CGX: Iron Program Day 9: Full Body

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 and very metabolic total body strength workout. I burned over 500 calories! So you will be getting some cardio with your strength training. In fact, according to my Apple watch I spent nearly 15 minutes in my peak heart rate zone. I was exhausted by the end and just used my lightest dumbbells for the entire finisher. I regret that now because in spite of being worn out, some of the exercises felt too easy with 20 pound dumbbells–specifically the renegade rows and constant tension squats. So if I repeat the Iron Program I will make sure I keep heavier dumbbells near by for those two exercises. ***04/20/24 update: I returned to this workout this morning and increased my weight for those two exercises. It made a difference!***

All of the weighted strength exercises in this workout are done interval style: 45 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest. The abs/core work is done interval style, too, but with no rest/recoveries: 60 and 30 seconds of work. 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. During the core section, when there is 10 seconds left of the exercise, a video appears in the upper lefthand corner of the screen, previewing 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.

Full Body is 43:03 minutes (this time does not include the optional 11:38 minute warm up or the 2:20 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:30 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, yoga block, wedges to elevate heels and a fitness mat. Caroline is using 10kg/22 pounds dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. High squat (DBs are held in front of body at shoulder level) (30# DBs)
2. Renegade rows (30# DBs)
3. Static lunge (stationary lunges, front leg is elevated on yoga block) (25# DBs)
4. Repeat #3 on other leg
5. Push press (overhead press with arms in goal post, use legs to assist in pushing DBs overhead explosively/with power then lower DBs slowly) (20# DBs)
6. Alternating reverse lunges (20# DBs)
7. Push ups
8. Constant tension elevated squats (heels are elevated on wedges, hold one DB in both hands at chest, do not raise completely out of squat so there is “constant tension”) (one 40# DB)
9. Leg lowers for 60 seconds (lay on back, hands behind head and head/shoulders elevated, lift straight legs to ceiling, lower legs until they are a few inches off the floor then raise back to start)
10. (no rest) Toe reaches for 60 seconds (lay on back, legs extended straight to ceiling, crunch upper body reaching hands to toes)
11. (no rest) Repeat #9
12. (no rest) Toe reach to leg lower for 30 seconds (combine #9 & 10–lay on back, head/shoulders elevated, lower straight legs until they are a few inches off floor, raise straight legs to ceiling then crunch upper body, reaching hands to toes)
13. 30 second rest
14. Repeat #1-13 two more times

Finisher: (2:55 minutes; no rest/recoveries)

1. High squat for 20 seconds (20# DBs)
2. Renegade rows for 30 seconds (30# DBs)
3. Static lunge for 20 seconds each leg (20# DBs)
4. Push press for 20 seconds (20# DBs)
5. Alternating lunges for 20 seconds (20# DBs)
6. Push ups for 25 seconds
7. Constant tension elevated squats for 40 seconds (one 30# DB)