CGX: Iron Program Day 48: The Quads!

This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page. This is definitely a quad burner workout! Though the focus is on the quads, your entire lower body gets worked, too. I was feeling this in my glutes and hamstrings as well. But by the end it was my quads that were very fatigued! The structure of this workout is one long circuit that you repeat once.

The exercises in this workout are done interval style: 60 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of rest. If the interval or recovery time is different, then it will be noted below. 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.

The Quads is 35:48 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9 minute warm up or the 3:01 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:25 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a high step/box, heel wedges and a fitness mat. Caroline is using 15kg/33 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Elevated high squats (heels are elevated on wedges, hold DBs in front of you at chest level) (35# DBs)
2. Suitcase squats (narrow squats, hold DBs at sides) (35# DBs)
3. Closer stance lunge (static/stationary lunge but w/ legs closer together than they normally would be) (30# DBs)
4. (no rest) Slow step up for 30 seconds (face high step, one foot is on step, step up onto step, rising slowly then lower back to start, working leg/foot remains on box the entire time)
5. (no rest) Step ups at a faster pace for 30 seconds
6. Repeat #3-5 on other leg
7. Bulgarian lunge (stationary/static lunge, back leg is elevated on step/box behind you, hold one DB in same side hand as front/working leg) (one 27.5# DB)
8. Repeat #7 on other leg
9. Repeat #1 but this time hold one DB at chest with both hands (one 35# DB)
10. Bodyweight quad Bulgarian lunges (stationary/static lunge, back leg is elevated on step/box behind you, front leg is closer to step than it was in #7)
11. Rest is only 20 seconds
12. Repeat #10 on other leg
13. Repeat #1-12

Finisher: (90 seconds; each exercise is done for 30 seconds w/ no rest/recovery between exercises)

1. Heel elevated body weight squats
2. Bottom portion partials (lower to bottom of squat but only raise halfway)
3. Repeat #1