Cycling For Pennies Dante Trudel - Dc Training

[Quackerz]

In a nutshell mate....you get powerlifter who are far stronger than bbers but a lot less muscular.

I do see that you can argue conversely the biggest thickest bbers are also often considered the strongest. Ronnie coleman fir instance.

But even on that one...jonny Jackson as an example...lacking leg development despite being very very strong.

I've had a go at dc and don't get me wrong progressing strength is a key factor as you point our based on your own observations.

But the notion that the stronger you are the more muscular you are is flawed for me based on my ramblings above.

Would agree with this mate, There's a guy at my gym that's around 105kg+ that I saw fail a single on a meagre 180kg.

On the other end of the spectrum you've got girls like Kimberly Walford in the IPF lifting over 230kg at a BW of 72kg.

You have your muscular system and you have your neuromuscular system. Whilst they do work in conjunction with each other they are far from synonymous.

 

[LittleChris]

It's not about comparison.
It's about progressing your own lifts; the actual poundage itself is immaterial as long as consistent progression is displayed.
It also assumes you following a high protein bodybuilding diet which is something that powerlifters typically wouldn't follow as stringently from my understanding.
I don't see how the basics of DC can be disputed.

 

[GM-20]

@Joe Jeffery thoughts on Dantes article?

 

[flynnie11]

Strongest I have ever been doing this program
Will do again for my next cycle

 

[Con]

So many people misunderstand the program
It's not a case of move the heaviest weight at all costs like it is in powerlifting.
It is about getting stronger while using the ideal form to target the muscle.
The increase in strength then increases muscle mass.

The problem is after several years of training it becomes hard to get stronger and honestly it becomes dangerous.
Any time I go under 6 reps in training I get hurt.
Realistically what builds more muscle deadlifting 300kg for 5 reps or deadlifting 220kg for 15 reps.
IMO always the higher rep approach.

Coleman only did those stupid low rep sets for the camera.
All his regular training was primarily in the 12-15 rep range.

 

[barksie]

good read, that many conflicting ways to train, get a pump using light weight to 15 reps or more , train heavy in a 5 rep range, train to failure, you dont need to train to failure , blah blah, i need one method that is certain to work and think about nothing else , i read one article saying train light with high reps, then i read another saying train heavy with low reps, its like a flippin minefield, so will take this article into account now and alter my training

 

[Con]

good read, that many conflicting ways to train, get a pump using light weight to 15 reps or more , train heavy in a 5 rep range, train to failure, you dont need to train to failure , blah blah, i need one method that is certain to work and think about nothing else , i read one article saying train light with high reps, then i read another saying train heavy with low reps, its like a flippin minefield, so will take this article into account now and alter my training

But how you word that light weight for 15 reps for a pump.
That's very different to doing 15 all out reps where perhaps failure is hit on rep 13 but your training partner helps you grind out a further 2 reps!

I think build the foundation of strength.
Once you have that go up in rep ranges and go to town tearing your fibers apart :-)

High reps can also mean heavy weight and high reps.
Example: Take a weight you can do for 6-8 reps until failure, hit failure, while still holding the bar in your hands (assuming a smith machine) have your training partners reduce the weight by enough to hit another 4-5 reps, then do it again....by the end you will have done 15ish reps and reached failure 3 times THAT will do a whole lot more for growth than any thing else. It will also tax the fuck out of you and done correctly a body part only needs one set or so like that.

My general way of setting up training plans (this is very typical for most big guys I personally know).
Exercise 1 you focus on moving heavy ass weight for sub 10 reps.
Exercise 2-3 you go a little higher and perhaps use intesifier techniques.
Hit the muscle from various rep ranges but stop short before doing a Milos ultra high volume workout which is not realistic for most people as you will take so long to recover from it.

 

[G-G]

Strongest I have ever been doing this program
Will do again for my next cycle

What about musculature?

Tried DC a few years back but don't think I honestly had the training experience to get the best from it, tried it again today and enjoys it a lot.

