CGX: P.E. Program Day 2: ‘Pushed to the Limit’

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

Day 2 of the P.E. program was no easier than Day 1–it was just my upper body that was beaten up. I did take some lessons learned from Day 1 into Day 2 and made sure I had a wide variety of back up weights available. All of which I used. Caroline dropped to lighter weights, too, at the end during the hammer press. I actually started the first set of hammer presses with my 20 pound dumbbells but when I could barely eke out one rep I immediately swapped it out for 16.5 pound dumbbells. My shoulders are fried! The pre-exhaust exercise in this workout is different what was in from Day 1. In this workout the pre-exhaust exercise is always a different exercise using lighter dumbbells. Other than the finisher, there are no bodyweight exercises. And the finisher! Those cobra push ups are so much harder than you expect them to me. Especially since when doing a cobra during a yoga session or stretch session it feels so good! But after 60 seconds of cobra push ups I struggled with regular push ups! It was more like 2 push ups then child’s pose, 2 push ups then child’s pose. When I glanced up at the TV it looked like Caroline was doing the same thing–though she definitely was able to do more push ups than me before having to do a child’s pose to thaw out her muscles. Since this workout focuses on the chest, shoulders and triceps, I am looking forward to the other upper body workout this week that surely focuses on the back and biceps.

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 at the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage.

Upper Body is 45:58 minutes (this time does not include the optional 3:55 minute warm up or the 3:07 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:25 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, chair, bench, and fitness mat. Caroline is using 15kg/33 pound, 10kg/22 pound, 7.5kg/16.5 pound, and 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Rear delt fly (palms behind) for 60 seconds (seated in chair, torso hinged forward over thighs) (8# DBs)
2. (no rest) Shoulder press for 60 seconds (seated in chair, arms are in goal post at bottom of press) (20# DBs)
3. 30 second rest
4. Repeat #1-3 two more times
5. Chest fly for 75 seconds (20# DBs)
6. (no rest) Chest press for 60 seconds (27.5# DBs first set, 25# DBs last 2 sets)
7. 45 second rest
8. Repeat #5-7 two more times
9. Lateral raise for 60 seconds (standing) (9# DBs)
10. (no rest) Upright row for 60 seconds (15# DBs)
11. 30 second rest
12. Repeat #9-11 two more times
13. Skull crusher for 75 seconds (12# DBs)
14. (no rest) Tricep press for 60 seconds (similar to a chest press with arms kept close to sides and palms facing each other) (20# DBs)
15. 45 second rest
16. Repeat #13-15 two more times
17. Seated arc raise for 60 seconds (straight arm front raise w/palms facing each other, at top of raise arc DBs towards each other) (8# DBs)
18. (no rest) Hammer press for 60 seconds (seated shoulder press with palms facing each other/sides of face) (16.5# DBs)
19. 30 second rest
20. Repeat #17-19 two more times

Finisher:

1. Cobra push ups for 60 seconds (lay on mat, hands under shoulders, keep hips on mat as you push up cobra style)
2. Push ups for 60 seconds (traditional, arms wide)