Framework 30 Min Back & Biceps Workout | EPIC Heat – Day 8

Framework 30 Minute Back & Biceps Workout is Day 8 in Caroline Girvan‘s Epic Heat program. Wow. Another tough back workout. I adore Caroline’s workouts–especially her back workouts. She burned out my back and biceps by the end of this workout. I expected this but I also feel like I am growing stronger from her workouts so I was a little iffy on my weights at the beginning of the workout. I felt like I could have lifted heavier in the beginning but by the end, I was pushing hard with the same weights! I don’t know. One day I might start increasing the weights I use but for now I still got an excellent upper body workout.

In this workout you have the option of using a yoga block for your other non-working hand during renegade rows. What an excellent idea! I was able to get a better range of motion, which really helped with the eccentric part of the move. During the intro, Caroline tells you she wants you to focus on the eccentric part of the exercises, or the lowering. Meaning, she wants you to lower slowly. That was another reason that even though my weights felt lighter (at the beginning of the work that is) I stuck with my usual weight for the exercises and instead focused on lowering slowly.

This workout is done interval fashion; most of the exercises are done for 30 second intervals except for pull overs which are done for 60 seconds. You also get 30 second recoveries but you do not get a recovery after every single exercise. She supersets some exercises and giant sets others. There is a timer in the upper left hand corner of the screen, counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recovery Caroline previews the next exercise. There is also a little bar at the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage. During the intro to this workout, Caroline not only describes the workout structure but she gives excellent form pointers on how to perform several of the exercises correctly.

As usual, there is no warm up. Caroline has several excellent warm ups you can use but because I am doing so many of her workouts, I also try warm ups by other trainers I find on YouTube–just to keep things interesting. I did a good one this morning by The Modern Fit Girl–5 Minute Upper Body Warm Up. It did a great job warming my upper body up and I kept the upper body warm up exercises going during Caroline’s intro. I also used one of Caroline’s shorter non-program workouts as a finisher: Tricep Workout At Home w/ Dumbbells | 10 minutes. Between the two, my upper body was well worked and fried.

Framework 30 Minute Back & Biceps Workout is 37:58 minutes; 3 minute intro, no warm up and 2 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and a fitness mat. Optional: a yoga block and/or a bench or step. Caroline is using 17.5kg/38.6 pound and 8kg/17.6 pounds dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used. I used my bench for the pull overs and for the single arm bent over rows (to rest one knee and my non-working hand on).

1. Double arm bent over row (20# DBs)
2. 30 second rest
3. Repeat #1
4. 30 second rest
5. Bent over single arm row (one 30# DB)
6. Repeat #5 on other arm
7. Repeat # 5 & 6
8. 30 second rest
9. Repeat 5-7
10. 30 second rest
11. Single arm renegade row (optional: non-working hand is elevated on yoga block) (one 20# DB)
12. Repeat #11 on other arm
13. 30 second rest
14. Repeat #11-13
15. Pullovers for 60 seconds (one 25# DB)
16. 30 second rest
17. Repeat #15 & 16 two more times
18. Hammer curls (15# DBs)
19. 30 second rest
20. Repeat #18 & 19
21. Bent over double arm row (done at a brisker pace with lighter DBs) (20# DBs)
22. Repeat #18
23. 30 second rest
24. Repeat #21-23
25. Traditional bicep curls (15# DBs)
26. 30 second rest
27. Repeat #25 & 26
28. Bent over supine row (palms facing forward) (20# DBs)
29. 30 second rest
30. Repeat 25 & 28
31. 30 second rest
32. Repeat #30 & 31
33. Repeat #11
34. Repeat #5
35. 30 second rest
36. Repeat #33 & 34 on other arm
37. 30 second rest
38. Plank to row for 60 seconds (start in straight arm plank, holding one DB in one hand, jump feet into hands and raise torso enough to do one single arm bent over row, place DB/hand back on floor and jump feet back out to plank) (one 20# DB)
39. 30 second rest
40. Repeat #38 on other arm
41. 30 second rest

Finisher: hammer curls for 20 seconds + traditional bicep curls for 20 seconds + alternating bent over single arm rows for 20 seconds + alternating supination curls for 20 seconds (15# DBs)

For more info on Caroline Girvan’s workouts and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.