This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.
This is a great upper body strength workout. I felt like Caroline hit everything in some fashion–either directly or indirectly as an assisting muscle group. I definitely felt the pump afterward. Caroline was feeling it, too. Near the end she was even dancing for us!
The exercises are 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.
Upper Body is 45:58 minutes (this time does not include the optional 3:55 minute warm up or the 3:05 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:30 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, chair/bench, and fitness mat. Caroline is using 17.5kg/38.5 pound, 15kg/33 pound, 10kg/22 pound, 7.5kg/16.5 pound, and 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- ‘2 parts’ Arnold press for 75 seconds (standard Arnold press seated in high back chair but done slow so that the opening the arms into goal post then pushing the DBs overhead are 2 distinct movements) (20# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Paused rear fly (palm facing in) for 75 seconds (sit in chair, torso hinged forward over thighs, pause briefly at top of rear delt fly) (8# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #1-4 two more times
- Deadstop chest press for 75 seconds (standard chest press done laying on back on floor, at bottom of press the backs of arms rest briefly on floor) (30# DBs first set, 27.5# DBs last 2 sets)
- 30 second rest
- Pullover for 75 seconds (one 40# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #6-9 two more times
- Deadstop row for 75 seconds (single arm row w/ one knee and non-working hand rest on bench, when you lower DB, set it on floor and release it briefly) (one 45# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #11 & 12 on other arm
- Rotational row for 75 seconds (single arm row w/ one knee and non-working hand rest on bench, palm faces behind you at bottom of row, as you row DB rotate wrist/DB so palm faces in front of you at top of row) (one 40# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #14 & 15 on other arm
- Regular single arm row for 75 seconds (one knee and non-working hand rest on bench) (one 40# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #17 & 18 on other arm
- Upright row for 75 seconds (15# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Lateral raise for 45 seconds (8# DBs)
- (no rest) Partials for 30 seconds (same as #22 but only lift arms/DBs partway) (8# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #20-23
Finisher: (4 minutes)
- Reverse crunch, 20 reps (lay on back with hands behind head and head/shoulders elevated, legs are extended straight to ceiling, lower straight legs until they are a few inches off the mat, lift legs back to ceiling and raise hips into a reverse crunch)
- Toe reaches, 20 reps (lay on back, legs are extended straight to ceiling, crunch upper body while reaching hands to feet)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible in 4 minutes
