CGX: Iron Program Day 5: Shoulders & Triceps

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 workout! Caroline fried all areas of my shoulders plus my triceps. I had back up weights at the ready for most of the exercises and as you can see below, I dropped to them a few times for the second set. Each exercise is done for 2 sets but thankfully you get 30 seconds of recovery between each exercise to help you recover and come back strong for the next exercise.

The exercises in this workout are done interval style: 60 seconds of work followed by 30 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.

Shoulders & Triceps is 34:36 minutes (this time does not include the optional 6 minute warm up or the 3:12 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:05 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, chair or bench and a fitness mat. Optional is push up bars. Caroline is using 4kg/8.8 pounds, 7.5kg/16.5 pound and 10kg/22 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Rear delt fly (sit on chair or bench, hinge forward so chest rests on thighs and do a rear delt fly with palms facing behind you) (8# DBs)
2. Repeat #2
3. Seated Arnold press (20# DBs)
4. Repeat #3 but stand this time
5. Lateral raise (10# DBs)
6. Repeat #5 (8# DBs)
7. Partial rear fly (same as #1 but only lift DBs halfway before lowering) (8# DBs)
8. Repeat #7
9. Partial laterals (same as #5 but only lift DBs halfway) (8# DBs)
10. Repeat #9
11. Diamond press (similar to a chest press, but DBs are pressed together over chest and arms/elbows are kept close to sides the entire time) (25# DBs)
12. Repeat #11
13. Tricep press (similar to #11 but DBs are not pressed together, palms still face each other and arms/elbows are still kept close to sides as you press DBs to ceiling) (25# DBs)
14. Repeat #13
15. Skull crushers (15# DBs)
16. Repeat #15 (13# DBs)
17. Overhead touch (similar to #15, but arms/elbows move back farther and ends of DBs tap the floor behind head) (13# DBs)
18. Repeat #17 (12# DBs)
19. Tricep push ups on DBs
20. Repeat #19

Finisher: (90 seconds; each exercise is done for 30 seconds with no rest/recovery) (8# DBs)

1. Rear delt fly (hinge forward with flat back and do a rear delt fly with palms facing behind you, done at a brisk pace)
2. Lateral raise (standing now, also done at a brisk pace)
3. Frontal raise (still standing, done at a brisk pace)