This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page. This workout has been out for a few weeks, maybe a month, and I have been eyeing it with interest and fear. Not so much fear of doing the workout, but fear of the DOMS that will follow. I usually don’t mind DOMS but I do hate severe DOMS in my calves. But I also like the idea of having a calf focused add on to use. So I finally gave in. I am holding off posting this review for a few days so I can report my level of DOMS. I used it as an add on after doing a lower body workout. The workout was tough but not as bad as I expected it to be. The majority of the workout is unilateral work. The fact that you have a full minute between sides gives your calves adequate time to rest before you hit them again. However, by the end of the interval my calves were definitely fatiguing. At the end, when you do the isometric hold, Caroline’s legs were visibly trembling. **The next day my calves are sore but not the severe DOMS I was expecting; but as the day wore on, the DOMS got worse. Two days after this workout the DOMS in one calf was severe but only mild in the other. I am posting this 3 days after doing it and the DOMS in one calf is still present but has faded somewhat. It still feels bruised and tender when I push into the muscle with my fingers. The other calf is back to normal. If you incorporate this add on regularly the severe DOMS will stop happening. I will try to make a point to squeeze this in once a week.
The exercises are done interval style; most of the exercise are done for 55 seconds of work followed by 5 seconds of rest, but it’s not really rest, just (barely) enough time to change legs. In fact, it was never enough time for Caroline; she always took a few more seconds to get in place. I had both of my heel wedges out instead of one and that made the switch quicker. At the end of the workout the intervals shorten and you get no rest but that is noted in the breakdown. So if it is not noted then it is 55/5. 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.
Calf Workout is 17:15 minutes (this time does not include the optional 57 second intro) with a 55 second stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and a heel wedge. Caroline is using 10kg/22 pound dumbbells. Caroline is standing beside a wall so that she can use it for balance. I used 22.5 pound dumbbells for everything.
- Full range raise (toes of one foot are elevated on wedge, one DB at shoulder of working leg, other leg is raised so all of your weight is on your working leg, raise and lower heel)
- Repeat #1 on other leg
- Repeat #1 & 2
- 1/2 rep bottom range (toes are still elevated on wedge, same as #1 except heel doesn’t raise as high)
- Repeat #4 on other leg
- Repeat #4 & 5
- 1.5 rep body weight (no DBs, toes still elevated on wedge, do one half rep heel raise + one full range heel raise)
- Repeat #7 on other leg
- Repeat #7 & 8
- Double full range (no wedges, hold a DB at each shoulder and raise and lower both heels)
- Repeat #10 but body weight (no DBs)
- Hold for 25 seconds (raise heels and hold isometrically)
- (no rest) Top half pulses for 30 seconds (raise heels and only lower halfway before raising back to full heel raise)
- (no rest) Repeat #13 but at a faster pace
