Getting fitter and stronger with Caroline Girvan- all welcome!

Sandals and slippers...

My MIL had difficult feet and serious bunions. The only footwear, apart from sa days and slippers, that she found comfortable were Sketchers.

Thank you very much @samthebordercollie One of mine is very large too and I’m also size 41 so that’s very helpful thanks! I’ve had them for many years but haven’t sought help yet as they don’t give me any pain yet despite being large (only when footwear is too tight). I’m so pleased you’ve had the op and are pleased with the results and that you are able to get back into it now. The op sounds nasty - glad it was worth it.

@bluesuitcase Well done on starting Iron! I did 2 sessions back to back, found it OK as in each session different parts of the body were worked: I woudn't have wanted to do a double glutes session! Regarding the bunion, mine was huge on one foot: I'm a size 41 and before the op was in men's Brooks Ghost size 43 for road running and Hoka Speedgoat for the trails: Brooks are a nice wide fit and the men's shoes are wider than the womens: I'm so pleased I had the op, I'm back running progressively after just 3 months and my op was quite serious with all the toes broken to re-align them:

Well done on finishing iron! Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve had two c sections plus surgery that they did via my stomach so don’t have the stomach I used to have either. My legs are the main thing I dislike though; I have large thighs and hips compared to the rest of me.

I’ve just completed Iron day 1. I’m tempted to do another day later after reading that one of you did two in one day. I took it easy on the weights today and I enjoyed the lunges - on the positive side those large legs are naturally strong and don’t very often tire.

I have five sets of weights. I bought them individually from TK Maxx/ Argos over the years. I rarely touch the heavier ones - my arms really are weak (at the moment).

samthebordercollie did you find any trainers that are good for bunions? I have terrible bunions (hereditary - have never worn heels etc) and it’s a struggle getting shoes and trainers that feel comfortable now. I’ve always had narrow feet and needing extra width just at the front is difficult. I used to run too.

@ladybranstonpickle congratulations on finishing Iron! I found the last one easy on the arms but the ab section is always tough with no breaks:
OH took a couple of photos of me this morning, and I don't have the muscles that the FB group have! But I've firmed up all over and feel so much stronger just doing daily tasks: A lot of the people there have been doing CG for at least a year, they use heavier weights than me and probably eat twice their weight in grammes of protein which I don't think I do:
What programme are you going to do next?

I am officially done with IRON! Must admit having the last workout in the series be an arms and abs one was a bit strange - somehow they don't feel as bad-ass as RDLS, squat press, or even (gulp) makers!

Still, I've clearly made strength progress - a full minute of dips was challenging but doable, unlike when I started 6 weeks ago when I could barely do 5 in a a row. Managed 10 pushups in a row on Friday too.

Some one asked if I had seen an change in my body shape...Not really, nothing dramatic. Arms are a tiny bit more muscly, bum is a bit perkier, my legs feel stronger, stomach feels flatter but I am only down 1" on my wait (very disappointing). My belly is my nemesis - I have always been prone to fat there, (pretty much an apple), and since having an emergency c-section I have a distinct shelf/pouch that I am not sure will ever go away.

I did eas up on tracking food over Xma although didn't go crazy with eating, so perhaps that's to blame. I was thinking about doing Beastmode next but maybe I need to go back to Heat for the calorie burn.

Not sure why I feel a bit deflated - maybe because I'm not making the progress I see others make in the FB group?

I don’t mind Bulgarian lunges too much. What I do object to, are squat holds, followed by Bulgarian lunges, followed by single leg chair squats. And that’s on Epic Beginners!

Iron in 2 weeks - that's impressive!! As to what to do next, why not explore some of her other programmes by scrolling through a few workouts from each series. Maybe do a full-body workout from a few and see which one you feel most comfortable with. Or just pick one at random. Personally I like Heat, which I've done 3x now.

Agree about her HIIT being scary. If I do them at all, it's at half her speed. Or less. Generally I chicken out and do a Growingannanas instead.

I hate lunges with a passion. Especially Bulgarian lunges 😱

I inherited a set of very bulky adjustable dumbbells from my son but I rarely use them as I hate them. I now have 4 sets of hexagonal dumbbells with steel grips, ranging from 5 to 12 kg, which I think will last me for a while. Though I'm in the market for a pair of 15kg. Just in case...

