Rhc 2 Training

fo g $ fe r t ran 2,5 m h d 0 al e m p 0 r e ch al ize e am a psnd !

TRAINING

2 Month

In Month 2 of our challenge, you’ll make even more gains in size, strength and definition By Joe Wuebben | PHOTOS BY pavel ythjall Program by Jimmy Peña, MS, CSCS

Photogra pher’ s Name

Rock Hard 110

mrolympia.com

111

You should have just about four weeks of the Rock-Hard Challenge under your belt by now.

Month 1 has begun to elicit some positive changes in your physique, and now it’s time to build on those improvements with some program upgrades. Fortunately, these next four weeks won’t be drastically different from the first four, so your basic schedule won’t change much. That said, you’ll increase the number of sets you do, train more intensely and do more cardio. That’ll help you make even more improvements to your physique this month, and we’re here to guide you along that path, via both the magazine you hold in your hands and the Rock-Hard Challenge DVD and Training Log you can purchase at musclestuff.com. Keep up the good work.

112

MUSCLE & FITNESS

July 2008

A

Rock-Hard Breakdown

Your training split in Month 2 will be the same as it was in Month 1, lifting four days a week, as follows: Day 1, chest and triceps; Day 2, legs, abs and calves; Day 3, shoulders, abs and calves; and Day 4, back and biceps. But as far as other training variables are concerned, we’ve switched things up enough to keep your body guessing without overcomplicating the program. Here’s a rundown of what has changed in Month 2: >> Exercise Selection The RockHard program’s emphasis will still be on basic compound exercises that hit the most muscle and burn the most calories, but for the sake of variety and promoting a well-rounded program, we’ve introduced some new movements. For example, Day 1 in Month 1 centered around barbell presses for chest, but in Month 2 you’ll do all dumbbell moves (flat bench, incline and decline). This will help eliminate any imbalances in one side or the other, and you’ll find you can get a better stretch on each rep. In all, 14 new exercises are introduced in Month 2. >> Sets, Reps and Weights Volume will increase in Month 2 only slightly, which shouldn’t surprise you, seeing as how it was pretty high to begin with. Workloads in Month 1 ranged from (Continued on page 118)

B

>> ABOVE Sit in the middle of a flat bench and grasp a barbell with an underhand grip, hands about 6 inches apart. Bend over at the waist and place the backs of your forearms on the bench with your hands and wrists extended over the edge. Keeping your arms stationary, flex your wrists as far as possible to lift the bar toward your upper arms using a short range of motion.

A

>> BELOW Position yourself in the machine so your back is flat against the pad and grasp the handles for stability. Push the weight away from you, then slide your feet to the bottom of the platform so your heels hang off. Flex your ankles to stretch your calves, then press on the platform with your toes. Squeeze at the top, then return.

B

Gym: Powerhouse Burbank, CA ; hair & makeu p: gillian whitlock; fashion director: cindy whitehead apparel: (on h im) shor ts by asic s, shoes by nike; ( on her) top by champion, shorts & shoes by nike

>> Begin with the back of your upper arm flush against the pad of either a preacher bench or the top of an incline bench and your elbow bent. Extend your working arm to slowly lower the dumbbell. Just before reaching full extension, curl the weight back up, keeping your upper arm against the pad. Repeat for reps, then switch arms.

muscle-fitness.com

113

>> ABOVE Lie facedown on the bench and stabilize yourself by grasping the handles. Start with your legs straight and the weight lifted a few inches off the stack. Flex your knees to curl your lower legs. When the pad reaches your glutes, squeeze your hamstrings for a count, then slowly lower to the start position.

>> BELOW Stand facing a cable stack and take a shoulder-width grip either on a straight-bar attachment or with two handles. Begin with your arms extended (but not locked) out in front of you and parallel to the floor. Contract your lats while keeping your arms straight to pull your hands down to your thighs.

A

114

MUSCLE & FITNESS

July 2008

B

Rock 2 Hard Challenge Month

Training Program

>> You’ll repeat the following routines each week for the next four weeks, lifting on whichever four days of the week you choose. While it would seem the workouts are the same from week to week, if you’re pushing yourself, you should be able to use heavier weights on many exercises each week.

Day 1: Chest, triceps Exercise Chest Incline Dumbbell Press Dumbbell Press Decline Dumbbell Press Decline Flye Triceps Close-Grip Bench Press Bench Dip Seated Overhead Dumbbell Extension

Sets

Reps

6 5 5 2

5,5,5,12,12,15 5,5,5,12,15 5,5,5,12,15 15

5 5 5

5,5,12,15,15 5,5,12,15,15 5,5,12,15,15

Day 2: Legs, abs, calves A >> Position yourself as you would on the bench press, but grasp the bar (loaded with a lighter weight) with your hands 6–12 inches apart. Lower the bar to your mid-to-lower chest, then press it back up explosively, keeping your elbows as close to your sides as possible.

B

Exercise Legs Squat Leg Press Romanian Deadlift Leg Extension Lying Leg Curl Abs Weighted Crunch Double Crunch Calves Calf Raise Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise

Sets

Reps

6 5 5 2 2

5,5,5,12,15,15 5,5,12,15,15 5,5,12,15,15 15 15

2 2

20 20

2 2

15 12

Day 3: Shoulders, abs, calves Exercise sHOULDERS Upright Row Smith Machine Overhead Press Seated Lateral Raise Bent-Over Lateral Raise Abs Weighted Crunch Double Crunch Calves Calf Raise Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise

Sets

Reps

7 5 4 2

5,5,5,12,15,15,15 5,5,12,12,15 5,5,12,15 12

2 2

20 20

2 2

15 12

>> Stand holding a barbell with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. Bend at the waist so your torso is between 45 degrees and parallel to the floor. Start with your arms extended, then pull the bar up, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.

