CGX: Intent Program Day 39: ‘Heightened Glute Activation’ Lower Body

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

Another tough lower body workout. I did really enjoy the burn in this one. My legs and glutes feel well worked. The workout starts with 5 sets of weighted bridges. Luckily you get a longer than usual recovery between them. The rest of the workout is unilateral work–lunges and deadlifts. You are using a heel wedge for all of the unilateral work. And the finisher–more bridges! Thankfully they are unweighted. However you are using a glute band to get that extra burn and they are alternated with abductions. Caroline worked me hard–but gives us a wonderful stretch at the end. It is longer than usual and stretches your legs and glutes out deeply.

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 side of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recovery Caroline previews the next exercise. There is also a along the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage.

Lower Body is 49:03 minutes (this time does not include the optional 6 minute warm up or the 2:48 minute intro, also optional) with a 3:45 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, barbell, heel wedge, glute/booty band and a fitness mat. Caroline’s barbell is at 58kg/128 pounds. She is also using one 15kg/33 pound dumbbell. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Banded bridge for 60 seconds (lay on back, knees bent and feet on mat close to glutes, band is around thighs above knees, legs are open so there is constant tension on band, barbell or one heavy DB on hips, raise and lower hips in bridge) (barbell @ 106#)
2. 45 second rest
3. Repeat #1 & 2 two more times
4. Bridge for 60 seconds (remove band and repeat #1) (barbell @ 106#)
5. 30 second rest
6. Repeat #4 & 5
7. Rear step forward tilt lunge for 75 seconds (reverse step back lunge, toes of front foot are elevated on heel wedge, torso is hinged forward over front leg, hold one DB in same side hand as leg stepping back) (one 27.5# DB)
8. 30 second rest
9. Repeat #7 & 8 on other leg
10. Staggered RDL for 75 seconds (single leg deadlift, non-working leg rests on chair or bench, toes of foot of front/working leg rests on heel wedge) (one 38# DB)
11. 30 second rest
12. Repeat #10 & 11 on other leg
13. Repeat #7-12 two more times
14. Forward tilt lunge for 45 seconds (stationary/static lunge, toes of front foot are elevated on heel wedge, torso is hinged forward over front leg, hold one DB in same side hand as back leg) (one 30# DB)
15. (no rest) Bodyweight only for 30 seconds (same as #14 w/out DB)
16. 30 second rest
17. Repeat #14-16 on other leg
18. Repeat #14-17
19. Bodyweight rear forward tilt lunge for 90 seconds (step back/reverse lunge, toes of front foot are elevated on heel wedge, torso is hinged forward over front leg)
20. (no rest) Repeat #19 on other leg

30 second rest

Finisher: (4 minutes)

1. Banded bridge, 20 reps (lay on back, knees bent and feet on mat close to glutes, band is around thighs above knees, legs are open so there is constant tension on band, raise and lower hips in bridge)
2. Upright abductions, 20 reps (sit on mat w/ hands on mat behind hips, knees are bent and feet on mat close to glutes, open and close knees)
3. Repeat #1 & 2 as many times as possible in 4 minutes