WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet
Shins
Calves
IT Bands
Hips/Glutes
Groin
Quads
Hamstrings 

ACTIVATION

Complete 1 round of the circuit below.

CIRCUIT:
15 reps Glute Bridges
15 reps Table Top Bridge
5 reps per side Sit Thru to Thoracic Bridge

WORKOUT

Complete all 50 reps before moving on to the next exercise. However, pick a weight or variation that doesn’t allow you to do 50 straight through. If you can do more than 25 reps in a row, the weight is too light. Pick something ideally that challenges you between 10-15 reps. Do not rest though more than 15-30 seconds while working on an exercise. Try to rest as little as possible between exercises as well. Complete one round of the circuit below.

CIRCUIT:
50 reps Weighted Glute Bridges
50 reps each side Lateral Step Ups
50 reps Glute Bridge to Sit Up
50 reps Band Pull Throughs
50 reps Glute Cherry Bomb
50 reps each side Alternating Side Lunges

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet
Shins
Calves
IT Bands
Hips/Glutes
Groin
Quads
Hamstrings 

NOTES:

This workout is about getting the glutes activated and working. Focus on squeezing your glutes as you do the moves. Do not rush the movements. Slow down the tempo as necessary to really feel the glutes engage.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Glute Bridges – Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the ground just close enough that you can graze your heels with your fingertips when you stretch your arms down by your side. Your feet should be about hip-width apart. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees so that only your upper arm is on the ground. Then drive up through your heels and upper back to lift your glutes off the ground. Drive your hips up as high as possible, squeezing the glutes hard. Keep your belly button drawn in so you don’t hyperextend your back. Do not push backward off your heels. Make sure you are driving straight up and that your knees aren’t caving in. Squeeze your glutes for second or two at the top and lower all the way back down to the ground before repeating. You should feel this move in your glutes and hamstrings and not in your low back. Do not rush through glute bridges. Take time to hold at the top and feel the glutes activate.

Table Top Bridge – Start seated on the ground with your feet flat on the ground in front of you and your hands on the ground behind you. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips up as high as you can. Lean your head back and press your chest out as you bridge up. Keep your core tight as you bridge up. Try to create a “table” with your body. Drive your hips up as high as you can without hyperextending your low back. Hold at the top then lower back down and repeat.

Sit Thru to Thoracic Bridge – Set up on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet and lift up onto your hands and toes. Then lift your right hand and bring your left leg through and place your left foot flat on the ground. Rotate your hips up toward the ceiling, squeezing your glutes to lift them up as high as you can. While your lift your hips, reach your right hand down toward the ground, rotating your chest toward the floor. Feel your glutes working to keep BOTH hips up, while you reach your hand down. We have a tendency when we rotate to drop that hip down. Make sure both stay up. You should feel a nice rotation and stretch through your spine. You are twisting almost like someone wringing out a towel. Then drop your hips and step your foot back through while placing your hand back down on the ground. Rotate to the other side, bridging your hips up as high as you can.

Weighted Glute Bridges – Sit on the ground and roll or place the barbell over your hips. Then lie back and bend your knees with your heels close to your butt. Holding on to the barbell, drive your hips up and squeeze your glutes. Make sure you drive through your heels and upper back to lift straight up. Do not let your knees fall open and do not hyperextend your low back as you squeeze your glutes at the top. Hold for a second or two and lower back down. As you lift, you may find you want to press the barbell down and away onto your thighs to help you squeeze your glutes at the top and keep your core engaged.

Lateral Step Ups – The higher the bench or box you use, the harder this move will be. Do not use a box that is too high. If you have to push off the foot on the ground or if you really lean forward to propel yourself up, the box is too high. Stand with the box next to your right side. Place your right foot on top of it without rotating toward the box. Drive up through the heel of the foot on the box until you are standing on the box. Drive the left knee up as you lift up onto the box. Then step back down and repeat. Keep your chest up as you drive up. Do not lean forward or let your heel on top of the box come up. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Challenge yourself first with a higher box and then with weight. If one box is too high and the other is too low, you can add weight and use the lower box to make the step ups harder.

Glute Bridge to Sit Up – Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground about hip-width apart. Bridge up, lifting your hips as high as possible while driving through your heels. Lower your hips back down and let your feet move a little away from your butt. Then sit up, keeping your torso up nice and tall and your feet on the ground. Once you sit all the way up, lie back down, bring your feet back in and then bridge back up.

Band Pull Throughs – Anchor the band around furniture or in a doorway. Step over the band and reach down between your legs to grab the handles. Walk away from the anchor point with your back to it, holding the handles between your legs. Then hinge over, keeping your knees soft. Push your butt back toward the anchor point as you lean forward and reach your hands with the bands back between your legs. Then squeeze your glutes and push your hips forward to come back up to standing. Keep your arms relaxed and straight down, holding the handles between your legs. Stand up nice and tall, fully extending your hips and squeezing your glutes. Then hinge back over, pushing your butt back toward the anchor point. Keep your core tight so that you don’t feel this move in your low back. Also, do not pull the bands with your arms. Your glutes should do all the work. And make sure to keep your back flat. Do not round over as you hinge over and stand up tall at the top of the move. To make the move harder, use a heavier band or walk further from the anchor point. Also, to make the move more challenging you can either slow it down or make it more explosive. You can even make the movement to standing more explosive and then hinge back over slower to really challenge the glutes.

Glute Cherry Bomb – Place your heels in the suspension trainer straps and lie on your back on the ground. With your legs out straight and your feet close together, bridge up, squeezing your glutes and driving through your heels. Keep your core engaged so you don’t hyperextend your low back. Then curl your heels in toward your butt while maintaining the nice high bridge. Keep your glute engaged. Straighten your legs back out then and, keeping the nice straight bridge, move both feet out laterally, opening your legs up. Keep your hips up high as you spread your legs. Feel the outside of your butt work to open your legs up. Then bring your feet back together and repeat, curling your heels in toward your butt. This is an advanced movement. Beginners may not want to include the curl or may only want to do a single leg curl instead of the double leg curl. Click here for the modification.

Alternating Side Lunges – You will step one foot out to one side and bend that outside knee, sinking your butt back and down. Make sure you step the foot straight out to the side and have both feet pointing straight ahead. Also make sure to keep your heels down as you sit back. The other leg should stay straight as you lunge to one side. Then driving through your heel, push back up to standing. In one movement, bring that foot you stepped out with back in. Make sure that you don’t lunge out too far so that you can’t come back in with one strong push off. Also make sure you lunge out far enough that you can sit back and keep both heels down. And as you sit back into the lunge, keep your chest up. You may hinge forward a bit, but your back shouldn’t round. Alternate side lunges. Once you step back in from the lunge, step out into a side lunge on the other side. To make the move harder, hold a kettlebell, sandbag or dumbbell up at your chest.