CGX: P.E. Program Day 37: ‘Curtseys for the glutes!’

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 great glute, hamstring and outer thigh workout. Caroline burns those muscle groups out with pulses. You will do an exercise at full range using resistance then pulse it out using only your bodyweight but since it is a superset workout, your muscles get no rest before the pulsing starts. Oh the burn! The stretch at the end was very nice.

This is a superset workout. You will do 2 exercises back to back before you get a recovery. The interval and recovery times vary and will be noted below. 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 superset. There is also a progress bar along the bottom of the screen that counts down the entire workout time as a percentage.

Lower Body is 47:42 minutes (this time does not include the optional 5:55 minute warm up or 3:23 minute intro, also optional) with a 3:10 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells, barbell, stability ball, glute band, yoga block, heel wedge, and fitness mat. Caroline is using a barbell at 58kg/128 pounds. Caroline is also using 15kg/33 pound and 10kg/22 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

1. Banded bridge for 60 seconds (lay on back mat, glute band is around thighs above knees with legs open so there is constant tension on the band, heels are close to glutes, barbell rests on hips, raise and lower hips in bridge) (barbell @ 105#)
2. (no rest) Body weight pulses for 60 seconds (same position as #1 without the barbell, lift hips to top of bridge and pulse hips upward
3. 30 second rest
4. Banded RDL for 60 seconds (band is still around thighs just above knees, stand with legs wide enough that there is constant tension on band, do Romanian deadlifts)(hex deadlift bar @ 100#)
5. (no rest) Lateral walk for 60 seconds (side steps with band still around thighs)
6. 30 second rest
7. Repeat #1-6 three more times
8. Rear step forward tilt curtsy lunge for 60 seconds (step back/cross-back lunge, torso is hinged forward over front leg, front/working foot is on yoga block, hold one DB in same side hand as front leg) (one 25# DB)
9. (no rest) Body weight half reps (raise on beep every 15 seconds) for 60 seconds (stationary curtsy/cross-back lunge, torso is hinged forward over front thigh, lower to bottom of lunge but only lift halfway, raise all the way on the beep)
10. 30 second rest
11. Repeat #8-10 on other leg
12. Repeat #8-11
13. Repeat #8-11 again but this time there is a heel wedge under toes of front foot instead of a yoga block
14. RDL for 60 seconds (Romanian deadlifts) (hex deadlift bar @ 100#)
15. (no rest) Hamstring roll out for 90 seconds (lay on back with both heels on stability ball, raise hips and roll ball into glutes then roll back out, keeping hips raised the entire time)
16. 30 seconds
17. Repeat #13-15

Finisher:

1. Bridge for 45 seconds (lay on back mat, heels are close to glutes, barbell rests on hips, raise and lower hips in bridge) (barbell @ 105#)
2. (no rest) Pulses for 15 seconds (keep hips lifted at top of bridge and pulse upward) (barbell @ 100#)
3. 30 second rest
4. Hamstring roll out for 45 seconds (lay on back with both heels on stability ball, raise hips and roll ball into glutes then roll back out, keeping hips raised the entire time)
5. (no rest) Pulses for 15 seconds (same as #4 but keep ball pulled in and hips raised, do small pulsing rolls in and out)