Boss Bands: Glutes & Core

Boss Bands: Glutes & Core is the newest DVD/download offering from Cathe Friedrich. The other workout in the Boss Bands series is Total Body. As the series title indicates, these are strength workouts that use bands. You can buy the workouts with or without the bands. I pre-ordered the whole package: 2 DVDs plus the large loops and the small loops (or booty bands). Unlike other resistance bands, these are all elastic cloth bands. Glutes & Core uses the smaller wider loops (booty bands) which come in 3 strengths: Light is orange, medium is green and heavy is blue.

Wow-this was a tough lower body burn out workout (for me, at least). Much tougher than I expected it to be after doing Total Body. This workout is broken down into 3 circuits. The first circuit is a metabolic lower body strength circuit. Cathe uses the medium booty band for this circuit. Cathe and crew have the loop very high on their thighs; directly below their hips. I was wondering how they even felt the resistance with the loop that high. I wasn’t feeling it very much until I lowered the loop to mid-thigh. That’s when the burn really started. By the time we got to the forward lunges (#16), I pulled my loop up higher like Cathe’s! That did relieve some of the burn but not all! Combining the band with lunges really burned my quads.

The second circuit is lower body mat work. This was another burner but not as bad as the standing exercises. Cathe starts with the orange (lightest) loop and again she had the band up very high. I had my loop mid-thigh. The orange loop still worked my legs very well but I could tell I could have handled the green (medium) band so in the future I will start with that one–or just leave it on since that is what you use in the first circuit (and Cathe gives you no time to change loops anyway). When Cathe swaps to the medium band I went straight for the blue (heavy) band. Mostly because I am already accustomed to using a heavy loop when doing similar exercises in Caroline Girvan‘s workouts. And the blue band was appropriate for those exercises (at least it was for me).

The final circuit  is core work. Cathe and crew use the orange (light) loop. Using the loop for the core exercises also recruits your lower body so that was a nice surprise. Again, I definitely could have used a heavier loop for the core exercises so in the future I will use the green loop.

This was an excellent workout and one I won’t just reserve for travel. Though for travel purposes Timesaver #3 is most appropriate. Though the cardio in this workout is labeled as low impact this is not an appropriate workout to do if you are on an upper floor. There is jumping and hopping. You can easily remove the hops from some of the exercises but others (#14), removing the impact will definitely lower the intensity and level of the exercise (plus you will not be able to keep up Cathe’s pace for that exercise w/out the impact). Cathe’s “low impact” always irritates me. There are a lot of reasons for low impact but if one of your reasons is because you are on an upper floor and therefore need a quiet workout, Cathe never respects that reason. I don’t understand why when other trainers are able to give you very intense low impact workouts with zero jumping (Heather Robertson and Caroline Girvan are just two I can think off the top of my head but I know there are more).

You do not use any bands for the warm up but as soon as the warm up is over, it cuts to Cathe and crew with the green band already around their thighs–you get zero time to put the band on. So if you want to change loops like Cathe does, be ready to pause the workout at the end of the warm up. This happens between each circuit. When one circuit ends and the scene cuts to the next one, Cathe is already in place for the exercise with a different color band already around her thighs. So have your remote handy if you need to change loops.

Glutes & Core is 52 minutes; 4 minute warm up and 6:45 minute stretch. Equipment: small/wide loops and fitness mat. Cathe only uses the orange and green loops but I used all three. I used the blue loop during the floorwork.

