DC training… It's not a load of Crapp! by Steve Kuclo Lately I have been receiving many inquiries and requests to discuss my training history with the DC training style. So, in this article I will answer the most commonly asked questions and explain exactly how I utilized DC training. Q. How were you introduced to DC? At what stage in your development did you start to use the DC system? How did it effect your training initially? A. Justin Harris (aka Troponin) and I started training together 6 years ago in Michigan. He and I followed the sport of bodybuilding and we learned a lot about what the latest and greatest was when it came to nutrition and training. One day we overheard some people discussing this “DOGGCRAPP” training method. The name alone caught our attention. Dante Trudell, the founder of DC Training, had been establishing quite a reputation in the industry. He had many loyal followers and those who were using his training methods were making huge gains. Some were beginners in bodybuilding and others were seasoned veterans and top-level competitors. Justin and I read into it, started keeping a training log, and followed many of Dante's methods. We both began to see instant progress, not only in strength but on the scale as well. At that point, we both jumped on the DC bandwagon. Dante later contacted us, took us under his wing, and gave us specific workouts to follow, customized to meet our specific training goals. Justin and I were both very grateful to Dante for all the guidance he provided. To show our appreciation to him, as well as to the bodybuilding community, we starting recording clips of what we were doing in the gym. Eventually we put these clips together to make “Project Super-Heavyweight.” Q. How is DC training different than anything you've done? A. DC training was completely different from anything I had ever tried. I have always been a volume guy at heart. Therefore, doing lower volume training was quite unusual for me. Doing the 1 rest-pause set at the rep range of 10-12, then 6-8, then 3-4 was very different. Consequently, finishing the movement with the 20-rep widow maker set was sheer torture. It was intensely challenging, but with pain we eventually grew to love. So to clarify, for each body part the workout consisted of a few warm-up sets, 1 rest-pause set, and finished with the 20-rep widow maker set. It took some time to grasp the concept that less is more. Q. Did you change your diet when you started using DC? A. No, I didn't change my diet while doing DC training. Fortunately, I had Justin to help me with my nutrition both on and offseason. Since I was still fairly young, the main goal was making sure I ate enough to grow. One thing that Dante recommended was increasing my protein intake up to 2g per lb of bodyweight to ensure there were enough nutrients in my body to support growth. I did incorporate this into my diet. In regards to Dante's thoughts on carbohydrates, specifically carb cut-off/carb-timing, I did not follow this. I never played around with the times of day that I ate carbohydrates. Q. At what point did you decide (if ever) to switch from the 3-day split to the 4-day? A. I decided to switch to 4 days when the total volume didn't feel like enough. Prior to DC Training, Justin and I were training 6 days a week and cutting our training in half to just 3 days a week felt too drastic for us. We felt like we were more advanced and we wanted to take our training up a notch. We agreed to meet in the middle and decided on 4 days a week. Q. Did you use DC training for competition prep? If so, how did your diet change? A. As mentioned above, I used Justin for my contest prep. The goal for me while dieting is to burn calories and I believe the best way for me to do that is through higher volume training. I do occasionally add in a DC style-drop set or a 20-rep set. Q. Do you still use the system? Why or why not? A. No, I do not currently use the DC training method. My new training split follows my work schedule for the fire department- 2 days on, 1 day off. I am a big believer in constantly changing things so your body doesn't get used to anything. Your body can adapt very quickly to just about anything, so keeping it guessing is what has always worked for me. The days I train I hit the weights twice a day and that has allowed me to take my body to the next level. I'm not saying DC training won't do that, but I have found that I get the best results with a 2 day split. Q. Do you have any "old war stories" from back in the day while using this system? A. One of the most memorable times I had while training DC style was when Justin and I were filming “Project Super-heavyweight.” We were moving some very heavy weight when it came time to deadlift, which was one of Justin's bread and butter movements. We were going plate for plate, rep for rep though the workout and he decided to go for a new personal record. He had 635 on the bar and on his 2nd or 3rd rep I saw what appeared to be some blood dripping from his forehead. When he was finished I walked over to him and I said, “What the hell happened to your forehead?” He was straining so badly during that set that he popped a blood vessel in his forehead and it came right though his skin. Q. Have you ever been injured while using DC? If so, what was your strategy to training around it? How can injuries be avoided while training hard & heavy as DC recommends? A. I didn't have any major injuries during my DC training but I did have some joint and tendon pain as a result of all the heavy weight training and my body trying to catch up and grow. Muscles are quite amazing and can recover much more quickly than joints. One recurring injury that I have is my hip flexor. It becomes inflamed from doing squats. I have found that making sure I warm up and stretch enough before and after my workout really helps keep the pain down and improve my recovery. Another big thing to help save your joints after going through a 6-8 week DC blast is to take a break from the heavy weights and bump the reps up a little to let your body heal. Also, ice is your friend if you are feeling some joint pain. Inflammation is your body's natural response to healing itself. Listen to your body and train wisely. Q. Have you ever met or been trained by Dante Trudell? If so, how was the experience? A. Surprisingly, no. I have never met Dante in person, but I have spoken to him many times on the phone. He is very good with his words and very intelligent when it comes to bodybuilding. Dante's story is quite inspiring as well!