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Get in the best shape of your life with our new
muscle-building, fat-burning training, diet and
supplement program. Ready to get rock hard?

INSIDE
Complete Workout Program p. 74
Pullout Training Card p. 80
Contest Entry Form p. 86
The Rock-Hard Diet p. 88
Rules & Regulations p. 270
TRAINING

1
Month Kick off your journey to a
new you with the first phase
of our progressive program
By Joe Wuebben | PHOTOS BY pavel ythjall

Rock
Program by Jimmy Peña, MS, CSCS

Hard Photogra pher’ s Name

74
We created the Rock-Hard Challenge in 2001
with a very simple premise in mind: Help readers
dramatically transform their physiques in a very short period —
three months, to be exact. We not only provided a highly effective
training program and diet regimen but added incentive in the form
of a contest to help maximize our readers’ motivation. ❡ Seven years
later, the Rock-Hard Challenge is still going strong and the premise
remains unchanged: Follow our three-month training and diet plans
to a T to get in the best shape of your life. And if turning your phy-
sique around 180 degrees in just three month’s time isn’t motivation
enough, consider this — a $2,500 grand prize for both the men’s and
women’s Rock-Hard champions. Not bad, huh?
>> Lie back on an incline bench (set to 30–45 degrees) with a rack and grasp
What we also offer this time that we
the bar with an overhand grip outside shoulder width. Unrack the bar and
didn’t in the early years of the Chal-
position it directly over your upper chest, arms extended. Slowly lower the
lenge is a true multimedia experience: A A
bar to your upper chest. Touch the bar to your chest lightly, then press it
back up to the start position without locking out your elbows.
The Rock-Hard Challenge is now on >> Stand erect holding a barbell across your upper traps. >> Sit on a low-back seat or adjustable bench
DVD. Your hosts, m&f Fitness Direc- Position your feet roughly shoulder-width apart and push set upright holding a pair of dumbbells. Lift the
tor Jimmy Peña, MS, CSCS, and per- your chest out slightly so your back arches naturally. weights to just outside your shoulders, palms
sonal trainer and fitness model Linda Squat down with the weight as if sitting in a chair, keeping facing forward. Press the dumbbells straight up
Ruggiero, walk you through the entire the arch in your back. When your thighs are parallel to the until the weights are overhead with your elbows
three months with the help of three of floor, push yourself up through your heels, extending your just short of lockout. Slowly lower the weights
the industry’s most successful com- knees and hips, to return to the standing position. to the start position.

Squat
petitors and models — Stan McQuay,
Jim Romagna and Timea Majorova — B B
who demonstrate each exercise in the
program. Also available is the Rock-
Hard Challenge Training Log, which
includes the entire training program
and diet plan, as well as a specifically
formatted Rock-Hard Journal to record
every set you do and every meal you
consume. The Rock-Hard Challenge
DVD ($9.99) and Training Log ($9.99)
can be purchased at musclestuff.com.
gym: Powerhouse Burbank, CA ; hair & makeu p: gillia n

That said, welcome to Month 1 of

the 2008 Rock-Hard Challenge. What
follows is the guide for your first four
whitlock; fa shion d ir ect or : cindy whitehead

weeks of lifting and cardio (the Rock-

Hard Diet begins on page 88). The
beauty of the training regimen is that
it’s both simple and demanding, which
is all you really need if you have the
dedication to follow the program reli-
giously. You’ll also notice, especially
in Months 2 and 3, that it’s a progressive
program — you’ll push yourself more
in terms of volume, intensity and car-
dio duration as the days, weeks and

