CGX: Dumbbell Abs Circuit

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

This was a tough core workout for me. I know my core isn’t as strong as it used to be and I really need to start focusing on it more. So maybe this core workout is easier for some people but man I felt it everywhere. I had just finished an hour long upper body strength workout prior to doing this, so not sure if that affected my level of fatigue, but I felt this in my core, my hip flexors and even my low back at times! But I liked it! It wasn’t injury type pain–it was muscle fatigue pain. I definitely need to use Caroline’s core workouts as finishers more often than I do.

Each exercise is done for 45 seconds with no rest/recovery. There is a timer in the upper right hand side of the screen counting down your intervals. When there is 10 seconds left of an exercise, a video appears in which 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.

Dumbbell Abs Circuit is 15:40 minutes with a 1:15 minute stretch. Equipment: a dumbbell and a fitness mat. Caroline is using one 5kg/11 pound dumbbell. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Crunch (basic crunch holding DB at upper chest) (one 15# DB)
2. Alternating pass through (bicycle the legs, as you bring one knee into the chest, pass DB under leg/behind thigh to other hand–you are passing the DB hand to hand in a figure 8 pattern) (one 8# DB)
3. X1 leg crunch (lay on back, one leg is bent with foot on mat, other leg is extended to ceiling, hold one DB in same side hand as extended leg, crunch upper body, reaching DB to foot of extended leg) (one 15# DB)
4. Repeat #3 on other side of body
5. X1 leg pass through (similar to #2 but only bring one knee into chest the entire interval) (one 8# DB)
6. Repeat #5 on other leg
7. Deadbug one side (lay on back, both legs are raised w/ knees bent at 90 degrees, both arms are extended to ceiling, hold one DB in one hand, extend arm w/ DB overhead while also extending opposite leg straight, return to start) (one 10# DB)
8. Repeat #7 on other side of body
9. Repeat #1-8

Finisher: (90 seconds; each exercise is done for 45 seconds with no rest/recoveries)

1. Crunch (lay on back with knees bent and both feet on mat, hold one DB in both hands, crunch upper body reaching DB to ceiling) (one 15# DB)
2. Bodyweight only pulses (set DB aside, place hands behind head, lift upper body into crunch and pulse upward entire interval)