Name: Playbook - Sam Sweeney - 9/6 Glutes, Calves, Core
Uploaded: 2026-06-17T00:04:43.564Z
Duration: 75 min
Description: 9/6 Glutes, Calves, Core

Lexi

Marta

PR on hip thrusts 🔥 I felt powerful every day of this split 💪

Donkey calf raises are always a favorite 🙌😍

Megan

Gonna miss this split, I’ve really loved it!

Amanda Smith

So ready for deload next week!!! Great finish to the split.

Audry

Corrine

Manda

Deja

Lorena

Chelsea

Regina

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😮‍💨🔥😮‍💨👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Shelly

Porchia

TRX around the world knee tucks, Whew! 😅 💦

Mia Arrowsmith

Mike

Alexandra VanHook

Happy Friday!

Week 8 of 8 week split [week 9 deload]

Goal of Split: To build absolute strength [1RM strength] with a focus on legs and glutes.

Pre Training Mobility and Warm Up: please choose appropriate warm up from the “Warm Up and Activation” bubble in the app. [previous warm ups can all be found here]

Tap the ‘start now’ button to find the training day overview.

Strength Training: Glutes, Calves, Core: 

1. Dead Stop Hip Thrust: 6S/1R
*180 seconds rest*

2. Single Leg Barbell Romanian Deadlift: 3S/4-6R each side [2 second eccentric]
*90 seconds rest*

3. Slo Mo Machine Abductions: 3S/8-10R
*75 seconds rest*

4. Single Leg Weighted Donkey Calf Raise: 3S/8-12R each side [2 second pause at the top of each rep]
*75 seconds rest*

5a. Barbell Overhead Carry: 3S/60 seconds
5b. TRX Around the Worlds: 3S/6-12R each way
*75 seconds rest*

9/6 Training Day Overview

Rep Count: 1R 
Tempo: power
Modification: dumbbell hip thrust or machine hip thrust

*working up to your 1rm- use week 4  numbers for reference*
this should be a slow progression over the 6 sets of singles- only adding weight if appropriate [safely with good form]. Failed sets count as sets.

Set Up:
- load a barbell with appropriate weight [rubber plates will allow you to roll the barbell over your legs]
- sit on the ground in front of a flat bench so your mid back is pressed into the side of the bench
- extend your legs out and roll the loaded barbell over your hips
- with the barbell in line with your hips, bend your knees and plant your feet firmly on the ground [tripod feet- connect the base of the big toe, little toe, and heel to the ground].
- scoot your feet so your heels are positioned under your knees
- grip the barbell just outside hip width on each side and press down against the bar to secure the bar to your hips
- contract your lats and keep a tight grip on the bar
- lift your hips to the bar, squeeze your glutes, pull belly button to spine, and set your brace
- tuck your chin and keep your gaze forward

Execution: 
- drive your feet through the ground, and extend your hips 
- lift the barbell from the ground and into full hip extension
- your knees, hips, and torso should make a straight line at the top of the rep. 
- shins should be vertical at the top of the rep, knees in line with the ankles
- contract your glutes
- lower your hips until the plates of your barbell come to a dead stop at the bottom of the rep 
- hold tension, and continue reps 
- keep mid back glued to the bench
- keep feet glued to the ground

Dead Stop Hip Thrust

Rep Range: 4-6R each side
Tempo: 2 second eccentric
Modification: single leg or assisted single leg dumbbell rdl 

Set Up: 
- grip the barbell with a pronated grip [or switch grip/use straps] 
- extend your arms down, hold the bar in front of your torso
- get into a hip width stance, toes forward
- squeeze your glutes, pull belly button to spine, and set your brace
- lift one foot off of the ground, bend your leg slightly and keep foot off of the ground
- pin your traps down, shoulders back 
- keep a neutral head, neck, and spine
- contract your lats, think about breaking the bar around your body, keep the bar close to you

Execution: 
- push your hips back
- bend your torso forward and lower the bar towards the ground, keeping the bar close
- reach your non working leg behind you
- as the bar passes your knee on the working side, bend it slightly so your leg is at a 45 degree angle
- lower the bar to just below the knee/mid shin 
- think about screwing your foot into the ground 
- extend your leg, drive your hips in, and raise your torso
- lift the bar into the single leg standing position again 
- contract your glutes 
- lightly reset your foot on the ground at the top of the rep to stabilize if needed
- keep gaze fixed on the ground in front of you
- keep back flat

Single Leg Barbell Romanian Deadlift

Rep Range: 8-10R
Tempo: 2 sec pause mid rep on concentric, 2 sec pause at the top, 2 sec pause mid rep on eccentric, 2 sec pause at the bottom
Modification: banded abductions with glute loop 

