This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page. Just like last year, Caroline came out with short but very effective workouts to get you through the holidays. This back workout is only 22 minutes long but it is excellent and thorough. And since pullovers workout your entire upper body, rows work not just your back but your biceps and flys work your shoulders, too, this can double as an upper body workout if you are short on time and cannot fit in other upper body workouts during the week. This one will work everything–but most especially the back. I actually paired this with a lower body cardio + strength workout so I got it all this morning–total body strength + cardio.
This workout is done interval style. The interval 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. There is also a progress bar at the bottom of the screen, counting down the workout time as a percentage.
Big Back Session is 22:32 minutes (this time does not include the optional 3:55 minute warm up) with a 1:10 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, bench and fitness mat. Caroline is using 17.5kg/38.5 pound, 15kg/33 pound and 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Single arm row for 60 seconds (one 40# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #1 & 2 on other arm
- Repeat #1-3
- Pullovers for 90 seconds (one 40# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Single arm rear delt fly (palm facing behind you) for 75 seconds (one 10# DB)
- 15 second rest
- Repeat #7 on other arm
- 10 second rest
- Repeat #7-9
- 20 second rest
- Repeat #5 (one 35# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Single arm momentum row for 60 seconds (row DB up with power and lower slowly) (one 40# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #15 & 16 on other arm
Finisher: (90 seconds)
- Double arm full range rear delt fly for 30 seconds (sitting on bench) (8# DBs)
- (no rest) Paused partials for 30 seconds (lift DBs partway into delt fly and hold briefly) (8# DBs)
- (no rest) Partials for 30 seconds (same as #2 buy with no pause) (8# DBs)
