CGX: Max Program Day 35: Triceps will be brought to failure!

This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.

Caroline likes to call the final workouts of the week “fun” days. IMHO there is nothing fun about starting a workout with 3 solid minutes of mat based abdominal workout with no breaks. But that is what you do every single end of week workout. Unlike the rest of the week, this workout is not done PHA style. It is one long circuit with long intervals and short recoveries. And she really fries the triceps at the end–not just at the end of the circuit but the finisher continues the frying. Like all of the other final workouts of the week, it is a great way to finish off the week. Though it is a full body workout, you are working the smaller muscle groups of the upper body and the core, which did not get any isolation the rest of the week. Though there is only one quad-focused lower body exercise, your hip flexors will also get lots of work with the core work.

This workout is done interval style. The exercise interval and recovery times vary and are noted below in the breakdown. 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 35 is 38:24 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9:18 minute warm up or 3:32 minute intro, also optional) with a 2 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, chair/bench, 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 warm up. For the actual workout, Caroline is using 7,5kg/16.5 pound and 4kg/8.8 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Reverse crunch (straight leg) for 60 seconds (lay on back on mat, head/shoulders elevated, raise straight legs to ceiling then lower them until they are a few inches above mat)
2. (no rest) Reverse crunch (tuck to extend) for 60 seconds (do a bent knee reverse crunch then extend legs out straight in line with hips)
3. (no rest) Small tuck for 60 seconds (still laying on back, knees remain bent at 90 degrees throughout, do a small tuck bringing knees to chest)
4. 15 second rest
5. Around the world for 90 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)
6. 15 second rest
7. Quad focused Bulgarian lunge for 75 seconds (narrow lunge (looks almost like a single leg squat) with back foot elevated on step/bench, front heel is raised on wedge)
8. 15 second rest
9. Repeat #7 & 8 on other leg
10. Rotational curl for 75 seconds (start w/ DBs at sides, palms facing body, as you curl DBs, rotate DBs so palms face upward) (18# DBs)
11. 15 second rest
12. Overhead tricep extension for 60 seconds (seated French press) (one 20# DB)
13. (no rest) Cobra push up for 60 seconds (lay on mat, hands on mat under shoulders, keeping legs on mat, do push ups cobra-style)
14. 15 second rest
15. Repeat 1-14 two more times

Finisher: Power up then slow to lower cobra push ups for 30 seconds (press up with power then lower slowly)