Sessions 1–14 · Glute Build Block
DB-Primary · Knee-Aware · CF Gym
GLUTES
Block opener — establishing every primary movement in its baseline form. The thrust at 265# should feel like solid working weight, not a test. Log bar speed, contraction quality, and whether you're feeling the glute or the lower back doing the work. That feedback writes every subsequent thrust session. The Copenhagen plank is going to be harder than you expect if you've been skipping adductor work. That's the point.
Sumo deadlift is the primary adductor-loading tool in this block. 275# at 5×4 is approximately 73% of your 1RM — hard work, not a test. The single-leg RDL at 75# will surface any hip stability asymmetry between legs. Log which leg is weaker on the SL RDL — that's corrective data. The goblet squat in the wide stance should produce a distinctly different feeling in the inner thigh than a regular squat. If you don't feel it there, widen the stance and externally rotate more.
Pause reps on the hip thrust are the hardest variation in the block. The 2-second hold at full hip extension with 245# exposes whether the glute is actually contracting or whether momentum and the stretch reflex are doing the work. The front-foot elevated split squat at 75# DBs is the primary unilateral glute exercise for this block — the elevation changes the movement from a quad-dominant lunge to a glute-dominant hip hinge. That distinction matters for both your goal and your knees.
Pure volume session — the hypertrophy stimulus is in the rep count, not the load. 4×12 on the thrust and 4×10 on the single-leg version is a significant amount of glute work at loads that allow quality contractions on every rep. The curtsy lunge is the glute med and adductor highlight of this session — you should feel it distinctly in the outer glute and inner thigh simultaneously. If you don't feel the inner thigh, the crossover step isn't crossing far enough behind the midline.
+ 2×3 @ 265#
3:00 btw cluster sets
Sumo cluster sets introduce a heavier load (290#) than S2's straight sets. The cluster format gets you 9 reps at a load where 4 straight reps would be the limit — that's the entire point of the scheme. The tempo RDL at 75# with a 4-second descent is the most demanding hamstring-glute exercise in the block so far. Log whether your hamstrings or lower back fatigue first on those sets — the answer tells you which needs more direct work.
Hip thrust peaks at 285# — the heaviest of the block so far — and the drop set extends the glute work into a full pump set. Log the actual reps on the drop: how many, and whether the glute was still contracting cleanly at rep 15+. The Copenhagen hip lift progression from the static hold is significant — if it's genuinely hard at 8 reps, the adductors are weaker than the other glute work might suggest. That's exactly the imbalance this block is correcting.
8+5+4 @ 275#
+ 3×6 @ 245#
2:30 before back-off
Rest-pause is the most demanding rep scheme in this block — it extends total time under tension on the glute beyond what any straight set can achieve. The 20-second pauses are physiological recovery windows; they're not "cheating," they're the mechanism. Log total reps across all three mini-sets and whether the glute was firing cleanly on the last mini-set. The barbell RDL at 225# is the first appearance of the barbell on this movement in the block — it builds toward 255–265# in the closer.
Hinge → fail
Upright → fail
Sumo at 300# is the first time this block crosses 80% of your DL 1RM in a sumo position. The adductor loading at that load and stance is significant — log inner thigh feel specifically. The mechanical drop on the DB RDL is the most novel stimulus of the block so far — position shift, same load, continued set. The ratio of reps at the hinge position vs the upright position per round tells you how much the position change is actually helping. Log both numbers.
+ 2×5 @ 275#
3:00 btw cluster sets
Hip thrust cluster at 305# is the new ceiling — 9 reps at a load above the squat 1RM of 275#. The GHD at 45# is the heavy loading session for that movement — if the hamstrings are talking the next day, that's the right response. Log both the cluster set bar speed and the GHD form notes. The cluster set data shapes S13's thrust prescription; the GHD data shapes S12's plate selection.
+ drop → 50# to fail
Volume peak session — 5×10 on the thrust is the most total glute-max reps in a single session this block. The DB RDL drop set extends the hamstring-glute work into a full pump range after the heavy working sets. The sumo volume at 255# accumulates adductor reps at a load where the inner leg is working throughout. This session is the high-water mark for total lower body volume — everything after this builds toward the strength peaks of S13 and S14.
