CGX: Max Program Day 28: Lateral lunges with cossack squat optional at the end!

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 is another great full body workout though for upper body the focus is back and shoulders. The lower body is more thorough. I had to lighten my dumbbells for the shoulder work. My bad shoulder was really bothering me yesterday. I have no idea why but thankfully it is better this morning. But I didn’t want to exacerbate it again so I used lighter weights than I normally do for the upright rows.

This workout is done interval style. Each exercise is done for 75 seconds followed by a 25 second recovery. There is an onscreen timer 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 28 is 39:08 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9:18 minute warm up or 3:31 minute intro, also optional) with a 1:45 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, heel wedges, glute band and fitness mat. You are also using the glute band and light dumbbells for the warm up. Caroline is using 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells for the warm up. For the actual workout, Caroline is using 15kg/33 pound, 10kg/22 pound, 7.5kg/16.5 pound and 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Heel elevated squat (heels are elevated on heel wedges, DBs at shoulders) (25# DBs)
2. Single arm momentum row (one knee and same side hand rest on bench, with other arm row one DB up with momentum/power, lower at normal pace) (one 40# DB)
3. Repeat #2 on other arm
4. Paused heel elevated squat (same as #1 but pause briefly at bottom of squat) (25# DBs)
5. Repeat #2 & 3
6. Slow eccentric heel elevated squat (same as #1 but lower slowly into squat and raise out of squat at normal tempo) (25# DBs)
7. Repeat #2 & 3
8. Banded RDL (Romanian deadlifts with glute band around thighs just above knees, stand with legs wide enough so there is constant tension on band) (hex deadlift bar @ 100#)
9. Arc raise (straight arm front raise w/palms facing each other, at top of raise arc DBs towards each other) (8# DBs)
10. Repeat #8 & 9 two more times
11. Lateral lunge (stationary side lunge, hold one  DB in both hands at chest) (on e 35# DB)
12. Repeat #11 on other leg
13. Upright row (13# DBs)
14. Repeat #11-13 (this time Caroline holds the DB differently for the lateral lunges–in one hand and reaches DB toward floor as she lowers into lunge) (one 35# DB)

20 second rest

Finisher:

1. Alternating lateral lunges for 35 seconds (stationary alternating side lunges, hold one DB in both hands at chest and remaining low) (one 30# DBs)
2. Repeat #1 but bodyweight for 45 seconds (Caroline does cossack lunges–raising heel of extended leg with toe pointing to ceiling)