Standing Lower Body Strength w/ Low Impact Cardio: (green band) 16 minutes

1. (green band is around thighs) 2 lateral steps to side
2. Step out into sumo squat then step back into rear curtsy/cross-back lunge then back into sumo squat
3. Repeat #1 & 2
4. Repeat #1
5. Repeat #2 on other side of body
6. Repeat #4 & 5
7. 2 lateral squat walks side to side
8. Lateral skaters, reaching one hand to opposite foot
9. Repeat #7 & 8 two more times
10. Alternating knee raises
11. Alternating reverse lunges; changes to 2 reverse lunges each leg (continue alternating)
12. Reverse lunge into a front knee raise back into a reverse lunge, alternate legs
13. Repeat #11 & 12 two more times
14. Get into a wide runners lunge with hands on floor, jump switch legs twice then rotate torso toward front leg reaching hand to ceiling
15. Repeat #14 on other side of the body
16. Reach grab lunges (alternating front lunges, as you lunge reach both arms in front of you then interlace fingers together and pull them back to chest as you return to standing); changes to forward leaning–hinge torso forward over front leg as you lunge and “reach grab” arms toward floor
17. Hands are clasped together, do squat hops while bringing clasped hands overhead and pulling them down as you squat
18. Repeat #16 & 17
19. Step out into side lunge reaching both hands to ground, hold side lunge and rotate torso toward bent leg reaching arm to ceiling, return both hands to ground and stand, alternate sides
20. Step out into a side lunge then raise leg into a side leg lift, lower back into side lunge and return to standing, alternate sides
21. Shuffle/hop squat side to side while “scooping” arms up
22. Repeat #19-21

Floorwork Glutes: (orange band) 16 minutes

1. (orange band is around thighs) Get on all 4s, raise one leg with knee bent behind you and push-pulse sole of foot to ceiling
2. Same position as #1 but push sole off foot out straight behind you then bring knee in under body
3. Repeat #1 & 2 on other leg
4. Still on all 4s, cross one ankle over the other then do hydrants, raising bent leg out to side and when you lower it, ankles are crossed; pulse leg at top of lift
5. Repeat #4 on other leg
6. Still on all 4s, extend one leg straight behind you, pulse leg upward
7. Straight leg crossovers with tempo changes (still on all 4s, extend one leg out straight behind you, keep leg straight and tap toe out to side of body, raise leg in an arc (like a rainbow) over to other side of body and tap foot to floor outside of other leg)
8. Repeat #6 & 7 on other leg
9. Clamshell (lay on side with knees bent, upper body is propped on one elbow, raise hips while also raising top bent leg)
10. Repeat #9 on other side of body
11. (Cathe swaps out green band for orange but I swapped it out for the blue band; place band around thighs) Glute bridge abductions (lay on back, knees bent and feet on floor, raise hips and hold, open then close thighs and lower hips)
12. Pulse hips upward at top of bridge, raising toes so heels are pressed into floor
13. Hold isometrically at top of bridge, open and close knees
14. Still in same position as #11, bring soles of feet together and open knees out to side, raise hips into bridge and pulse hips upward
15. Still laying on back, raise feet off floor with knees bent at a 90 degree angle, alternate lowering one leg and tapping foot to floor
16. Single leg bridge (same position as #11, but raise one leg straight to ceiling, raise and lower hips); add pulses at top of lift
17. Repeat #15
18. Repeat #16 on other side of body

Core: (orange band): 8:30 minutes

1. (band is around thighs) Lay on back, legs are raised straight to ceiling, scissor straight legs, pulsing each leg 2x at bottom of scissor
2. Butterfly sit up (lay on back with arms reached overhead, knees bent, feet on floor and legs together, sit up while opening knees out to sides and reaching arms between legs at top of sit up, when you lower bring knees together again)
3. Double pulse bicycle maneuver (pulse 2x when bringing elbow to opposite knee, once each side then do 4 singles)
4. In straight arm plank, bring one foot up out side of body to tap floor, repeat on other leg then step one leg out wide, other leg out wide then step both legs back in
5. Lay on stomach, arms extended in front of you, raise arms/chest/legs in superman and hold, pull elbows back to sides while also opening legs, push arms in front of you while closing legs then lower arms/chest/legs to start
6. Get on all 4s, raise knees off mat, open legs, close legs then return knees to mat
7. Alternating bird dogs; add an elbow to knee (extend one arm straight in front of you and opposite leg straight behind you in bird dog then bring elbow and knee together under body and press arm/leg out straight again, continue alternating sides)

Premixes:

Timesaver #1: No floorwork & glutes 35:40 minutes

Timesaver #2: No floorwork & glutes or core 26:57 minutes

Timesaver #3: Floorwork & glutes and core 35:09 minutes

Timesaver #4: No core 42:42 minutes

Mishmosh #1: Double it 92:09

Mishmosh #2: Double floorwork & glutes 67:10 minutes

Mishmosh #3: Extra standing lower body strength w/ low impact cardio 67:41 minutes

Mishmosh #4: Double standing lower body strength w/ low impact cardio 43:13 minutes