Day 13 of EPIC | Hamstrings & Glute Workout – Dumbbells + Band

Hamstrings & Glute Workout is Day 13 of Caroline Givan‘s first EPIC program. Caroline has created yet another awesome workout to build and fry your glutes. I love these workouts. This is not a calorie burner but it is a bun burner. Even though this workout laser focuses on your glutes and hamstrings, using the booty band during the hip thrusts targets outer thighs and quads, and sumo squats hit everything in the lower body as well. So this lower body workout does work everything–it just hits your glutes and hamstrings the hardest.

This workout is done interval style: each exercise is done for 45 seconds followed by 15 seconds of rest. There is a timer in the upper left hand side of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recoveries 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.

One tip–once you leave your bench/chair and go to the mat for hamstring work, bring your band and dumbbell with you. I brought my band but did not remember that there was one mat exercise that required the dumbbell so I missed a rep or two because I had to go back to my bench to get it then get in position. So bring everything with you! (your towel to protect your hips, too)

Hamstrings & Glutes Workout is 48:09 minutes; 1:48 minute intro, no warm up and 3:30 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbell, booty band/resistance loop, chair or bench and fitness mat. You should also have towel or some other type of padding handy to place between dumbbell and hips to protect your hip bones. Caroline is using 20kg/44 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used. I also used my weight bench for the hip thrusts. The workout starts with the booty band around thighs just above knees.

1. Lying abduction (lay on back, knees bent and feet on ground, open and close thighs)
2. Lying abduction pulses (same position as #1 but keep thighs open so there is tension on the band and pulse legs open wider against the band)
3. Glute bridge (same position as #1, raise and lower hips into bridge, keep legs wide enough so there is tension on the band)
4. Bridge abduction (same position as #3, raise hips and hold isometrically at top of bridge, open and close knees)
5. Bridge pulses (same position as #4, but keep legs open wide and pulse legs open wider)
6. Abduction on elbows (repeat #1 but now your upper body is propped up on elbows)
7. Abduction on hands (repeat #1 but now your upper body is propped up on hands)
8. Donkey lifts (on elbows and knees, one leg is raised, knee bent, and you push sole of foot up to the ceiling)
9. Repeat #8 on other leg
10. Donkey pulses (keep leg raised at top of donkey kick and pulse foot up to ceiling)
11. Repeat #10 on other leg
12. Squats (band is still around thighs above knees, legs are wide so there is tension on the band)
13. Squat pulses (lower to bottom of squat and pulse)
14. 1.5 rep squats (lower to bottom of squat, raise halfway, lower to bottom of squat then raise all the way)
15. (remove band) Sumo squat (one 50# DB)
16. Sumo squat half reps (lower to bottom of squat but only raise halfway) (one 50# DB)
17. Sumo pulses (lower to bottom of squat and pulse) (one 50# DB)
18. Slow sumo squat (one 50# DB)
19. Sumo squat 1.5 reps (lower to bottom of squat, raise halfway, lower to bottom of squat then raise all the way) (one 50# DB)
20. Sumo hold (lower to bottom of sumo squat and hold isometrically for 5 seconds before rising out of squat) (one 50# DB)
21. Romanian deadlift (one 50# DB)
22. Wider stance deadlift (one 50# DB)
23. Romanian deadlift 1.5 reps (lower to bottom of deadlift, raise halfway, lower to bottom of deadlift then raise all the way) (one 50# DB)
24. Hip thrusts (lean back against your bench or chair, one heavy DB on hips, knees bent and feet on floor, raise and lower hips) (one 40# DB)
25. Hip thrust pulses (same as #24 but keep hips raised at top of thrust and pulse them upward) (one 40# DB)
26. Hip thrust hold (repeat #24 but hold approx 5 seconds at top of thrust) (one 40# DB)
27. Hip thrust hold (repeat #24 but hold at top of thrust the entire interval) (one 40# DB)
28. Hip thrust slow (repeat #24 but to a slower pace) (one 40# DB)
29. Hip thrust faster pace (repeat #24 but to a faster pace) (one 40# DB)
30. Body weight single leg hip thrust (set DB aside and get into same position as #24, one foot is on floor and other leg is elevated for hip thrusts)
31. Repeat #30 on other side of body
32. DB & band thrust (place booty band around thighs, lean back against your bench or step, one heavy DB on hips, knees bent and open so there is tension on band, and feet on floor, raise and lower hips) (one 40# DB)
33. Thrust pulse (set DB aside but keep booty band around thighs, still leaned back against bench or step, raise hips to top of thrust, knees open so there is tension on band, and pulse hips upward)
34. Band thrust w/ abduction (booty band is still around thighs, still leaned back against your bench or step, knees bent and open so there is tension on band, and feet on floor, raise hips and hold, open and close knees then lower hips)
35. Band hold (repeat #33 but instead of pulsing, hold at top of thrust isometrically for entire interval)
36. Hamstring up & down (lay on back on mat with legs extended and knees slightly bent, heels are in mat, raise and lower hips/glutes)
37. Single leg hamstring (repeat #36 but with one leg lifted)
38. Repeat #37 with other leg lifted
39. Hamstring march (both legs are extended on the mat, knees slightly bent, both heels are pressed into mat, keep hips/glutes raised isometrically while alternating lifting legs)
40. Hamstring hold (both legs are extended on the mat, knees slightly bent, both heels are pressed into mat, keep hips/glutes raised isometrically)
41. DB & band bridge (lay on back on mat, loop is around thighs above knees, feet are on mat close to glutes, one heavy DB is on hips, raise and lower hips into bridge) (one 40# DB)

Burnout: 1/2 rep squats for 45 seconds (band is still around thighs, lower to bottom of squat but only raise halfway) (no DB)

For more info on Caroline Girvan’s workouts and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.