Doggcrapp: training aimed at gaining muscle and strength

Doggcrapp, abbreviated as DC, is a training system designed to gain pure muscle mass and strength. People started calling this method “Doggcrapp” because of the nickname of Dante Trudel on the website where he first published it. To his surprise, he was flooded with questions after the publication of DC and his original contribution grew to 118 pages, which were later copied across the Internet.

“Sadly, I got stuck with the nickname Doggcrapp. If I could go back in time, I would have given a much better name to my method.” [1]

DC has become a phenomenon on the bodybuilding websites. Trudel began to wotkout when he was 20 and weighed only 62 kilograms. Thanks to his method, he managed to increase his weight up to 122-130kg after several years. According to Trudel, modern bodybuilders are too obsessed with training and considers high intensity a waste of time. The Doggcrapp technique promotes an incredibly intense workout lasting one hour at max. However, Trudel noted that only those who have been doing bodybuilding for at least 3 years and who have the correct technique of exercise should use this form of training. [1]

DC has become a phenomenon on the bodybuilding websites. Trudel began to wotkout when he was 20 and weighed only 62 kilograms. Thanks to his method, he managed to increase his weight up to 122-130kg after several years. According to Trudel, modern bodybuilders are too obsessed with training and considers high intensity a waste of time. The Doggcrapp technique promotes an incredibly intense workout lasting one hour at max. However, Trudel noted that only those who have been doing bodybuilding for at least 3 years and who have the correct technique of exercise should use this form of training. [1]

You might be interested in these products:

Doggcrapp and basic principles:

• Heavy progressive weights
• Less exercises, higher training frequency
• Training with breaks between reps (Rest Pause)
• Extreme stretching
• No carbohydrates late in the evening
• Morning cardio
• Higher protein intake
• Alternating extreme load with maintaining strength

Philosophy of DC training

Trudel believes that continuous progression is the best way to gain the required size and strength. In his view, too many bodybuilders fail to gain the strength needed for a truly dominant figure. For example, barbell overhead press with 90 kilograms will only get you to a certain level. It is impossible to move gradually from 90 kilograms to 120 kilograms without a noticeable increase in shoulders. The same applies to other complex exercises. You will never see a man who looks weak while squatting 200 kilograms or doing deadlifts with 250 kilograms.

In order to gain muscle mass and strength, it is necessary to give the body a reason for growth and regeneration. Using a heavy weight forces your central nervous system (CNS) to use as much muscle fiber as possible. Through the principle of gradual loading, you will add to the weight and/or reps of each exercise. This ensures that your muscles are constantly adjusting and growing under the stress you determine. [1]

Doggcrapp involves a lower number of exercises and a high frequency with breaks between reps. One of the main reasons why this system is not as popular as other programs is that it involves a lower number of exercises, which is contradictory to the bodybuilding community which believes that a high number of exercises is the only way to increase muscle mass.

“Our muscles cannot see weights or count reps, they just respond to “stress”. If I am able to keep them in tension long enough, why would I need to add more reps or increase weight?”

Doggcrapp is an extremely intense workout. Don’t be fooled by the relatively low number of reps. Before each exercise, you will perform 3 to 5 sets with submaximal intensity, followed by a work set where you must make every effort. You should not be able to do more reps after completing this set.

Training plan with Doggcrapp technique

There are many training plans where you can use this technique. We have prepared an example for you – You practice three times a week but you divide all muscle parts into two separate trainings.

Training 1 – e.g. chest, shoulders, triceps, exercises aimed at thickness and width of back

Training 2 – e.g. biceps, forearms, calves, quadriceps and hamstrings

In this split, you exercise the most difficult muscle parts at the end of your training. These workouts alternate three times within 2 weeks.

• Monday (Training 1)
• Wednesday (Training 2)
• Friday (Training 1)
• Monday (Training 2)
• Wednesday (Training 1)
• Friday (Training 2)

This way of alternating workouts builds pure muscle mass. While other people work out their chest on Monday and then wait a week to do it again, you will train the chest three times within two weeks. In other words, others will work out the chest 52 times a year and their muscles will grow 52 times. However, you’ll work it out 78 times a year and this number will also correspond to your muscle growth.

