This is a workout from Caroline Girvan‘s CGX app. For more info on Caroline’s App, see the CGX App page.
This is a really nice, well balanced lower body workout–until you get to the finisher when Caroline fries the quads. It is one long circuit that is done 3 times. Within that circuit you hit both the quads and the glutes/hamstrings nicely. Though not easy, I found this to be one of the easier workouts in the Intent Program. Until you get to the finisher, that is. But that seems true of all of the Intent workouts. Those finisher complexes are usually killer.
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 along the bottom of the screen, counting down the workout time as a percentage.
For the stability ball roll outs Caroline gives an alternative option of doing hamstring bridges with a barbell/dumbbell.
Plenty of Glutes but Quad Finisher is 46:23 minutes (this time does not include the optional 5:55 minute warm up or the 2:23 minute intro, also optional) with a 1:35 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, barbell, stability ball, glute/booty band, heel wedges and a fitness mat. Caroline’s barbell is at 48kg/106 pounds. She also uses 10kg/22 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.
- Heel elevated squats for 60 seconds (heels are on wedges and DBs are at shoulders)(30# DBS)
- (no rest) High squats for 60 seconds (same as #1 but no heel wedges) (30# DBs)
- 45 second rest
- Banded bridge for 75 seconds (lay on back on mat, knees bent and feet close to glutes, glute band is around thighs just above knees, legs are open so there is constant tension on band, barbell or heavy DB rests on hips, raise and lower hips) (barbell @ 96#)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #4 but remove glute band (barbell @ 96#)
- 30 second rest
- Stability ball roll out for 90 seconds (lay on back on mat with both heels on ball, raise hips/glutes, roll ball out then back in keeping hips elevated entire interval)
- 30 second rest
- x1 leg hip thrust for 60 seconds (bodyweight, back is against chair/bench, raise one leg and do single leg hip thrusts)
- (no rest) Forward tilt lunge for 60 seconds (stationary/static lunge, toes of front foot are on heel wedge, torso is hinged forward over front thigh, hold one DB in same side hand as back leg) (one 25# DB)
- 30 second rest
- Repeat #10-12 on other leg
- Repeat #1-13 two more times
Finisher: (4 minutes)
- Time in hole elevated squat, 10 reps (bodyweight, heels are elevated on wedges, lower to bottom of squat and hold briefly, when you raise out of squat lower immediately back into “hole”/squat so there is constant tension on quads)
- Slow eccentric squat, 10 reps (same as #1 but lower slowly when squatting and return to standing at normal pace)
- Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible in 4 minutes
