CGX: Max Program Day 5: Our ‘fun’ day of the week!

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

Unlike Days 1-4, this workout is not done PHA style. (For more information on PHA, see Day 1’s post.) This is also different from Days 1-4 in other ways. First, this workout not only works your core but it is full of isolation exercises. For the upper body it targets smaller muscle groups: biceps and triceps, and the shoulders (of course) get some work. For the lower body, no dumbbells are used. Only bodyweight and a glute/booty band, and you will hit the quads hard with sissy squats. It is a really nice workout to round out all of the compound exercises that focus on large muscle groups done the rest of the week. Though it is a “full body” workout, you are obviously missing your large upper body muscle groups. As for whether this workout is fun… I guess that depends on the person! I did enjoy parts of it but the sissy squats were hard and not fun. Caroline does give an easier alternative (heel elevated squats) but I did the sissy squats. Plus core work is rarely “fun” IMHO. But otherwise I guess it was fun–especially as something so different from what we have been doing the rest of the week.

This workout is one circuit that starts with core work, moves on to upper body and ends with lower body. The circuit is repeated 3 times. Each time you repeat the circuit you will do a different bicep curl variation. Otherwise everything else remains the same. The exercises are done interval style. The exercise interval times vary and are noted below in the breakdown. Each interval is followed by a 15 second recovery. There is an on screen 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.

Day 5 is 38:43 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9:18 minute warm up or 3:56 minute intro, also optional) with a 1:40 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, chair/bench, glute band, and fitness mat. This workout has sissy squats so you need a wall or something to hold onto for balance. If you do the alternative to a sissy squat then you need heel wedges. 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 7,5kg/16.5 pound and 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Knees past elbow tuck for 60 seconds (lay on back on mat, knees are bent with hands behind head, elbows open wide, bring knees into chest while also crunching upper body so elbows are outside of knees, keeping knees bent, lower legs so heels almost touch mat)
2. (no rest) Tuck to hollow for 60 seconds (still on back, extend legs in line with hips and elevated off mat, arms are extended overhead, crunch upper body while bringing knees into chest and touching hands to ankles)
3. (no rest) Small tuck for 60 seconds (still on back with head on mat, do a reverse crunch keeping knees bent at 90 degrees)
4. 15 second rest
5. Hammer curl for 75 seconds (16.5# DBs)
6. 15 second rest
7. Overhead tricep extension for 75 seconds (seated French press) (one 22.5# DB)
8. 15 second rest
9. Paused partial laterals for 30 seconds (lift arms/DBs partway w/ a brief pause at top of lift) (8# DBs)
10. (no rest) Full range lateral raise for 45 seconds (8# DBs)
11. 15 second rest
12. Sissy squat for 75 seconds (stand holding onto something for balance (Caroline is holding wall), heels are raised, torso leans back as you lower knees so they almost touch the floor; the alternative given is bodyweight heel elevated squats)
13. 15 second rest
14. Banded abduction for 60 seconds (lay on back on mat, glute band is around thighs above knees, knees are bent with feet on mat, open thighs against band)
15. (no rest) Bridges for 60 seconds (same starting position as #14, raise and lower hips keeping legs open against band so there is constant tension)
16. (no rest) Pulses for 15 seconds (keep hips raised at top of bridge and pulses hips upward)
17. 15 second rest
18. Repeat #1-4
19. Palms up bicep curls for 75 seconds (16.5# DBs)
20. 15 second rest
21. Repeat #7-17
22. Repeat #1-4
23. Wide bicep curls for 75 seconds (palms up, arms are turned out to sides with elbows kept against sides) (16.5# DBs)
24. 15 second rest
25. Repeat #7-17

Finisher: Tricep dips for 60 seconds