CGX: 1 Hour Lower Body

This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.

Wow. This was quite a workout! It is a long one so I had to save it for a day when I did not work. Even teleworking I don’t have time for a 77:30 minute workout unless I get up earlier. Since I have Monday off (holiday), my husband and I took today off for a 4 day weekend. I kicked off with this long lower body workout. First let me say that it is excellent and thorough. Caroline starts you out with heavy dumbbell exercises for both exercises in a superset. Then it changes to dumbbells for the first exercise and bodyweight the second exercise. Then it becomes all bodyweight. But that does not make it easier! Not at all! I did not burn out once during a dumbbell exercise but I was burning out multiple times during bodyweight exercises!  Caroline hits every muscle group in your lower body thoroughly. And thankfully at the end, she also gives you a beautiful stretch. Excellent workout. Too bad it is so long, otherwise I would return to it more often.

This workout is made up primarily of supersets. You will do two exercises, each for 45 seconds back to back (90 seconds of work) before you get a 30 second recovery. 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 superset. There is also a little bar at the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage. There are also graphics and sounds to alert you when to change to the second exercise during a superset.

1 Hour Lower Body is 68:30 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9 minute warm up or the 1:50 minute intro, also optional) with a 4:50 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a yoga block and a fitness mat. Caroline is using 30kg/66 pounds and 15kg/33 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. High squat (DBs are held at shoulders) (30# DBs)
2. Suitcase squat (narrow squat holding DBs at sides) (30# DBs)
3. 30 second rest
4. Repeat #1-3
5. Paused high squat (same as #1 but pause briefly at bottom of squat) (30# DBs)
6. RDL (Romanian deadlift) (40# DBs)
7. 30 second rest
8. Repeat #5-7
9. Static lunge (stationary lunges) (25# DBs)
10. Bodyweight only (stationary lunges, same leg as #9, with no DBs)
11. 30 second rest
12. Repeat #9-11 on other side of body
13. Repeat #9-12
14. Sumo squat (legs are wide with toes turned out) (one 65# DB)
15. Repeat #14 but bodyweight only/no DB
16. 30 second rest
17. Repeat #14-16
18. Rear step lunge (step back with same leg entire interval) (22.5# DBs)
19. Repeat #18 on same leg but no DBs
20. 30 second rest
21. Repeat #18-20 on other side of body
22. Repeat #18-21
23. Sumo squat deadlift (normal sumo squat (#14 above) but torso is hinged forward deadlift style) (one 65# DB)
24. 1/2 rep bodyweight only (bodyweight sumo deadlift, lower to bottom but only raise halfway)
25. 30 second rest
26. Repeat #23-25
27. Heel elevated squats (heels are elevated on yoga block, hold one DB in both hands at chest under chin) (one 35# DB)
28. Bodyweight pause at bottom (set DB aside and continue heel elevated squats, pausing briefly at bottom of squat)
29. 30 second rest
30. Repeat #27-29
31. Staggered RDL (single leg deadlift, back/non-working leg is in kickstand) (one 35# DB)
32. FWD tilt rear lunge (same side as #31) (reverse/step back lunges, bodyweight/no DB, with torso hinged forward over front leg)
33. 30 second rest
34. Repeat #31-33 on other leg
35. Repeat #31-34
36. Lateral lunge (stationary side lunge, hold one DB in one hand, reach DB toward floor when in lunge) (one 35# DB)
37. Curtsy lunge (step back into curtsy/cross-back lunge then step back in, hold one DB at shoulder of non-working leg) (one 30# DB)
38. 30 second rest
39. Repeat #36-38 on other leg
40. Lateral lunge (same as #36 but bodyweight/no DB)
41. Curtsy lunge (same as #37  but bodyweight/no DB)
42. 30 second rest
43. Repeat #40-42 on other leg
44. Heel elevated hold (no DBs; heels are elevated on yoga block, lower into squat and hold isometrically entire interval)
45. Full range heel elevated squats (no DBs)
46. 30 second rest
47. Repeat #44-46
48. Wall sit (wall squat–hold isometrically entire interval)
49. Alternating forward lunges (bodyweight)
50. 30 second rest
51. Repeat #48-50

Finisher: (90 seconds; no rest/recoveries; all bodyweight)

1. Squat hold for 15 seconds (hold isometrically at bottom of squat)
2. 1/2 reps for 15 seconds (lower to bottom of squat but only raise halfway)
3. Full range squats for 15 seconds
4. Repeat #1-3