CGX: Max Program Day 14: Seeking lower reps means focusing on quality here!

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

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

Another excellent total body strength workout and this is one that can grow with you. The way I have my rotation scheduled (between every week of Max I do a week each of Intent, P.E. and Heather Robertson‘s HR12Week 5.0 and none of those are truly geared toward lifting heavier), I am not in the mindset to heavy up when I get to Max again. Max however has 1-2 workouts a week designed for that and this is one of them. I did get an excellent and very enjoyable workout, but in retrospect I wish I had challenged myself by lifting a bit heavier for some of the exercises. For the next week of Max I do (in 3 weeks) I will make a note to myself on Days 1 and 4 to increase the weight for some of the exercises.

This workout is done interval style. Each exercise is done for 60 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 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.

Day 14 is 40:15 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9:18 minute warm up or 2:36 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:15 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, chair/bench, glute band, heel wedges, and fitness mat. Push up bars are optional. You are also using the 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 20kg/44 pound, 17.5kg/38.5 pound, and 12.5kg/27.5 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Shoulder press (seated in chair, arms are in goal post at bottom of shoulder press) (20# DBs)
2. Static lunge (stationary lunges) (30# DBs)
3. Repeat #2 on other leg
4. Repeat #1-3 two more times
5. Pullover (one 40# DB)
6. Heel elevated squat (heels are elevated on wedges, holding DBs at shoulders) (30# Dbs)
7. Repeat #5 & 6 two more times
8. Push ups (Caroline uses push up bars, I used DBs)
9. Staggered RDL (single leg deadlift, hold one DB in same side hand as working leg, other knee rests on bench or chair seat) (one 38# DB)
10. Repeat #9 on other leg
11. Repeat #8
12. Repeat #9 & 10 but with toes elevated on heel wedge (she does not show using the heel wedge in the preview)
13. Repeat #11 & 12

Finisher: 3/4 rep heel elevated squats for 60 seconds (body weight squats, heels are elevated on heel wedges, lower to bottom of squat but only raise 3/4 of the way)