Sumo at 310# for 4×2 is the strength peak of the sumo pattern in this block. The adductor is working at 83% of your max in a maximally wide stance — this is the most demanding inner-leg session of the block. Barbell RDL at 245# for 4×8 is serious posterior chain work. Log lower back feel after the RDL sets specifically — at 245# for 8 reps, the lower back will want to contribute more than it should if the hamstrings are fatiguing. That's the cue to stop the set.
Pre-closer — everything is intentionally sub-maximal. The thrust at 265# should feel manageable. The tempo RDL and tempo Copenhagen are the intensity tools, not the load. 48+ hours between S12 and S13 is the goal. Log how the body feels after this session — if anything is chronically fatigued, S13 loads need to be adjusted down. If you feel good, S13 goes as written.
+ 3×5 @ 285#
2:30 btw back-off sets
Hip thrust at 315# — 115% of your squat 1RM — is the block peak for the most important glute movement in the program. GHD at 55# is the heaviest loaded hip extension of the block. Step-up at 70# DBs is the heaviest unilateral glute drive session. Log everything from this session: thrust rep speed at 315#, GHD form notes at 55#, which step-up leg is stronger. All of it writes the S14 closer prescriptions.
+ 3×5 @ 290#
2:30 btw sets
Block done. Log everything before you leave: thrust load and rep speed, DL glute-vs-lower-back note at lockout, RDL form across all 4 sets, GHD feel at 45# vs session 3's 10#, Copenhagen adductor fatigue at rep 10–12. The block opened with a hip thrust at 265# and closes at 315–320#. The sumo and the adductor work ran consistently across all 14 sessions. The inner leg is either more developed and connected than it was 14 sessions ago, or it isn't — and the log tells you which. Block 02 starts from these numbers and goes further.
The hip thrust is the most important exercise in this block. The glute max is the largest muscle in the body and the one most people — including strong CrossFit coaches — underutilize because they don't train it at the right stimulus. Squatting and deadlifting develop the glute as a contributor to a larger pattern. Hip thrusting develops it as the primary mover at end-range hip extension, which is where it produces the most force and where it's most trainable for hypertrophy. The load progression in this block — 265# at session 1 to 315–320# at session 14 — reflects what happens when you treat the hip thrust as a primary strength movement instead of an accessory.
The adductor work is the most important correction in this block. With overdeveloped quads and underdeveloped inner leg, you're carrying a strength asymmetry that shows up in every lower body movement — the knee tracks slightly inward under load because the abductor and adductor aren't in balance. The sumo deadlift, Copenhagen plank, wide-stance goblet squat, curtsy lunge, and single-leg RDL together hit the adductor through its three main functions: hip adduction, hip flexion, and eccentric deceleration. No cables required. The Copenhagen plank alone, done consistently and progressed from a static hold to a dynamic hip lift with tempo, produces adductor strength gains that carry into every other movement. The question to answer at S14 is whether the inner thigh feels different to activate than it did at S1. If yes, the work is translating.
The knee-safe design was intentional, not limiting. The front-foot elevated split squat instead of the rear-foot elevated version shifts the hip-to-knee load ratio in favor of the hip. Step-ups with heel placement on the box instead of midfoot redirect force from quad to glute. Sumo patterns spread the knee joint load across a wider base and reduce anterior knee stress compared to narrow-stance work. None of these modifications reduced the training stimulus — they redirected it toward the target tissue.
The rep schemes across 14 sessions covered all eight major training tools: straight sets for baseline establishment, pause reps for activation quality, volume days for hypertrophy, cluster sets for heavier-than-possible volume, rest-pause for maximum time under tension, tempo reps for eccentric development, drop sets for extended pump work, and mechanical drops for position-shift continued effort. Each scheme appeared at the right load and the right point in the block — not to create variety for its own sake, but because each stimulus produces a different adaptation. The log is what tells you which ones your body responded to most.
Where you are right now is exactly where you're supposed to be. — CPF/STRONG