps. Can you say recipe for success?
5. The system has a built in intensity cycling schedule. These are the so-called “cruise weeks”. I believe they were originally built in the system primarily to scale back the androgen use for a short time (four weeks heavy, two weeks low dose with clomid to help HPTA recovery) and were then also used to scale back the intensity, and take a slight break from the grueling chore of the extreme eating required to build extreme mass. What is beautiful about this system is that it works wonders for both the gear user, and ESPECIALLY well for those training clean. Most people’s bodies just don’t stand up well to a constant high intensity pounding and this system provides just the active rest break that so many need, but so few get on other systems.
6. The loading changes every week. Dogg’s system of picking 3 different lifts for each bodypart and rotating them each week stops the neural adaptation burnout that occurs when doing the same lifts week-in, week-out. On the down side people that don’t recruit well sometimes don’t progress on individual lifts as fast as they would when the neural adaptations are allowed to progress on a weekly basis. But this is offset by the fact that most people get better size gains when the load is varied, and it takes quite a while for most people to hit a wall with this type of loading.
7. DC KNOWS the importance of extreme protein for extreme gains and if you are not getting his recommendation for protein everyday, you simply are not doing DC training—period!
8. The extreme stretching is a big factor in the routines success. I USED to believe it was only necessary for extremely advanced lifters. I was wrong. After putting 90% of my trainees on extreme stretching I have seen the light and you should too. Without the fascia stretched you are making things more difficult in your attempts to accrue mass than you need to—STRETCH!!!
9. It is scalable for both the clean trainee and those doing gear. There are still some misconceptions out there by some that have concluded since the original “Cycles on Pennies” thread spoke quite a bit about androgen use that the system was and is for those doing gear only. Nothing could be further from the truth and in fact the volume routines should be termed the androgen routines. DC’s training works great either way.
10. Dogg is brilliant and continues to refine and improve his system. He is extremely giving of is time and is one of the true great contributors to this game.
Is this the “best” training system yet devised? No, there is no system that works best for everybody all the time, but it is one of the best systems yet devised. It doesn’t cover all the functions (rep range specific) of the muscle cell as some systems like WSB, or other active periodized systems. And some people just don’t do well on extremely low volume work. But overall, DC’s training will go down in history as one of the top systems for adding mass to the trainee’s frame.
Iron Addict
1. It’s obviously very low volume. Say what you will about HIT, it works wonders for MANY, MANY trainees. Most lifters simply do too many sets, of too many lifts way too often. They overtrain horribly, and don’t grow. DC’s system has you doing 4-6 WORK sets a session, usually no more than 3 days a week. That is a great formula for success for the previously perpetually overtrained.
2. His system is scalable and he is not dogmatic in making the workload fit the individual trainee. While the base setup calls for all work sets to done in rest-pause fashion Dogg knows this often proves too much for those that do not recover well and often has is charges doing some sets rest-pause, some strait sets to failure. Or if need be, only straight sets to failure. The workout frequency is scaled to fit recovery ability also, and this is at least or more so as important as the variable intensity levels.
3. For those that can take it, the rest-pause sets provide the fastest path to hit the muscle fibers deeply with the least amount of sets (one).
4. Dogg’s routines are based primarily on the big compound lifts and the leg-work is often done for relatively high reps. Can you say recipe for success?
5. The system has a built in intensity cycling schedule. These are the so-called “cruise weeks”. I believe they were originally built in the system primarily to scale back the androgen use for a short time (four weeks heavy, two weeks low dose with clomid to help HPTA recovery) and were then also used to scale back the intensity, and take a slight break from the grueling chore of the extreme eating required to build extreme mass. What is beautiful about this system is that it works wonders for both the gear user, and ESPECIALLY well for those training clean. Most people’s bodies just don’t stand up well to a constant high intensity pounding and this system provides just the active rest break that so many need, but so few get on other systems.
6. The loading changes every week. Dogg’s system of picking 3 different lifts for each bodypart and rotating them each week stops the neural adaptation burnout that occurs when doing the same lifts week-in, week-out. On the down side people that don’t recruit well sometimes don’t progress on individual lifts as fast as they would when the neural adaptations are allowed to progress on a weekly basis. But this is offset by the fact that most people get better size gains when the load is varied, and it takes quite a while for most people to hit a wall with this type of loading.
7. DC KNOWS the importance of extreme protein for extreme gains and if you are not getting his recommendation for protein everyday, you simply are not doing DC training—period!
8. The extreme stretching is a big factor in the routines success. I USED to believe it was only necessary for extremely advanced lifters. I was wrong. After putting 90% of my trainees on extreme stretching I have seen the light and you should too. Without the fascia stretched you are making things more difficult in your attempts to accrue mass than you need to—STRETCH!!!
9. It is scalable for both the clean trainee and those doing gear. There are still some misconceptions out there by some that have concluded since the original “Cycles on Pennies” thread spoke quite a bit about androgen use that the system was and is for those doing gear only. Nothing could be further from the truth and in fact the volume routines should be termed the androgen routines. DC’s training works great either way.
10. Dogg is brilliant and continues to refine and improve his system. He is extremely giving of is time and is one of the true great contributors to this game.
Is this the “best” training system yet devised? No, there is no system that works best for everybody all the time, but it is one of the best systems yet devised. It doesn’t cover all the functions (rep range specific) of the muscle cell as some systems like WSB, or other active periodized systems. And some people just don’t do well on extremely low volume work. But overall, DC’s training will go down in history as one of the top systems for adding mass to the trainee’s frame.
Iron Addict
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