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Rock 
HaRd
cHallenge 2 0 0 8
Get in the best shape f yur life with ur new
muscle-building, fat-burning training, diet and
muscle-building,
supplement prgram.
prgram. Ready t get rck hard?

INSIDE
Cmplete Wrkut Prgram . 74
Pullut Training Card . 80
Cntest Entry Frm . 86
The Rck-Hard Diet . 88
Rules & Regulatins . 270
TRAINING

Month Kick ff yur jurney t a

1
new yu with the first phase
f ur prgressie prgram
By JoE WuEBBEN | PHoToS By PavEl yTHJall
Program By JImmy PEña, mS, CSCS

Rock 
HaRd
Rain in
   e
   m
   a
   N
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   h
   P
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 We ceted the rc-Hd Chene in 2001
 with  e sipe peise in ind: 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 n an incline bench (set t 30–45 degrees) with a rack and grasp
What we also offer this time that we
the bar with an erhand grip utside shulder width. Unrack the bar and
didn’t in the early years of the Chal-
psitin it directly er yur upper chest, arms etended. Slwly lwer the
lenge is a true multimedia experience:  A A
bar t yur upper chest. Tuch the bar t yur chest lightly, then press it
back up t the start psitin withut lcking ut yur elbws.
The Rock-Hard Challenge is now on >> Stand erect hlding a barbell acrss yu r upper traps. >> Sit n a lw-back seat r adjustable bench
DVD. Your hosts , m&f Fitness Direc- Psitin yur feet rughly shul der-width apart and push set upright hlding a pair f dumbbells. Lift the
tor Jimmy Peña, MS, CSCS, and per- yur chest ut slightly s yur back arches naturally. weights t just utside yur shulders, palms
sonal trainer and fitness model Linda Squat dwn with the weight as if sitting in a chair, keeping facing frward. Press the dumbbells straight up
Ruggiero, walk you through the entire the arch in yur back. When yur thighs are parallel t the until the weights are erhead with yur elbws
three months with the help of three of  flr, push yurself up thrugh yur heels, etending yur  just shrt f lckut. Slwly lwer th e weights
the industry’s most successful com- knees and hips, t return t the standing psitin . t the start psitin.
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.
   N
That said, welcome to Month 1 of     a
   i
   l
   l
   i
the 2008 Rock-Hard Challenge. What    g
  :
   P
follows is the guide for your first four    u   d
   e   a
   k   e
   a   h
weeks of lifting and cardio (the Rock-    m    e
   t
   i
   &   h
Hard Diet begins on page 88). The    i    w
   r
   a   y
beauty of the training regimen is that    h   d
   N
  ;   i
   a   C
it’s both simple and demanding, which    C  :
 ,    r
   k   o
is all you really need if you have the    N   t
   a   C
   B   e
dedication to follow the program reli-    r   r
   u   i
   B   d
giously. You’ll also notice, especially    e   N
   o
   s   i
   u   h
in Months 2 and 3, that it’s a progressive    o   s
   h   a
   r   f
   e   ;
program — you’ll push yourself more    w   k
   o   C
   P   o
in terms of volume, intensity and car-    l
  :   t
   m   i
   y   h
dio duration as the days, weeks and
>> Stand erect hlding
a barbell with yur
arms etended
straight dwn in frnt
f yu and yur knees months pass. Without a doubt, this
slightly bent. Keeping year’s installment of the Rock-Hard
yur elbws in at yur Challenge matches, if not exceeds, the
sides, curl the weight level of past challenges, which falls
tward yur chest. right in line with your goal: to take
Squeeze yur biceps your physique to heights never before
fr a cunt at the tp,
reached. That’s quite a challenge. Are
then slwly return the
you up to it?
bar t the start psi-
tin — dn’t let it drp.
roCk-HarD SPECIfICS
 A Before you jump into the first month
of lifting, here’s a quick overview of 
the program:
>> tra S 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 ah ead. This train-
ing split will remain the same for all
three months of the program.
>> ers S 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.
>> Ss, Rs ad Ws 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.
 Rock 
>> Yu’ll repeat the fllwing
Month
rutines each week fr the

1 HaRd
net fur weeks, lifting n
whicheer fur days f the
week yu chse. While it
wuld seem the wrkuts

CHallENgE
are the same frm week t
week, if yu’re pushing

TraININg yurself t failure n eery

set, yu shuld be able t

Program use heaier weights n

many eercises 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
Clse-Grip Bench Press 5 6,6,10,12,12
Lying Triceps Etensin 5 6,6,10,12,12 >> Sit in a leg press machine
and place the balls f yur feet
lw n the platfrm appri-
DAy 2: Legs, cales, abs mately 6–12 inches apart with
exeRciSe SetS RepS yur heels hanging ff the bt-
 A LEGS tm. Keeping a slight bend in
Squat 5 6,6,10,12,12 yur knees, lwer the platfrm
>> Psitin yurself as yu wuld n the bench
Leg Press 5 6,6,10,12,12 until yu feel a gd stretch in
press, but grasp the bar (laded with a lighter Lunge 5 6,6,10,12,12 yur cales, then etend yur
weight than yu use fr wide-grip benching) Leg Etensin 2 12 ankles t press the weight up
with yur hands 6–12 inches apart. Lwer the Leg Curl 2 12 as far as yu can.
bar t yur mid-t-lwer chest, then press it ABS
back up eplsiely, keeping yur elbws as Crunch 2 15
clse t yur sides as pssible. Reerse Crunch 2 15
CALvES
B Leg-Press Calf Raise 2 12
Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise 2 12

