This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page. This is a tough and fast paced lower body strength workout. The intervals are long and the recoveries are short so I went conservative with my weights. Because of the interval times this is a pretty metabolic workout. This was the first CGX lower body workout that I’ve done that I did not skip the warm up and, as I suspected, the warm up is lower body focused. In fact, the warm up was primarily mobility and dynamic stretching. I really liked it.
All of the exercises in this workout are done interval style: 60 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. There is a timer in the upper right hand side of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recovery Caroline previews the next exercise. There is also a little bar at the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage.
20 Minute Unilateral Lower Body is 23:24 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9 minute warm up) with a 1:30 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a bench or chair and a fitness mat. Caroline is using 15kg/33 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Alternating rear step lunge (alternating reverse lunges, hold DBs at shoulders) (20# DBs)
- Static lunges (stationary lunges) (20# DBs)
- Repeat #2 on other side of body
- Staggered squat (single leg squat, non-working leg is in kickstand) (one 35# DB)
- Repeat #4 on other leg
- Staggered RDL (single leg deadlift, non-working leg is in kickstand) (one 35# DB)
- Repeat #6 on other leg
- Rear step lunge (one side) (reverse lunges but on same leg entire interval) (one 25# DB)
- Repeat #8 on other leg
- Forward leaning Bulgarian lunge (no DBs/bodyweight) (stationary lunges with back leg elevated on chair or bench behind you)
- Repeat #10 on other leg
- Quad focus Bulgarian (same as #10 but you are not leaning forward and front leg is closer to chair with glute close to heel of back/elevated leg)
- Repeat #12 on other leg
- Single leg hip thrust (back is leaned again chair/bench behind you, one foot is on floor with knee bent at 90 degrees and other leg is raised, raise and lower hips/glutes)
- Repeat #14 on other leg
- Single leg hamstring thrust (same position as #14, but floor leg is out further away and toe is raised so heel is pressed into floor)
- Repeat #16 on other leg
Finisher:
- Alternating lateral lunge for 60 seconds (no DBs, remain low as you shift/lunge side to side)
It sounds like you really like Caroline’s new app! I haven’t explored it yet. I’ve been holding off until after Cathe’s stuff arrives. (Finally, a tentative ship date later this month!) the past several weeks I’ve been all over the place in terms of trainers – visiting older Heather and Caroline stuff, trying out some new trainers and even going back to some Cathe dvd’s (mostly STS). I’ve been doing a lot of “challenge” workouts to increase my muscular endurance, too.
I can’t wait until Cathe’s 2.0 arrives. I haven’t read much about it in terms of program length and details of what is involved this time around, except that she will focus more on recovery. So my task is to bone up on that over the next week before the disks arrive.
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In Cathe’s newsletter on Monday she said the current plan is to start shipping pre-orders TOMORROW! So that is exciting. We’ll see if that happens! My husband, who is not familiar with Cathe’s pre-ordering, is very upset. This is a birthday gift for me that he pre-ordered fall 2022. My birthday was in January!
I do really like Caroline’s app. I am only doing the monthly subscription right now since I will cancel once STS 2.0 arrives. I will resubscribe once I finish STS 2.0. I plan to do her 10 week Beastmode program after STS 2.0.
I’m trying to focus more on mobility and recovery, too. I think I really need it. And I need to stick with it, too! Not let it fall to the wayside like I usually do.
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