This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page. I’m back to Intent this week and as usual, Caroline fried my hamstrings with another tough lower body workout. The workout starts using weights then ends with bodyweight exercises using a stability ball and a booty band. And somehow the bodyweight exercises burned more than the weighted ones! Those stability ball roll outs were killer. Even Caroline was having to take her own personal breaks by the last set. They are done at a very slow and controlled pace, which just increased the burn! The finisher is 4 minutes of clockwise and counter clockwise crunches. NO FUN.
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 little bar at the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage. During the intro Caroline gives some good form information on the ab finisher. For the stability ball roll outs (#14 below) Caroline also shows an option of doing hamstring bridges.
Beginning with Bridges Lower Body is 50:39 minutes (this time does not include the optional 6 minute warm up or the 3:34 minute intro, also optional) with a 3 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, barbell, heel wedge, stability ball, booty/glute band and a fitness mat. Caroline’s barbell is at 58kg/128 pounds. She is also using 30kg/66 pound and 20kg/44 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Bridge for 60 seconds (lay on back, knees bent and feet on mat, barbell or one heavy DB on hips, raise and lower hips in bridge) (barbell @ 86#)
- 45 second rest
- Repeat #1 & 2 three more times
- Static lunge for 60 seconds (stationary lunges) (30# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #4 & 5 on other side of body
- Staggered RDL for 60 seconds (single leg deadlift, back leg is in kickstand, front toe is elevated on heel wedge) (one 40# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #7 & 8 on other leg
- Repeat #4-9 two more times
- Squat for 60 seconds (done sumo style holding one heavy DB by bar with both hands, but toes are forward rather than turned out) (one 65# DB)
- 45 second rest
- Repeat #11 & 12 three more times
- Stability ball hamstring roll outs for 75 seconds (lay on back on mat, heels on stability ball, raise hips and keep them elevated, roll ball toward glutes then back out)
- 15 second rest
- Repeat #14 & 15 two more times
- Banded bridge for 75 seconds (lay on mat, band is around thighs just above knees, knees are bent and open so there is constant tension on band, feet are on mat close to glutes, slowly raise and lower hips/glutes)
- 15 second rest
- Repeat #17 & 18
- Repeat #17 for 60 seconds but this time hold isometrically at top of bridge for approx. 6-7 seconds before lowering hips
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #20 & 21
Finisher:
- Clockwise crunch, 5 reps (lay on back with knees bent and feet on mat, hands are behind head, do an upper body crunch but you circle your upper body in a clockwise direction)
- Anti-clockwise crunch, 5 reps (same as #1 but circle in opposite direction)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 4 minutes
