CGX: Iron Program Day 43: Glutes and Abs

This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page. Another glute burner! These circuit workouts that Caroline has created are really kicking my butt! I am not sure why but they do. She structures the interval and recovery times to really burn you out. For instance, on the hip thrust, when we do it for 60 seconds I feel strong but by the end of the interval I am burning out. This is normal. But then you only get 15 seconds of rest before you do it again. Thankfully for only 30 seconds but still, my glutes were still fatigued so I was struggling from the beginning of the 30 second interval. Which is, I am sure, what she intended. And the ab exercises were a burner for me, too, but that is probably mostly because my abs are sore from yesterday’s workout! Caroline did not structure the program that way. If you follow the Iron program as she lays it out you have several days between the ab work. In the future, when/if I repeat this program, I will do Back & Core at the beginning of the week instead so that I have a few days for my abs to recover.

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 the workout time as a percentage.

Glutes and Abs is 39:14 minutes (this time does not include the optional 9 minute warm up or the 2:35 minute intro, also optional) with a 2:55 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 dumbbell and a 48kg/105.8 pound barbell. The weights listed below are what I used.

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. 30 second rest
3. Banded hip thrust for 60 seconds (place booty band around thighs, lean back against your bench or step, place barbell on hips, knees bent and open so there is tension on band, and feet on floor, raise and lower hips) (barbell @ 86#)
4. 15 second rest
5. Repeat #3 for 30 seconds
6. 30 second rest
7. Banded RDLs for 60 seconds (Romanian deadlift, band still around thighs, standing with legs far enough apart that there is constant tension on the band) (hex trap bar @ 105#)
8. 20 second rest
9. RDLs (remove the band) for 40 seconds (hex trap bar @ 105#)
10. 30 second rest
11. Hip thrust (no band) for 60 seconds (repeat #3 w/out booty band) (barbell @ 86#)
12. 15 second rest
13. Repeat #11 for 30 seconds
14. 30 second rest
15. Repeat #1-14 two more tomes

Core Circuit: (7:30 minutes; each exercise is done for 45 seconds with no rest/recoveries between exercises)

1. Reverse tuck (lay on back on mat, knees bent at 90 degrees, lift hips while bringing knees toward chest)
2. Crunch reach (still on back, one knee is bent with foot on mat close to glutes, other leg is extended straight to ceiling, crunch upper body while reaching hands toward foot of extended leg)
3. Repeat #2 on other leg
4. Reverse crunch (still laying on back, hands behind head and head shoulders elevated, legs are extended straight to ceiling, lower legs until they are a few inches off the mat then raise them, lifting hips as feet reach past head)
5. Basic crunch (still on back, knees bent w/ feet on mat close to glutes, hands are behind head, do a basic upper body crunch)
6. Repeat #1-5

Finisher: (2 minutes; no rest/recovery between exercises)

1. Banded hip thrust for 30 seconds (booty band is around thighs just above knees, lean back against your bench or step, knees bent and open so there is tension on band, raise and lower hips)
2. Hold w/ Adduction for 30 seconds (raise hips to top of thrust and hold isometrically while pushing legs open wider against band)
3. Keep hips raised at top of thrust and pulse hips upward for 30 seconds
4. Repeat #1