This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.
This workout was tough. Not sure if the fact I am not sleeping well lately contributed to how tough it was, but I was working hard. And it might just be because I mixed things up, training-wise, the last few months. First doing a month or so of bodyweight and band workouts, then moving on to all total body strength workouts. And with Intent, I am back into muscle splits. And I am definitely feeling it. Every workout has been giving me DOMS. I felt this workout in both my glutes and my quads as the title promises, but it really fatigued my quads. Caroline has delivered another excellent and intense lower body workout.
This workout is made up of one long circuit that is repeated. Within that circuit are supersets. If weights are used in the superset they are only used for the first exercise. You will do 2 exercises back to back with no rest/recovery between them. There is a timer in the upper right hand side of the screen, counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recoveries Caroline previews the next superset. There is also a bar at the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage. There are plenty of visual cues as well as “dings” to keep you on track during a superset.
Quads & Glutes Circuit is 46:39 minutes (this time does not include the optional 6 minute warm up or the 2:43 minute intro, also optional) with a 3 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, box/high step, glute band, heel wedges and a fitness mat. Caroline is using 15kg/33 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Heel elevated squats for 60 seconds (DBs are at shoulders, heels are on heel wedges) (30# DBs)
- (no rest) Bodyweight ‘time in hole’ for 60 seconds (pause briefly at bottom of squat)
- 30 second rest
- Bulgarian lunge for 60 seconds (static/stationary lunge, back leg is elevated on bench/step behind you, hold one DB in same side hand as front leg) (one 30# DB)
- (no rest) Bodyweight quad focused for 60 seconds (same as #4, no DB, front leg is closer to step/bench)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #4-6 on other leg
- Strict step up for 60 seconds (stand beside high step/box, leg closest to box on step, keeping foot on step the entire time, “step up” onto step then lower back to start, this is done at a slow and controlled pace)
- (no rest) Momentum step up for 30 seconds (same as #14 but push up quickly and with power)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #8 & 9 on other leg
- 45 second rest
- Banded RDL for 60 seconds (Romanian deadlift w/ glute band around thighs just above knees) (hex deadlift bar @ 100#)
- (no rest) Banded hip thrust for 60 seconds (band is around thighs above knees, lean back against chair/bench, knees are bent at 90 degrees and feet are on floor, slowly raise and lower hips/glutes while also opening legs so there is constant tension on the band)
- 30 second rest
- 1/2 rep hip thrust for 60 seconds (remove band, back is still against chair/bench, raise one leg and lift hips/glutes to top of hip thrust, lower halfway then lift back to top of thrust)
- Full range for 60 seconds (same position as #16 but do full range single leg hip thrusts)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #16 & 17 on other leg
- 45 second rest
- Repeat #1-19
15 second rest
Finisher:
- Slow 3/4 rep squat, 10 reps (bodyweight, heels are elevated on heel wedges, lower to bottom of squat but only raise 3/4 of the way so there is constant tension in the legs)
- Explosive squats, 10 reps (heels are still elevated on wedges, full range squats to a brisker pace than #1, “explode” up from bottom of squat)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible within 4 minutes
