NEXT LEVEL Lower Body Workout with Dumbbells | EPIC Endgame Day 37

Next Level Lower Body Workout with Dumbbells is Day 37 in Caroline Girvan‘s EPIC Endgame program. Another intense metabolic lower body workout. This is a giant set workout–4 exercises done back to back with no rest in between. Within each giant set, some exercises use 2 dumbbells, some use one dumbbell and some are body weight. So she mixes things up a lot to keep it interesting. My lower body feels well worked and I also burned over 400 calories! Great workout! I needed more of a stretch at the end so I tacked on a lower body stretch by Anouline. I discovered her a few months ago and have been using her warm ups and stretches with some of Caroline’s workouts.

This workout is made up of giant sets, which is 4 exercises done back to back without any rest. Each exercise is done for 30 seconds. Between each giant set you get 30 seconds of rest. There is a timer in the upper left hand side of the screen counting down your intervals and recovery. During the recovery Caroline previews the next giant set. 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.

Next Level Lower Body Workout with Dumbbells is 45:01 minutes; 1:26 minute intro, no warm up and 2:40 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a yoga block and fitness mat. Caroline is using 15kg/33 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

Giant Set 1:

1. Squat with a pause at the bottom (hold DBs at shoulders) (25# DBs)
2. Full range squats (no pause) (25# DBs)
3. 1.5 rep DBs (hold one DB in both hands in front of chest, lower to bottom of squat, raise halfway, lower back to bottom of squat, raise all the way) (one 25# DB)
4. Body weight hold (hold isometrically at bottom of squat)
5. 30 second rest
6. Repeat #1-5

Giant Set 2:

1. Elevated lunge with 2 DBs (static/stationary lunge w/ front foot elevated on yoga block) (20# DBs)
2. Repeat #1 but holding one DB in opposite hand as front leg (one 20# DB)
3. Body weight hold (lower to bottom of lunge and hold isometrically)
4. Full range body weight elevated lunge
5. 30 second rest
6. Repeat #1-5 on other side of body

Giant Set 3:

1. Heel elevated squats (heels are elevated on yoga block, hold DBs at shoulders) (25# DBs)
2. 1.5 rep heel elevated squats (hold one DB in both hands in front of chest, lower to bottom of squat, raise halfway, lower to bottom of squat, raise all the way) (one 25# DB)
3. Body weight half rep heel elevated squat (lower to bottom of squat but only raise halfway)
4. Full range heel elevated body weight squats
5. 30 second rest
6. Repeat #1-5

Giant Set 4:

1. Paused RDL (deadlift with pause at bottom) (35# DBs)
2. Full range deadlifts (35# DBs)
3. One DB half rep RDLs (hold one DB in both hands, lower to bottom of deadlift but only raise halfway) (one 35# DB)
4. Full range deadlift (holding one DB in both hands) (one 35# DB)
5. 30 second rest
6. Repeat #1-5

Giant Set 5:

1. Rear step lunge w/ 2 DBs (reverse lunges) (20# DBs)
2. Repeat #1 holding one DB in one hand (one 20# DB)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 w/ no DBs/body weight
4. Forward leaning hand tap (reverse lunge, at bottom of lunge, hinge torso forward over front leg and tap one hand to floor beside front foot)
5. 30 second rest
6. Repeat #1-5 on other side of body

Giant Set 6:

1. 1/2 rep staggered RDL (single leg deadlift, back/non-working leg is in kickstand, lower to bottom of deadlift but only raise halfway) (one 30# DB)
2. Full range staggered RDL (one 30# DB)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 on other side of body
4. 30 second rest
5. Repeat #1-5

Giant Set 7:

1. Static/stationary curtsy lunge holding one DB at shoulder of working leg (one 25# DB)
2. Step back into curtsy lunge (still holding one DB at same shoulder) (one 25# DB)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 w/ no DB/body weight
4. 30 second rest
5. Repeat #1-4 on other side of body

Finisher: Squats holding one DB, 100 reps (Caroline holds the DB in various ways throughout the 100 reps–the first 60 reps I held it goblet style and the last 40 reps I held it sumo squat style) (one 30# DB)

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