15 Min Standing Abs Workout | Arms + Core with Dumbbells is a tough little finisher/add on workout from Caroline Girvan. I expected this to be easier than it was but it burned my arms out! I felt it much more in my arms than my core. It makes me feel like I was doing something wrong. She gives form tips in her intro and I was following them but this felt more like an arm workout than a core workout. As always I was using lighter weights than Caroline. She was really burning out with her 8.8 pound dumbbells. I would have been, too, had I been using heavier dumbbells. I used this as a finisher after a tough total body workout and this workout really finished my arms off. They are still humming.
The exercises in this workout are superset. Each exercise is superset with a staple exercise. The staple exercise is alternating weighted front punches. Each exercise is done for 20 seconds. You will do a superset–2 exercises, each done for 20 seconds with no break, followed by a 20 second rest. There is a timer in the upper right hand corner of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. Caroline previews the next exercise during the recovery.
15 Min Standing Abs Workout | Arms + Core with Dumbbells is 17:39 minutes; 1:30 minute intro, no warm up and one minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells. Caroline is using 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Single arm cross punch (6# DBs)
- Alternating front punches (5# DBs)
- 20 second rest
- Repeat #1 on other arm
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Windmills w/ DB in top hand (one 6# DB)
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Repeat #7 on other side of body
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Rotation to lower (hold one DB in both hands, extended straight in front of you, rotate DB and torso to side, lower DB to hip, raise DB again then rotate the DB back in front of you) (one 8# DB)
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Repeat #13 on other side of body
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Dumbbells close rotation (hold one DB on both hands, elbows are bent, arms are close to sides, rotate DB side to side keeping hips forward) (one 10# DB)
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Dumbbells away rotation (repeat #19 but this time DB is extended straight in front of you at shoulder level) (one 8# DB)
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Figure 8 (hold one DB in both hands, draw a large figure 8, keeping torso facing forward) (one 8# DB)
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Partial raise to parallel (hold one DB in both hands extended in front of you at shoulder level, raise DB to just above forehead then lower back to shoulder level) (one 8# DB)
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Pivot punch (single arm cross punch, pivoting to side when punching) (5# DBs)
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Repeat #31 on other side of body
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Static core wood chopper (hold one DB in both hands, extend overhead on a diagonal with arms straight and lower to opposite hip, keep torso facing forward) (one 8# DB)
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Repeat #37 on other side of body
- Repeat #2
- 20 second rest
- Alternating upper cuts (8# DBs)
- Repeat #2
For more info on Caroline Girvan’s workouts and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
I finished off my workout session with this little gem. I had my 8s on primary with 5s on standby in case I needed them. I am pleased to say I was able to stick with 8s the whole time. That said, I did have to take personal breaks like Caroline. Had my main workout been a Caroline upper body strength I don’t think I would have been able to stick with the 8s. I was pretty fatigued towards the end.
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You (and Caroline) are obviously much stronger than me!
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Oh boy, I don’t think so! I came off a workout that left my arms pretty fresh, otherwise I doubt I would have lasted long before having to switch to my 5s.
When you go on vacay I assume you’ll be going black on posting? You must be super excited by now!
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Probably. I assume we will be too busy for any blogging. I probably won’t post anything for nearly 2 weeks. I am very excited. We have been planning this trip a long time. We planned to visit my daughter in 2020 but the pandemic put a stop to that. But now we can go–and we timed it perfectly, too. No quarantine when we arrive. They ended forced quarantine for vaccinated people with negative COVID tests 19 a week ago.
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