This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.
Another tough lower body strength workout. This P.E. Program is kicking my butt! The workout starts and ends with wall squats. I felt so strong at the beginning. Stronger than usual during a wall squat (that’s probably because it was the first exercise out of the gate). By the finisher? I was struggling to hold that wall squat the full 60 seconds!
This is a superset workout. You will do 2 exercises back to back for 60 or 45 seconds before you get a 30 or 45 second recovery. 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 superset. There is also a bar along the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage. The final exercise before the finisher is not a superset. It is the only straight set in the workout.
Lower Body is 49:30 minutes (this time does not include the optional 5:55 minute warm up or 2:58 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:20 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, high step, heel wedge , yoga block and fitness mat. Caroline is using 15kg/33 pound and 10kg/22 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Wall sit for 60 seconds (isometric wall squat)
- (no rest) Heel elevated squats for 60 seconds (heels are elevated on wedges, DBs are held at shoulders) (30# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #1-3 two more times
- 3/4 rep bodyweight heel elevated squat for 60 seconds (heels are on heel wedges, lower to bottom of squat but do not raise all the way so there is constant tension in legs)
- (no rest) Regular squat for 45 seconds (feet on floor, DBs at shoulders) (30# DBs)
- 45 second rest
- Repeat #5-7
- Repeat #5
- Repeat #6 for 60 seconds
- 30 second rest
- Bodyweight squat to lunge for 60 seconds (alternate one squat with one step back/reverse lunge, front foot is elevated on yoga block)
- (no rest) Static lunge for 60 seconds (stationary lunges, front foot is still elevated on yoga block) (25# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #12-14 on other side of body
- Repeat #12-15 two more times
- Step up for 60 seconds (stand beside high step/box and place one foot on high step/box, raise other foot off floor to tap top of box then step it back to floor, working leg remains on box/step the entire interval)
- (no rest) Close lunge for 60 seconds (same as #13 but legs are closer together than a normal lunge) (22.5# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #17-19 on other leg
- Repeat #17-20
- Momentum step up for 60 seconds (same as #17 but push up faster and with power rather than slow and controlled)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #22 & 23
Finisher: (all bodyweight)
- Wall squat for 60 seconds
- Heel elevated squat for 60 seconds (heels elevated on heel wedges)
- Regular stance squat for 60 seconds (on floor)
