CGX: P.E. Program Day 35: ‘No denying… it’s all quads!’

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

Caroline hits the quads pretty hard in this workout but that is not all that gets worked. I felt it in my glutes and hamstrings, too. But mostly the quads. And as far as lower body muscle groups go, the quads are probably my least favorite to work. So I didn’t love this workout but that doesn’t mean it didn’t do a great job working my lower body. I didn’t enjoy it but I’m glad I did it.

This is a superset workout. You will do 2 exercises back to back before you get a 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.

Lower Body is 45 minutes (this time does not include the optional 5:55 minute warm up or 3:20 minute intro, also optional) with a 1:50 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, bench or step, heel wedges, and fitness mat. Caroline is using 15kg/33 pound and 10kg/22 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Heel elevated squat for 60 seconds (heels are on heel wedges, DBs at shoulders) (30# DBs)
2. (no rest) Repeat #1 holding one DB in both hands at chest for 60 seconds (one 35# DB)
3. 30 second rest
4. Goblet squat for 60 seconds (one 45# DB)
5. (no rest) Body weight 1/2 rep squat or jump squats for 15 seconds
6. 45 second rest
7. Repeat #1-6 two more times
8. Close lunge for 60 seconds (static/stationary lunge w/ legs closer together than a traditional lunge, front foot is elevated on yoga block) (25# DBs)
9. (no rest) Staggered squat for 60 seconds (single leg squat, hold one DB at shoulder of working leg, other leg is in kickstand) (one 35# DB)
10. 30 second rest
11. Repeat #8-10 on other leg
12. 1/2 rep body weight Bulgarian lunge 30 second rest (static/stationary lunge with back leg elevated on step/chair, lower to bottom of lunge but only raise halfway, you are also closer to the step than a traditional Bulgarian lunge to focus more on the quads)
13. (no rest) Full range body weight Bulgarian lunge for 60 seconds (same as #12, you are closer to the step than a traditional Bulgarian lunge to focus more on the quads)
14. 30 second rest
15. Repeat #12-14 on other leg
16. Repeat #8-11
17. Repeat #12-15 w/ front heel elevated on heel wedge
18. Repeat #8-11
19. Repeat #17

Finisher:

1. Pulse heel elevated squats for 15 seconds (body weight, heels elevated on wedges, lower to bottom of squat and pulse)
2. Full range body weight heel elevated squat for 15 seconds
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times