CALVES INCLUDED Lower Body Workout – Legs | EPIC Endgame Day 11

Calves Included Lower Body Workout is Day 11 in Caroline Girvan‘s EPIC Endgame program. This is a great lower body workout that gives the calves some extra work. Caroline hits everything in the lower body and really burns some muscles out with the use of trisets (described below). The third exercise in the triset is usually a body weight exercise (though not always) and by the time you get to that body weight exercise, the muscle group you are working is already burning. In fact, in some of the trisets she uses isometric holds for the second exercise so that third exercise really fries! The calves get some extra work with the staple triset (#11-13 below) where you have your heels raised during the squats but they not supported on a yoga block, which is how she frequently does heel elevated squats. You just keep them raised barre-style while squatting. You do that triset 3 times total in the course of the workout. #16 below also hits your calves through holding a lunge isometrically with the heel of the front leg raised–again, sans yoga block. That’s a burner when you do the next exercise in the triset (#17). And finally, she really finishes your calves off with the finisher–100 heel raises ending with a 30 second isometric hold. You should be feeling your calves by the end of the workout!

This is a triset workout done interval fashion. What this means is there are 3 exercises that are done back to back before you finally get a rest period. Each exercise is done for 30 seconds (one triset = 90 seconds or 1:30 minutes of work) then you get a 30 second rest/recovery. There is a timer in the upper left hand side of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recovery Caroline previews the next triset. There is also a little bar at the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage.

Calves Included Lower Body Workout is 47:59 minutes; 1:40 minute intro, no warm up and 4 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a yoga block and a fitness mat. Caroline is using 15kg/33 pound dumbbells.

1. Heel elevated squat (heels are elevated on yoga block, hold DBs at shoulders) (25# DBs)
2. 1/2 reps (same position as #1 but lower to bottom of squat, raise halfway, lower to bottom of squat, raise all the way) (25# DBs)
3. Bodyweight 1/2 reps (heels still elevated on yoga block, lower to bottom of squat but only raise halfway)
4. 30 second rest
5. Repeat #1-4
6. High squat (holding DBs at shoulders) (25# DBs)
7. RDL (Romanian deadlift) (25# DBs)
8. RDL to high squat (alternate #6 & #7, one rep of each) (25# DBs)
9. 30 second rest
10. Repeat #6-9
11. On toes squat (hold one DB in both hands at chest level, raise heels and squat–heels remain elevated entire time) (one 25# DB)
12. Body weight 1/2 reps (set DB aside, heels still raised, lower to bottom of squat but only raise halfway)
13. Squat rocks (lower into squat and hold isometrically, rock forward onto toes then back onto heels)
14. 30 second rest
15. Lunge (static/stationary lunges) (18# DBs)
16. Body weight on toes hold (lower to bottom of lunge, raise heel of front leg, hold this position isometrically)
17. Body weight lunge (static/stationary lunges)
18. 30 second rest
19. Repeat #15-18 on other side of body
20. Rear step forward lean lunge (single leg reverse lunges, torso hinges forward over front leg, hold one DB opposite hand as front leg) (one 18# DB)
21. Forward lean lunge (static stationary lunges w/ torso hinged forward over front leg) (one 18# DB)
22. Body weight rear lunge (single leg reverse lunges)
23. 30 second rest
24. Repeat #20-23 on other side of body
25. Repeat #11-14
26. Goblet squat (one 35# DB)
27. Hold isometrically at bottom of goblet squat (one 35# DB)
28. Body weight 1/2 reps (lower to bottom of squat but only raise halfway)
29. 30 second rest
30. Repeat #26-29
31. Staggered squat (single leg squat, back leg is in kickstand, hold one DB at same side shoulder as front/working leg) (one 25# DB)
32. 1/2 rep RDL (single leg deadlift, back leg is in kickstand, lower to bottom of deadlift but only raise halfway) (one 25# DB)
33. Staggered squat to RDL (alternate #31 & #32, one rep of each) (one 25# DB)
34. 30 second rest
35. Repeat #31-34
36. Repeat #11-14
37. Elevated curtsy lunge (stationary/static curtsy lunges w/ front foot elevated on yoga block, hold one DB at same side shoulder as front/working leg) (one 20# DB)
38. Body weight half reps (same position as #37 but w/out a DB, lower to bottom of lunge but only raise halfway)
39. Full range body weight (repeat #37 w/out a DB)
40. 30 second rest
41. Repeat #37-40 on other side of body
42. Curtsy lunge to squat (alternate one curtsy lunge w/ one squat, hold one DB at same side shoulder as working leg) (one 20# DB)
43. Curtsy hold (no DB, hold isometrically at bottom of curtsy lunge)
44. Repeat #42 w/out a DB
45. 30 second rest
46. Repeat #42-45 on other side of body

Finisher:

1. Heel raises w/ 2 DBs, 50 reps (20# DBs)
2. Body weight heel raises, 50 reps
3. Bonus: 30 second of holding heel raise isometrically

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