[quote]zenomaly wrote:
Week 7 over now with my “Anaconda blast” and I have to say I’m quite pleased. I used to have recovery issues with the 3RP (cut my blasts short) but I can see this blast going for at least 3 more weeks. No signs of stalling or fatigue yet.[/quote]
That’s great news Zen and it seems like you’ve seen some great improvements in terms of recovery ability. Keep us updated.
[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Is there a way to focus on progression with the doorknob stretch? I’ve been doing the hanging lat stretch but it might not be possible at times. [/quote]
Well, kind of if you count pulling away from what you’re holding onto harder and holding the stretch for longer periods of time. But it’s not going to be as quantifiable as the stretches where you are using added weight (like the hanging lat stretch).
You could basically do the same stretch using a seated pulley station and a close-medium grip neutral attachment, which would make progression a little more quantifiable, if you wanted to.[/quote]
[quote]Scott M wrote:
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Is there a way to focus on progression with the doorknob stretch? I’ve been doing the hanging lat stretch but it might not be possible at times. [/quote]
The easiest is clearly going to be time you can tolerate… only you will be able to say if you are pulling equally as hard every time. You could also take TINY steps backwards say 1 inch back from where your feet where before and try to hold equally as long. Just stretch as hard as you can for 60-90 seconds though really. [/quote]
Yea I guess I will just have to give it my all and hope that my slightly increased strength each time will lead to a harder stretch. I would like to keep doing to hanging lat stretch but I don’t have a belt at my college to hook the weights up to and I cant hold a heavy dumbbell between my feet for that long.
Scott, why would taking steps back help the stretch? It seems I can pull harder if my feet are closer to what I’m holding, more like anchoring away. Or if possible putting my foot on something and pushing.
By the way last time I did it with a double rope handing around a bar and pulled on that, not an actual doorknob, although I think I’ll switch back and forth if it won’t affect results since there’s 2 different places I do back workouts.
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Is there a way to focus on progression with the doorknob stretch? I’ve been doing the hanging lat stretch but it might not be possible at times. [/quote]
Well, kind of if you count pulling away from what you’re holding onto harder and holding the stretch for longer periods of time. But it’s not going to be as quantifiable as the stretches where you are using added weight (like the hanging lat stretch).
You could basically do the same stretch using a seated pulley station and a close-medium grip neutral attachment, which would make progression a little more quantifiable, if you wanted to.[/quote]
[quote]Scott M wrote:
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Is there a way to focus on progression with the doorknob stretch? I’ve been doing the hanging lat stretch but it might not be possible at times. [/quote]
The easiest is clearly going to be time you can tolerate… only you will be able to say if you are pulling equally as hard every time. You could also take TINY steps backwards say 1 inch back from where your feet where before and try to hold equally as long. Just stretch as hard as you can for 60-90 seconds though really. [/quote]
Yea I guess I will just have to give it my all and hope that my slightly increased strength each time will lead to a harder stretch. I would like to keep doing to hanging lat stretch but I don’t have a belt at my college to hook the weights up to and I cant hold a heavy dumbbell between my feet for that long.
Scott, why would taking steps back help the stretch? It seems I can pull harder if my feet are closer to what I’m holding, more like anchoring away. Or if possible putting my foot on something and pushing.
By the way last time I did it with a double rope handing around a bar and pulled on that, not an actual doorknob, although I think I’ll switch back and forth if it won’t affect results since there’s 2 different places I do back workouts. [/quote]
You could also try doing the “droop row” stretch, or even a rack chin stretch if you need a width stretch and don’t have a belt.
Alright. So, the WM, is it a 20 rep set or is it as many as you can get. Or is it ramp the weight up till you fail around 20-25? Did my WM leg press today and had plenty left in me when I stopped at rep 20 with 690 lbs. I think I need to ramp that weight up to around 800-900 lbs for the WM.
