MF 07.

2013

personal trainer

● A burnout set for

Specialty Techniques *
the triceps forces
them to work without In Part 1 of the RHC, you’ll incorporate the following
the assistance of techniques each week. These strategies help
other muscles. support your goals of maintaining or building
muscle mass while shedding fat.
INTENSITY SET few minutes of warming
What it is: A superset up at an easy pace, you’ll
that includes an exercise increase the intensity to a
for the targeted body perceived exertion level of
part and a leg exercise about 9. Maintain this for
that accelerates your 60-90 seconds, then slow
heart rate. down to an easy pace for
What you’ll do: Perform a few minutes, allowing
the move that hits your your heart rate to come
target muscle group, then down so you’re ready
follow it immediately to do another interval.
with a lower-body move In total, perform at least
that jacks up your heart three intervals, working up
rate. After you complete to five by the end of four
a set, rest for as little time weeks. These workouts
as possible. Choose light shouldn’t be long — you
weights. After you finish all should be able to complete
four intensity sets, take a this work in 20 minutes
short rest before moving or less.
on to your next exercise. Benefits: Research shows
Benefits: You’re using that HIIT sessions burn
anaerobic moves for body fat more effectively
cardio and fat-burning than other forms of cardio.
benefits. Intensity intervals also
have a profound effect
STEADY-STATE CARDIO on your metabolic rate,
What it is: Treadmill, burning more body fat in
stationary bike, elliptical the hours after workouts.
or stair-climbing
work performed at a BURNOUT SET
comfortable rate. You What it is: A high-rep set
should break a sweat, but performed as the last set
be able to talk to someone that targets a particular
next to you throughout. body part.
What you’ll do: At the What you’ll do: Choose
end of your weight- a relatively light weight
training workouts twice that allows you to get a
a week, you’ll drink your deep contraction in the
post-workout shake target muscle — not one
before doing 30 minutes that makes you use other
of cardio. muscles to lift it.
Benefits: Compared Benefits: Burnout sets
with other fat-burning encourage growth by
techniques, steady- forcing as much blood as
state cardio is easier to you can into the muscles.
perform and it keeps your
metabolism elevated. REST DAY
What it is: Well, you know
HIGH-INTENSITY what this is — a day where
INTERVAL
HOW IT WORKS TRAINING (HIIT)
you don’t go to the gym.
What you’ll do: Follow
What it is: This form of your diet plan but take it
cardio work includes easy otherwise. You can
l The first month of the Rock Hard Challenge program is a classic bodybuilding intense 60- to 90-second rearrange your workouts
split with a twist. You’ll include a handful of intensity techniques that will help intervals followed by 2-3 so rest days fit your
minutes of easier work. schedule better, but take
keep your metabolic rate firing while you’re reducing calories (see the Rock Hard What you’ll do: After a two rest days each week.
Muscle Meals on p.124). The net effect is that you’ll keep your muscle mass — or
even add to it — while you burn body fat. The keys to success are to weight train
with intensity, include cardio activities that emphasise fat-burning and also help TRAINING SPLIT
you avoid overtraining, and reduce calorie consumption only enough that you Below is the schedule you’ll follow for the first
four weeks. See above for descriptions of each
target fat loss while preserving muscle mass. intensity technique.
You’ll follow this workout plan for four weeks. In our next issue, look for
Part 2 of the Rock Hard Challenge program. DAY BODY PART SPECIALTY
I Legs, abs Steady-state
cardio
Directions II Chest, triceps Intensity sets
III — HIIT cardio

l Perform the exercises as directed, and make sure to reference the “Specialty IV Back, biceps, abs Intensity sets

Techniques” column on this page for specific instructions on how to complete V Shoulders, calves,
forearms
HIIT cardio

certain moves. Paired exercises (marked “a” and “b”) are done as a superset VI — Rest
— complete a set of the first move and then the next without rest in between. VII — Rest
Repeat until all sets are done.

114 | MF | JULY
● Your rear knee
should come close
to brushing the
floor during a set
of lunges.