I think the point is that getting stronger will lead to better gains than simply doing volume. Providing all else is equal, and I've always believed in training muscles more often so buy into his growth phases aspect entirely.

 

[Con]

Where I am still not personally convinced but many guys that are bigger than me do it so i am sure there is some thing to it.....
The method lets say of super setting 3 exercises for the same body part but you don't hit failure in the first two exercises.
I mean beside building up metabolites (pump) what is that really doing?
I feel like that may just be training that "works" because the rest of the program (drugs and so on) are so ON that it works no matter what.
But then if your body is torn to shit and your choice is train like that or get hurt every session.......then pick the first option.

DC training in theory is great.
But how many of us have no injuries, are under the age of 30 and can really keep progressing the log book without fail.

 

[Con]

This is actually a question for @xjpx and not a criticism so I hope I word this correctly.
But have you got any stronger over the past few years?
You have OBVIOUSLY become more muscular.
But I watch your videos on your site (totally worth the money btw guys) and although the weights you use are heavy....I don't see any weights that you weren't moving a few years ago?

 

[G-G]

DC training in theory is great.
But how many of us have no injuries, are under the age of 30 and can really keep progressing the log book without fail.

No to all three, however, and I admit its one session, I trained dc today trying to work around an injury and can honestly say that one heavy hard rest pause set seems to have offered the right 'feel' without leaving me in agony like a traditional 5x5 or 3x8-12 has been recently. Which I find both odd and entirely interesting for the future.

 

[Mr mac]

I agree with @Con the DC program is about beating the log book using basic movements. Rep range can vary. I'm fairly certain Dante reckons anyone over 35 should be using 14+ rep maxes and even in the article I think it mentions for example a leg set using a rep range of 8-50!! Because he says you can't just keep forever adding weight.

I ran pretty much DC last year using predominantly plate loaded kit as training alone was easier to train to fail and RP on. All my sets were 13plus on the first set of RP and about a 17-20 rep total per exercise.
Legs about 25 total.
Felt that worked great, very intense and more like 3 work sets, felt pumped but not over taxed.

 

[Mr mac]

No to all three, however, and I admit its one session, I trained dc today trying to work around an injury and can honestly say that one heavy hard rest pause set seems to have offered the right 'feel' without leaving me in agony like a traditional 5x5 or 3x8-12 has been recently. Which I find both odd and entirely interesting for the future.

What rep range did you use?
As I said above if I hsed something like incline smith bench. I would fail on about rep 13-14 on the first RP and that would be with the bar resting on the safety catches. Very slow 15 breaths and then drive off the pins. For about 5 reps. Then I'd try to get 3-5 again on the last one.

 

[G-G]

What rep range did you use?
As I said above if I hsed something like incline smith bench. I would fail on about rep 13-14 on the first RP and that would be with the bar resting on the safety catches. Very slow 15 breaths and then drive off the pins. For about 5 reps. Then I'd try to get 3-5 again on the last one.

Probably should have counted but I don't like counting reps. Something says "that'll do" in my head. It was legs, around 12-15 first go, 5-8 then about 4. Did it over two lifts and can honestly say it "felt" more targeted to the right muscles than anything has recently. I actually really enjoyed it. Did some standard volume stuff afterwards but my volume sets are always of a similar structure to DC anyway, not through planning but by shear coincidence. I've never been the guy that stops at 8 because I'm doing 3x8. I tend to run off an RPE9 then stop

 

[Mr mac]

@G-G that's the thing DC is very much proper to failure training and putting everything into that extended one set. I also found you can get away with slightly lighter weight still if your older by tut with it as well. Add a true 3-4 second negative and those reps soon drop.
One of DCs biggest failings in my opinion of people not getting there head around the rep range and keeping that low rep mentality which starts to produce almost panic knowing you HAVE to beat that log book. For strong guys that starts to mean stupid heavy back squats etc which I think then leads to higher injury risk etc.