Getting fitter and stronger with Caroline Girvan- all welcome!

@ErrolTheDragon when I started CG I couldn't do a push up but now I can do them for a minute no problem, practice really does make them achievable!
@FlowerArranger that's a very useful video. I follow Redefining Strength, she has some very good tips!

Quick question about protein, do you mange to get 1g per lb daily? I struggle, even with a whey protein shake every morning. Is it important to spread the protein equally between meals?
Can anyone give me an example of a typical daily meal plan they use?I'm putting on weight, hopefully it's muscle (or it might be the créatine kicking in as it holds more water in the muscle)

Day 6 of Endgale today and arms aching a little after the finisher of 100 tricep presses. Really enjoying Endgame,

Try this:

The finisher (after hammering your arms for 30min) was 3 x 1 minute of wide push-ups, push-ups and tricep push-ups. Never in a million years.

I've never in my life managed to do even one full push-up

Oh man, Iron day 12 - chest and triceps. I had to make dinner after and was struggling to chop veg and get the plates out the cupboard!

The finisher (after hammering your arms for 30min) was 3 x 1 minute of wide push-ups, push-ups and tricep push-ups. Never in a million years. CG is a machine, I have no idea how she does it!

I do have sets of various weights that I’ve added to over the years. I tend to stick to the lighter ones though. They’re all shoved under the sofa. Along with my new yoga blocks and resistance bands!

I spoke too soon - I came across the one arm push up jumpy move in epic heat today. Those are the kind of moves I didn’t enjoy in the JM workouts, and that I didn’t feel got any better results than other moves. And it seemed to repeat over and over! I persevered but didn’t enjoy it, though it did warm me up on this cold day!

@BigButtons thank you. I'll have a look at adjustable dumbbells my DH has a set and I've had trouble getting used to them - they have understandably a long bar which when the plates are not on I find a hinderance but I'll see what others are out there thank you. Yes I'm with you I covet love GC's personal monogram set 🤣---- but goodness knows where you'd store them 😬.

@mommybear1 Regarding weights I tend to improvise a bit. Like @ErrolTheDragon I will sometimes use a heavier weight for one set and then switch to a smaller one for the second, or just take a break (CG often does this too). I make sure I stop though as soon as the weight starts to affect my form - eg if I start swinging to lift a weight or using my legs to help with bicep curls.

For some exercises you can also use one heavier weight instead of two. So say you have 10kg and 15kg and you’re doing squats or lunges, you could use 1 x 15kg held at chest level instead of 2 x 10kg held by your sides. In Iron, CG often varies between holding her weights high and low when doing lunges etc and also says you can use a barbell, so I don’t see this as problematic.

With smaller weights I have been known to hold two at once, but you obviously need to ensure you can hold them safely.

I had a day off yesterday as I was so tired. Life is on the verge of getting hectic as work is busy and we have a house move coming up. I may just preempt the stress by doing one week’s workouts over 10-14 days, we’ll see. If I try to stick religiously to the plan it usually all goes wrong and I end up doing nothing. Argh!

@ErrolTheDragon thank you. Yes I agree that's why I asked as I'm doing the videos from home. My DH has some Weights but they jump up by 5kg each (eg 10kg/15kg/20kg) so it's too much for me hence why I asked about increasing. I don't really want to buy a 6kg and 8kg as my next weights if I keep going up. I am using a 5kg at the moment and a 7kg - next size weight we have at home is a 10kg and I just feel that's too much of a jump. I may try as you suggested using the 10kg for one set (or even half a set I suppose as no one is watching 😂) and see if that works. Great suggestion thank you.

Increasing by only .5 to 1 kilo isn't possible for most people doing videos at home who don't have a full set of weights though.
I've done some sets where I've gone up a weight and used that for as many reps as I can then switched to the lower one ... does that sound ok as a compromise?

@FlowerArranger you are so right I'm doing two Iron workouts a day today I saw the first one was just different position lunges - have to say though still loving the Iron series 😁. What is everyone doing about increasing weights from what I've read it's suggesting to increase by 0.5 or 1 kilo only? Thank you 😊

I love lunges! But hate press ups. Thankfully I haven’t come across very many at all so far.

