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 thorough upper body strength workout. It is one long circuit that is repeated three times. Each time it is repeated two of the exercises change. This is also a higher rep workout; the intervals are longer and the recoveries are shorter. Because of this I used lighter than normal weights on a few of the exercises. It still fried my upper body. My biceps especially feel super pumped after the intense bicep/tricep finisher. You could tell Caroline was definitely feeling it, too!
The exercises are done interval style. Most of the exercises are done for 75 seconds of work followed by a 25 second rest. There is one superset and for that exercise the interval time is noted in the break down. 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 46:05 minutes (this time does not include the optional 3:55 minute warm up or the 3:05 minute intro, also optional) with a 1:15 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, chair/bench, and fitness mat. Caroline is using 10kg/22 pound, 7.5kg/16.5 pound and 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Wide curls (bicep curls, arms/DBs open to sides, elbows kept against sides of body, palms face ceiling) (15# DBs)
- Supine row (bent over double arm row with palms facing forward) (25# DBs)
- Upright row
- Rear delt flys (palms behind) for 60 seconds (sit on bench, torso hinged forward over thighs) (8# DBs)
- (no rest) Partials for 15 seconds (same as #4 but only lift arms/DBs partway) (9# DBs)
- Alternating cross body frontal raise (hold one DB in each hand with palms facing thighs, keeping palm position facing toward body, do a straight arm front raise on a diagonal toward opposite shoulder) (10# DBs)
- Around the world (with palms facing forward and hands in front of thighs, keeping arms straight, raise DBs out to sides then overhead, lower DBs out to sides and back in front of thighs) (8# DBs)
- Tricep press (similar to a chest press w/ arms close to sides and palms facing each other) (20# DBs)
- Tate press (lay on back, DBs are extended to ceiling with palms facing feet/legs, bend elbows bringing ends of DBs to chest then straighten arms again) (12# DBs)
- Repeat #1-5
- Alternating supine grip raise (straight arm front raise with palms facing ceiling) (10# DBs)
- Repeat #7 & 8
- Shoulder crusher (similar to a skull crusher but rather than keeping arms stationary from shoulder to elbow, the elbows lower as you lower DBs at an angle so one end of DBs tap shoulders) (12# DBs)
- Repeat #1-5
- Alternating pronated grip raise (straight arm front raise with palms facing floor) (10# DBs)
- Repeat #7 & 9
- Skull crusher holding one DB in both hands (one 16.5# DB)
Finisher: (4 minutes)
- 21s x1 (bicep curls, raise DBs halfway so elbows are bent at 90 degrees for 7 reps, bicep curls with biceps starting at 90 degrees and raising to shoulders for 7 reps, full range bicep curls for 7 reps) (15# DBs)
- Tricep dips, 20 reps
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible in 4 minutes
