The present invention provides a method of protecting the heart from damage, by administering to a patient at risk of such damage, a pharmaceutically effective amount of a composition which inhibits the interaction of RSK3 and mAKAPβ, or the expression or activity of one or both of those molecules. This composition may be in the form of a peptide that specifically inhibits mAKAPβ binding to RSK3 or in the form of an siRNA construct which inhibits the expression of RSK3.