1 Hour Strength & Stretch Workout at Home

1 Hour Strength & Stretch Workout at Home is part of a 5 day challenge Caroline Givan created in June 2020 and it is very different from most of the her other workouts I have done so far. This workout is also done differently than all of her other workouts I’ve done thus far. It is set to low music and done voice-over. Yes–Caroline is giving verbal instructions throughout. This basically a long yoga practice. It is not easy, gentle yoga but it does feel good. Caroline mixes up body weight strength exercises with both dynamic and deep flexibility training. And her favorite pose is apparently downward facing dog. You will do that pose so many times in the course of this workout. But it is a good pose that stretches out everything. And after yesterday’s back workout, I actually felt the down dog stretching my lats. In the break down below, I am describing what Caroline is doing. When you get to things like plow pose variations near the end (#67), that is a description of how incredibly flexible she is, not me. Like me, just do your best. I was definitely modifying that pose!

1 Hour Strength & Stretch Workout at Home is 60:28 minutes; 30 second intro. Equipment: fitness mat. There is a timer in the upper right hand corner of the screen, counting down the total workout time. The workout starts standing on your mat.

1. Shoulder rolls
2. Neck circles
3. Large arm circles for shoulder mobility
4. Open arms wide to stretch chest then wrap arms around you, hugging yourself
5. Overhead tricep stretch
6. Wrist mobility (circles wrists, pull hand forward and back with other hand)
7. Lace fingers together, reach arms overhead and do side stretches
8. Stationary side lunge, alternate sides
9. Wide leg forward fold, hands grasp opposite elbow; swing side to side, reaching for opposite foot; hold on one side, opposite hand reaching for foot, other/same side arm reaching for ceiling (spinal twist)
10. Still standing, balance on one leg and pull the other knee into chest, holding shin with both hands, rotate foot/ankle
11. Standing quad stretch
12. Forward fold, legs are hip width apart, hands grasp opposite elbow; raise upper body so back is flat, hands on knees
13. Downward facing dog, pedal feet; press both heels down
14. In straight arm plank, lower body slowly to floor and into cobra
15. Repeat #13 & 14
16. Flow between downward dog and one push up
17. Cobra
18. Side plank with top arm reaching for ceiling and continuing to reach straight arm behind you, alternate sides; changes to reaching arm to ceiling then overhead (continue alternating sides)
19. Cobra
20. Downward dog; from downward dog do a dive bomber push up into upward facing dog
21. Inchworm push ups (stand at end of mat, hinge forward keeping legs straight and walk hands out to plank, do one push up, walk hands back to feet until you are in forward fold with straight legs and stand)
22. Elbow plank hold
23. Repeat #18 but while in elbow plank
24. Leg lifts while in elbow plank, alternate leg and hold briefly at top of lift
25. Child’s pose
26. Flow between elbow plank and dolphin pose
27. Child’s pose
28. Downward dog, pedaling the feet
29. Supermans (palms face each other, thumbs to ceiling)
30. Child’s pose
31. Thread the needle
32. Downward dog, raise and lower heels; add a pike push up when heels are raised
33. Triangle pose
34. Lunge hold
35. Half splits stretch
36. In kneeling lunge, shift hips forward to stretch hip flexor; place one hand on floor (same hand as back leg) and extend other arm to ceiling, twisting spine to look up at it; swap which hand is on the floor, raise other arm to ceiling and look up at it
37. Downward dog
38. Repeat #34-36 on other side of body
39. 3 legged down dog pose; bend knee of raised leg, opening hip
40. Forward fold, legs are hip width apart, hands grasp opposite elbow; place fingers under toes and alternate bending and straightening knees; straighten both legs and using fingers under toes, deepen the stretch; clasp hands together behind Achilles and straighten legs
41. Body weight squats; hold at bottom of squat
42. Sumo squat hold
43. Wide plie squat hold; add pulses
44. Downward dog
45. Stand with legs wide and do stationary side lunges, 10 reps each leg; changes to alternating side lunges, rotate foot of straight leg so it faces ceiling when in lunge
