This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.
This was another tough upper body workout and it is heavy on shoulder work. You work your chest and back but the primarily focus is the shoulders. And mine were fried by the end. Especially since the finisher is a complex of all partial reps. During the course of the workout Caroline posts her usual pop ups to give form pointers. One of them stresses slowing down on the lowering/eccentric phase of the move. (which is also what the “stretch” in the title is referring to) So that is what I did during this workout–lifted at a normal pace but lowered slowly. I definitely felt it in my shoulders.
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 side of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recovery Caroline previews the next exercise. There is also a bar along the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage.
Rows & Flyes is 45:39 minutes (this time does not include the optional 4 minute warm up or the 2:48 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:10 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, chair, bench and a fitness mat. Caroline is using 15kg/33 pound, 10kg/22 pound and 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Shoulder press for 60 seconds (seated in a high back chair, arms are in goal post at bottom of should press) (20# DBs)
- 45 second rest
- Repeat #1 & 2 two more times
- Chest flyes for 75 seconds (25# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #4 & 5 two more times
- Single arm row for 75 seconds (one knee and non-working hand rest on the bench) (one 45# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #7 & 8 on other arm
- Repeat #7-9 two more times (one 40# DB)
- Lateral raise for 75 seconds (9# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Arc raise for 75 seconds (straight arm front raise w/palms facing each other, at top of raise arc DBs towards each other) (8# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #11-14 two more times
- Rear delt fly (palms facing in) for 75 seconds (single arm rear delt fly w/ one knee and non-working hand on the bench) (one 9# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #16 & 17 on other arm
- Repeat #16-18 but w/ palm facing behind you (one 9# DB)
Finisher:
- Partial rear delt flys, 20 reps (sit on bench, torso hinged forward over thighs, palms face each other, only lift arms/DBs partway) (8# DBs)
- Partial lateral raises, 20 reps (standing, only lift arms/DBs partway) (8# DBs)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 4 minutes
