This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page. I had dead arms after this workout. Mostly from the all the shoulder work but I was hitting failure on almost all of the exercises at some point. Caroline was, too! This is a tough workout. She starts you out with straight sets then trisets then giant sets. She worked my entire upper body thoroughly but during the workout I felt it most in my rear delts and shoulders. She gives a very nice upper body stretch at the end.
This workout is done interval style. The interval and recovery times vary 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(s). There is also a progress bar at the bottom of the screen, counting down the workout time as a percentage.
Upper Body is 39:49 minutes (this time does not include the optional 3:55 minute warm up or the 2:53 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:15 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a bench and/or chair and a fitness mat. Caroline is using 30kg/66 pound, 15kg/33 pound, 10kg/22 pound and 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Landmine row for 60 seconds (hold one heavy DB in both hands by the bar, hinge forward and do a row, pulling DB up to chest) (one 65# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Hammer press for 60 seconds (seated shoulder press, palms face each other/ears) (22.5# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #1-4 two more times
- Pullover for 90 seconds (one 40# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Diagonal rear delt fly for 60 seconds (sit in chair and hinge forward over thighs, palms face each other, sweep DBs up behind you while also opening arms out to sides in a V) (8# DBs)
- (no rest) Seated lateral raise for 60 seconds (8# DBs)
- (no rest) Tricep push ups for 60 seconds
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #6-11 (except #10 is done for 90 seconds)
- Repeat #6-11 (#10 is 60 seconds again)
- Chest press for 60 seconds (barbell @ 73#)
- (no rest) Partial rear delt fly for 30 seconds (palms behind) (start standing, hinge forward at the waist, only lift arms/DBs halfway into fly with palms facing behind you) (8# DBs)
- (no rest) Partial lateral raise for 30 seconds (standing, lift DBs halfway) (8# DBs)
- (no rest) Cobra push up for 30 seconds (lay on mat, hands on mat under shoulders, keeping legs and hips on mat, do push ups cobra-style)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #14-18 two more times
Finisher: (1:30 minutes; no rest/recovery between exercises)
- Pause at top lateral raise for 30 seconds (hold arms/DBs at top of raise briefly before lowering) (8# DBs)
- Momentum lateral raise for 15 seconds (lift DBs/arms with power and at a brisk pace) (8# DBs)
- Repeat #1 & 2