Choose 3 favorite exercises

Trudel recommends that you choose 3 random exercises for each muscle part to be alternated for two weeks. For example, from chest exercises, you can choose Incline Bench Pres, Decline Bench press and Flys. Follow these exercises until you stop adding weight to each one of them.

The split of the chest workouts would look like this:

Monday– Incline Bench Press

Friday – Decline Bench Press

Wednesday – Flys

Why is it important to do the same exercises?

In order to take full advantage of DC training, it is essential that you write down the weight you have used, as well as the number of repetitions of the main series in a notebook or mobile app. Recording of individual exercises will show you how you proceed and it will also remind you of the proper observance of DC technology.

In practice, if you do 11 reps on a bench press with 100 kg, the next time you do the same exercise (in 2 weeks), either you will do more than 11 reps with the same weight or use more than 100 kilograms for the same number of reps. You can also increase the weight together with the number of repetitions in one workout. If you fail to overcome your last performance, you will lose the exercise and must find a replacement. This is why the philosophy of DC training is a little more serious than other training plans. The benefit is that you have your progress recorded in detail. You can see what your performance was 6 months ago and how much you have improved since then.

What discourages many from DC training is the fact that you have only one work set from one exercise per muscle part, which you should perform until complete failure. DC training is similar to the exercise system used by the well-known Mr. Olympia – Dorian Yates. The work set should be the hardest you’ve ever done. Most exercises must be performed with breaks between reps.

“For many, bodybuilding is about obsession and pressure instead of deductive reasoning. I would like people to start thinking about getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible. I am not saying that I have built the best way to gain muscle, but I have shown that it is possible to speed it up.” [1]

Warm-up

Before you do your main/work set, you need to warm up properly and congest the muscle part you will be training. Warm-up is extremely important in DC training to avoid injuries while using extreme loads. Therefore, do as many warm-up sets as you need in order to prepare for the main thus most important set.

Let’s explain this in the following example:

Your goal is to do 150kg squats of 15 to 20 reps. You should do at least 5 warm-up sessions using 70, 80, 90, 100 and 120 kilograms before starting this set. For smaller muscle parts such as biceps, two warm-up sets are enough as biceps also serves as an auxiliary muscle for several other exercises.

Doggcrap and number of reps

After completing the warm-up sets, choose the weight for the last main set. Do as many reps as possible until you get to failure. For the upper body, the intensity of sets ranges from 10 to 15 reps and for the legs it’s 15 to 20 reps. You need to divide this set into 3 parts with a break lasting 10 to 15 deep breaths. For example, Incline Bench Press of 10 to 15 reps could look like this: 7 to 8 reps till failure, put down the weight, pause, another 2 to 4 reps, pause, and the last 1 to 2 reps. Although it is a single work set, due to breaks it is actually three quick work sets performed in a row. You don’t need to to stay under load or continue to hold the weight during the break. The aim of deep inhalation is to widen the diaphragma as much as possible, thereby maximizing oxygen intake.

There are some exceptions regarding breaks between exercises. Complex exercises such as barbell rows, squats or deadlift are divided into 2 sets. In the first set, you should do 8 to 10 reps and then take a break of approximately 30 seconds. Right after that, you should continue the second set when eventually you should do 15 to 20 reps combined.

Extreme stretching

If extreme stretching is performed correctly: it recuperates and enlarges muscles. Extreme stretching should only be done after training and should include all muscle parts. For example, if you complete a set of presses on an inclined bench, proceed to the next set with a relatively heavy weight. Take a deep breath and hold it for 10 seconds. Then exhale and try to get to as deep stretching as possible and stay there for about 45 to 50 seconds. Although it will extremely hurt you, the goal of extreme stretching is to expand muscle fibers which increases the potential for muscle expansion and filling.

Calves – choose a medium load on the machine designed for Standing Calf Raises. Slowly load the muscle with extension. Maintain this position for at least 60 seconds. Remember to breathe deeply throughout the stretching to maximize muscle relaxation.

