CGX: Iron Program Day 3: Glutes!

This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.

It has been 6 months since I have done one of Caroline’s glute workouts and though I have not forgotten how brutal they can be, I still wasn’t ready for the agony. What is a little scary is that I have previewed every single CGX Iron workout and this is the easiest of the glute workouts in the program! The past 6 months I have been doing Cathe Friedrich‘s STS 2.0, which does include barbell hip thrusts. But Cathe gives you a full minute of recovery between sets and none of her workouts are glute focused. In an STS 2.0 lower body or full body workouts, the most you ever do is 3 sets of glute thrusts–again, with a full minute or recovery afterward. Plus, Cathe doesn’t use the glute band during the hip thrusts–which adds another layer of torture to the exercise. So this workout definitely kicked my butt. But it was worth it! My glutes haven’t been worked this well in–well, 6 months!

This workout is done interval style. The interval and recovery times are all different so they are noted below in the breakdown. There is a timer in the upper right hand corner of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recoveries Caroline previews the next exercise. There is also a progress bar at the bottom of the screen, counting down thee workout time as a percentage.

Glutes is 33:10 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9 minute warm up or the 1:34 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:30 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells or a barbell, a chair or bench, a booty band and a fitness mat. Optional is a towel to protect your hips from the dumbbell or a barbell pad. Caroline’s barbell is at 48kg/105.8 pounds. My barbell was at 80 pounds.

1. Banded lateral walk for 75 seconds (place glute band around thighs just above knees, side step the length of your space and back)
2. 15 second rest
3. Repeat #1 for 60 seconds
4. 30 second rest
5. Banded hip thrust for 60 seconds (place booty band around thighs, lean back against your bench or step, place one heavy DB or barbell on hips, knees are bent and open so there is tension on band, and feet are in line with knees, raise and lower hips slowly)
6. Repeat #4 & 5
7. Remove booty band and repeat #5 w/ knees further apart (Caroline leaves band around one ankle)
8. 30 second rest
9. Repeat #7
10. Banded lateral walk for 75 seconds (place band around ankles and side step the length of your space and back)
11. 15 second rest
12. Repeat #10 for 60 seconds
13. 30 second rest
14. Staggered hip thrust (lean back against your bench or step, place one heavy DB or barbell on hips, one knee is bent at 90 degrees, other leg is extended further with heel on floor, raise and lower hips slowly)
15. 30 second rest
16. Repeat #14 with foot positions swapped
17. 30 second rest
18. Repeat #14-17
19. Forward and back banded walk for 75 seconds (place booty band around thighs just above knees, walk forward the length of your space then walk backwards back to start)
20. 15 second rest
21. Repeat #19 for 60 seconds
22. 30 second rest
23. Bodyweight banded hip thrust 60 seconds (band is around thighs above knees, lean back against chair/bench, knees are bent at 90 degrees, raise and lower hips/glutes while pushing legs open so there is constant tension on the band)
24. 30 second rest
25. Repeat #23 & 24
26. Single leg hip thrust for 45 seconds(remove booty band, back is leaned again chair/bench behind you, one foot is on floor with knee bent at 90 degrees and other leg is raised, raise and lower hips/glutes)
27. Repeat #26 on other leg
28. Repeat #26 & 27
29. 30 second rest

Finisher: (2 minutes; no rest between exercises)

1. Banded lateral walk for 60 seconds (place glute band around thighs just above knees, side step the length of your space and back)
2. Lower band to ankles and repeat #1