[quote]Mateus wrote:
Alright. So, the WM, is it a 20 rep set or is it as many as you can get. Or is it ramp the weight up till you fail around 20-25? Did my WM leg press today and had plenty left in me when I stopped at rep 20 with 690 lbs. I think I need to ramp that weight up to around 800-900 lbs for the WM.[/quote]
You want to use a weight that gets you around 20 reps, but don’t stop until you hit failure (or, in the case of squats, until you know for certain that you wouldn’t get the next rep up). If the weight is slightly too little, you may surpass 20 reps but that’s ok.
I think we’ve already discussed described widowmakers, but if not… you want to use a 10 RM (basically a weight that you could rattle off 10 consecutive reps with, not a weight that you could get ten with while stopping to take breaths between reps), then grind out 20ish reps with it.
You can either keep going consecutively until you feel like the next rep wouldn’t go up, then take some breaths, do a few more reps, breaths, and so on until you know you aren’t getting another rep, breaths or otherwise. Like this:
Or, you can take more breaks/breaths (and perform less reps between breaths) and again keep going until you know that you aren’t gonna get another rep. Like this:
Random topic, but does anyone own Justin’s DVD “Project Superheavyweight”? I’ve been thinking about getting it, but wouldn’t mind hearing any reviews.
Justin’s DVD is very good. Not a “how to” on DC training but it shows him and Steve following the 3 way split pretty much to the letter. Insane workouts with good form and no sugar coating which is a nice change from the pre contest stuff with guys getting pumped and staring in the mirror. It’s two off season bodybuilders trying to take the next step up the NPC chain.
There is also a nutritional DVD that comes with it which is excellent. Justin goes into the hows and whys of carb cycling and gives people structure on how to set up for gaining or dieting. You can see Justin prep and eat his meals and explain exactly what and how much he eats to gain size. It’s a pretty staggering amount of very clean foods. Steak and rice mainly plus about 10 total broccoli florets lol, large peri workout drink of Waxy Maize and amino blend and a few shakes, that’s pretty much it day in and day out.
I recommend it for sure.
[quote]Scott M wrote:
Justin’s DVD is very good. Not a “how to” on DC training but it shows him and Steve following the 3 way split pretty much to the letter. Insane workouts with good form and no sugar coating which is a nice change from the pre contest stuff with guys getting pumped and staring in the mirror. It’s two off season bodybuilders trying to take the next step up the NPC chain.
There is also a nutritional DVD that comes with it which is excellent. Justin goes into the hows and whys of carb cycling and gives people structure on how to set up for gaining or dieting. You can see Justin prep and eat his meals and explain exactly what and how much he eats to gain size. It’s a pretty staggering amount of very clean foods. Steak and rice mainly plus about 10 total broccoli florets lol, large peri workout drink of Waxy Maize and amino blend and a few shakes, that’s pretty much it day in and day out.
I recommend it for sure.[/quote]
Nice. Thanks for the review Scott. I think I’m gonna go ahead and get it. 
Was just curious what people are using for fat burners. I know what Dante suggests in the way of green tea but I also know that the HOT-ROX gets alot of hype. There is also some question now as to the effectiveness of HOT-ROX since the ingredient label has changed and the A7-E is no longer in the product. Anyway, what has been your fat burner of choice and why?
**I Haven’t used any fat burner or metabolic boosters since the removal of ephedra in hydroxycut. Man I loved that stuff!!
[quote]Mateus wrote:
Was just curious what people are using for fat burners. I know what Dante suggests in the way of green tea but I also know that the HOT-ROX gets alot of hype. There is also some question now as to the effectiveness of HOT-ROX since the ingredient label has changed and the A7-E is no longer in the product. Anyway, what has been your fat burner of choice and why?[/quote]
The ECGC in green tea helps burn fat. I take a green tea tablet (with caffeine) in the morning for fasted cardio, because protein deactivates polyphenols like ECGC. If you, for example, add a dash of milk to your green tea, you will not get the same benefit from it.
I like drinking green tea at any time of the day, but bear that in mind.
Hello fellow DCers
I would just like to get the opinion of some DC vets (sento, scott,c_c) on having a low protein day while on DC.
DO you think it should be done or do you think it will actually slow progress?