Day 1 (Legs, Abs, Cardio)

1a) Leg 2) Squat 3) Wide-stance 5) Stiff-leg Deadlift 7) Lying Leg Curl 9) Reverse Crunch
Extension Sets: 4
Leg Press Sets: 3 Reps: 12
Burnout Set
Sets: 3 Reps: 20
Sets: 4 Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8 Sets: 3 Reps: 15, 12, 10 Sets: 1 Reps: 30
> Hold the bar at > Lie on your back and
Reps: 20, 20, 15, 15
> Grasp the bar outside > Place your feet outside shoulder width and stand > Perform a burnout set bend your hips and
> Set the cam of the shoulder width and shoulder width on the shoulder width. Push as described on p.114. knees 90 degrees. Raise
machine so it’s in line squeeze tightly. Step foot plate. Turn your toes your hips back and lower your hips off the floor
with your knees. Extend under it and pull your out about 15 degrees your torso as far as you 8) Kneeling and crunch them to
your legs, hold at the top shoulder blades together. and bend your knees can while keeping your Cable Crunch your chest.
for a moment and then Arch your back to take 90 degrees on each rep. lower back arched and
control the descent. the bar off the rack — your knees nearly locked. Sets: 3 Reps: 20 10) Steady-state
it should rest on your 4) Dumbbell > Attach a rope handle to Cardio
1b) Lying traps or rear delts. Step Walking Lunge 6) Leg the high pulley of a cable Reps: 30 minutes
Leg Curl back and set your feet Extension station. Kneel and pull
shoulder-width apart. Sets: 3
Burnout Set the handle down around > Choose a low-intensity
Sets: 4 Reps: 15 Take a deep breath Reps: 20 (each leg)
the back of your neck to exercise such as walking
and sit back, lowering Sets: 1 Reps: 30
> Set the cam of the > Hold a dumbbell in put tension on the cable. or use an elliptical
machine so it’s in line yourself as far as you can each hand and step into > Perform a burnout set Crunch your torso to your trainer or bike and work
with your knees. Bend while keeping your lower a lunge. Lower your body as described on p.114. hips and hold the bottom at a moderate pace.
your knees to curl your back in its natural arch. and then step forward to Hold the top of each rep. position for a moment. You should be mildly
heels toward your butt. Push your knees outward begin the next rep. Focus on your abs. out of breath.
as you descend.
mensfitnessmagazine.com.au | MF | 115
 MF 07.2013

personal trainer

● The handles
should be set high
enough that you
feel a mild stretch in
the top position.

Day 2 (Chest, Triceps)