Set Up: 
- sit on the seated abduction machine so your glutes are positioned at the back of the seat
- bend your legs and drive your knees into the pads in front
- plant your feet on the platforms, drive your heels down
- grip the handles or seat on either side of you, pull yourself into the seat
- squeeze your glutes, pull belly button to spine, and set your brace
- lean your torso back and press into the bench behind you 
- round your upper back slightly, tuck your chin, keep tension in your glutes 

Execution: 
- push your knees into the pads and drive them out and away from the center [abduction]
- pause at mid rep on the concentric portion of the rep
- contract your abductors/glutes/glute med
- drive your knees out against the pads into a full rep position at the top, pause here and contract glutes/glute med/abductors
- lowly lower the pads and bring your knees back to mid rep again on the eccentric portion of the rep, pause here and hold tension in your glutes, glute med, abductors
- guide the pads all the way forward and in front of you to the meet in the middle again 
- pause at the bottom of the rep but hold tension in your glutes 
- keep feet glued to the platform 
- keep glutes glued to the seat

Slo Mo Machine Abductions

Rep Range: 8-12R each side
Tempo: 2 second hold at the top of each rep
Modification: use any calf raise machine or no weight 

Set Up: 
- use a weight belt, load with appropriate weight 
- place a low plate on the ground in front of a flat bench 
- position the weight belt around your hips
- stand behind the plate, facing the flat bench 
- place the ball of one foot on the edge of the bench, heel hanging off of the plate to rest on the ground, full stretch in your calf/hamstrings 
- squeeze your glutes, pull belly button to spine, and set your brace
- push your hips back, keep a neutral head, neck, and spine and bend your torso forward
- allow the weight belt to hang down towards the ground 
- extend your arms and plant your hands on the flat bench under your front delts
- bend your non working leg and keep foot off of the ground 

Execution: 
- drive the ball of your working foot into the plate
- lift your heel away from the ground, ankle into full plantar flexion 
- contract your calf at the top of the rep 
- keep the ball of your foot connected to the plate
- lower your heel to the ground again, full stretch through your calf

Single Leg Weighted Donkey Calf Raise

Time: 60 seconds
Tempo: steady 
Modification: dumbbell overhead carry 

Set Up: 
- grip the barbell with a pronated grip, just outside of shoulder width
- bend your arms and position your elbows under the bar
- rack the bar across your high chest/collarbone
- step feet under the bar in a hip width stance
- squeeze your glutes, pull belly button to spine, and set your brace
- lift the bar from the rack and step away, begin with feet together
- extend your arms and press the bar into the overhead position, directly overhead
- contract your lats, point your armpits forward
- drive your ribs down and keep a stiff torso 
- keep chest upright and facing forward
- keep bar directly overhead

Execution: 
- hold a tight brace in your core, stiff trunk
- begin to walk forward with a steady pace
- control the movement with your core, keep spine neutral [no hyperextending in your low back]

Barbell Overhead Carry

Rep Range: 6-10R each side
Tempo: steady 
Modification: oblique reverse crunch 

Set Up: 
- position yourself under the trx band 
- plant your hands on the ground, get into a prone/high plank position 
- loop your feet through the trx handles, laces down, point your toes
- squeeze your glutes, pull belly button to spine, and set your brace
- keep hips in line with your torso

Execution: 
- lift your hips slightly, bend your legs and drive your knees towards your delt on one side
- rotate your knees towards the other delt and out to your side before extending your legs behind you in a circular motion 
- complete all reps in one direction before switching
- hold a tight brace, do not let your hips drop below your torso

TRX Around the World Knee Tucks

Core Compound Set

9/6 Glutes, Calves, Core

No modification for hack squat. No weight is not modification. Overall okayish workout.

Jennifer

6/16 Quads, Glutes

Jessica

6/15 Shoulders, Arms

Really loved the trap bar grip on the stiff legs, hit soooo right ❤️‍🔥

Lizz

6/12 Hamstrings, Glutes

This felt great and the burnout was especially awesome!

Janet

6/11 Chest, Shoulders

💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻❤️🔥❤️❤️

6/10 Back, Core/Abs

Elaine Rondon

Loved the ladder SS! As always such a good leg day! 🔥

6/9 Quads, Glutes

How many times can I say perfection in a single split? The limit does not exist ♾️

Katie

6/8 Shoulders, Arms

Please make this split a permanent workout option on the app! I have extremely mixed feelings about it, but I can’t deny the growth I’ve been seeing!

