CGX: Iron Program Day 18: Posterior Chain

This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page. I love this workout! It was tough and very enjoyable. I love working my posterior chain–back, glutes and hamstrings. Caroline put together some excellent exercises and by the finisher at the end, my glutes were screaming. I also love that she gives us some longer recoveries in this workout. That little bit of extra time helped me come back stronger when the exercise is repeated.

This workout is done interval style. The interval and recovery times vary so they are noted in the breakdown below. 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.

Posterior Chain is 38:57 minutes (this time does not include the optional 11:38 minute warm up or the 2:24 minute intro, also optional) with a 3 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, a barbell with a barbell pad, a glute/booty band, a bench and a fitness mat. Caroline is using 17.5kg/38.5 pound and 10kg/22 pound dumbbells and a 48kg/105.8 pound barbell. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Banded hip thrust 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, raise and lower hips) (88# barbell)
2. 45 second rest
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times
4. Pullovers for 60 seconds (one 45# DB)
5. 30 second rest
6. Repeat #4 & 5 two more times
7. RDLs for 60 seconds (Romanian deadlifts) (hex trap bar @ 105#)
8. 45 seconds rest
9. Repeat #7 & 8 two more times
10. Staggered hip thrust for 45 seconds (same position as #1 without booty/glute band, one knee is bent at 90 degrees and other leg is extended with heel on floor) (88# barbell)
11. 30 second rest
12. Repeat #10 & 11 on other leg
13. Repeat #10-12
14. Single arm row for 45 seconds (one hand and one knee rests on bench) (one 50# DB)
15. 15 second rest
16. Repeat #14 on other arm
17. 30 second rest
18. Repeat #14-17 two more times
19. Forward tilt curtsy dumbbell tap for 60 seconds (hold one DB in each hand, step one leg back into cross-back/curtsy lunge, torso is hinged forward over front leg, DBs tap floor on either side of foot at bottom of the lunge) (22.5# DBs)
20. 30 seconds
21. Repeat #19 & 20 on other leg
22. Repeat #19-21

Finisher: (2:15 seconds; no rest/recoveries between exercises)

1. Banded bridge for 45 seconds (lay on mat with booty/glute band around thighs just above knees, knees are bent and feet are on mat close to glutes, raise and lower hips in glute while keeping tension on band)
2. Pulses for 15 seconds (keep hips lifted at top of bridge and pulse hips upward)
3. Repeat #1 & 2
4. Repeat #1