46. Wide leg forward fold, hands grasp opposite elbow; keeping wide legs straight, reach both hands to one ankle and hold; keep opposite hand on ankle and extend same side hand to ceiling, looking up at extended hand
47. Still in wide leg forward fold, reach hands between legs to floor behind you
48. Sit on mat, legs open in a wide V, lean torso forward over one leg, reaching for foot, alternate sides
49. Still in a V sit, side bend so that opposite hand is reaching for foot, same side hand is extended on floor in front of you, reaching it away
50. Still in a V sit, hinge torso forward, hands reaching for same side feet
51. Double kneel on mat with legs wide, push hips back, lean torso forward with forearms on floor (knees should be in line with feet/ankles)
52. Child’s pose
53. Cobra
54. Downward dog
55. Frog squat with hands on floor then straighten legs so you are in forward fold, keeping hands on floor
56. Seated spinal twist
57. Downward dog
58. Pigeon pose with torso upright; fold torso forward over front bent leg
59. Still in pigeon, torso upright again, bend back leg and pull into glute using same side hand
60. Downward dog
61. Repeat #58 & 59 on other side of body
62. Downward dog
63. In straight arm plank, pull one knee in under body, holding briefly, then flow into 3 legged dog, continue flowing between these 2 poses
64. Downward dog
65. Lay on back, legs are straight and raised to ceiling, reaching hands to feet, extend straight arms overhead and lower straight legs a few inches off floor, bend knees pulling them into chest while crunching head/shoulders and reaching hands to heels, extend legs straight a few inches off the floor and arms straight overhead
66. Lay on back, raise legs straight to ceiling, raise hips, placing hands under hips, elbows on mat to help push hips up higher so you are now resting on shoulders, neck and triceps, legs are still straight and raised to ceiling; lower one straight leg so that toe touches mat behind head, alternate legs; remove hands from back and extend them straight on floor near hips, continue alternating legs but it changes to 3 point touch–tap one to out to side then just behind head then across body to other side
67. Plow pose with legs wide; bend knees so they are framing head, hands hug hamstrings; hands hold the soles of your feet, pushing them down to deepen the stretch
68. Single leg bridge, raise and lower extended leg
69. Hold bridge pose (both feet on mat)
70. Lay on back, hug knees into chest and rock side to side
71. Lay on back, one leg is extended straight on mat, other is extended straight to ceiling, hold ankle and raise torso, pulling leg to chest, alternate legs (pilates single straight leg stretch)
72. Lay on back, one leg is extended straight on mat, other is extended straight, hold bottom of foot and pull leg close to you, head/shoulders are flat on mat
73. Still laying on back, hold ankles, knees are wide and soles of feet are together
74. Still laying on back, one knee is bent, other leg is straight and extended out to side, stretching inner thigh; extend leg across body to opposite side, reaching foot toward floor, same side arm is extended to side, shoulder on floor and you are looking toward hand, away from leg
75. Yoga squat (deep squat, glutes are lower than knees, legs are wide, toes turned out, hands are in prayer pose, elbows are against inner thighs, pushing knees out wider)
76. Seated butterfly pose; pulse knees up and down; lean torso forward over feet
77. Child’s pose
78. Downward dog
79. Forward fold, legs are hip width apart, hands grasp opposite elbow; hands hold ankles, pulling chest closer to thighs
80. Alternate between forward fold with hands on ground and flat back forward fold with hands on shins
81. Still in forward fold, bend knees so that you can clasp wrists behind ankles then straighten legs
82. Straight arm plank, lower slowly until you are almost to mat then up into upward facing dog
83. Cobra
84. Cat/cow pose
85. Downward dog
86. Lay on stomach on mat, arms extended overhead stretching away from you, and legs extended straight on floor, lengthening them
87. Reclining spinal twist variations
88. Still laying on back, pull knees to chest and with hands on knees, rock side to side
89. Lay on back, legs extended straight, lengthening them and arms stretched overhead
90. Corpse pose

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