Emily

Michelle 

6/5 Hamstrings, Glutes

Nyakeh

6/4 Chest, Shoulders

Absolutely loved everything about this one, a favorite for sure!

6/3 Back, Core/Abs

The burnout leg extensions were a really cool variation!

BabyLuv

Morgan

6/2 Quads, Glutes

Love the lat raise variety, hit just right ❤️

6/1 Shoulders, Arms

Calling the authorities because that box squat into reverse lunges superset-pyramid-drop-set shenanigans was attempted murder.  😤🥵

Mandy Rigsby

Alice

5/29 Hamstrings, Glutes

Vanessa

Shoulders and chest annihilation 🤸🏻‍♀️🥇🪂

5/28 Chest, Shoulders

I would love if there were more abs on ab day. But I adore all of the diff ways we worked the back.

I surprised myself today! Didn’t know i had the strength or stability to do the one leg pullover and I did!!! This split has really made its way into my top favorites already!

5/27 Back, Core/Abs

5/26 Quads, Glutes

All the corkscrews felt SOOO good today 💪🥰

5/25 Shoulders, Arms

Heather

Alexis

5/22 Hamstrings, Glutes

Solid chest day. Those around the worlds depleted the tank fully!

Tamara Feist

5/21 Chest, Shoulders

I'm trying to fall in love with the gym again and the structure of this split is helping significantly! Thanks Sam!

5/20 Back, Core/Abs

First day back! Almost 11 months postpartum. That was tough but so glad to be back at it.

5/19 Quads, Glutes

The trisets flowed so perfectly together!

Trisha Jones

5/18 Shoulders, Arms [NEW SPLIT!]

This day always feels so aligning for me 🥰

Just did the running part …needed that this morning 🔥

Yesenia

5/15 Shoulders, Core (sprints- DELOAD)

Wall sits never fail to bring the quad fire 🔥

Vonny

5/14 Quads, Glutes (abs-DELOAD)

Shoulders have been feeling a lot stronger to support these chest day moves!!

5/13 Chest, Triceps (sprints- DELOAD)

5/12 Glutes, Hamstrings (abs- DELOAD)

Bicep endurance has improved so much over the course of this split 💪🥰

5/11 Back, Biceps (sprints- DELOAD)

Linz

Great split. Ready for a deload week though

5/8 Shoulders, Core (sprints)

Holly

5/7 Quads, Glutes (abs)

Flavia

Has anyone got triceps I can borrow? Mine are on 🔥🔥💪

Carol

5/6 Chest, Triceps (sprints)

Really love the eccentric focus on the 2-1 ham curls

JulieAnn

5/5 Glutes, Hamstrings (abs)

God those inverted rows get me every time 💀🫠

Molly

5/4 Back, Biceps (sprints)

One of the kick ass workout ever. Those snatches wow. Loved it. 😍

5/1 Shoulders, Core (sprints)

Lateral walks and step ups were challenging today, loved it. 😍

Omg the step ups 😭🥵. I will not be able to walk right tomorrow

Faith

4/30 Quads, Glutes (abs)

Took a week break cause was in a rut but we're back and feeling better 🔥 even with the break still progressing 🔥 all thanks to the intentional programming.

4/29 Chest, Triceps (sprints)

The contralateral reverse lunges felt really great today!

4/28 Glutes, Hamstrings (abs)

Karen Arce

Better than late than never 🥹🤷🏻‍♀️

4/27 Back, Biceps (sprints)

Jill

This split is by far my favorite. Please add Cardio days more🩵

Olivia Schneider

4/24 Shoulders, Core (sprints)

Gabrielle

McKayla

Loving this!! I needed to switch gears! Love the new challenge.

4/23 Quads, Glutes (abs)

Rachael

So good. I’ve been combining chest and shoulders for my 4 days a week split and works great!!!

4/22 Chest, Triceps (sprints)

Jessi mollak

Lisa

4/21 Glutes, Hamstrings (abs)

Pull ups will forever be a struggle 😂😂

4/20 Back, Biceps (sprints)

Love this program. Skipped run did deep stretches instead.

4/17 Shoulders, Core (sprints)

Shannon

4/16 Quads, Glutes (abs)

Energy on high today! Flew through that and finished feeling absolutely fantastic! A favorite for sure!!

4/15 Chest, Triceps (sprints)

Wow I really needed that! Feeling so strong and balanced 🥰❤️‍🔥

4/14 Glutes, Hamstrings (abs)

Kayla Staker

4/13 Back, Biceps (sprints)

Love the addition of core and ab work. Thank you. Always a challenge for me but worth it!

9/6 Glutes, Calves, Core

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