CGX: P.E. Program Day 1: ‘It was those Bulgarians…’

This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.

OMG this workout was tough! Though Caroline provides lots of detailed info about this program within the CGX app, during the intro she gives an overview of the program. P.E. stands for both Pre and Post Exhaust. The program is 10 weeks and there 5 workouts each week. The first 5 weeks are pre-exhaust, the last 5 weeks is post-exhaust.

Pre-exhaust means pre-fatiguing a muscle group before hitting it with weighted resistance. You do a body weight exercise followed by either the same exercise or an exercise that works the same muscle group but with dumbbells or barbell. For the bodyweight exercise you will be using props–a stability ball or a booty/glute band. And it does the trick. I struggled more than usual with all of the weighted exercises because my muscles were already feeling the burn. And the title is no joke. By the time we get to the Bulgarian lunges I was dying. The Bulgarians were brutal. Caroline dropped to a lighter weight during them and so did I! This workout fried my lower body!

This is a superset workout. You will do 2 exercises back to back, each for 60 or 75 seconds before you get a 30 or 45 second recovery. 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 superset. There is also a bar along the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage. Because you are sometimes changing to a different exercise for the second exercise of the superset you will not always be working the full second interval. But that is okay, because it is already tough and you don’t want to rush to get into position and injure yourself.

For the first exercise, make sure your barbell is close so you can quickly get it on your hips. For the stability ball roll outs, Caroline shows an alternative using sliders. Finally, for the Bulgarian lunges, when you repeat them, you will be using a heel wedge under the toe of the front foot. But even though you get a 45 second recovery, she does not preview the exercise with the wedge. So previewing (or reading this review) will prep you so you have that wedge nearby and get it in place during the recovery.

Lower Body is 46:36 minutes (this time does not include the optional 5:55 minute warm up or 7:15 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:20 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, barbell, chair/bench, glute/booty band, stability ball, heel wedges and fitness mat. Caroline’s barbell is at 68kg/150 pound. Caroline is also using 30kg/66 pound, 15kg/33 pound, and 10kg/22 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Bodyweight banded hip thrust for 60 seconds (lean back against your bench or step, glute band is round thighs just above knees, legs are open so there is constant tension on band, knees bent and and feet on floor w/ knees in line w/ ankles, raise and lower hips slowly)
2. (no rest) Loaded banded hip thrust for 60 seconds (same as #1 but with barbell on hips (barbell @ 105#)
3. 45 second rest
4. Repeat #1-3 two more times
5. Banded walk for 60 seconds (glute band is still around thighs above knees, lateral/side step the length of your space and back)
6. (no rest) Sumo deadlift squat for 60 seconds (remove glute band, stand with legs wide and toes turned out, hold one heavy DB in both hands, torso is hinged forward deadlift style) (one 70# DB)
7. 30 second rest
8. Repeat #5 for 75 seconds
9. (no rest) Repeat #6
10. 30 second rest
11. Repeat #8 & 9
12. 45 second rest
13. Stability ball roll out for 60 seconds (lay on back on mat, place calves on stability ball, raise hips and keep them raises as you roll ball in towards glutes then roll ball back out)
14. (no rest) RDL for 75 seconds (Romanian deadlift w/ toes elevated on heel wedges) (hex deadlift bat @ 100#)
15. 30 second rest
16. Repeat #13-15 two more times
17. Bodyweight forward tilt Bulgarian lunges for 60 seconds (stationary/static lunge w/ back leg elevated on chair/bench, torso hinged forward over front thigh)
18. (no rest) Loaded for 60 seconds (repeat #17 but hold one DB in same side hand as back leg) (one 25# DB)
19. 45 second rest
20. Repeat #17-19 on other leg
21. Repeat #17-20 but with one heel wedge under toe of front foot (one 20# DB)
22. Repeat #21

30 second rest

Finisher:

1. Iso thrust w/ abduction for 60 seconds (lean back against your bench or step, glute band is round thighs just above knees, legs are open so there is constant tension on band, knees bent and and feet on floor w/ knees in line w/ ankles, lift hips and hold them isometrically, push knees out further against band)
2. Hip thrust for 60 seconds (same position as #1, except raise and lower hips)