[quote]zraw wrote:
Hello fellow DCers
I would just like to get the opinion of some DC vets (sento, scott,c_c) on having a low protein day while on DC.
DO you think it should be done or do you think it will actually slow progress?[/quote]
I personally don’t really think it’s a great idea. I know the theory behind having a low protein day and it does make sense (similar to insulin sensitivity). But, DC is one of those programs where you are constantly walking that thin line between recovery and overtraining.
You’ve gotta remember that protein in your diet doesn’t just go towards building new muscle. Every cell (muscle, immune, skin, hair, you name it) is made up of protein/amino acids; and every cell in your body is constantly being broken down and remodeled/rebuilt.
You are placing a huge demand on your body to repair and rebuild your muscle cells on DC, but on top of that, your body still must continue repairing and rebuilding all of your other cells as well. Denying your body of the essential building blocks to do so with probably isn’t going to wind up working out so well.
Keep in mind that CT’s program is a specialization program. You are training one muscle group often and hard (and often avoiding going to failure or “grinding”), but everything else is pretty much on maintenance. With DC you are trying to push everything hard and as frequently as possible (with multiple failure points per exercise in many cases). Way more systemic stress with DC than I,BB.
Ok, I pretty much know the answer I’m gonna get, but I’m gonna ask anyway. How has switching to DC from traditional high volume training really changed your physiques? I’ve tried about every style of training in the few years I’ve started training regularly and can honestly say that, especially as of late, almost nothing has worked that amazingly.
A few years ago I was about 237 at 6’1." I had gained a ton of strength and muscle by doing only fullbody routines. I usually did 3-4 days a week. However, I switched to typical high volume, bodybuilding oriented training and got way over trained and ended up injured (shoulders, knee, hip). After switching back to fullbody I was way weaker and seem to just keep losing weight and being fatigued.
Anyway, I’ve tried everything: Waterbury stuff, I,BB, EDT, HIT, HSS-100, Reverse pyramiding, OVT, nothing really seems to work anymore. I’m 31, 6’1", a dismal 195lbs. (and that’s eating about 3500 calories a day), and looking for something. I guess basically I’ve answered my own question, especially with my work schedule that only lets me train 3-4 days max anyway. So what I’m looking for is numbers, pictures, something. What are some gains you guys have really made?
Nevermind. I checked out some of the videos and pics. Not to be an ass or anything. You know DC just seems contradictory to everything that all the other “logical” programs teach. People always want to question. I’ve always thought either try a program or don’t knock it. So urge me on.
[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
[quote]zraw wrote:
Hello fellow DCers
I would just like to get the opinion of some DC vets (sento, scott,c_c) on having a low protein day while on DC.
DO you think it should be done or do you think it will actually slow progress?[/quote]
I personally don’t really think it’s a great idea. I know the theory behind having a low protein day and it does make sense (similar to insulin sensitivity). But, DC is one of those programs where you are constantly walking that thin line between recovery and overtraining.
You’ve gotta remember that protein in your diet doesn’t just go towards building new muscle. Every cell (muscle, immune, skin, hair, you name it) is made up of protein/amino acids; and every cell in your body is constantly being broken down and remodeled/rebuilt.
You are placing a huge demand on your body to repair and rebuild your muscle cells on DC, but on top of that, your body still must continue repairing and rebuilding all of your other cells as well. Denying your body of the essential building blocks to do so with probably isn’t going to wind up working out so well.
Keep in mind that CT’s program is a specialization program. You are training one muscle group often and hard (and often avoiding going to failure or “grinding”), but everything else is pretty much on maintenance. With DC you are trying to push everything hard and as frequently as possible (with multiple failure points per exercise in many cases). Way more systemic stress with DC than I,BB. [/quote]
Thanks a lot for the insight ! I was considering a low protein day… but not anynore lol !
[quote]BBriere wrote:
Ok, I pretty much know the answer I’m gonna get, but I’m gonna ask anyway. How has switching to DC from traditional high volume training really changed your physiques? I’ve tried about every style of training in the few years I’ve started training regularly and can honestly say that, especially as of late, almost nothing has worked that amazingly.
