favorite/current training method?

[PJT]

You are going to shrink pretty quick with that if you do it for any length of time.
You are training chest every third day? - only two days rest between workouts? If you think you are recovered after those two days, then you are simply not working chest hard enough.
And why so many sets for each exercise?

And when you are on gear, your recovery will improve, but also your poundages will increase, so you will be doing more damage to the muscles, so you will need the extra recovery that the gear will give you, so no, gear is not an excuse to train so much. And the only way you will not bury yourself with so much training is if it's not intense, and if it's not intense, what's the point of doing it?
You will be just going around in circles with that.

I am in no way doubting your knowledge on this Big A. But in response to this, if I'm not mistaken...when training DC Style you are training same muscle groups on 3 Days rest instead of two. SC states above he trains same muscle groups on Day 1 and Day 4 which would be Monday Thursday. DC Style has you training same muscle groups on Monday Friday. Maybe I'm being ignorant about this, I just wanted to get your thoughts.

I have only done 1 cycle before and it failed miserably (1/2 the great was fake and I didn't have enough of the other 1/2...my own newbie mistake I admit) so I decided to stay natural for a while putting extra emphsis on diet, rest, and training, hence why I am asking this question. A sample DC Style would be something like....

Day 1 (Week 1 Monday-Friday, Week 2 Wednesday, repeat)

Chest 1 exercise 1 set
Back 2 exercises 1 set each
Delts 1 exc. 1 set
Triceps 1 exc. 1 set

Day 2 (Week 1 Wednesday, Week 2 Monday-Friday, repeat)

Quads 2 exc. 1 set each
Hams 1 exc. 1 set
Biceps 1 exc. 1 set
Traps 1 exc. 1 set

Everything is Rest Paused except Deadlifts and Squats. Just wanted to get your thoughts on this routine. Also Da Fonz...what do you think?

 

[da_Fonz]

Totally different betw DC and what SC wrote out. With what he wrote out SC will be in the gym forever which will elevate his cortisol levels which will lower his natty test and have his body storing fat. DC's training regimens if ya look at them are quick, but very intense. Big Difference betw the 2. DC has you doing 1 exercise per bodypart not 2 or 3 and only 1 working set not 2 or 3 sets.

 

[da_Fonz]

A sample DC would be something like this:

Day 1
Chest
Shoulders
Tris
Back width
Back thickness

Day 2
Forearms
Bis
Calves
Quads
Hams

Fri repeat Day 1 and so on and so forth. But you only do 1 exercise per body part for that day then the next time you sub it out for a different exercise for that bodypart.

This is just me, but from years of trial and error I have found that my body doesnt repsond well to training like that. Some do and some dont. I gave it its fair share I trained DC for a year, and while i made some prgress the amount wasnt as much as I could utilizing periodization instead.

Personally I cant fathom how you would have the energy level you had at chest when your doing tris. I know when I go all out afer something like deads I'm spent I cant put in the energy i did for the other exercises i did for deads. Your program could work out for ya. I would say try it but the MAIN thing i suggest is rotate the order so you can focus on all body parts evenly. AND to keep a journal of everything you do, all the different types of programs you develop, how well you grew off them by taking measurements as well as recording your weights lifted.

 

[saudades]

Hmmm....I thought SC's workout might be a little much, which was why I suggested reduce the sets to two. I changed my own routine to MT-TF with Wednesday off.

Monday
Chest, Tri's, and Bi's
Two sets of each exercise (plus warmup), about two exercises per bodypart

Tuesday
Quads, Hams, Calves
Two sets of each exercise (plus warmup), one to two exercises per bodypart

Wednesday
OFF

Thursday
Shoulders, Back
Two sets of each exercise (plus warmup), about two exercises per bodypart

Friday
Chest, Tri's, and Bi's
Two sets of each exercise (plus warmup), about two exercises per bodypart

Each workout takes me about 45 minutes, I do 8-10 reps per set, and it has been working very well for me in that I've been making constant progress (increasing poundages or more reps) so far for the month and a half I've been doing this.

The funny thing is that while I have been getting stronger, I don't seem to be making any outstanding increases in size. There are in fact a number of guys at my gym who are decently bigger than I am, yet I'm pulling/pushing more weight in nearly all my exercises (with good form) than they are (***scratching head***). I don't get it. How is that possible? I also stretch, holding for 30 sec. after I'm done.

 

[PJT]

MON
BACK
Deadlifts
Bent Over Rows (BAR)
Smith Pullups (DC style)
High Row

TUES
CHEST
Incline Bench
Incline Fly
Flat Bench
TRICEP
Skull Crushers (Upright)
Weighted Dips

WED
QUAD
Leg Extensions
Squats
Front Squats (BAR)
Calves
Seated Calf Raise

THURS
SHOULDER
Hang Cleans
Push Press
Laterals 1 Arm (heavy)
BICEPS
Bar Curl

FRI
HAM
Straight Legged Deadlifts
Lunges (BAR)
Lying Leg Curl
Calves
Standing Calf Raise

I stretch using DC weighted stretched after each muscle group. Sat and Sun are off day, completely off

DaFonz, if ya don't mind...how many sets do you usually do per exercise and what about reps? Also, are the Smith Pullups the only exercise you do DC Style?

 

[PJT]

The funny thing is that while I have been getting stronger, I don't seem to be making any outstanding increases in size. There are in fact a number of guys at my gym who are decently bigger than I am, yet I'm pulling/pushing more weight in nearly all my exercises (with good form) than they are (***scratching head***). I don't get it. How is that possible? I also stretch, holding for 30 sec. after I'm done.