After finishing your calf workout, place a straigth-bar in front of you at a height that you consider high enough to do the following stretching. Face the bar, put your right foot up on it. Your back should be level and you should feel uncomfortable pain in your left leg.

Quadriceps – start just like with calves. In this case, however, you do not put your foot on the bar but grasp it with both hands in the width of the shoulders. The center of your body should be under the bar and legs facing forward. You need to stand on your toes. The more you try to move forward in this position, the more this stretching should hurt you.

Back – Hang on the horizontal bar with a wide grip and try to hold in the starting position of the exercise, i.e. with your hands level. If you last more than 60 seconds without problems, add a weight.

Chest – proceed as if you were doing Incline Dumbbell Press. Use approximately half of the weight you use for the work set. The starting position – hands level overhead. Slowly lower the weight until you reach the final movement position. Here, try to hold the weight for at least 60 seconds.

Shoulders– Adjust the bar on the multipress machine to approximately the height of your shoulders and stand with your back facing the bar. Grasp the bar underhand with both hands. While holding the bar, try to get as far away from it as possible.

Biceps – the procedure is the same as for the shoulders. The only difference is that you hold the bar overhand.

Triceps – take a moderate weight dumbbell. While seated in the triceps extension position, slowly lower the weight into muscle extension. Keep the triceps under stretching for about 60 seconds.

“I recommend replacing DC training after six to eight weeks with a 10-14 day maintenance phase. During this period, you can remove one meal from your meal plan and do the workouts only to maintain weight. The point is to fully recover and mentally prepare for the next 6 to 8 weeks of hardcore training.”

Cardio

Cardio is another important element for Doggcrapp technique that you should not leave out. Since the workouts themselves are very intense, you should do cardio during the rest days. Trudel recommends 3 to 4 low intensity cardio workouts per week, ranging from 30 to 40 minutes.

Trudel also believes that so called “fasted cardio”, that is cardio exercise with an empty stomach, is the best because fat is converted to energy instead of glycogen. However, cardio does not require you to visit the gym. A simple walk or a quick walk is a great alternative. Trudel is also totally against highly intense cardio workouts and believes that this form of workout is too intense and will not provide the body with adequate recovery.

Basics of DC nutritional philosophy

• Increase protein intake to 1.5 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight.
• Increase fluid intake depending on the amount of protein. For example, if you take 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight, you should drink at least 5 liters of water per day.
• In addition to the carbohydrates that you receive directly after your workout, you should not consume any other carbohydrates after 6 p.m. This is mainly in order to perform your morning cardio with a reduced glycogen level.
• Combine proteins with carbohydrates or fats. Try to avoid large amounts of these three nutrients in one meal.

• Meals containing proteins and carbohydrates are usually consumed as follows: first proteins, then fiber and vegetables, and the last ones are carbohydrates. This sequence is very simple because after half of steak, salad and broccoli, you are so full that you won’t eat all carbohydrates.
• If you are sensitive to carbohydrates, you should consult a nutritionist or your trainer who will prepare a diet suitable for you.

“Basically, try to get your body to grow as much as possible while burning fat.“[1]

Trudel has trained clients of different sizes and types of figures and declares that he has achieved enviable results with each one of them. Doggcrapp is designed for extreme muscle growth and is not suitable for those who do not want to be serious bodybuilders. Although this is not a classic bulking training of bodybuilders, the main sets are performed extremely intensively and require mental strength and discipline. The protein content you need to consume keeps you at bay. Trudel argues that the DC system cannot be deceived as the simplified version will not bring the same results. [2]

What is your opinion on DC training? Would you give it a chance or would you rather work out your muscles with multiple exercises? Tell us in the comments section about your muscle building training system. If you liked the article, don’t hesitate to share it.

Sources:

[1] Simplyshredded, A Load of Doggcrapp: Is Dante Trudel’s Doggcrapp Training System The Next Big Thing In Bodybuilding? – http://www.simplyshredded.com/a-load-of-doggcrapp-is-dante-trudels-doggcrapp-training-system-the-next-big-thing-in-bodybuilding.html

[2] Mick Madden, A Concise Guide to Doggcrapp Training – http://muscleandbrawn.com/a-concise-guide-to-doggcrapp-training/