FUEL Series 30 Min POSTERIOR CHAIN CLUSTERS Workout | Day 28

30 Min Posterior Chain Clusters Workout is Day 28 in Caroline Girvan‘s Fuel Series. Another killer workout! These Fuel workouts are definitely kicking my butt! Caroline works your posterior chain (back, glutes and hamstrings) really well in this workout, but the exercises actually work other muscle groups well, too. Lunges work your entire lower body and those pull overs hit everything. In fact, during the cluster sets of the pull overs my triceps were starting to protest! This is definitely more of a full body workout. I’m considering creating an Iron Fuel rotation that mixes the two programs together (Iron Series + Fuel Series). I think the two programs would compliment each other nicely.

This workout is done interval style but the interval lengths vary. Since there are no set interval lengths (and sometimes no rest/recoveries between exercises), everything is in the breakdown below. There is a timer in the upper right hand side of the screen counting down your intervals and recovery. During the recovery Caroline previews the next exercise. If there is no recovery, a video will appear near the end of an interval previewing 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. This workout is done to music with plenty of visual cues as well as “dings” to keep you on track. If an exercise has impact, Caroline shows a low impact alternative.

30 Min Posterior Chain Clusters Workout is 38:42 minutes; 1:43 minute intro, no warm up and 4:20 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, booty band/resistance loop, yoga block, chair or bench, and fitness mat. Caroline is using 15kg/33.1 pound and one 30kg/66.1 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Hip thrusts for 60 seconds (lean back against your bench or step, band around thighs/above knees, knees bent and open so there is tension on band, feet on floor and one heavy DB on hips, keep legs open so there is constant tension on the band, raise and lower hips/glutes) (one 50# DB)
2. 20 second rest
3. Repeat #1 at a faster pace for 20 seconds (one 50# DB)
4. Repeat #2 & 3 two more times
5. 20 second rest
6. Body weight only explosive hip thrusts for 60 seconds (same position as #1 but no DB, thrust hips up fast and lower slowly)
7. 20 second rest
8. Repeat #6 at a faster pace for 30 seconds
9. 10 second rest
10. Repeat #8 & 10 two more times
11. Banded squats for 20 seconds (band is still around thighs above knees)
12. Banded squat jumps/explosive for 20 seconds (low impact: squat and when you stand, raise onto toes)
13. 20 second rest
14. Renegade rows for 60 seconds (alternate arms) (30# DBs)
15. 20 second rest
16. Double arm bent over row for 20 seconds (30# DBs)
17. Repeat #15 & 16 two more times
18. 20 second rest
19. Sumo deadlift squats for 60 seconds (with legs in sumo position, hinge torso forward deadlift style as you squat) (one 60# DB)
20. 20 second rest
21. Sumo hold (lift at 10 second beep) for 20 seconds (one 60# DB)
22. Repeat #20 & 21 two more times
23. 20 second rest
24. Repeat #11-13
25. Slow eccentric pullover for 60 seconds (lower DB slowly and raise at normal speed) (one 35# DB)
26. 20 second rest
27. Pullovers at a normal pace for 30 seconds (one 35# DB)
28. 10 second rest
29. Repeat #27 & 28 two more times
30. RDL for 60 seconds (Romanian deadlifts) (40# DBs)
31. 20 second rest
32. Repeat #30 for 20 seconds
33. Repeat #31 & 32 two more times
34. 20 second rest
35. x1 DB forward leaning lunge for 60 seconds (stationary lunges w/ front foot elevated on a yoga block, hold one DB in same side hand as back leg, torso is hinged forward over front leg) (one 25# DB)
36. 20 second rest
37. Body weight rear step for 30 seconds (reverse lunges w/ front foot still elevated on yoga block)
38. 10 second rest
39. Repeat #37 & 38 two more times
40. Repeat #35-39 on other side of body
41. Repeat #11-13

Finisher: (80 seconds, no rest/recoveries)

1. Banded squats for 20 seconds (band is still around thighs above knees)
2. Banded squat jumps/explosive for 20 seconds (low impact: squat and when you stand, raise onto toes)
3. Repeat #1 & 2

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