This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page. This lower body workout was brutal. Definitely the hardest of the Cluster Series (at least so far). My husband commented several times on how much noise I was making, including talking to my dog (who calmly watched me suffer) and telling her I was dying. This can all be attributed to a single exercise and cluster set. The hip thrusts. Caroline fried her own glutes, too, and had to remove plates from her barbell after the first set. I did as well but it did not stop that exercise from murdering me. It did make the straight set easier but during the cluster sets it was still nightmarish. The other part of this workout that was also brutal was the finisher. You get 15 seconds to get out from under your barbell and in place for bodyweight lunge to squat cluster sets with only FIVE SECONDS of recovery between each set. I was so done by the end of this workout. I added on a longer lower body stretch to the end because I really needed more than the short 2:35 minutes Caroline gives us. I am not sorry I did this workout because it definitely worked my lower body well (especially my glutes) but I am not sure I ever want to do it again.
This workout is done interval style. Since it is made up of both straight sets and cluster sets, the interval and recovery times vary so they are 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 at the bottom of the screen, counting down the workout time as a percentage.
Lower Body is 42:10 minutes (this time does not include the optional 5:55 minute warm up or the 2:17 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:35 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, barbell, bench or step, heel wedges and a fitness mat. Caroline’s barbell is at 68kg/150 pound and 48kg/106 pounds. She also uses 15kg/33 pound and 10kg/22 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- High squats for 75 seconds (squats w/ DBs held at shoulders) (30# DBs)
- 10 second rest
- Body weight 3/4 range squats for 15 seconds (heels are elevated on heel wedges, lower to bottom of squat but only raise 3/4 of the way so there is constant tension in the legs)
- Repeat 2 & 3 three more times
- 45 second rest
- Hip thrusts for 75 seconds (lean back against your bench or step, place barbell on hips, knees bent and feet on floor, raise and lower hips slowly) (barbell @ 105# first set, 86# last 2 sets)
- 10 second rest
- Top range partials for 15 seconds (hip thrusts, same as #6, but keep hips elevated at top of thrust, lower halfway then push hips back up to top of thrust) (barbell @ 105# first set, 86# last 2 sets)
- Repeat #7 & 8 three more times
- 45 second rest
- Rear step lunge for 75 seconds (step back reverse lunges) (22.5# DBs first set, 20# DBs last set)
- 10 second rest
- Repeat #11 for 15 seconds but no DBs/body weight
- Repeat #12 & 13 three more times
- Repeat #10-14 on other leg
- 45 second rest
- Repeat #1-16
- Repeat #1-9
15 second rest
Finisher:
- Lunge to squat for 15 seconds (body weight, one reverse lunge + one squat)
- 5 second rest
- Repeat #1 & 2 three more times
- Repeat #1-3 on other leg
