CGX: Iron Program Day 8: Glutes & Hamstrings

This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page. This workout kicked my butt! My glutes have not been worked this hard in a months. Of course, its all in the weights you choose and maybe I should have used lighter weights because this workout was brutal. And I considered lightening my weights several times but in the end I just pushed through. And now that it is over, I am glad I did. Another excellent and very effective glute workout.

This workout is done interval style. The interval and recovery times vary 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 & Hamstrings is 37:02 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9 minute warm up or the 1:58 minute intro, also optional) with a 3:15 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, booty/glute band, a barbell with a barbell pad, a yoga block, a bench and a fitness mat. Caroline is using 30kg/66 pounds and 15kg/33 pounds dumbbells. She is also using a 48kg/105.8 pound barbell. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Banded bodyweight thrust for 75 seconds (band is around thighs above knees, lean back against chair/bench, knees are bent at 90 degrees and feet are on floor, raise and lower hips/glutes while also opening legs so there is constant tension on the band)
2. 15 second rest
3. Seated abduction for 60 seconds (sit on bottom, knees bent and feet on floor, open and close knees, pushing them against the band)
4. 30 second rest
5. Sumo deadlifts (slow eccentric) for 60 seconds (lower slowly and raise at normal speed) (one 70# DB)
6. 30 second rest
7. Repeat #5 & 6
8. Banded hip thrust (slow eccentric) for 60 seconds (place booty band around thighs, lean back against your bench or step, barbell on hips, knees bent and open so there is tension on band, and feet on floor, lower hips slowly and thrust hips upward at normal speed) (80# barbell)
9. 30 second rest
10. Repeat #8 & 9
11. (remove glute band) Repeat #8 & 9 w/out booty band
12. Repeat #11
13. Slow eccentric RDLs for 60 seconds (Romanian deadlifts, lower slowly and raise at normal speed) (45# DBs)
14. 30 second rest
15. Repeat #13 & 14
16. Forward tilt step lunge for 60 seconds (reverse/step back lunge, front leg is elevated on yoga block, hold one DB in same side hand as back leg, hinge torso forward over front leg when in lunge) (one 25# DB)
17. 30 second rest
18. Repeat #16 & 17 on other side of body
19. Repeat #16-18
20. 1.5 rep hip thrust for 60 seconds (same starting position as #11, raise hips to top of thrust, lower halfway, raise to top of thrust, lower all the way) (80# barbell)
21. 30 second rest
22. Repeat #20 & 21
23. Staggered RDL for 60 seconds (single leg hip thrust, back leg is in kickstand) (one 40# DB)
24. 30 second rest
25. Repeat #23 & 24 on other leg
26. Repeat #23-25

Finisher: (2:30 minutes; no rest/recoveries)

1. Banded hamstring thrust for 60 seconds (lean back against your bench or chair, booty band around thighs just above knees, heels on floor but further away from chair/bench than if you were doing a regular hip thrust, knees are slightly bent, raise and lower hips)
2. Hip thrust for 60 seconds (same position as #1 but bring feet in so that ankles are in line with knees, knees bent at 90 degrees)
3. Burn out for 30 seconds (continue #2 at a faster pace)