CGX: Iron Program Day 27: Back & Alternating Curl Biceps

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 very tough back and biceps workout. The long bicep intervals really fried my biceps. I was dropping to lighter weights by the end of the workout. Since today is a holiday and this is a relatively short workout, I followed this with Caroline’s CGXmas Day 7: Upper Body, which really finished me off. My entire upper body is so pumped and fatigued now but most especially my biceps.

This workout is done interval style. The interval are 90 seconds of worked followed by 30 seconds of rest. If it is a unilateral exercise the interval is still 90 seconds but you will do 45 seconds on one arm and immediately do 45 seconds on the other arm. 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.

Back & Alternating Curl Biceps is 34:31 minutes (this time does not include the optional 5:52 minute warm up or the 2:48 minute intro, also optional) with a 1:50 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a chair or bench and a fitness mat. Caroline is using 15kg/33 pound, 7.5kg/16.5 pound and 5kg/11 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Alternating bicep curls (20# DBs)
2. Pullover (one 45# DB)
3. Repeat #2 two more times
4. Repeat #1
5. Single arm row (45 seconds each arm) (bent over row, one knee and one arm rests on bench) (one 50# DB)
6. Repeat #5 two more times
7. Repeat #1
8. Supine row (45 seconds each arm) (bent over row, one knee and one arm rests on bench, palm faces in front of you while rowing) (one 40# DB)
9. Repeat #8 two more times
10. Alternating palms up curls (20# DBs)
11. Alternating hammer curls (20# DBs)
12. Repeat #1 (18# DBs)

Finisher:(120 seconds)

1. 21s w/ 2 DBs (curl DBs 1/2 way 7 reps, start at shoulders and lower DBs 1/2 way for 7 reps, do 7 reps of full range bicep curls) (16.5# DBs)
2. Repeat #1 w/ one DB held in both hands (one 20# DB)