A few years ago I was about 237 at 6’1." I had gained a ton of strength and muscle by doing only fullbody routines. I usually did 3-4 days a week. However, I switched to typical high volume, bodybuilding oriented training and got way over trained and ended up injured (shoulders, knee, hip). After switching back to fullbody I was way weaker and seem to just keep losing weight and being fatigued.
Anyway, I’ve tried everything: Waterbury stuff, I,BB, EDT, HIT, HSS-100, Reverse pyramiding, OVT, nothing really seems to work anymore. I’m 31, 6’1", a dismal 195lbs. (and that’s eating about 3500 calories a day), and looking for something. I guess basically I’ve answered my own question, especially with my work schedule that only lets me train 3-4 days max anyway. So what I’m looking for is numbers, pictures, something. What are some gains you guys have really made?[/quote]
I am in no way going to be able to provide you with responses and proof like Sento, C_C, and/or Scott will, but, I can tell you about my gains in the 5 weeks of my first blast.
It took a couple weeks to get a solid foundation for starting points in regards to weight used, rep ranges, and exercise selection that works best for ME. I followed a traditional 5 day split for years and saw decent, steady gains at a healthy rate. Started lifting at a
stick built 6’ 1" 170 lbs in 2006. Been stuck at 201-204 for the last year. I am now in my 5th week of the blast and weighed 217 lbs this morning. The amount of food you eat on this routine is crazy. There is some additional fat gained but it is minimal at best.
All my lift have gone up in weight and in reps. For instance, first week of the blast I did the Reverse Grip Smith Press with 205 lbs for 18 reps. Yesterday I did 235 lbs for 24 reps. Leg press started with 810 lbs for 10 reps and a WM of 20 with 540 lbs. This past time was 990 lbs for 13 reps and a WM using 800 lbs for 23 reps. Chest hasn’t gone up in weight much because I am focusing more on more reps each time and each time I beat the log by 2-3 reps. That’s just as good as adding weight to me.
I used to never get sore on the 5 day split. Now I stay sore. My DOMS sets in on my next lifting day and never really lets up until the weekend is over. Wish I had pics to show you but I never really take any. I need to start just for shits and giggles.
In terms of size, my arms have gained a 1/2" to 17", and legs gained an inch to 26.5". Those are the only 2 recent measurements I have.
Like I said, I can’t give the same wow factor responses that Sento and some others can but I have definitely seen improvements on DC.
[quote]BBriere wrote:
Ok, I pretty much know the answer I’m gonna get, but I’m gonna ask anyway. How has switching to DC from traditional high volume training really changed your physiques? I’ve tried about every style of training in the few years I’ve started training regularly and can honestly say that, especially as of late, almost nothing has worked that amazingly.
A few years ago I was about 237 at 6’1." I had gained a ton of strength and muscle by doing only fullbody routines. I usually did 3-4 days a week. However, I switched to typical high volume, bodybuilding oriented training and got way over trained and ended up injured (shoulders, knee, hip). After switching back to fullbody I was way weaker and seem to just keep losing weight and being fatigued.
Anyway, I’ve tried everything: Waterbury stuff, I,BB, EDT, HIT, HSS-100, Reverse pyramiding, OVT, nothing really seems to work anymore. I’m 31, 6’1", a dismal 195lbs. (and that’s eating about 3500 calories a day), and looking for something. I guess basically I’ve answered my own question, especially with my work schedule that only lets me train 3-4 days max anyway. So what I’m looking for is numbers, pictures, something. What are some gains you guys have really made?[/quote]
Short answer: Try upping your calories by 500 per day (no idea what your macro ratios look like) and see if that doesn’t result in you gaining some weight on the scale. If it doesn’t, add another 500 per day. Keep repeating this process until you do start to gain weight (which should also result in strength gains).
Long answer: You seem to be making the mistake of looking for the “magical training program” which is going to put slabs of muscle on your body without realizing that training is just the signal which tells your body that it needs to supercompensate by rebuilding your muscles bigger and stronger. What you then NEED is the actual raw materials to allow it to do so. 3,500 calories is not a lot of food (especially for someone who weighs around 200 lbs), so you may need to change your perspective on that matter.
