Have you ever been challenged to do a task that you knew would be daunting without knowing if the prize outweighed the pain? And when you finished this task, how did you feel? Well, if you accept our challenge, you'll not only feel like a champion but look like one as well. Since its inception in the July 2001 issue of muscle & fitness, the Rock-Hard Challenge has helped millions of men and women just like you become both stronger and leaner, vastly enhancing their energy and can-do attitude.
>> To date, three Rock-Hard Challenges have appeared in our pages. They've been so successful that we decided to bring the program to DVD. This Rock-Hard Challenge contains an all-new, never-before-seen training and diet program that will give you the motivation to change your body and your life. Another bonus is a special section on supplements provided by MuscleTech.
This three-month program is a combination weight-training and cardio regimen, and we also provide a nutritional plan that will guide you step by step to your best body ever. With the help of fitness icon Timea Majorova, strength coach Jim Romagna and bodybuilding's newest pro, the incomparable Stan McQuay, we walk you through each exercise.
The strength of the program lies in the fact that the training scheme is simple. We utilize a traditional split, grouping bodyparts logically. First, you train chest with triceps, then work legs, calves and abs the following day. We then give you a rest or cardio day so you can recover before completing your upper-body training. Hit delts, calves and abs the next day, then end the week with back and biceps. This traditional approach allows you to become familiar with the daily routine, mastering each move so you can then focus on manipulating the set-and-rep schemes for each bodypart without the added task of learning a new program each month. We want you to see what's coming each day so you're prepared to take your body to the limit.
Throughout the program, you'll encounter both low-rep/heavy-weight sets that prompt your body to burn more calories after a training session, and higher-rep sets that burn more calories during a workout. For instance, in one routine, you might do sets of 4-5 reps as well as 15-20 reps on the same exercise, so it's important to select the appropriate weight for that rep range; the weight you choose for a five-rep set must not be the same weight with which you can perform 10-12 reps.
We also manipulate rest periods between sets over the course of the challenge. Modifying your rest periods is a great way to burn extra calories and shock your body for dramatic change. The cardio portion of the challenge begins immediately, taking you from three days of cardio in Week 1 to six days during the program's final week.
Rock-Solid Diet We've also assembled the Rock-Hard Diet, guiding you through every meal based on your specific needs. "The key to getting lean while maximizing muscle growth is protein. Only protein can supply critical amino acids that will be used for the building blocks of muscle protein. Therefore, when your calories drop, as they must to lose bodyfat, dietary protein levels must be protected at all costs," says M&F Senior Science Editor Jim Stoppani, PhD. That's why protein holds steady throughout at 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight per day.
Every month your carbohydrate intake will drop, but within each month you'll alternate high-, medium- and low-calorie days. When you consume a steady number of calories that's lower than the amount required to maintain bodyweight, your body slows its metabolism. By changing up your food intake each day, your body cannot set its metabolism at a lower level. Simple and effective, this nutrition plan will help you lean out and tone your body.
We've laid out your three-month strategy to make your body better than ever, packaging the training, diet and cardio together in one incredible DVD you can refer to time and again. We've also created a separate three-month log to chart your daily training and diet. We hope you accept the challenge. M&F
The DVD and training log are now on sale at musclestuff.com for $19.99 each or $29.99 for both. Click here to order yours now!
