This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.
Lots of push up variations. In fact, every single exercise except two (decline push ups and tricep dips) are done on the mat. You are either in plank, laying on your stomach or on your back. This workout definitely fried my shoulders and arms. They are still feeling it. I do think she works your entire upper body very well, and your core, too. This is all bodyweight strength work. All you need for this workout is a mat and a chair or some type of elevated surface for decline push ups and tricep dips. Caroline does use push up bars to go deeper but that is only for one exercise. I used dumbbells.
This workout is one long circuit that is done twice. The exercises done interval style. Most of the intervals are 75 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of recovery. The core exercises are done for 90 seconds of work with no rest and that is noted in the breakdown below. If just the exercise is listed then it is a 75/15 interval. 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 exercise. There is also a little bar at the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage.
Upper, Core & Abs is 57:44 minutes; (this time does not include the optional 3:56 minute warm up or the 2:19 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:40 minute stretch. Equipment: chair/bench and a fitness mat. Push up bars are optional.
- Decline push ups (feet are on chair or bench, hands are on floor)
- Deadstop push ups (at bottom of push up entire body rests on floor, lift hands briefly before pushing back up to plank keeping body straight from heels to head)
- Rear delt fly (palms facing down) (lay on stomach, arms extended to sides with palms facing down, raise and lower arms)
- Face pulls (still laying on stomach, arms are raised with elbows bent and hands near face, lift elbows and pull elbows back bringing shoulder blades together)
- Reverse snow angels (still laying on stomach, extend arms overhead superman-style then sweep arms out to sides and behind you, bending elbows and bringing hands to small of back)
- Diagonal sweep (lay on stomach, arms are extended at sides slightly away from body with palms facing ceiling, raise and lower arms)
- Tricep dips (hands on chair or bench behind you)
- Diver push up (start in downward facing dog, lower chest until it is a few inches off mat then rise into upward dog then push hips back to down dog)
- Cobra push up (lay on stomach with hands on mat under shoulders, do push ups cobra-style keeping arms close to sides and thighs on mat)
- Small tuck for 90 seconds (lay on back on mat w/ head resting on mat, legs are raised with knees bent at 90 degrees, do a reverse crunch bringing knees to chest, keep knees bent at 90 degrees entire time)
- (no rest) Small tuck to toe taps for 90 seconds (lay on back on mat w/ head resting on mat, legs are raised with knees bent at 90 degrees, do a reverse crunch bringing knees to chest then lower legs until heels touch floor, keep knees bent at 90 degrees entire time)
- (no rest) Arc alternating crunch for 90 seconds (lay on back with knees bent and feet on mat, hands are behind head, do an upper body crunch but circle your upper body first in a clockwise direction then in an anticlockwise direction)
- (no rest) Reverse crunch for 90 seconds (lay on mat with hands behind head and legs raised to ceiling, lower legs until they are a few inches off mat, raise legs back to start while lifting hips into reverse crunch, keep head/shoulders elevated throughout)
- (no rest) Crunch to rotate for 90 seconds (still laying on back with hands behind head, lift upper body in a crunch and hold, twist one elbow to opposite side, repeat on other side then lower head/shoulders back to mat)
- (no rest) Reverse crunch to extension for 75 seconds (lay on back with hands behind head and head/shoulders elevated, push legs out straight in line with hips a few inches off mat then rock knees into chest doing a reverse crunch)
- Deep push ups (Caroline is using push up bars to go deeper, I used DBs)
- Hips up and down plank (in forearm plank, push hips back and up into dolphin pose then return to plank)
- (no rest) Saw for 60 seconds (still in forearm plank, shift body forward and back using toes and arms/shoulders)
- 50 second rest
- Repeat #1-18
30 second rest
Finisher: Push ups to failure for 30 seconds (Caroline is using push up bars, I used DBs)