1) Dumbbell 3a) Push-up 4) Dumbbell Fly 6) Dip 8) Tricep
Bench Press Intensity Set
Sets: 4 Sets: 4 Reps: As many
Pushdown
Sets: 4 Sets: 4 Reps: 20 Reps: 15, 15, 10, 10 as possible Sets: 3 Reps: 15, 12, 10
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8
> Keep your abs braced > Lie back on a flat bench > Suspend yourself > Attach a rope handle
> Hold a dumbbell in and your body in a with a dumbbell in each over parallel bars and to the pulley of a cable
each hand and lie back straight line. hand. Spread your arms lower your body until station and grasp an end
on a flat bench. Press apart, keeping a slight your upper arms are in each hand. Fix your
the weights directly 3b) Step-up bend in your elbows. Then parallel to the floor. elbows at your sides and
over your chest. Intensity Set bring your arms together extend them downward.
in front of your chest. 7) Narrow-grip
Sets: 4
2) Incline Bench Press 9) Tricep
Reps: 20 (each leg) 5) Cable Pushdown
Bench Press Sets: 3 Reps: 15, 12, 10
> Set up a bench or other Crossover Burnout Set
Sets: 4
platform so that when Burnout Set > Grasp the bar just inside Sets: 1 Reps: 30
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8
you place one foot on it shoulder width. Lower
Sets: 1 Reps: 30
> Lie back against an your thigh is parallel to the bar to your solar
adjustable bench set to the floor. Step up onto a > Perform a fly motion plexus, tucking your
a 30- to 45-degree angle bench, but leaving your using two facing cable elbows to your sides.
and do dumbbell presses. trailing leg hanging off. stations. Bend at the hips
so your torso is 90 degrees.
116 | MF | JULY
 MF 07.2013
personal trainer
Day 3
(HIIT Cardio)
Intervals
Sets: 3–5
> Choose any cardio activity
such as running, cycling on
an exercise bike or using
a row machine and work
as hard as you can for a
60-second interval. Rest for
120-150 seconds and then
repeat three to five times.
Add some time to the work
interval each week until
you reach 90 seconds.
● Pinch your
shoulder blades
together as you
pull the handle.
118 | MF | JULY
Day 4 (Back, Biceps, Abs)
1) Pull-up 3) Bentover Row 5) Lat 8) EZ-bar Curl
Sets: 4 Reps: As many Sets: 4
Pulldown Burnout Set
Burnout Set
as possible Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8 Sets: 1 Reps: 30
Sets: 1 Reps: 30
> Hang from a pull-up > Grasp the bar at
bar and squeeze your shoulder width and row > Grasp the bar outside 9) Bench
shoulder blades together the bar to your belly. shoulder width with Knee-in
as you raise your body palms facing away.
up until your chin is 4a) Seated Cable Sets: 3 Reps: 15
over the bar. Row: Intensity Set 6) Dumbbell Curl > Sit perpendicular on
a bench and lean back
2) Reverse-grip Sets: 4 Reps: 20 Sets: 3 Reps: 15, 12, 10
while extending your
Lat Pulldown > Attach a neutral-grip > Keep your elbows legs. Crunch your torso
handle to a cable station. close to your sides forward as you bring
Sets: 4
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8
Row the handle to your throughout to keep your knees in.
sternum. tension on the biceps
> Sit at a lat-pulldown and not the shoulders. 10) Twisting
station and grasp the 4b) Step-up: Crunch
bar with hands inside Intensity Set 7) EZ-bar Curl
shoulder width and Sets: 3 Reps: 20
palms facing you. Pull the
Sets: 4 Sets: 3 Reps: 15, 12, 10
> Lie on your back and
Reps: 20 (each leg)
bar to your collarbone. > Use an EZ bar and twist your right elbow
> See p.116 for a grasp it at shoulder
description. width.
to your left knee as you
perform a crunch. Then
repeat on the other side.
 MF 07.2013
personal trainer
Day 5 (Shoulders, Calves, Forearms)
1) Arnold Press
Sets: 4
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8
> Hold a dumbbell in
each hand at shoulder
level with palms facing
you. Press the weights
overhead as you turn your
palms to face forward.
2) Cable
Lateral Raise
Sets: 4 Reps: 15
> Attach a D-handle to the
low pulley of a cable station
and grasp it far enough
away from the machine
that your shoulder feels a
stretch. Raise the handle
out to 90 degrees.
120 | MF | JULY
● If you have elbow
pain, you can stop
your reps short of
lockout.
3) Machine 5) Dumbbell 7) Standing 9a) Wrist Curl 10) HIIT Cardio
Shoulder Press Shrug Calf Raise Sets: 3 Reps: 15 Sets: 1 Reps: 3–5
Sets: 3 Reps: 15 Sets: 4 Sets: 3 Reps: 20, 15, 15
> Hold a barbell inside > Choose any cardio
Reps: 20, 15, 12, 10
> Align the cam of the > Use a standing calf-raise shoulder width and activity such as running,
machine with your > Hold a dumbbell in each machine and lower your rest the backs of your cycling on an exercise
shoulders and press hand and shrug your heels until you feel a forearms on a bench. bike or using a row
overhead. shoulders to your ears. stretch in your calves. Allow the weight to slide machine and work as
Drive the balls of your down to your fingertips hard as you can for a
4) Bentover 6) Machine feet into the platform to and then close your hand 60-second interval. Rest
Lateral Raise Shoulder Press: raise your heels. and bend your wrists. for 120-150 seconds, and
Burnout Set then repeat three to five
Sets: 3 Reps: 15 9b) Reverse
8) Seated times. Add some time to
Sets: 1 Reps: 30 Calf Raise Wrist Curl the work interval each
> Hold a dumbbell in each
hand and bend over at week until you reach
Sets: 3 Reps: 20, 15, 15 Sets: 3 Reps: 15 90 seconds.
the hips until your torso
is parallel to the floor. > Use a seated calf- > Place the meat of your
Raise the weights out raise machine to forearms on the bench
90 degrees. perform the exercise and extend your wrists.
as described above.