Getting fitter and stronger with Caroline Girvan- all welcome!

Oh yes, I agree @samthebordercollie . It's actually quite sad how entrenched some of the anti- exercise attitudes are.

@BigButtons I hope your hip and elbow issues clear up soon, il's always wise to listen to your body!
@FlowerArranger I saw your thread - very enlightening!
"I don't have time" is often another way of saying "it's not a priority for me"

@BigButtons I'm the same here with my GP and I think the waiting list to see a physio would probably be a year long. The last time I injured myself I paid £75 to see a private physio and it was money well spent. They diagnosed my issue and gave me lots of exercises to help and what to avoid. My injury would have healed without the physio intervention I'm sure but really helped to get a diagnosis.

Which hip flexor exercises do I do....... how to describe them...🤔

Basically anything that kind of flexes my hips, i.e. causes my thigh ball to kind of rotate in its hip socket. I'll try and describe a few:

Lying on my back, legs straight up in the air and repeatedly open them as wide as possible.

Lying on back, legs bent with feet together and flexing so that knees touch.

Kneeling with one leg stretched straight and raising it as far as it will go

As above but with knees bent.

Fire hydrants - I actually know the name of that one!

Kneeling and moving one leg from side to side, i.e. crossing over the other leg - like a rainbow

Standing and doing straight up leg kicks

Standing and kind of rotating the leg in a rainbow movement

Standing with your hands behind your head, raising leg and touching knee with elbow.

That kind of stuff. Hopthis s makes sense!

So sorry to hear about your troubles, @BigButtons .

Hips can be troublesome as we age. Quite a number of my friends have already had hip replacements in their 50s and 60s. At one point I thought I was heading that way, but all the exercise I do seems to have improved things and I'm no longer in any pain.

I do several hip flexor exercises every day. No idea whether this would be appropriate for you. Do you plan to see a physio?

Anyway, I hope you'll be back to your usual super-fit self before too long 💐

PS: did you see my thread in AIBU? Quite enlightening!

@DottyDry - try Caroline's EPIC Beginners first. It's only 5 sessions, so keep repeating until you feel comfortable. Use weights that are somewhat challenging but not OTT. Maybe try EPIC Heat next.

You'll get a fair bit of cardio even with just doing weights. Check your heart rate and sweat volume and be prepared to be amazed!

You may want to alternate with Growingannanas HIIT for extra cardio and fitness. Her Tabata workouts are particularly good if you're not very fit.

These short workouts are excellent to improve your basic fitness:

Bowflex 3-minute plank (do this every day)
Lucy Wyndham Reed's Thighs & Glutes
Rebecca Louise's Best Ab; also her Ageless Arms and Bingo Wings (less challenging than Caroline's arm workouts but still very good)

😀

Hi everyone

I'm a newbie to exercise and CG.

Does anyone mind advising me on which workout would suit a beginner and has a little bit of cardio too?

I've been doing Jillian Michaels kettlebell workouts and 30 day shred , so something similar?

I've had a look at a few of her series on YouTube and they look good but purely weights from what I've seen. I need to get fitter, lose weight and tone.

@BigButtons you've got to listen to your body-it's telling you to rest! Would seeing a physiotherapist help?
I'm about halfway through Iron and still really liking it. I do a Growingananas HIIT workout when I'm too sore for Iron or days I just can't face it. I need to work on my abdominal muscles too so I've tried a few Growingananas an workouts and they are good/horrible!

Hello, I've sporadically posted on this thread but enjoy reading all your posts.

I just repeated epic heat and now doing iron again (I think it's my favourite). And also (inspired by flower arranger) the bowflex plank challenge most days (it's short enough to fit in if I don't have time for a 10 mins abs workout). The only program I've haven't done is epic 2 - put off by the length of the sessions.

I'm wondering when (if?) Caroline will post anything new....

I’m on day 14 of Iron now and really enjoying it - it’s exactly what I was after. I’m already noticing a difference in my body shape and how I feel. At the moment I feel like I might just repeat it once I finish, although I might try a day or two of a couple of other programmes, just to see what they’re like.