DAy 3: Shulders, cales, abs

exeRciSe SetS RepS
DELTS
oerhead Dumbbell Press 6 6,6,6,10,12,12
Upright Rw 5 6,6,10,12,12
Bent-oer Lateral Raise 2 12
ABS
Crunch 2 15
Reerse Crunch 2 15
CALvES
Leg-Press Calf Raise 2 12
Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise 2 12

DAy 4: Back, biceps >> Lie faceup n the flr with yur knees
exeRciSe SetS RepS
bent abut 90 degrees, feet n the flr, and
BACK
yur arms either acrss yur chest r yur
Bent-oer Rw 6 6,6,6,10,12,12
hands behind yur head. Cntract yur abs
Seated Rw 6 6,6,6,10,12,12
t lift yur shulder blades ff the flr,
Lat Pulldwn 4 6,6,10,12
then lwer yurself slwly. The range f
BICEPS
mtin is ery shrt — the gal is t press
Barbell Curl 5 6,6,10,12,12
yur lwer back int the flr t bring yu r
Incline Dumbbell Curl 5 6,6,10,12,12
sternum clser t yur pelis.
Dumbbell Preacher Curl 2 10
CarDIo
 Ws 1 & 2
>> 3 days per week (either after lifting r n days yu dn’t lift ) The amount of weight you select for
>> 30 minutes (45 fr Week 2) n yur chice f cardi equipment each set is critical. Since your goal is to
>> Perfrm at a steady state f 60% f maimum heart rate transform your physique in just three
 Ws 3 & 4 short months, you’ll want to really
>> 4 days per week (either after lifting r n days yu dn’t lif t) push yourself, lifting to failure on each
>> 45 minutes n yur chice f cardi equipment set. Thus, on a set of si x reps, don’t pick
>> Perfrm at a steady state f 65% f maimum 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.
>> Rs prds 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.
>> card 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 hlding a barbell with a shulder-width, erhand grip.
Bend yur knees slightly and bend er at yur waist s yur trs
max heart rate (see above left).
>> U n… As the Rock-Hard Chal-
is clse t parallel t the flr; keep yur trs i n this psitin
thrughut. Start with yur arms etended, hanging straight dwn, lenge is a progressive program, we’ll up
and pull the bar int yur midsectin. At the tp f the me, squeeze the stakes next month, and then the
yur shulder blades tgether fr a cunt t ful ly cntract yur month after, with more exercises,
back muscles, then slwly return the bar t 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
 m&f Rock HaRd cHallenge
Month TRAINING

1
LOG
>> Recrd yur wrkuts n this lg. When yu’re dne wit h Mnth 1, mail it t M&F’s Rck-Hard Challenge,
21100 Erwin St., Wdland Hills, CA 91367 by July 31, 2008, t be eligible fr 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 _________ _________ _________ _________
Clse-Grip Bench Press 5 6,6,10,12,12 _________ _________ _________ _________
Lying Triceps Etensin 5 6,6,10,12,12 _________ _________ _________ _________

DAy 2: Legs, cales, 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 Etensin 2 12 _________ _________ _________ _________
Leg Curl 2 12 _________ _________ _________ _________
 ABS
Crunch 2 15 _________ _________ _________ _________
Reerse Crunch 2 15 _________ _________ _________ _________
cAlveS
Leg-Press Calf Raise 2 12 _________ _________ _________ _________
Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise 2 12 _________ _________ _________ _________

DAy 3: Delts, cales, abs

ExERCISE SETS REPS WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 3 WEEK 4
DeltS
oerhead Dumbbell Press 6 6,6,6,10,12,12 _________ _________ _________ _________
Upright Rw 5 6,6,10,12,12 _________ _________ _________ _________
Bent-oer Lateral Raise 2 12 _________ _________ _________ _________
 ABS
Crunch 2 15 _________ _________ _________ _________
Reerse 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-oer Rw 6 6,6,6,10,12,12 _________ _________ _________ _________
Seated Rw 6 6,6,6,10,12,12 _________ _________ _________ _________
Lat Pulldwn 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 _________ _________ _________ _________

Recrd yur weights used in the crrespnding blanks. Please see the official Cntest Rules n page 270.

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

E-MAIL PHoNE AGE MALE/FEMALE