CGX: Intent Program Day 21: RDLs, Hip Thrusts & Lots of Lunges

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

Another killer lower body endurance level workout. It wasn’t just kicking my butt–at times Caroline was losing steam, too! This is a pretty metabolic workout. I burned 450 calories and spend more than half of the workout in Zone 4. I was working hard! When I previewed the workout I had expectations of using heavier dumbbells but once I got into it I dropped to my 20s and stayed there.

This workout is done interval style. Most of the exercises are done for 75 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of recovery. If the the interval/recovery tine is different then it is 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 along the bottom of the screen, counting down the workout time as a percentage.

RDLs, Hip Thrusts & Lots of Lunges is 45:36 minutes (this time does not include the optional 5:55 minute warm up or the 3:22 minute intro, also optional) with a 2 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, barbell, chair/bench, yoga block, heel wedges and a fitness mat. Caroline’s barbell is at 58kg/128 pounds. She also uses 15kg/33 pound and 10kg/22 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. RDL (Romanian deadlifts, toes are elevated on heel wedges) (hex deadlift bar @ 100#)
2. Hip thrusts (lean back against your bench or step, place one heavy DB or barbell on hips, knees bent and and feet on floor w/ knees in line w/ ankles, raise and lower hips slowly) (barbell @ 110#)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times
4. Rear step lunge (reverse step back lunges, front foot is elevated on yoga block) (20# DBs)
5. Repeat #4 on other leg
6. Forward tilt Bulgarian lunge (static/stationary lunge w/ back leg elevated on step/bench behind you, hold one DB in same side hand as back leg, torso is hinged forward over front leg) (one 25# DB first set, one 20# DB last 2 sets)
7. Repeat #6 on other leg
8. Repeat #4-7 two more times
9. Static curtsy lunge for 45 seconds (stationary cross back lunge, front foot is elevated on yoga block, one DB is held at same side shoulder as working leg) (one 20# DB)
10. (no rest) Rear step curtsy lunge for 30 seconds (same basic position as #9 but step back into cross back lunge) (one 20# DB)
11. Repeat #9 & 10
12. Repeat #9-11

Finisher: (4 minutes)

1. Bulgarian lunges, 15 reps (body weight static/stationary lunge w/ back leg elevated on step/bench behind you)
2. Repeat #1 on other leg
3. Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible in 4 minutes