CGX: Max Program Day 22: Let’s not make these isolation exercises a compound!

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.

This workout is a great workout to follow yesterday’s (Day 21) workout. Yesterday you used heavy weights for most every exercise. In this workout you only use lighter dumbbells for the upper body exercises. The lower body exercises are all bodyweight using a prop. And there are only 4 exercises are in this entire workout–2 for the upper body and 2 for the lower body. Don’t get me wrong–I was still feeling the burn in my quads, hamstrings and shoulders, but in a different way.

This workout is done interval style. The exercise interval times vary and are noted below in the breakdown. Each interval is followed by a 30 second 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 22 is 38:12 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9:18 minute warm up or 4:03 minute intro, also optional) with a 1:55 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, chair/bench, stability ball, heel wedge and fitness mat. You are also using a glute band and light dumbbells for the warm up. Caroline is using 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. For the actual workout Caroline is only using 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Stability ball roll outs for 90 seconds (lay on back on mat, heels on stability ball, raise hips and keep them elevated, roll ball toward glutes then back out)
2. Sweeps for 90 seconds (seated on chair or bench, hinge forward, keeping arms slightly bent and close to sides, sweep arms upward behind you) (8# DBs)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times
4. Quad focused Bulgarian lunge for 75 seconds (no DBs, narrow stationary lunges w/ back foot elevated on step, you are standing close to bench so it is more of a squat than a lunge, front heel is elevated on heel wedge)
5. Repeat #4 on other leg
6. Single arm rear delt fly (palm behind) for 60 seconds (rest one knee and same side hand on bench, do a single arm rear delt fly with palm facing behind you) (one 8# DB)
7. (no rest) Partials for 15 seconds (same as #6 but only lift arms halfway) (one 8# DB)
8. Repeat #6 & 7 on other arm
9. Repeat #4 & 5
10. Repeat #6-8 with palm facing toward you
11. Repeat #4-8

Finisher:

1. Paused Bulgarian lunge for 60 seconds (no DBs, narrow stationary lunges w/ back foot elevated on step, you are standing close to bench so it is more of a squat than a lunge, front heel is elevated on heel wedge, pause briefly at bottom of lunge)
2. 15 second rest
3. Repeat #1 on other leg