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 very tough upper body workout. Caroline really looks like she is suffering through the course of this workout. I was, too! This workout hits the chest, triceps and shoulders, and she fries the shoulders and triceps.
This is a superset workout. You will do 2 exercises back to back before you get a recovery. The interval and recovery times are noted below. 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 a progress bar along the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage.
Upper Body is 44:59 minutes (this time does not include the optional 3:55 minute warm up or the 4:14 minute intro, also optional) with a 1:35 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, chair/bench, and fitness mat. Caroline is using 15kg/33 pound, 10kg/22 pound, 7.5kg/16.5 pound, 5kg/11 pound and 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Chest press for 60 seconds (30# DBs)
- (no rest) Diamond press for 60 seconds (similar to a chest press, but you are holding one DB by bar with both hands above chest, arms/elbows are kept close to sides the entire time as you press the DB to the ceiling) (one 30# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Upright row for 60 seconds (15# DBs)
- (no rest) Rear delt row for 60 seconds (sit in chair, torso is hinged forward over thighs, row arms/DBs leading with bent elbows, palms face behind you, arms out to sides) (12# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #1-6
- Repeat #1-4
- (no rest) Partial rear delt row for 60 seconds (same as #5 but only lift arms partway) (12# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Hammer press for 60 seconds (seated in high back chair, shoulder press with palms facing each other/sides of face) (20# DBs)
- (no rest) Driving the car for 60 seconds (hold one DB in both hands, each hand holds a bell, raise arms/DB in front of you and rotate it side to side like a steering wheel) (one 15# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Seated lateral raise for 60 seconds (8# DBs)
- (no rest) Straight arm partial lateral raise for 60 seconds (standing, raise straight arms/DBs partway) (8# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #11-16 two more times
- In 2 parts Arnold press for 60 seconds (I am not really sure what is different about this from a normal Arnold press–it looks the same but she says you are “differentiating between the rotation and pressing”) (20# DBs)
- (no rest) Lateral to frontal raise for 60 seconds (alternate one double arm lateral raise with one double arm front raise) (8# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Diamond/regular tricep push up for 60 seconds (Caroline is doing the diamond version, which is a tricep push up with hands together under chest so the thumbs and forefingers form a diamond)
- (no rest) Diamond cobra push up for 60 seconds (lay on stomach w/ hands on mat under chest in same fashion as #21, do push ups cobra style keeping legs/thighs on mat)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #18-23
Finisher: (one 15# DB)
- Slow eccentric lying tricep extension for 60 seconds (hold one DB in both hands, similar to a skull crusher but arms are extended back further and you lower DB behind head–lower slowly and raise at normal speed)
- (no rest) Skull crusher for 60 seconds (with one DB)
- (no rest) Repeat #1 to a faster tempo for 30 seconds
