CGX: Max Program Day 48: Playing with tempo!

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 higher rep full body workout. The intervals are longer and the recoveries are slightly shorter. I used lighter weights for some of the exercises and it was a good choice because my muscles were definitely burning by the end of the intervals. That has a lot to do with the tempos. As the title indicates, Caroline varies the tempos–slowing things down and pausing to really increase the tension and burn in the muscles.

This workout is done interval style. Each exercise is done for 75 seconds followed by a 25 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 48 is 39:01 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9:18 minute warm up or 3:46 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:40 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, barbell, step 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 a barbell at 58kg/128 pounds. She is also using 15kg/33 pound, 10kg/22 pound and 7.5kg/16.5 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Hip thrusts (lean back against your bench or step, place barbell on hips, knees bent and feet on floor, raise and lower hips slowly) (barbell @ 90#)
2. Pullovers (one 35# DB)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times
4. Goblet squat (one 40# DB)
5. Upright row (15# DBs)
6. Slow eccentric squat (hold one DB at chest with both hands, lower slowly into squat and raise at normal tempo) (one 40# DB)
7. Repeat #5
8. Pause in hole squat (hold one DB at chest with both hands, lower into squat and hold briefly at bottom of squat) (one 40# DB)
9. Forward tilt Bulgarian lunge (back foot is elevated on bench/step, front toes elevated on heel wedge, hold one DB either hand–Caroline changes hands) (one 25# DB first set, one 22.5# DB second set)
10. Repeat #9 on other leg
11. Slow down, explode up diamond press (similar to a chest press, but you are pressing DBs together above chest, arms/elbows are kept close to sides the entire time as you press the DB to the ceiling quickly and lower slowly) (18# DBs)
12. Repeat #9-11
13. Repeat #9 & 10 w/out the DB

Finisher:

1. Slow down, explode up diamond press (similar to a chest press, but you are pressing DBs together above chest, arms/elbows are kept close to sides the entire time as you press the DB to the ceiling quickly and lower slowly) (18# DBs)
2. (no rest) Continue #1 for 60 seconds but holding one DB  by bar with both hands (one 20# DB)