76 MUSCLE & FITNESS July 2008 muscle-fitness.com 77

 >> Stand erect holding
a barbell with your
arms extended
straight down in front
of you and your knees months pass. Without a doubt, this
slightly bent. Keeping year’s installment of the Rock-Hard
your elbows in at your Challenge matches, if not exceeds, the
sides, curl the weight level of past challenges, which falls
toward your chest. right in line with your goal: to take
Squeeze your biceps your physique to heights never before
for a count at the top,
reached. That’s quite a challenge. Are
then slowly return the
you up to it?
bar to the start posi-
tion — don’t let it drop.
Rock-Hard Specifics
A Before you jump into the first month
of lifting, here’s a quick overview of
the program:
>> Training Split You’ll lift four days
a week, training each bodypart once
(with the exception of calves and abs,
which you’ll train twice a week) and
pairing muscle groups as follows: Day
1, chest and triceps; Day 2, legs, calves
and abs; Day 3, shoulders, calves and
abs; and Day 4, back and biceps. Which
days of the week you want to train is
entirely up to you. Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday and Friday always work
well, but if you’d prefer to work out,
say, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and
Saturday, or even Sunday through
B Wednesday, go right ahead. This train-
ing split will remain the same for all
three months of the program.
>> Exercise Selection The exercises
included in the Rock-Hard Challenge
are basic, tried-and-true moves per-
formed with straight sets. The intent
isn’t to try to reinvent the wheel but
rather to emphasize compound exer-
cises that train the most muscle to
promote maximum hypertrophy and
calorie-burning to lose bodyfat. We’ll
introduce different exercises in
Months 2 and 3, but again, the move-
ments are basic, core lifts that you’ve
likely done before.
>> Sets, Reps and Weights Rock-
Hard is a high-volume program,
meaning you’ll do a high number of
sets for each bodypart (up to 30-plus
total sets in a given workout). It also
combines both heavy (low-rep) and
light (high-rep) sets throughout the
three months, which will help build
muscle and burn fat during workouts
as well as at rest. For example, many
exercises call for 5­­–6 sets, and your
reps will range from 6–12 in Month 1,
5–15 in Month 2 and 4–20 in Month 3.

78 MUSCLE & FITNESS July 2008

 Rock
1
>> You’ll repeat the following
Month
routines each week for the
next four weeks, lifting on

Hard
whichever four days of the
week you choose. While it
would seem the workouts

Challenge
are the same from week to
week, if you’re pushing

Training yourself to failure on every

set, you should be able to

Program use heavier weights on

many exercises each week.

Day 1: Chest, triceps

Exercise Sets Reps
Chest
Incline Bench Press 6 6,6,6,10,12,12
Bench Press 6 6,6,6,10,12,12
Decline Flye 4 12
Triceps
Bench Dip 5 6,6,10,12,12
Close-Grip Bench Press 5 6,6,10,12,12
Lying Triceps Extension 5 6,6,10,12,12 >> Sit in a leg press machine
and place the balls of your feet

Day 2: Legs, calves, abs

low on the platform approxi-
mately 6–12 inches apart with
Exercise Sets Reps your heels hanging off the bot-
A Legs tom. Keeping a slight bend in
Squat 5 6,6,10,12,12 your knees, lower the platform
>> Position yourself as you would on the bench
Leg Press 5 6,6,10,12,12 until you feel a good stretch in
press, but grasp the bar (loaded with a lighter
Lunge 5 6,6,10,12,12 your calves, then extend your
weight than you use for wide-grip benching)
Leg Extension 2 12 ankles to press the weight up
with your hands 6–12 inches apart. Lower the
Leg Curl 2 12 as far as you can.
bar to your mid-to-lower chest, then press it

Crunch
Abs
back up explosively, keeping your elbows as
Crunch 2 15
close to your sides as possible.
Reverse Crunch 2 15
Calves
B Leg-Press Calf Raise 2 12
Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise 2 12

Day 3: Shoulders, calves, abs

Exercise Sets Reps
Delts
Overhead Dumbbell Press 6 6,6,6,10,12,12
Upright Row 5 6,6,10,12,12
Bent-Over Lateral Raise 2 12
Abs
Crunch 2 15
Reverse Crunch 2 15
Calves
Leg-Press Calf Raise 2 12
Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise 2 12

Day 4: Back, biceps >> Lie faceup on the floor with your knees
Exercise Sets Reps
bent about 90 degrees, feet on the floor, and
Back
your arms either across your chest or your
Bent-Over Row 6 6,6,6,10,12,12
hands behind your head. Contract your abs
Seated Row 6 6,6,6,10,12,12
to lift your shoulder blades off the floor,
Lat Pulldown 4 6,6,10,12
then lower yourself slowly. The range of
Biceps
motion is very short — the goal is to press
Barbell Curl 5 6,6,10,12,12
your lower back into the floor to bring your
Incline Dumbbell Curl 5 6,6,10,12,12
sternum closer to your pelvis.
Dumbbell Preacher Curl 2 10