>> Lie faceup on the floor with your knees bent, feet on the floor and your hands placed lightly behind your head. Contract your abs to do a crunch with your upper body while simultaneously lifting your feet off the floor so that your elbows and knees meet over your midsection.

Day 4: Back, biceps/forearms

116

MUSCLE & FITNESS

Month 2008

Exercise Back Bent-Over Row Lat Pulldown Seated Row Straight-Arm Pulldown Barbell Shrug Biceps/FOREARMS Standing Dumbbell Curl Hammer Curl Dumbbell Preacher Curl Wrist Curl

Sets

Reps

5 3 5 2 5

5,5,12,12,15 5,5,15 5,5,12,12,15 15 5,5,12,12,15

5 4 5 2

5,5,12,15,15 5,5,15,15 5,5,12,15,15 15

mrolympia.com

117

CARDIO Weeks 1 & 2 13–17 total sets for large muscle groups; this month it will range from 18–20. Rep ranges are also a bit different in Month 2, but again, only subtly. Your reps will be as low as five and as high as 15 (except for abs, where you’ll reach 20 reps); in Month 1, the range was 6–12. The philosophy is the same — combine heavy and light training to build muscle and burn fat — but the range will be slightly broader.

>> 4 days per week (either after lifting or on days you don’t lift) >> 45 minutes on your choice of cardio equipment >> Perform at a steady state of 70% of maximum heart rate

Weeks 3 & 4 >> 5 days per week (either after lifting or on days you don’t lift) >> 45 minutes on your choice of cardio equipment >> Perform at a steady state of 70% of maximum heart rate

Month 2 steps up the intensity — and the results Although volume increases and you’ll go heavier on some sets compared to Month 1, rest periods will shrink from the 1–2 minutes they were in the first four weeks to one minute between all sets in the next four weeks. Taking shorter rest periods will increase the intensity of your workouts and keep your heart rate elevated for better fat-burning potential. >> Cardio By the end of Month 1, you were doing four days a week of cardio for 45 minutes per session. You’ll stay at 45 minutes in Month 2, but after the next two weeks you’ll up it to five days a week (see “Cardio” above). You’ll also increase intensity right off the bat, up to 70% of your max heart rate, whereas in Month 1 you maxed out at 65%. >> Up Next… Things won’t get any easier next month, but you’ve got your hands full here in Month 2. Take the program one day and one workout at a time and you’ll be fine. By the end of this second month, you’ll see that you’re much closer to reaching your goal of looking better than ever. M&F >> Rest Periods

A >> Grasp a pair of dumbbells and bend over at the waist so your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Let your arms hang straight down, elbows extended, keeping your chest up and back flat. Simultaneously lift the dumbbells in an arc out to your sides until your arms are roughly parallel to the floor.

B

NOW AT M&F ONLINE To download a PDF of Month 1, go to 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

118

MUSCLE & FITNESS

July 2008

2 Month

M&F ROCKHARD CHALLENGE

TRAINING LOG

>> Record your workouts on this log. When you’re done with Month 2, mail it to M&F’s Rock-Hard Challenge, 21100 Erwin St., Woodland Hills, CA 91367 by Sept. 30, 2008, to be eligible for the grand prize.

Day 1: Chest, triceps Exercise Chest Incline Dumbbell Press Dumbbell Press Decline Dumbbell Press Decline Flye triceps Close-Grip Bench Press Bench Dip Seated Overhead Dumbbell Extension

Sets Reps

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

6 5 5 2

5,5,5,12,12,15 5,5,5,12,15 5,5,5,12,15 15

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _________ _________ _________

5 5 5

5,5,12,15,15 5,5,12,15,15 5,5,12,15,15

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _________ _________

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Day 2: Legs, abs, calves Exercise legs Squat Leg Press Romanian Deadlift Leg Extension Lying Leg Curl abs Weighted Crunch Double Crunch calves Calf Raise Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise

Week 1

Sets Reps 6 5 5 2 2

5,5,5,12,15,15 5,5,12,15,15 5,5,12,15,15 15 15

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _________ _________ _________ _________

2 2

20 20

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _________

2 2

15 12

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _________

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Day 3: Shoulders, abs, calves Exercise sHOULDERS Upright Row Smith Machine Overhead Press Seated Lateral Raise Bent-Over Lateral Raise Abs Weighted Crunch Double Crunch calves Calf Raise Seated Dumbbell Calf Raise

Sets Reps 7 5 4 2

5,5,5,12,15,15,15 5,5,12,12,15 5,5,12,15 12

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _________ _________ _________

2 2

20 20

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _________

2 2

15 12

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _________

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Day 4: Back, biceps/forearms Exercise back Bent-Over Row Lat Pulldown Seated Row Straight-Arm Pulldown Barbell Shrug biceps/FOREARMS Standing Dumbbell Curl Hammer Curl Dumbbell Preacher Curl Wrist Curl

Sets Reps 5 3 5 2 5

5,5,12,12,15 5,5,15 5,5,12,12,15 15 5,5,12,12,15

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _________ _________ _________ _________

5 4 5 2

5,5,12,15,15 5,5,15,15 5,5,12,15,15 15

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _________ _________ _________

Record your weights used in the corresponding blanks.



Please see the Official Contest Rules on page 244.

Name ADDRESS CITY

STATE

ZIP

E-MAIL

PHONE

AGE

120

MUSCLE & FITNESS

August 2008

MALE/FEMALE