GAINFUL Glutes and Core Workout – Dumbbells | EPIC Endgame Day 23

Gainful Glutes and Core Workout is Day 23 in Caroline Girvan‘s EPIC Endgame program. OMG–another brutal glute and hamstring workout from Caroline! No one fries my glutes and hamstrings like Caroline does. This workout has a staple exercise that is a giant set. You return to the giant set 4 times in the course of the workout and each time my glutes were screaming in agony! The first 30 seconds seems so easy and flies by, the final 30 seconds are torture in which the seconds seem draw out into minutes. What a workout! As much as I whine, it was excellent and worked my glutes and hamstrings very, very well.

Most of the exercises in this workout are done interval style: 60 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of rest. There is a staple exercise that is done as a giant set of 5 exercises. For the staple, the first 4 exercises are done back to back for 30 seconds followed immediately by 60 seconds of another exercise (3 minutes total) before you get 30 seconds of rest. There is a timer in the upper left 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.

Gainful Glutes and Core Workout is 47:05 minutes; 3:20 minute intro, no warm up and 4 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a booty band/resistance loop, a chair or bench and a fitness mat. Optional is a towel to protect your hips during hip thrusts. Caroline is using 15kg/33 pounds and 25kg/55 pounds dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I am using.

1. Hip thrust full range for 30 seconds (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)
2. Pulse for 30 seconds (same position as #1 but keep hips raised and pulse them upward) (one 40# DB)
3. Hold for 30 seconds (same position as #1 but keep hips raised at top of lift and hold isometrically) (one 40# DB)
4. Explosive hip thrusts for 30 seconds (repeat #1 but lift hips with explosive/fast power) (one 40# DB)
5. Lateral squat walk for 60 seconds (set DB aside, stand and lower into a partial  squat and side walk)
6. 30 second rest
7. Sumo squat for 60 seconds (one 50# DB)
8. Repeat #7
9. RDL (Romanian deadlifts) (35# DBs)
10. Repeat #9
11. Repeat #1-6
12. Sumo deadlift squat (with legs in sumo position, hinge torso forward deadlift style as you squat) (one 50# DB)
13. Repeat #12
14. Forward lean staggered squat (single leg squat, back/non-working leg is in kickstand, hinge torso forward) (one 25# DB)
15. Repeat #14 on other leg
16. Repeat #1-6
17. Staggered RDL (single leg deadlift, back/non-working leg is in kickstand) (one 30# DB)
18. Repeat #17 on other side of body
19. Single leg reverse plank lift (in reverse plank, lift one leg and keep it lifted entire interval while raising and lowering hips)
20. Repeat #19 on other side of body
21. Repeat #1-6
22. Glute bridge (band is still around thighs, lay on back, knees bent and feet on mat close to glutes, one heavy DB on hips, raise and lower hips) (one 40# DB)
23. Repeat #22

Finisher: Banded body weight bridges, 100 reps (band is still around thighs, lay on back, knees bent and feet on mat close to glutes, raise and lower hips)

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