This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.
This lower body workout was killer! It seriously kicked my a$$! It was frying my glutes from the very beginning but what really killed me was the 4 sets of hamstring roll outs. After that you go to step back lunges and I was struggling. The workout ends with more bridge work–4 minutes! My glutes are fried. But that isn’t all. You do plenty of Bulgarian lunges, too, including quad focused ones, so my quads are also feeling very fatigued. This workout took a lot out of me! I am still feeling it. I do appreciate that Caroline gives us a longer than usual stretch at the end that includes pigeon pose. And you hold the pigeon pose for a good amount of time. Had she not given us such a good stretch I would have added something onto the end.
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 corner of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recoveries Caroline previews the next exercise. There is also a progress bar along the bottom of the screen, counting down the workout time as a percentage.
For the stability ball roll outs Caroline gives the option of doing hamstring bridges with a barbell/dumbbell.
Metabolite Inducing Bridges is 50:28 minutes (this time does not include the optional 5:55 minute warm up or the 2:39 minute intro, also optional) with a 4:15 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells or a barbell, step/bench/chair, yoga block, stability ball and a fitness mat. Caroline’s barbell is at 58kg/128 pounds. She is also using 15kg/33 pound and 10kg/22 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Bridges for 75 seconds (lay on mat, knees bent and feet flat on mat close to glutes, barbell or heavy DB on hips, raise and lower hips in bridge) (barbell @ 86#)
- 45 second rest
- Repeat #1 & 2 three more times
- Forward tilt Bulgarian lunge for 75 seconds (stationary lunge w/ back foot elevated on step/bench behind you, hold one DB in same side hand as back leg, torso is hinged forward over front thigh) (one 30# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #4 & 5 on other leg
- Repeat #4-6 (one 25# DB)
- Repeat #4-6 w/ no DB and front foot elevated on yoga block
- Stability ball roll out for 75 seconds (lay on back on mat with both heels on ball, raise hips/glutes, roll ball out then back in keeping hips elevated entire interval)
- 45 second rest
- Repeat #9 for 90 seconds
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #11 & 12 two more times
- Rear step lunge for 75 seconds (reverse step back lunges, front foot is elevated on yoga block) (20# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #14 & 15 on other leg
- Repeat #14-16 two more times
- Quad Bulgarian lunge for 60 seconds (stationary lunge w/ back foot elevated on step/bench behind you, front leg is closer to step/bench than it was in #4, hold one DB in same side hand as front leg, lower like a single leg squat w/ back knee nearly tapping floor) (one 20# DB)
- (no rest) Repeat #18 w/out DB for 30 seconds
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #18-20 on other leg
Finisher: (4 minutes)
- Bridges, 10 reps (lay on mat, knees bent and feet flat on mat close to glutes, barbell or heavy DB on hips, raise and lower hips in bridge) (barbell @ 86#)
- Pulse, 15 reps (same position as #1, keep hips lifted at top of bridge and pulse hips upward) (barbell @ 86#)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible in 4 minutes
agree with all your points! I love it that she has us challenge ourselves in that way (leading by example). I haven’t seen such muscular changes myself since first starting with Les Mills Bodypump classes years ago. The idea that in midlife after years of working out we can still get gains (visible in some things like rear delts and back for me) is pretty incredible, isn’t it?
I hope she takes inspiration from Heather or programmes like 645 and specifically includes pilates /mobility/functional fitness days in her full body programme. Whatever she does though will be effective. It would be good to see your reviews if you do incorporate these workouts. There is so little public info about / reaction to her app workouts apart from your blog.
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I don’t spend much time on Social Media so I never know what people are talking about anymore. I had to look up 645. A Beachbody program! I haven’t even thought about Beaachbody in so long. Though I did do some PiYo about 6 months ago. I used to do Beachbody workouts all the time. But anyway! I am surprised more people aren’t talking about CGX. I tried searching for how many CGX subscribers she has and it only brings up YouTube info, though according to that she makes millions from that alone–if you believe the info on the internet, that is.
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sadly, it seems the age of the blog / interesting personal website is waning, isn’t it? I remember with those old BeachBody workouts, it was easy and interesting to find out what people thought; there was your blog, and also Dumbbells and Diapers, someone Parrot, other blogger reviews, Amazon reviews and of course there would be plenty written on sites like Video Fitness. Now I think BB is going the way of the dodo, and all Caroline’s workouts are on her app and the comments are mostly hype eg “let’s go!! We going to smash this one today” which tell me precisely nothing haha. Really, your blog is a boon. There is nothing else like it reviewing her work.
By the way I did an hour long lowerleg one today from the cgx app called ‘x4 straight sets lower body’ where it’s mostly 4 sets of each exercise (or 3x each side for unilateral) but you get a GLORIOUS 45 sec rest between all the heavy sets. Was able to push the weights! Highly recommended if you haven’t done that one.
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I do remember. Back when I did a lot of Beachbody I use to visit Facebook everyday and there was always a lot of talk on FB about whatever program I happened to be doing. But that was because of the pyramid scheme coaching–so everyone had a coach and they formed a group of people you could talk to about the program. I don’t know if they do the coach thing anymore but I don’t do FB anymore either. I also used to visit Cathe’s forum a lot but I don’t do that anymore either. I do pop in when she has a new program coming out, just to see what she is posting about it but since I don’t do her workouts exclusively anymore I don’t visit very much and I never post.
No, I have not done Caroline’s x4 Straight Sets Lower Body workout. It is on my To Do list but who knows when I will get to it. It does look like a good one!
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thanks, I did this yesterday and used your review for mental preparation as always! The finisher was pretty much impossible though, especially using the barbell (I had mine set at 100lb /46kg). My husband pointed out that she was constantly resting during it too, so it wasn’t just me being pathetic haha.
Following your current rotation reviews with interest. I am back to my beloved cgx full body split x 3 next week but omg, excited at the announcement of the new Max programme having full body split as its basis. Especially given that amazing full body rotation you were doing last year, this sounds just so so intriguing.
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That is what I love about Caroline’s workouts. She is obviously doing this real time with you and kicking her own butt. Since doing her workouts (5 years now!) I think nothing about taking personal pauses in the middle of an interval if needed. Other trainers almost never show muscle failure like that so it makes you feel like you should just use lighter weights so you can complete all of the reps without pause. Thanks to Caroline I started challenging myself more.
And yes! I saw the trailer for her upcoming program! I am pretty excited, too. I might have to re-do my rotation to include weeks of Max because I would really like more full body workouts than what I am getting now. Right now I only get them during my Heather Robertson weeks.
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