---

id: dc_training
name: DC Training (Doggcrapp)
aliases: [Doggcrapp, DC training, Dante Trudel training, extreme stretching bodybuilding]
category: program
system: bodybuilding
goal: Maximize hypertrophy and strength simultaneously by training each muscle group every 4–5 days using rest-pause sets, extreme stretching, and rotating exercises across two workouts (A and B) that alternate over the training week
goals: [hypertrophy]
level: advanced
duration_weeks: 12
frequency_per_week: 3
periodization: high_frequency_low_volume
origin: classic
progression_model: >
  Rest-pause sets: perform a set to failure, rest 15 breaths (deep nasal breaths,
  approximately 20–25 seconds), perform reps to failure again, rest 15 breaths, perform
  final reps to failure. Record total reps across all three mini-sets. Beat the total rep
  count at the next session. When total reps plateau for 3 sessions, rotate to the next
  exercise in the rotation. DC runs 2-week mini-blasts followed by a 1-week cruise
  (light, 15–20 rep sets, no failure) every 6 weeks to prevent overtraining and reset.

exercises:
  - ref: bench_press
    role: primary
    frequency_per_week: 1.5
    technical_notes: >
      Workout A primary chest compound. Rest-pause: 1 set to failure, 15 breaths, reps
      to failure, 15 breaths, final reps. DC Training uses only ONE rest-pause set per
      exercise, not multiple straight sets. Record total reps. Next session: beat the
      total. When total reps stall 3× in a row, rotate to next chest exercise.

  - ref: incline_dumbbell_press
    role: primary
    frequency_per_week: 1.5
    technical_notes: >
      Workout B primary chest compound (alternates with bench press). Same rest-pause
      protocol. Rotation within chest: flat barbell → incline dumbbell → hammer strength
      chest press → repeat. Rotating exercises prevents accommodation on any one movement.

  - ref: bent_over_barbell_row
    role: primary
    frequency_per_week: 1.5
    technical_notes: >
      Workout A primary back width exercise. Rest-pause protocol. DC categorizes back
      into two groups: back width (rowing) and back thickness (deadlifts/rack pulls).
      Both trained separately within the same session. Underhand grip for bicep
      integration; overhand for pure rhomboid focus.

  - ref: conventional_deadlift
    role: primary
    frequency_per_week: 1.5
    technical_notes: >
      Workout B primary back thickness exercise. Rest-pause protocol on deadlifts is
      structurally demanding; many athletes use rack pull or trap bar variant instead.
      Straight-weight sets of 6–10 reps are an acceptable DC substitute for deadlifts
      due to spinal fatigue concerns with rest-pause dead stops.

  - ref: overhead_press
    role: primary
    frequency_per_week: 1.5
    technical_notes: >
      Primary shoulder exercise both workouts. Rest-pause. Rotation: seated dumbbell press
      → seated barbell press → machine press → repeat. Shoulders in DC are trained with
      heavy pressing only; lateral raises are secondary (low rotation priority).

  - ref: back_squat
    role: primary
    frequency_per_week: 1.5
    technical_notes: >
      Primary quad exercise. Rest-pause squats are extremely demanding; DC practitioners
      often use leg press as the rest-pause vehicle and squat as a straight-set warm-up.
      Rotation: leg press → hack squat → squat → repeat. Full ROM required in DC;
      partial range is explicitly prohibited by Dante Trudel.

  - ref: romanian_deadlift
    role: primary
    frequency_per_week: 1.5
    technical_notes: >
      Primary hamstring exercise. Straight sets 8–12 rather than rest-pause due to
      hip hinge fatigue accumulation. DC uses RDL as the primary posterior chain exercise;
      lying leg curls are secondary.

  - ref: barbell_curl
    role: primary
    frequency_per_week: 1.5
    technical_notes: >
      Primary bicep exercise. Rest-pause protocol. Rotation: barbell curl → incline
      dumbbell curl → preacher curl → repeat. DC emphasizes the incline dumbbell curl
      specifically for bicep peak development from the stretched position.

  - ref: triceps_pushdown
    role: primary
    frequency_per_week: 1.5
    technical_notes: >
      Primary tricep exercise. Rest-pause. Rotation: close-grip bench → pushdown →
      overhead extension → repeat. Triceps represent the bulk of upper arm mass; DC
      treats them as higher priority than biceps.

  - ref: standing_calf_raises
    role: secondary
    frequency_per_week: 3
    technical_notes: >
      DC calf work is notably unique: 1 rest-pause set of 8–12 reps followed by a
      30-second extreme stretch in the fully dorsiflexed position. Both calves trained
      every session. DC's extreme stretching for calves is documented as highly effective
      for stubborn calf hypertrophy.

sources:
  - title: "DC Training Manual"
    author: "Trudel, D. (Doggcrapp)"
    year: 2003
    publisher: "Internet Bodybuilding Community / Elite Fitness Systems"
    credibility: practitioner
  - title: "Effectiveness of post-exercise muscle stretching on reducing delayed onset muscle soreness: a systematic review and meta-analysis"
    author: "Apostolopoulos, N., et al."
    year: 2015
    journal: "Journal of Human Kinetics"
    volume: 46
    pages: "107-124"
    doi: "10.1515/hukin-2015-0012"
    credibility: meta_analysis
---

# DC Training (Doggcrapp)

Created by Dante Trudel and popularized through internet bodybuilding forums in the early 2000s, DC Training is built on three unconventional principles: (1) rest-pause sets as the primary intensity technique instead of multiple straight sets, (2) extreme stretching of the worked muscle for 60–90 seconds immediately after each exercise, and (3) exercise rotation to continuously present new mechanical stimuli as accommodation develops. The system produces unusually fast strength gains alongside hypertrophy in advanced athletes who have stalled on traditional volume-based programs.