You’re also making the mistake of jumping from one program to the next (suffering from what we like to call “training program ADD”), most likely never actually giving any of them a chance to work for you. My guess is that just about every one of those programs which you’ve supposedly “tried” was a solid program (maybe the CW ones weren’t great BB’ing choices, but whatever) and you would have been fine sticking with it had you just continued to eat more food and give your body the fuel it needed to continue progressing.
For instance, you said you’ve done I,BB? What’s that been out for, 1 month? If that. How could you possibly expect to see huge gains in 1 month’s time?
You are either trolling (and if that’s the case, then know that this thread will not tolerate that kind of crap and no one will respond to you once it becomes clear) or are just really misguided and naive.
If it’s the first, then GTFO! If it’s the later, then hopefully what I’ve said above will throw a switch in your brain, cause a paradigm shift, and get you to realize that your plateau is not the result of not having found the “optimal program”, but mainly a result of your dietary habits.
Let me break it down into a “Cliff Notes” version for you:
-Pick a program specific to your goals that appeals to you and that you believe in (could be a traditional BB split like in Bricknyce’s thread, “I,BB”, MAX-OT, any of the numerous splits that C_C has posted in his thread or the T-Cell, Prof. X’s split, whatever) and stick with it for at least 6 months to 1 year (and don’t stop using it until you outgrow it).
-Focus on strength progression (I don’t care how many drop sets, or forced reps, or whatever intensity techniques you use, or how much of a “burn” you get from doing something; if you aren’t getting stronger, you aren’t progressing)
-EAT!!! Food is the most anabolic substance known to man and it’s the ONLY substance that your body can actually use to build new muscle tissue with. If you don’t give your body the raw materials that it needs, then no program, NONE, is going to result in your putting on large amounts of muscle mass.
-Ramp up to a top 1-2 sets per exercise (although I believe that Skip Lacour advocates doing 3 at times, but unless you’ve got someone like him guiding you, then don’t go above 2). None of this straight set crap (5+ sets at the same weight). Only people with very, very good recovery abilities can handle that type of training (especially as strength increases) and if you have to ask, you aren’t one of them. Besides, who do you think is going to be adding weight to the bar at a faster pace, the guy who only has to wait until he can do it for 1 set, or the guy who has to wait until he can do it for 5 sets?
-Start spending more time actually in the gym learning what exercises work well FOR YOU, what you can and cannot handle in terms of volume/intensity/frequency/etc…more time in the kitchen/at the table eating, and less time obsessing over theory on the internet.
That answer may not have been what you were looking for, but it’s what you needed to hear.
[quote]BBriere wrote:
Ok, I pretty much know the answer I’m gonna get, but I’m gonna ask anyway. How has switching to DC from traditional high volume training really changed your physiques? I’ve tried about every style of training in the few years I’ve started training regularly and can honestly say that, especially as of late, almost nothing has worked that amazingly.
[/quote]
Well I gained 0.5" on my arms in my first blast (9 ish weeks).
[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
[quote]BBriere wrote:
Ok, I pretty much know the answer I’m gonna get, but I’m gonna ask anyway. How has switching to DC from traditional high volume training really changed your physiques? I’ve tried about every style of training in the few years I’ve started training regularly and can honestly say that, especially as of late, almost nothing has worked that amazingly.
A few years ago I was about 237 at 6’1." I had gained a ton of strength and muscle by doing only fullbody routines. I usually did 3-4 days a week. However, I switched to typical high volume, bodybuilding oriented training and got way over trained and ended up injured (shoulders, knee, hip). After switching back to fullbody I was way weaker and seem to just keep losing weight and being fatigued.