80 MUSCLE & FITNESS Month 2008 mrolympia.com 81

CARDIO
Weeks 1 & 2
>> 3 days per week (either after lifting or on days you don’t lift) The amount of weight you select for
>> 30 minutes (45 for Week 2) on your choice of cardio equipment each set is critical. Since your goal is to
>> Perform at a steady state of 60% of maximum heart rate transform your physique in just three
Weeks 3 & 4 short months, you’ll want to really
>> 4 days per week (either after lifting or on days you don’t lift) push yourself, lifting to failure on each
>> 45 minutes on your choice of cardio equipment set. Thus, on a set of six reps, don’t pick
>> Perform at a steady state of 65% of maximum heart rate a weight with which you can do 8–10
reps; rather, choose a weight that makes
a seventh rep physically impossible to
achieve. As you get stronger, increase
the weight you use to maximize the
effectiveness of the program — for
example, one week you might fail at 10
reps with 100 pounds, but maybe the
next week you fail at 110 pounds.
>> Rest Periods During this first
month, you’ll rest 1–2 minutes between
each set. This rest period is ideal for
sufficient recovery that will allow you
to train at a high intensity in each
workout. As your body becomes more
conditioned to the fierce workouts,
your rest periods will shorten — in
Month 2, you’ll rest no more than one
minute between sets, and in Month 3,
that time shrinks to 30–45 seconds.
>> Cardio The training portion of the
Challenge won’t be limited to only
lifting. This first month, you’ll do car-
dio 3–4 days a week on your choice of
A cardio equipment (treadmill, stair-
stepper, bike, etc.) at 60%–65% of your
>> Stand holding a barbell with a shoulder-width, overhand grip.
max heart rate (see above left).
Bend your knees slightly and bend over at your waist so your torso
>> Up Next… As the Rock-Hard Chal-
is close to parallel to the floor; keep your torso in this position
throughout. Start with your arms extended, hanging straight down, lenge is a progressive program, we’ll up
and pull the bar into your midsection. At the top of the move, squeeze the stakes next month, and then the
your shoulder blades together for a count to fully contract your month after, with more exercises,
back muscles, then slowly return the bar to the start. more sets and, all in all, more intense
training sessions. But don’t worry
B about that just yet. Take the program
one day — one workout — at a time,
following the regimen we’ve drawn up
set by set, rep by rep. All it takes is
focus, discipline and, most important,
desire. If you possess these traits, you’ll
no doubt be up to the challenge. M&F

NOW AT M&F ONLINE

Exercise descriptions can be found at
muscleandfitness.com. To share your
progress with other readers or ask
our fitness director a question, go to
muscleandfitness.com/boards. To
purchase the Rock-Hard Challenge
DVD, go to musclestuff.com

82 MUSCLE & FITNESS July 2008

 M&F ROCKHARD CHALLENGE TRAINING

1
Month
LOG
>> Record your workouts on this log. When you’re done with Month 1, mail it to M&F’s Rock-Hard Challenge,
21100 Erwin St., Woodland Hills, CA 91367 by July 31, 2008, to be eligible for the grand prize.

Day 1: Chest, triceps

Exercise Sets Reps Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Chest
Incline Bench Press 6 6,6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Bench Press 6 6,6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Decline Flye 4 12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
triceps
Bench Dip 5 6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Close-Grip Bench Press 5 6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Lying Triceps Extension 5 6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________

Day 2: Legs, calves, abs

Exercise Sets Reps Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
legs
Squat 5 6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Leg Press 5 6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Lunge 5 6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Leg Extension 2 12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Leg Curl 2 12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
abs
Crunch 2 15 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Reverse Crunch 2 15 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
calves
Leg-Press Calf Raise 2 12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise 2 12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________

Day 3: Delts, calves, abs

Exercise Sets Reps Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
delts
Overhead Dumbbell Press 6 6,6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Upright Row 5 6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Bent-Over Lateral Raise 2 12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Abs
Crunch 2 15 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Reverse Crunch 2 15 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
calves
Leg-Press Calf Raise 2 12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Seated Dumbell Calf Raise 2 12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________

Day 4: Back, biceps

Exercise Sets Reps Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
back
Bent-Over Row 6 6,6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Seated Row 6 6,6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Lat Pulldown 4 6,6,10,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
biceps
Barbell Curl 5 6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Incline Dumbbell Curl 5 6,6,10,12,12 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________
Dumbbell Preacher Curl 2 10 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________

Record your weights used in the corresponding blanks. Please see the Official Contest Rules on page 270.

Name

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

E-MAIL PHONE AGE MALE/FEMALE

86 MUSCLE & FITNESS July 2008