I’m vegetarian but have never tried protein supplements.

@Melassa I did some reading last night and the advice you were given still stands - if running the 'interference' effect which can impact muscle growth is reduced if the running is for a short high intensity period: Sadly my running is long at moderate pace which is apparently the worst kind to do if you want to build muscle!
I wish I could get it out of my head that its more beneficial to build muscle with weights for overall weight management than running which burns more calories! I need to ditch my Garmin as it's really not helping

I used to only eat meat once or twice a fortnight, but like @FlowerArranger I've changed since trying to maximise protein: I use the My Protein whey isolate which is fine for me, but not sure it can be classed as 'clean', neither can the Barebells protein bar I like from time to time: I also eat a lot of eggs, yoghurt and tinned fish: Can't wait until Fage yoghurt is available here in France, I'm still eating full fat Greek yogurt in the meantime:

Went back to Endgame today, a good glutes session (100 hip thrusts at the end) with the suggested add on, definitely harder than running!

Oh yes, dear Caroline loves her lunges! I swear she wakes up all bright eyed and bushy tailed each morning - with yet another new and ghastly lunges variation in her mind which she jots down in her My Devilish Lunges notebook, ready for the next leg workout. 😅

I can't help with protein powders as I have never tried them. Prior to discovering Ms Girvan I was almost vegetarian, but I'm afraid I found I had to go back to eating chicken and fish. I also consume an insane amount of eggs and yoghurt. But I'm really old and need to be careful with my nutrition...

Interesting chat about the importance of protein here! I do try to eat it with every meal but struggle a bit as I prefer veggie food as a rule. I’ve been thinking about buying some protein powder to add to smoothies / oats etc but try to avoid ultra processed food. Can anybody recommend a cleanish protein powder?

I did the Week 3 legs session from Iron today. Leg day is usually my favorite after full body but this was pretty evil and will definitely not be added to my favorites list! How many cruel and unusual variations on a lunge can CG come up with? Raised leg lunges! What!? Lunge holds. Urgh. By the tine it came to the finisher my legs were so jellified that it took most of the 30 second set to get my foot on the wretched block.

Thank you @samthesamthebordercollie @BigButtons @flowerarranger for the advice. Seems it's probably not straightforward, but will concentrate on the protein.

The main aim is to be stronger, fitter and lose fat. I will just keep trying to lose the weight and then hopefully the muscle will arrive later. I'm already stronger than last month so feel very motivated to keep CG in my life long term.

Thank you @FlowerArranger

@samthebordercollie when I was young and a total gym bunny my PT warned against running too much as it would inhibit muscle growth and might even damage muscle. For running it should be short intervals of intense activity and not long distances. I was advised to do a maximum of 3km, no more than 5km, and alternate sprints and more gentle speeds. It was a while ago though so advice may have changed.

Have you done her EPIC Beginners workouts? It's a good idea to repeat those until you feel secure in your technique.

I always watch her verbal introductions and skim through the workout the night before. Then I watch the introduction again while I warm up.

The person who helped me do push-ups, planks and burpees correctly is Cori from Redefining Strength. She has lots of excellent tutorials on YouTube - though I often find I have to watch them twice as she talks so fast. But the way she demonstrates the moves is really good.

Hello. I love CG, but I find her workouts challenging and as a novice, would like some instruction on form/technique. Can anyone suggest a channel/trainer that instructs as well? (Weight trading, not HIIT or cardio)

100 Bulgarian lunges, I can usually manage 15 at a push, looking forward to week 4 😱

Dies anyone take créatine monohydrate?

That's interesting, I've been listening to a lot of podcasts on weights and muscle and they all say that you can't grow muscle unless in a surplus: I stand corrected, sorry for the misinformation @DottyDry
@BigButtons @FlowerArranger can you help on another question, does cardio like running 3 times a week, around 30 mile, have a negative effect on building muscle with weights? Asking for a friend:)