Anyway, I’ve tried everything: Waterbury stuff, I,BB, EDT, HIT, HSS-100, Reverse pyramiding, OVT, nothing really seems to work anymore. I’m 31, 6’1", a dismal 195lbs. (and that’s eating about 3500 calories a day), and looking for something. I guess basically I’ve answered my own question, especially with my work schedule that only lets me train 3-4 days max anyway. So what I’m looking for is numbers, pictures, something. What are some gains you guys have really made?[/quote]
Short answer: Try upping your calories by 500 per day (no idea what your macro ratios look like) and see if that doesn’t result in you gaining some weight on the scale. If it doesn’t, add another 500 per day. Keep repeating this process until you do start to gain weight (which should also result in strength gains).
Long answer: You seem to be making the mistake of looking for the “magical training program” which is going to put slabs of muscle on your body without realizing that training is just the signal which tells your body that it needs to supercompensate by rebuilding your muscles bigger and stronger. What you then NEED is the actual raw materials to allow it to do so. 3,500 calories is not a lot of food (especially for someone who weighs around 200 lbs), so you may need to change your perspective on that matter.
You’re also making the mistake of jumping from one program to the next (suffering from what we like to call “training program ADD”), most likely never actually giving any of them a chance to work for you. My guess is that just about every one of those programs which you’ve supposedly “tried” was a solid program (maybe the CW ones weren’t great BB’ing choices, but whatever) and you would have been fine sticking with it had you just continued to eat more food and give your body the fuel it needed to continue progressing.
For instance, you said you’ve done I,BB? What’s that been out for, 1 month? If that. How could you possibly expect to see huge gains in 1 month’s time?
You are either trolling (and if that’s the case, then know that this thread will not tolerate that kind of crap and no one will respond to you once it becomes clear) or are just really misguided and naive.
If it’s the first, then GTFO! If it’s the later, then hopefully what I’ve said above will throw a switch in your brain, cause a paradigm shift, and get you to realize that your plateau is not the result of not having found the “optimal program”, but mainly a result of your dietary habits.
Let me break it down into a “Cliff Notes” version for you:
-Pick a program specific to your goals that appeals to you and that you believe in (could be a traditional BB split like in Bricknyce’s thread, “I,BB”, MAX-OT, any of the numerous splits that C_C has posted in his thread or the T-Cell, Prof. X’s split, whatever) and stick with it for at least 6 months to 1 year (and don’t stop using it until you outgrow it).
-Focus on strength progression (I don’t care how many drop sets, or forced reps, or whatever intensity techniques you use, or how much of a “burn” you get from doing something; if you aren’t getting stronger, you aren’t progressing)
-EAT!!! Food is the most anabolic substance known to man and it’s the ONLY substance that your body can actually use to build new muscle tissue with. If you don’t give your body the raw materials that it needs, then no program, NONE, is going to result in your putting on large amounts of muscle mass.
-Ramp up to a top 1-2 sets per exercise (although I believe that Skip Lacour advocates doing 3 at times, but unless you’ve got someone like him guiding you, then don’t go above 2). None of this straight set crap (5+ sets at the same weight). Only people with very, very good recovery abilities can handle that type of training (especially as strength increases) and if you have to ask, you aren’t one of them. Besides, who do you think is going to be adding weight to the bar at a faster pace, the guy who only has to wait until he can do it for 1 set, or the guy who has to wait until he can do it for 5 sets?
-Start spending more time actually in the gym learning what exercises work well FOR YOU, what you can and cannot handle in terms of volume/intensity/frequency/etc…more time in the kitchen/at the table eating, and less time obsessing over theory on the internet.
That answer may not have been what you were looking for, but it’s what you needed to hear.[/quote]
Thanks for the honest answer. I know I’ve jumped around a bit lately. It just seems everything I try stops working after about a week. By week two I’m usually fatigued, start hurting, or lift even worse than the last week. I know I’m definitely gonna up my calorie intake even though I thought I was eating a ton right now.
When I got to about 240 before I was taking in like 4000-4500 calories a day. I just felt bloated all the time. Maybe taking in too many carbs at one time. How many would you recommend? I think guessing right now I’m at about 250 grams of protein, not sure fats but probably too low, and about 250 carbs.
Thanks everyone else too for the info. I definitely believe that high volume training is overrated. I never got burned out until I started doing it. I’m gonna give it a spin.