Momentum is a powerful force. If you followed the first four weeks of the Rock Hard Challenge (Part 1), you’re coming to us with a head of steam. It’s no longer about knocking off the rust from the holidays and getting back into a gym routine. You’re in the routine now, and it’s time to take the next step.
In the second (and final) month of the Rock Hard Challenge, it’s not about doubling down on work so much as doubling down on effort and focus. To keep the gains coming, you need to be locked in—locked into the training, locked into eating right, locked into fully recovering between workouts via supplements and proper sleep habits. Do these things and eight weeks will be over before you know it. The results will be stellar, and just imagine the momentum you’ll have then.
Training Explained
Part 2 of the RHC training program follows the same basic format of Part 1. Kevin Lilly, owner and head coach of Heart & Hustle gym in L.A., kept the upper-body/lower-body/rotation split intact, but he introduces some new movements and rep schemes to take you down the homestretch these next four weeks. Lilly throws a lot at you through the course of five weekly sessions: unilateral work, heavy sets, bodyweight moves, jumps, sprints, plyometrics, med balls, crazy core moves, and more.
“The key to a good program is efficiency,” Lilly says. “When I coach my clients in the gym, we need to make the most of every minute. Time is money, especially in Hollywood. This program is designed to get you into the gym with a plan and to execute. The efficiency will also result in a higher metabolic rate, yielding faster gains. Move through the program quickly but with focused, conscious reps.”
Keep these notes in mind as you continue your transformation:
The following program shows a sample week of training. Simply repeat this template for four weeks. Feel free to substitute comparable movements for those listed, as desired.
To progress during the program, you have the option to increase the number of rounds per circuit from three up to either four or five by the end of the program. Likewise, if you’re deconditioned and want to ease into the program, start with two rounds of every circuit and progress to three rounds when you feel ready to do so.
In all the workouts, exercises that share the same letter designation (A, B, or C) are to be performed together as a circuit. Do one set of each exercise in the order listed without rest. Take a short break after the last exercise if needed, and repeat until all sets are complete. Following the main portion of each workout is a brief yet intense conditioning finisher.
Begin each of the five workouts with a warmup consisting of 10 minutes of the cardio activity of your choice at a heart rate of around 130 to 140 beats per minute.