## Who This Is For

- Advanced bodybuilders who have run intermediate programs for 2+ years and have stalled on conventional volume-based programming
- Athletes with a strength base: Bench ≥ 1.25× BW, Squat ≥ 1.75× BW, Row ≥ 1× BW
- Not for: beginners or early intermediates — the rest-pause intensity and high frequency (every 4–5 days per muscle) creates profound fatigue that beginners cannot recover from

## The Rest-Pause Set

DC uses a single rest-pause set per exercise rather than multiple straight sets:

1. Load the bar for approximately 8–12 rep max
2. Perform reps to volitional concentric failure
3. Rack the bar / re-rack the weight
4. Take 15 deep diaphragmatic breaths (approximately 20–25 seconds)
5. Perform reps to failure again
6. 15 breaths again
7. Final set to failure
8. Record total reps across all three mini-sets

At the next session: beat the total rep count. When total reps plateau for 3 consecutive sessions at the same weight, rotate to the next exercise in that muscle group's rotation.

## Extreme Stretching Protocol

Immediately after each rest-pause set, perform a 60–90 second extreme stretch for the worked muscle:

| Muscle | Extreme Stretch Position |
|--------|-------------------------|
| Chest | Dumbbell flye bottom position with 5–10 kg dumbbell, elbow at 90°, held for 60–90 sec |
| Lats/Back | Straight-arm lat hang from pull-up bar, bodyweight, 60–90 sec |
| Biceps | Arms behind torso, hands on bench, body forward, 60–90 sec |
| Triceps | Overhead extension bottom position with light dumbbell, held 60–90 sec |
| Quads | Sissy squat bottom position or kneeling quad stretch, 60–90 sec |
| Hamstrings | Standing RDL bottom position with light load, 60–90 sec |
| Calves | Heel off step in full dorsiflexion, 30–60 sec per calf |

Extreme stretching in DC is not passive yoga-style stretching — it is weighted or loaded stretching that applies mechanical tension to the fully elongated muscle, activating titin mechanosensing and providing stretch-mediated hypertrophic stimulus.

## Weekly Structure (3 Days Per Week)

| Week | Monday | Wednesday | Friday |
|------|--------|-----------|--------|
| Odd | Workout A | Workout B | Workout A |
| Even | Workout B | Workout A | Workout B |

Each muscle group is trained every 4–5 days — more frequent than typical bodybuilding splits but less frequent than daily training, allowing DC's high-intensity rest-pause format to fully recover.

## Workout A

| Body Part | Exercise | Protocol |
|-----------|---------|---------|
| Chest | Bench Press | 1 × rest-pause + 60-sec extreme stretch |
| Back (width) | Bent-over Barbell Row | 1 × rest-pause + 60-sec lat hang |
| Shoulders | Seated Dumbbell Press | 1 × rest-pause |
| Triceps | Close-grip Bench | 1 × rest-pause + overhead stretch |
| Biceps | Barbell Curl | 1 × rest-pause + stretch |
| Quads | Leg Press | 1 × rest-pause + quad stretch |
| Hamstrings | Romanian Deadlift | 2 × 8–12 straight sets |
| Calves | Standing Calf Raise | 1 × rest-pause + 30-sec extreme stretch |

## Workout B

| Body Part | Exercise | Protocol |
|-----------|---------|---------|
| Chest | Incline Dumbbell Press | 1 × rest-pause + stretch |
| Back (thickness) | Rack Pull | 1 × 6–10 straight + 60-sec lat hang |
| Shoulders | Seated Barbell Press | 1 × rest-pause |
| Triceps | Pushdown | 1 × rest-pause + stretch |
| Biceps | Incline Dumbbell Curl | 1 × rest-pause + stretch |
| Quads | Hack Squat | 1 × rest-pause + quad stretch |
| Hamstrings | Lying Leg Curl | 2 × 10–15 straight sets |
| Calves | Seated Calf Raise | 1 × rest-pause + 30-sec extreme stretch |

## Mini-Blast / Cruise Periodization

- **Blast (5–6 weeks)**: Full rest-pause intensity every session
- **Cruise (1–2 weeks)**: Light training at 15–20 rep straight sets, no failure; allows joints, tendons, and CNS to recover
- Repeat blast/cruise cycles

> Related programs: `rp_hypertrophy` (volume-based alternative), `phat` (power-hypertrophy hybrid). Related guides: `bodybuilding_advanced_guide`.