CGX: Max Program Day 3: Starting and ending with shortened range hammies!

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

This workout, like Day 1 & 2, is done PHA style. For more information on PHA, see Day 1’s post.

Like Day 1, I found this another very enjoyable workout. It doesn’t top Day 1 but I love the exercises and felt like I got a great full body workout. It was much less metabolic than the first two because you spend a lot of time on the mat. In fact, it’s not really metabolic at all. Some of the exercises are higher rep/endurance exercises. Because of this I was conservative with my weights but after doing the workout, the PHA technique really gives your muscles sufficient recovery time to come back to the exercise strong, so when I do this workout again I will increase my weight on some of the exercises. Not the 3/4 rep elevated squat tho (#4 below)! That one was deceptive! Definitely a quad burner!

This workout is done interval style. The exercise intervals times vary and are noted below in the breakdown. Each interval is followed by a 30 second recovery. There is an onscreen timer 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 shows several alternate exercises you can do using sliding disks or no additional equipment.

Day 3 is 37:38 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9:18 minute warm up or 2:57 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:20 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, barbell, heel wedges, stability ball, and fitness mat. You are also using a glute band and light dumbbells for the warm up. Caroline is using 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells for the warm up. For the actual workout, Caroline is using a barbell at 58kg/128 pounds. She is also using 15kg/33 pound, 10kg/22 pound and 7.5kg/16.5 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Ball roll out for 90 seconds (lay on back with both heels on stability ball, raise hips and roll ball into glutes then roll back out, keeping hips raised the entire time)
2. Pullover for 90 seconds (one 35# DB)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times
4. 3/4 rep elevated squat (stand every 20 seconds) for 60 seconds (heels are elevated on heel wedges, hold one DB at chest in both hands, lower to bottom of squat but only raise 3/4 of the way so there is constant tension on the muscles, every 20 seconds you will rise all the way out of squat) (one 35# DB)
5. Chest flys for 90 seconds (20# DBs)
6. Repeat #4 & 5 two more times
7. Bridge for 90 seconds (lay on back mat, heels are close to glutes and barbell on hips, raise and lower hips in bridge) (barbell @ 96#)
8. Upright row for 60 seconds (15# DBs)
9. Repeat #7 & 8 two more times

Finisher:

1. Slow rep stability ball roll out for 15 seconds (lay on back with both heels on stability ball, raise hips and roll ball into glutes then roll back out, keeping hips raised the entire time–this is done to a slow pace so you are only able to complete one full rep in 15 seconds)
2. (no rest) Repeat #1 three more times with no rest between (4 slow roll outs total)
3. (no rest) Stability ball roll outs to a normal pace for 30 seconds