FORCEFUL Full Body Workout – Triset Drop Sets | EPIC Heat – Day 19

Forceful Full Body Workout – Triset Drop Sets is Day 19 of Caroline Girvan‘s EPIC Heat program. Another great total body strength workout from Caroline. Due to Caroline’s variety of dropsets, this workout is a lot more challenging than it looks. Caroline even had to drop to lighter dumbbells before repeating a triset. And she hit muscle failure multiple times. Of course she was using heavier dumbbells than I used for just about everything. I still hit burnout a few times. Though this is titled as a full body workout, the chest and triceps do not get any isolated work. Triceps are ancillary muscles so they are assisting with all of the upper body exercises. The only muscle group that is totally neglected in this workout is chest. Not a big deal to me. More than half of the workouts I do anymore include some form of push up so my chest gets plenty of work each week. Finally, if you are doing this as a program, Caroline has you covered. During the same week that you do this workout you also do a workout with tricep isolation work and another workout with chest and core isolation work. So everything ends up getting focused work by the end of the week if you are following Caroline’s EPIC Heat program calendar.

As the title indicates, this is a triset workout. You will do 3 exercises, each for 30 seconds, one right after the other (90 seconds total) then you get a 30 second rest/recovery. Caroline’s “dropset” protocol is a little different than the traditional way of doing dropsets. She starts with the hardest version of the exercise then makes it easier every 30 seconds. But by the time you get to the end of the 90 seconds, you are burning out anyway. There is a timer in the upper left hand side of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. Caroline previews your upcoming exercises during the recovery. There is also a little bar at the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage. This workout is done to music with plenty of visual cues as well as “dings” to keep you on track.

Forceful Full Body Workout – Triset Drop Sets is 42 minutes; 2:45 minute intro, no warm up and 2:30 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a chair or bench, yoga block and a fitness mat. Caroline is using 8kg/17.6 pound dumbbells and 12.5kg/27.5 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used. I also used my 8 pound dumbbells to elevate my heels and my square high step at 16 inches for the Bulgarian lunges. I sat on my weight bench for the seated shoulder presses.

Triset 1: (25# DBs)

1. 1/2 rep heel elevated squats (heels are elevated on yoga block, DBs are held in front of you at shoulder level, lower into full squat but only raise halfway)
2. 1.5 rep elevated squats (lower into full squat, raise halfway, lower into full squat, raise all the way)
3. Suitcase squats (narrow squat holding DBs at sides)
4. 30 second rest
5. Repeat #1-4

Triset 2:

1. Bent over row (25# DBs)
2. Bent over alternating single arm rows (25# DBs)
3. Landmine row (hold one DB in both hands and do bent over rows) (one 35# DB)
4. 30 second rest
5. Repeat #1-4

Triset 3: (15# DBs)

1. Bulgarian lunge (back leg is elevated on chair)
2. Static/stationary lunge
3. Rear step back lunge (reverse lunges)
4. 30 second rest
5. Repeat #1-4 on other side of body

Triset 4: (15# DBs)

1. Double arm shoulder press (arms in goal post)
2. Push press (double arm overhead press, palms facing forward, bend knees when DBs are at shoulders and straighten legs, using the power from the lower body to assist in pushing your DBs overhead)
3. Squat to press (squat with DBs at chest level, palms facing you, stand and rotate DBs into an Arnold press)
4. 30 second rest
5. Repeat #1-4

Triset 5: (20# DBs)

1. Paused high squats (hold DBs at shoulders, squat and pause at bottom of squat before rising)
2. Squat w/ pulse (repeat #1 with one pulse at bottom of squat)
3. Full range high squats
4. 30 second rest
5. Repeat #1-4

Triset 6: (8# DBs)

1. Seated double arm lateral raises
2. Standing alternating single arm lateral raises
3. Partial lateral raises (only raise DBs halfway)
4. 30 second rest
5. Repeat #1-4

Triset 7: (30# DBs)

1. 1/2 rep RDL (lower to bottom of deadlift but only raise halfway)
2. 1.5 rep RDL (lower to bottom of deadlift, raise halfway, lower to bottom of deadlift then raise all the way)
3. Full range RDL
4. 30 second rest
5. Repeat #1-4

Triset 8: (15# DBs)

1. Hammer curls
2. Traditional bicep curls (palms up)
3. Cheat alternating curls (alternating bicep curls, you use momentum to get the DB up but still lower slowly)
4. 30 second rest
5. Repeat #1-4

Finisher: (body weight/no recoveries)

1. Bulgarian lunge pulses (30 seconds)
2. Hold at bottom of Bulgarian lunge (30 seconds)
3. Full range Bulgarian lunge (30 seconds
4. Repeat 1-3
5. Alternating jump lunges

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