20 Minute Glute Workout – Complexes | Hip Thrusts, RDLs & Sumos is a tough glute focused workout from Caroline Girvan. Caroline’s complexes are always tough but especially when the exercises are hip thrust variations–oh the burn! Caroline was burning out, too, several times! I love the length of these workouts. Caroline packs a lot into only 20 minutes. She created a bunch of these short workouts the month of December 2021. Today I paired this workout with her 20 Minute Superset Back Workout and totally fried my posterior chain. Both are excellent workouts on their own, but paired together I love how they worked my entire backside.
This workout consists of complexes; each complex contains 2 exercises. What this means is you are doing 2 exercises with no rest between exercises and you do not stop alternating those two exercises until the time is up. Each complex is done for 2:30 minutes then you get a 30 second rest before moving on to the next complex. The complex you are working through is listed in the upper right hand corner of the screen for your reference. It shows each exercise you are doing and the amount of reps you do for each exercise. This is especially useful if you cannot keep pace with Caroline then you can still keep track of your complex. There is a timer in the upper left hand corner of the screen, counting down your 2:30 minutes of work as well as your 30 seconds of rest. Caroline previews your next complex during the recovery. This workout is set to great music, no talking. There is also a little bar at the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage.
20 Minute Glute Workout – Complexes | Hip Thrusts, RDLs & Sumos is 26:52 minutes; 2 minute intro, no warm up and 3 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a booty band/resistance loop, a chair or bench, a yoga block and a fitness mat. Optional is a towel to protect your hips during hip thrusts. Caroline is using one 25kg/55 pound dumbbell. The weights listed below are what I used. I used my weight bench for the hip thrusts.
Complex 1:
- Banded hip thrust (10 reps) (booty band is around thighs above knees, lean back against your bench or chair, one heavy DB on hips, knees bent and open so there is tension on band, feet are on floor with ankles in line with knees, raise and lower hips) (one 40# DB)
- Banded hamstring thrust (10 reps) (same position as #1 but feet are out further away from body and weight is in heels) (one 40# DB)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 2:30 minutes
Complex 2:
- 1/2 rep sumo squat (10 reps) (lower to bottom of sumo squat but only raise halfway) (one 50# DB)
- RDL (10 reps) (deadlift holding one heavy DB in both hands) (one 50# DB)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 2:30 minutes
Complex 3:
- Dumbbell only 1/2 rep hip thrust (10 reps) (lean back against your bench or chair, one heavy DB on hips, knees bent and feet on floor with ankles in line with knees, raise hips but only lower hips halfway) (one 40# DB)
- Same position as #1 but keep hips lifted and pulse upward for 10 reps (one 40# DB)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 2:30 minutes
Complex 4:
- Bodyweight 1/2 rep sumo squats (20 reps) (lower to bottom of sumo squat but only raise halfway)
- 1/2 rep RDL (10 reps) (holding one heavy DB in both hands, lower to bottom of deadlift but only raise halfway) (one 50# DB)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 2:30 minutes
Complex 5:
- Single leg hip thrust (10 reps) (lean back on your bench or step, yoga block is on the floor and one foot is elevated on it, other leg is raised, raise and lower hips/glutes)
- Same position as #1 but hips lifted and pulse them upward for 10 reps
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 2:30 minutes
Complex 6: Repeat Complex 5 on other side of the body
Complex 7:
- Banded hip thrusts (10 reps) (place booty band around thighs, lean back against your bench or step, knees bent and open so there is tension on band, and feet on floor, raise and lower hips)
- Hamstring thrusts (10 reps) (same position as #1 but feet are out further away from body and weight is in heels)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 2:30 minutes
For more info on Caroline Girvan’s workouts and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
