CGX: Iron Program Day 22: Complete Upper Body

This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page. I was very excited to do this workout because this weekend I completely rearranged my workout room. Now my bench press is always ready for some chest presses–no set up required. Plus I bought a big gym style weight rack so dumbbell set up is now minimal. All of my heavy dumbbells are easily accessible. And it worked just as I’d hoped! This was the perfect workout to try it out with, too. It is an upper body circuit workout where you move from one exercises to the next. You first hit the chest with 3 exercises then the back with 3 exercises then the shoulders with 3 exercises. The rest between muscle groups is 30 seconds but the rests are shorter between exercises within a muscle group. My workout room set up made the entire workout so much smoother! It was like moving from one station to the next. As for the workout itself–excellent! My upper body is pumped and well worked.

This workout is done interval style. The interval and recovery times are all different so they are noted below in the breakdown. There is a timer in the upper right hand corner of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recoveries Caroline previews the next exercise. There is also a progress bar at the bottom of the screen, counting down the workout time as a percentage.

Complete Upper Body is 36:37 minutes (this time does not include the optional 5:52 minute warm up or the 3:15 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:25 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a chair or bench and a fitness mat. Optional is push up bars. Caroline is using 17.5kg/38.5 pounds, 15kg/33 pounds, 10kg/22 pound, and 5kg/11 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Chest flys for 60 seconds (25# DBs)
2. 20 second rest
3. Chest press for 40 seconds (70# barbell)
4. 20 second rest
5. Push ups for 30 seconds (Caroline holds DBs to deepen her push up, her arms are wide)
6. 30 second rest
7. Pullover for 90 seconds (one 45# DB)
8. 20 second rest
9. Pronated row for 40 seconds (bent over double arm back row, palms face behind you) (30# DBs)
10. 20 second rest
11. Supine row for 30 seconds (double arm bent over row, palms face in front of you) (30# DBs)
12. 30 second rest
13. Seated Arnold press for 60 seconds (20# DBs)
14. 20 second rest
15. Rear fly (palms face behind) for 40 seconds (seated, torso hinge forward so chest is on thighs) (8# DBs)
16. 10 second rest
17. Standing lateral raise for 30 seconds (8# DBs)
18. 30 second rest
19. Repeat #1-18 two more times

Finisher: (2:10 minutes)

1. Push up for 30 seconds
2. 20 second rest
3. Rotational rows for 30 seconds (bent over double arm row, palms face behind you at bottom of row, as you row arms up, rotate DBs so palms face in front of you at top of row) (25# DBs)
4. 20 second rest
5. Momentum lateral raise for 30 seconds (double arm side raises done at a brisk pace, lifting arms w/ momentum) (8# DBs)