Same here Tony. I always notice good increases in strength, but it never seems like the size comes along with it. I was wondering why myself. Some dudes got the size and just don't have the strength to back it up. It's gotta be genetics...

 

[da_Fonz]

I do 3 sets during this period of lifting and reps are 6-8 for power moevements and 10-12 in isolation exercises. I incoporate periodization so my next routine in 10 weeks will be different and reps and sets scheme.

The smith pullups are an exercise I got from DC which work great for back width. I still use my scheme but I use DC stretching techniques after each muscle group and prob always will.

 

[da_Fonz]

If your not growing I would look into what could be the reason behind it, eating, sleeping, exercises, etc. Maybe there is some small piece that needs to be adjusted or changed b/c the body has adjusted to it.

 

[Flexmaster]

more is not always better fellas...its mostly in your diet. i am only in the gym for aout 45 min to 1 hr at the most. but during that time YOU BUST YOUR FUCKING ASS. too much volume SC, halfway through that workout you will be dead...if you cannot finish your last exercise as strong as you went on your first it's too much volume IMHO. strength=size 99 times out of 100.

 

[Southern Comfor]

10-4, Ive decided to drop all sets down to 2. For example my day one will now look like this.
Day 1
Chest
2x6 Flat Bench Press
2x6 Decline Bench Press (Close Grip)
Triceps
2 x Fail Weighted Dips Leaning Forward
2x10 Skull Crushers
Shoulders
2x8 Front D-Bell Raises
2x8 Side Lateral Raises


and so on and so on for every day... look better?

 

[da_Fonz]

No incline???? Personally i think incline is more important than decline.

 

[Southern Comfor]

Day 1
Chest
4x6 Flat Bench Press
3x6 Decline Bench Press (Close Grip)
Triceps
3 x Fail Weighted Dips Leaning Forward
2x10 Skull Crushers
Shoulders
2x8 Front D-Bell Raises
2x8 Side Lateral Raises
Day 2
Back
3x8 Cable or Dumbbell Rows
3x8 Lat Pull Down
Biceps
2x10 Alternate Dumbbell Curls
2x10 Hammer Curls
Forearms
2 x Fail Reverse Curls
2x Fail Standing Behind Back Forearm Curl (barbell)
Day 3
Quads
4x8 Smith Machine Squats
3x10 Leg Extensions
Hamstrings
2x10 Ham Curls
Calves
2x Fail Calve Raises
2x Fail Calf Press on Leg Machine
Day 4
Chest
4x6 Incline Smith Machine Press
3x 10 Cable Cross Over or Dumbbell Flyes
Triceps
2x12 Rope Pull Downs
2x12 Over Head Tricep Extension
Shoulders
3x8 Smith Machine Military Press
2x8 Shoulder Front Press (Hammer Strength)
Day 5
Back
3x8 Dead Lifts (Shrug at top to hit traps)
2x Fail Pull Ups
Biceps
3x10 Preacher Curls
2x10 Alternate Incline Dumbbell Curl
Forearms
2x Fail Standing Barbell Front Drag Curl
2x Fail Palms Up Barbell Curl

Of course, all exercises will have an alternate but EQUAL exercise to hit that muscle group.
Example, instead of Rope Pull Downs you could do Bar Pull Downs, instead of Alternate Hammer Curls you could do Standing Barbell Curls, instead of Smith Military Press you could do Dumbbell Military Press.

Right there on Day 4 Fonz!

 

[da_Fonz]

I missed it but I'l glad to see that its in there

 

[ChuckaZulu]

I'm DC training to the letter. I was skeptical at first, but couldn't imagine doing anything different now.

 

[da_Fonz]

I gave it a year but i have made better progress with a different training program in the past and I'm goin back to it. But i will say this, i learned a great new back exercise from DC as well as those stretches which are killer so I'm glad i tried it.

 

[ChuckaZulu]

I gave it a year but i have made better progress with a different training program in the past and I'm goin back to it. But i will say this, i learned a great new back exercise from DC as well as those stretches which are killer so I'm glad i tried it.

You must be talking about Rack Chins, LOL. Yes, when done properly they are killer.

 

[da_Fonz]

Nndeed, they r awesome.

 

[inky2004]

3-4 set of 12-more reps, like ronnie coleman suggest

 

[PJT]

You must be talking about Rack Chins, LOL. Yes, when done properly they are killer.

I've been doing these for about 6 months myself. I have noticed quite a difference in back width since I started. Love em...except when I'm doing them. They kinda hurt LOL.

 

[PJT]

If your not growing I would look into what could be the reason behind it, eating, sleeping, exercises, etc. Maybe there is some small piece that needs to be adjusted or changed b/c the body has adjusted to it.

I'm definitely growing. It just seems that since I started training DC Style, the strength gains have been incredible, but the muscle gains haven't been anything spectacular, like Tony said. I think I've said this in a few previous posts about DC Style training, but the strength gains are unreal!

My ONLY problem training this way is say Day 1 - I do in order (Chest, Back, Shoulders, Tri's). When I do Day 1 again I want to switch up my rotation, say (Shoulders, Back, Chest, Tri's). Here's the problem. My chest is by far my strongest bodypart and grows the best as well. So I want to even it out by not doing them first all the time, BUT if I do chest 2nd or 3rd, it's almost like I can't go to failure because my tri's or forearms give out first before I can really work chest. Happened to me yesterday. My forearms were spent, but my chest was hardly worked. I love DC Style, but I'm probably gonna switch it back to a bodypart per day for a while.....