This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.
This was such a tough upper body workout for me. My shoulders are fried. I’m sure it is because I stuck with my first choice of weights. I did have back up weights, but I didn’t end up using them (though I did think about it!). The focus is shoulders, chest and triceps. The chest does get a lot of work but the shoulders–OMG. Mine are still burning. Near the end she gives you a few longer recoveries and I was grateful for those! And the finisher definitely finished me off and fried my triceps.
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.
Upper Body is 45:23 minutes (this time does not include the optional 3:55 minute warm up or the 2:44 minute intro, also optional) with a 1:15 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, chair/bench, and fitness mat. Optional is push up bars. Caroline is using 10kg/22 pounds and 4kg/8.8 pounds. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Push ups for 60 seconds (Caroline is using push up bars, I used DBs)
- (no rest) Diamond press for 90 seconds (similar to a chest press but press DBs together over chest and keep arms close to sides) (18# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Chest fly for 60 seconds (20# DBs)
- (no rest) Tricep press for 60 seconds (similar to #2 except DBs are not pressed together, keep arms close to sides, palms face each other, push DBs to ceiling) (20# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Shoulder press for 45 seconds (seated in high back chair, arms are in goalpost at bottom of press) (20# DBs)
- (no rest) Partial reps for 15 seconds (keep arms in goalpost position and do small pulses) (20# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Lateral raise for 60 seconds (8# DBs)
- (no rest) Partials for 30 seconds (lateral raise but only lift DBs partway) (8# DBs)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #7-12 two more times
- Repeat #1-6
- Arnold press for 60 seconds (seated in high back chair) (20# DBs)
- (no rest) Around the world for 60 seconds (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)
- 30 second rest
- Rear delt fly for 60 seconds (seated on chair/bench, torso hinged forward over thighs, palms face behind you) (8# DBs)
- (no rest) Partials for 15 seconds (same as #18 but only lift arms/DBs partway) (8# DBs)
- 45 second rest
- Repeat #15-20 two more times
- Repeat #1-6
Finisher:
- Deadstop push ups for 60 seconds (at bottom of push up entire body rests on floor, lift hands briefly before pushing back up to plank)
- (no rest) Deadstop tricep push ups for 60 seconds (the same as #1 except arms are close to sides with hands under shoulders)
- (no rest) Cobra push ups for 30 seconds (push ups done cobra style–hands under shoulders, lower body remains on mat)
