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
10 reps each side Fire Hydrants

WORKOUT

You will first complete all 100 reps of the Glute Bridges before moving on to the supplemental circuit.

For the 100 rep Glute Bridge Challenge, the best you can do with a weight is 5 rounds of 20 reps so pick a weight that is challenging for at least 20 reps if not 10 or even 15. Rest 30-90 seconds between rounds of the Glute Bridges. Do not rest shorter or longer.

If you can’t complete 20 reps in a row, rest and then try again. Your goal is to get the 100 reps in as few sets as possible (aka 5 sets of 20 reps).

Rest 2-3 minutes after you finish the Glute Bridge Challenge then do 3-5 rounds of the supplemental circuit.

GLUTE BRIDGE CHALLENGE:
Pick as heavy a weight as possible and do the 100 reps. Record your weight, rest times and reps/sets. Try to beat that next time, upping the weight if you accomplish 5 sets of 20 reps. This only works if you choose a challenging weight. If you don’t get 5 sets of 20 reps and it takes you 6,7 or even 8 sets to get the 100, keep that weight next time and try again.
100 Reps Weighted Glute Bridges

CIRCUIT:
10-15 reps 3-Count 1/2 Squat, 1/2 Deadlift
8-12 reps Side to Curtsy Lunge
15-20 reps Reverse Hypers

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

NOTES:

After finishing the Glute Bridge Challenge, your glutes should be pretty smoked. While you want to challenge yourself with the exercises in the Supplemental Circuit, you don’t need to focus on using super heavy weights. Just use weights that challenge you for the reps selected.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Glute Bridges – To do the Basic Glute Bridge for reps, 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. If you put your feet further away from your glutes, you will engage more hamstring than if you keep your heels in closer to your glutes. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees so that only your upper arms are 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. Focus and consciously squeeze your glutes at the top. 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. Do not rush through the move. To make the move harder, hold longer at the top or even slow down the lower back down to the ground. A slower tempo means more time under tension and more work for your glutes.

Table Top Bridge – To do the 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. Really feel a nice stretch across your chest and shoulders. 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. Really squeeze your glutes at the top. Hold for a few seconds at the top then lower back down and repeat. Keep the core engaged and even do a pelvic tilt at the top so that you engage your glutes without hyperextending your low back.

Fire Hydrants – To do Fire Hydrants, start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet. Then, keeping your arms straight and your foot flexed, raise your right leg out to the side. Keep your knee bent to 90 degrees as you raise and your ankle in line with your knee. Do not let your foot get above your knee or your knee go up above your foot. Your lower leg should stay in line and be parallel to the ground. Hold at the top then lower back down. Make sure to hold for 1-2 seconds. Do not rush through the lift. Make sure you do not bend your arms or lean away from the leg being raised just to get the leg up higher. Squeeze your butt and make sure you feel it activate. Range of motion isn’t important. Feeling the glute raise the leg and hold is all that matters. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

Weighted Glute Bridges – To do the Weighted Glute Bridge, 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. If you start to rush through, you aren’t completing quality reps and should rest. You need to hold at the top.

3-Count 1/2 Squat, 1/2 Deadlift – To do the ½ Squat, ½ Deadlift, start by standing on your right leg. Start to bend your right knee as you drive your left leg back and hinge over. Keep your back flat as you hinge over and sit your butt back. You are going to hinge over as you also squat down on your right leg. Try to touch the ground without rounding your low back. Make sure to sit back in your heel as you squat down. Once you’ve gone as low as you can, you will come back to standing. Try not to touch your left toe down between reps. Hinge back over, sitting your butt back as you bend your standing leg to squat down. Touch the ground and come back up. Go as low as you can each time. The more you bend your knee as you hinge over, the harder the move will be. Slow down the tempo of this move to make it harder. Take 3-5 seconds to squat down and then quickly pop back up to standing.

Side to Curtsy Lunge – Lunging with the left foot, step the left foot out toward “9″ on the clock. As you lunge out to the side, you are going to bend the left knee and sit your butt back. Keep your right leg straight. Both toes should be pointing straight ahead. Keep your left heel down as you sink into the lunge. Push your butt back and keep your chest up. Then drive back up to standing. If you need to, touch your foot down before moving into the Curtsy Lunge. If you don’t need to, move right into the Curtsy Lunge. After performing the Side Lunge, stand up and lunge back into a Curtsy Lunge with your left foot. Step your left foot back behind your right leg. You will reach your left foot back to about “5″ on the clock. Make sure you step far enough back (do not keep your left foot too close to your right) that you can bend both knees and sink down into a deep lunge. Keep your right heel down on the ground and your chest up. Then come back to standing. Make sure that you feel this lunge in the outside of your right butt cheek when you lunge back with the left leg. Then move back into a Side Lunge and repeat on the same side.

Reverse Hypers – Choose Bent or Straight. You can even switch it up each time you do the workout but stick with one the entire workout. To do the Bent-Knee Reverse Hypers (bottom), lie face down on a bench, box or table. Place your hips right on the edge of the bench and hold on to the bench or something in front of you. If your hips are too far on the bench, you are more likely to hyperextend your low back in an attempt to get your hips up higher. Place your heels together and bend your knees to about 90 degrees. Flex your feet. You can choose to turn your toes out to hit a slightly different aspect of your glutes as well. Then, with your knees bent, kick your heels up toward the ceiling, squeezing your glutes to lift. You can sort of drive up and out a bit to really get your glutes to work. Make sure that you squeeze your glutes as you lift and don’t hyperextend your low back just to get up higher. Lift so that your quads are about parallel to the ground and lower back down. Only lift higher if you don’t feel your lower back take over. You want to focus on and make sure your glutes are working to lift NOT your low back. The most important part is that you feel your glutes tighten. Hold at the top for a second or two to feel your glutes work and then lower back down. You can also add weight to make this move harder. To do a Straight-Leg Reverse Hyper (top), you will set up like you are going to do the Bent-Knee Variation, however, you will keep your legs straight. Still place your heels together though. And you can also choose to turn your toes out to hit a slightly different aspect of your glutes. Then, keeping your legs straight, raise your heels up toward the ceiling. Squeeze your glutes as you lift. Lift till your legs are about parallel to the ground and lower back down. Only lift higher if you don’t feel your lower back take over. You want to focus on and make sure your glutes are working to lift NOT your low back. If you do feel your low back, make sure you are pressing your pelvic down into the bench as you squeeze your glutes to lift. Hold at the top and lower back down. Slow down the tempo or add weight to make the move more challenging.