At the gym uses machines & weights. At home swaps in band versions of every exercise.
Warm-up
- Brisk walk4–5 min
Walk into the run so the first mile doesn't feel like a fight.
- Leg swings + ankle circles2 min
Open the hips and ankles before the first stride.
Run
- Steady run2.5–3 mi
Comfortably hard — short sentences only. RPE 6–7.
Settle into a rhythm you could hold for 20 minutes. Nose-breathe as long as you can, then just stay steady.
💡 Same route, same effort, different day: consistency is what burns the weight off.
Activation (after the run)
- Glute activation3–4 min
Banded walks, glute bridges, fire hydrants. Wake the glutes up so they do the work, not your lower back.
💡 If your glutes feel 'asleep' after the run, do a little more here.
- Hip openers2 min
Deep squat hold and a couple of lunge stretches to loosen the hips before you load them.
Legs — machines & isolation
- Smith machine hip thrust — 21s4 × 7 bottom + 7 top + 7 full
Seven half reps from the bottom, seven from the top, seven full. One set, three flavours of pain.
- Smith machine sumo squat3 × 15
Moderate load, deep and rhythmic.
- 45° back extension (burnout)3 × 20
Bodyweight, steady rhythm, squeeze the glutes at the top of every rep.
- Hip abduction + adduction superset3 × 12–15 each
Out on the abduction machine, straight over to adduction. No rest between.
- Finisher: incline treadmill walk10 min
Steep incline, brisk, hands off the rails. RPE 6–7.
Cool-down & stretch
- Light walk3–5 min
Let the heart rate settle and flush the legs.
- Hip flexor + couch stretch45 s × each
Open the front of the hip after heavy thrust/squat work — tight hip flexors flatten the glute.
- Pigeon / figure-4 glute stretch45 s × each
Release the glutes you just worked.
- Hamstring fold45 s × each
Gentle forward fold to release the posterior chain.
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