The 2017 Rock Hard Challenge Part I

> GET BACK TO THE BASICS TO BUILD A BIGGER, LEANER, AND STRONGER PHYSIQUE WITH THIS EIGHT-WEEK PROGRAM.

- Cj Murphy, M.F.S., C-ISSN

FOR NEWBIES TO THE ROCK HARD CHALLENGE, the premise is simple—we provide training and nutritional road maps that allow you to transform your body in eight weeks. While the concept is easy to grasp, the execution requires self-motivation and the desire to bust your ass in the gym and stick to a clean diet. (Read: No booze or Funyuns for two months.) In return, you get to reward yourself by showing off your hard work. Past RHCs have gone heavy on mobility work, volume, and old-school bodybuilding methods. This year we’re getting back to basics with a “no BS, no excuses” approach. Your tools will mainly be barbells and dumbbells—no machines, station hopping, or fads.

THE TRAINING

Over the next eight weeks, you’ll adhere to a three-times-a-week workout split based around the tried-and-true back squat, overhead press, and deadlift. The goal is to build strength, which will increase your ability to lift heavier weight for more reps, giving your muscles no other choice but to react and grow. 

Instead of a traditional body-part split, you’ll tax your entire body each day with free-weight compound exercises that target the bigger muscles and recruit more muscle fibers, releasing a greater amount of human growth hormone, which helps with the repair and growth of muscle tissue as well as speeding up recovery and increasing the effectiveness of your workouts. And be prepared to be amazed at the growth of your arms by implementing only heavy barbell rows, dips, and pullups.