CGX: K5 series season 1 | Day 3: Quad focused workout with abs included!

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

This is another metabolic kettlebell workout. With the lower body workouts Caroline gives you lots of kettlebell swings to spike the heart rate and, just like Day 1, my Apple watch graph shows my heart rate spiking into Zone 5 frequently. I definitely felt this workout in my quads. And we get a bonus in this workout! Caroline’s sweet dog is asleep in the chair the entire workout.

This workout is done interval style. Most of the exercises are done for 60 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of recovery. If an interval or recovery time is different it is noted below in the breakdown. 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 3 Quad Focus w/ Abs is 50:09 minutes (this time does not include the optional 5:55 minute warm up or 3:26 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:15 minute stretch. Equipment: kettlebells, heel wedges and fitness mat. Caroline is using 20kg/44 pound, 16kg/35 pounds, and 10kg/22 pound kettlebells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Knees past elbow tuck (lay on back on mat, knees are bent with hands behind head, elbows open wide, bring knees into chest while also crunching upper body so elbows are outside of knees, keeping knees bent, lower legs so heels almost touch mat)
2. (no rest) Leg lower to tuck (lay on back with head/shoulders elevated and legs extended to ceiling, lower straight legs until they are a few inches off mat then bend knees and pull them into chest then straighten legs back to ceiling)
3. (no rest) Repeat #1
4. RDL (deadlift, toes of both feet are on heel wedges, hold KB by handle with both hands and do a deadlift) (55# KB)
5. Alternating kettlebell swing (single arm KB swings, alternate hands) (25# KB)
6. Slow eccentric elevated squat for 75 seconds (heels are elevated on wedges, hold KB by bell with both hands, lower slowly into squat then raise at normal tempo) (30# KB)
7. 15 second rest
8. Goblet squat (both feet are on floor (no wedges), holding KB by bell with both hands) (35# KB)
9. 3x then switch alternating swing (3 single arm KB swings with same arm then pass KB to other hand and repeat) (25# KB)
10. Staggered squat (single leg squat, heel of front foot is elevated on heel wedge, back leg is in kickstand, KB is racked at same side shoulder as working leg) (20# KB)
11. (no rest) Close lunge for 30 seconds (heel is still elevated on wedge, static/stationary lunge with legs closer together than a normal lunge, holding KB in same side hand as front leg) (20# KB)
12. Repeat #10 & 11 on other leg
13. Repeat #1-12 two more times

Finisher: (20# KB)

1. Uneven squat for 30 seconds (hold KB in one hand at shoulder)
2. (no rest) Repeat #1 w/ KB held at other shoulder
3. (no rest) Single arm KB swing for 30 seconds
4. Repeat #3 on other arm