This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.
Another tough upper body strength workout. And my triceps are still sore from Day 18! (on Day 18 my chest and back were still sore from Day 16!) This workout doesn’t hit the triceps or biceps directly. The focus is back, chest and shoulders but triceps and biceps assist so they get worked, too. The shoulders are hit really hard. You don’t think how much they assist in other exercises until Caroline supersets lateral raises with chest flys. You do a long set of chest flys (with a pause at the bottom of the fly) then you have 15 seconds to get in place for lateral raises. I was surprised at how fatigued my shoulders already felt from the flys.
Speaking of the lateral raises–there is a mistake at #24 below. During the recovery Caroline previews the chest fly (which you just did) rather than the lateral raise–so make sure you pay attention to the words, not the video and stand up and grab a lighter weight.
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 at the bottom of the screen, counting down the workout time as a percentage.
All About Lengthening Upper Body is 47:43 minutes (this time does not include the optional 3:55 minute warm up or the 4:30 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:15 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a chair or bench and a fitness mat. Push up bars are optional. Caroline is using 17.5kg/38.5 pound, 10kg/22 pound, 7.5kg/16.5 pound and 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells.
- Paused rear fly (palm behind) for 60 seconds (seated in chair, torso is hinged forward over thighs, do a rear delt fly w/ palms facing behind you, pause briefly at top of lift) (8# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Slow eccentric Arnold press for 60 seconds (seated in chair, lift into Arnold press at normal pace, lower slowly) (20# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #1-4 two more times
- Regular rear fly for 60 seconds (same as #1 but w/out a pause) (8# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Regular Arnold press for 60 seconds (same as #3, lift and lower at normal pace) (20# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Pause lengthened x1 arm row for 60 seconds (single arm row, one leg and non-working arm rest on bench, row DB up at normal speed and lower slowly and pause briefly with arm stretched at bottom of row) (one 40# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #10 & 11 on other arm
- Repeat #10-12
- Regular tempo x1 arm row for 60 seconds (same as #10 but raise and lower DB at normal speed w/ no pause) (one 40# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #14 & 15 on other arm
- Deep push ups for 60 seconds (Caroline uses push up bars to go deeper, I used DBs)
- 15 seconds
- Upright row for 75 seconds (15# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #17-20 two more times
- Paused in stretch flyes for 90 seconds (chest flys, pause briefly at bottom of fly when ams are open wide) (20# DBs)
- 15 seconds (Carolyn previews the wrong exercise here)
- Lateral raise for 60 seconds (standing) (8# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #22-25 two more times (this time she previews the correct exercise during #23)
20 second rest
Finisher: (4 minutes)
- Hip lift, 20 reps (lay on back, extend legs straight to ceiling, do reverse crunch, lifting hips and pushing feet to ceiling)
- Reverse crunch, 20 reps (lay on mat with hands behind head and head/shoulders elevated, straight legs are extended to ceiling, lower straight legs until they are a few inches of the mat, lift legs and do a reverse crunch pushing feet to ceiling)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible in 4 minutes
