Glute Activation + Lower Body Strength // Day 58 HR12WEEK 2.0

Glute Activation + Lower Body Strength is Day 58 in Heather Robertson‘s 12 Week program. This is another intense lower body strength workout. As the title indicates, this workout combines some different modalities to work your lower body. I really liked the structure of this workout because it keeps things interesting. The first part of the workout is glute activation, which is mat based lower body strength work. The second part of the workout is cardio + strength contrast training. Contrast training means you pair a strength exercise (usually one using dumbbells or some other type of resistance) with a power exercise (usually a plyometric exercise) that mimics the strength exercise or uses the same muscle groups. The contrast training is done in trisets; you will do 2 strength exercises and one plyo/cardio exercise. All of the exercises are done interval style. The glute activation exercises are each done for 40 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of recovery. The cardio + strength trisets are all done for 40 seconds of work followed by 20 seconds of recovery. There is a timer in the lower right hand corner of the screen counting down the intervals and recoveries. During the recovery Heather previews the next exercise. During the preview Heather also shows low impact variations for the cardio bursts. I used one of Heather’s newer workouts as a finisher this morning: Mini Band Booty Builder, which definitely finished off my lower body and rounded out my hour very nicely.

Glute Activation + Lower Body Strength is 42:44 minutes; 3:30 minute warm up and 5:30 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and fitness mat. Heather does not reveal the weight of the dumbbells she uses. The weights listed below are what I used.

Glute Activation (40 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest):

1. Rear lift (on elbows and knees, extend one leg straight behind you, raise and lower straight leg)
2. Rear pulse (same position as #1, keep leg raised at top of lift and pulse leg upward)
3. Hamstring curl (same position as #1 but extend straight leg behind you in line with hip, hold isometrically and bend knee, bringing heel to glute then extending leg straight again)
4. Rainbow kick (on hands and knees, 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)
5. Repeat #1-4 on other leg
6. Glute march (lay on mat, knees bent and feet on mat close to glutes, one heavy DB on hips, do alternating single leg glute raises, lifting one bent leg each time you raise hips, alternate legs)
7. Bridge pulses (keep hips elevated isometrically in bridge and pulse hips up)

30 second rest

Triset 1:

1. Goblet squat (one 40# DB)
2. Curtsy lunge & squat (holding one DB goblet style, do alternating curtsy/cross-back lunges with one narrow squat between sides) (one 30# DB)
3. In & out hops (squat jacks, jump from sumo squat to narrow squat)
4. Repeat #1-3

Triset 2:

1. Single leg deadlift (holding one DB in both hands, hinge forward into single leg deadlift, lifting straight leg behind you) (one 30# DB)
2. Repeat #1 on other side of body
3. Station sprints (high knee run forward the length of your mat then run backwards back to start)
4. Repeat #1-3

Triset 3:

1. Alternating reverse lunges (16.5# DBs)
2. Cossack squat (hold one DB in both hands goblet style, alternating stationary side lunges but the straight leg is rotated so heel is on floor and toe is raised to ceiling when you are in lunge) (one 30# DB)
3. Side lunge hops (alternating side lunges w/ a hop-shuffle when changing sides)
4. Repeat #1-3

Triset 4:

1. Sumo squat (one 50# DB)
2. Sumo deadlift (deadlift with legs wide and toes turned out) (25# DBs)
3. Power jacks (sumo squat jacks)
4. Repeat #1-3

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