@samthebordercollie

“so easy first thing in the morning”

This has been my challenge! The shit sleep with a baby is not at all conducive to eating well, exercising well or willpower 😣

Right now while my partner takes the baby for an hour before work have I:

a) slept for another 30 minutes and then had a coffee in peace while scrolling mumsnet; or

b) exercised

I think we all know the answer 😆

I'll take this as a badge of honour. Kind of like a black belt...😎

15kg @FlowerArranger - get you! Just joking, that’s fantastic progress, what an achievement!

I’ve just had a look and the weights only go up to 10kg unfortunately, so no pink for you! You’re now at a level where black is pretty much the only option!

Welcome @CosieRotton! I started with CG end of December then did Iron, Beastmode ans now Heat. In the 5/6 weeks there has been a huge change in my body shape. I was a runner (plus cycling and swimming, strictly cardio) before, but the changes made by following CG's programmes have been a real eye opener. Moving around in general, little things like bending over, squatting etc are now easy (they weren't before despite all the exercise I did)
Her programmes are also so varied. And no need to go to a gym, so easy first thing in the morning. Good luck!

Where did you get your new dumbbells from, @chloechloe ?

Do they do 15kg in pink by a y chance - I like pink.

Not bragging....... no no no... not at all😄

Just shows I've come a looooooong way in less than 3 years with Caroline!!

Welcome@CosieRotton I’m doing Epic Beginners too - I’m on my third week of it after having fallen off the CG Waggon over Xmas. I’ve noticed an improvement even in that short time, I could just about do a full set of the evil one legged chair squats today.

I'll start another programme next week - still haven’t decided what. I finally got round to ordering some new weights today after the advice I got on here, so will have 2x5kg and 2x8kg coming soon. I ordered the 8kgs in pink - a bit more expensive but they make me happy!

Hi there, @CosieRotton - great to have you on board!

I can well remember what it's like post-pregnancy........even though it's over 30 years ago. I only wish there had been online trainers in those days, instead of the very gentle, once weekly dance exercise classes offered by the local authority...

When I was starting out with Caroline, I'd often alternate with Growingannanas HIIT to increase my fitness. I particularly like her Tabata workouts, such as this one:

Other supplementary workouts that have helped me get into shape for Ms Girvan, and which I still do regularly, include:

Bowflex 3-minute plank (I do this every day, without fail - makes a. huge difference!)
Rebecca Louise's Best Abs (it really is excellent!!), and also her Bingo Wings (when I can't face CG)
Lucy Wyndham Reed's Thighs & Glutes (again, when I can't face Caroline's endless lunges variations 😱)

If you persevere with this, you'll be in great shape 😃

Hello, I'd love to join. I've just done Day 1 of Epic Beginners. I'm just ending a year of maternity leave and wasn't very fit pre pregnancy so my muscle strength and cardio fitness is pretty much rock bottom. I feel like jelly basically.

Amen 🙏 @BigButtons !!!!

I hardly ever visit those forums any more. I certainly don’t post!

Well done on finishing Iron @ladybranstonpickle !

I’ve done the first 3 days of Epic Beginners in the last 3 days and I’m aching all over! I can’t believe how quickly the fitness level drops, but I haven’t done anything since before Xmas so I can’t complain.

I bought myself a new mat which I’m very pleased with - I’d stupidly used a yoga mat to train on before and now I have a lovely thick mat. I may also treat myself to some nice gym wear as I lot of the stuff I have is a good 10 years old but still going strong. Anybody got any brand recommendations?

I've been back on the Caro train for the last few weeks now and just knocked out Iron Day 14. I also just ordered a set of 12.5kgs... I can't believe it. I can remember when I found my 5s really heavy!

I'm managing 3-4 Irons a week ATM plus a session with my PT. What I'm struggling to fit in is my yoga to stretch it all out...

Thanks.