Now then: Have any of you done Lucy's Thighs & Glutes or Rebecca's Best Abs with ANKLE WEIGHTS??!!! Very intense, especially if you add in some variations to make the moves even more challenging. I think I'm going to do this for a month.

Then have another go at...:-

Thanks for the replies re weights, that’s very helpful.

I’m not in the UK so no Argos unfortunately (though I have many happy childhood memories of flicking through the catalogue!)

DH has some adjustable weights but they usually end in me breaking my fingernails! I hate them. I’m sure there are better ones though. I had a look at some today but they are sold as singles so expensive for 2 and are generally round. I think CG tends to use hexagonal weights as she often does planks etc with the weight. Has anybody got hexagonal adjustables?)

I will have a shop around online and see what I find. I think I will go for 8kg for lower body @FlowerArranger - that’s a good point about using them for upper body (hopefully!) at a later date.

Hello, can I join the thread please? I started CG workouts just before Christmas (thanks for your advice @FlowerArranger on another thread!) I'm a runner and had 3 months off due to bunion surgery and strength training has been a revelation, I feel (and look) so much better than when I was running 50 miles a week.
I've just completed Iron in 2 weeks (2 workouts every morning back to back) and loved it as there was no HIIT. Not sure what to do next! I started using 7.5kg for the lower body and 5kg for overhead weights and can now do 10kg for the lower body, above shoulders still work in progress. Generally my weights are half CG's, she's a machine! I'm a little scared of doing her cardio workouts because she goes so fast, it's like the video has been speeded up.
My lunges are also pitiful!

Following.

5kg for upper body sounds about right. 10kg for lower body may be challenging- it's what I try to use, but I usually have to switch to 8kg
about halfway through the workout. But I'm quite old - if you're young and fit, 10kg may be totally doable. Do you have access to a gym where you can try them out? If you get 8kg, you'll eventually use them for upper body and progress to 10-12kg for lower.

I think one has to accept that if one takes this seriously, one has to upgrade periodically. Or go with adjustable dumbbells, but these can be a bit fiddly. I currently have 4 sets, ranging from 5 to 12kg and I use them all, depending on the exercises and how strong I happen to feel on a particular day. Dumbbells have become quite expensive - but still way cheaper than a gym membership.

As for Caroline's brand of HIIT, I get you 🙀. I tend to save those for days when I'm in bad ass mood. The rest of the time I substitute something by the lovely Anna... I often add on a short Growingannanas tabata workout to my daily dose of Caroline because I feel I need more cardio - and I hate running...

Hi everyone!

I finally got back on the CG train yesterday after letting the training slip completely over Xmas and new year.

I’m going back to Epic Beginners again for a week or so and then I’ll do one of the 30 min Programmes. I had started doing Heat before but am now thinking about Fuel or Iron instead (no HIIT, I hate HIIT!).

I’m going to invest in some new weights as I only have 2 x 2kg at the moment (I often double up and hold 2 in one hand as a short-term fix). I swear the prices have shot up since the last time I looked, they’re so expensive to buy.

I was planning on getting 2 x 5kg and 2 x 10kg - do you think that would be good to start with? On the CG website it says to start with 3-6kg for upper body and 8-10kg for lower body.

I very much doubt that Caroline would remove the workouts that are already on YouTube. It would be counter to her stated intentions to provide free content, and I don't think it's in her personality to be 'mean'! In any event she has probably made a fair amount just by being on YouTube. I expect lots of people might buy her App if she were to switch to that model.

Yes I’m not worried about new stuff as I haven’t even started a programme yet, I just hope she doesn’t remove the already released content from YouTube and move it to an app that you have to pay for (like Jillian/ Davina’s - but I already had their DVDs so it wasn’t an issue).

Beginner epic complete! I’ll move onto iron next week.

To be honest, I'm not fussed whether Caroline produces any more series or moves to an App as I'm quite happy to keep repeating what's already out there. I still haven't done Iron or Fuel.

I often dip in and out of different series or add in one of her stand alone sessions. My life is too busy to stick to a program day after day. If I 'miss' a workout I just do it the next day. If she's doing an all lunges workout (🙀) I may split it in half and add a Growingannanas workout. As long as I'm fit and continue to improve I'm happy!

Well done! Have you noticed any change in body shape?

I really hope she doesn’t take her workouts off YouTube and move to an app just as I’ve discovered her! I refuse to sign up to apps, thus looking for YouTube workouts in the first place.

I'm in the last week of Iron! I've enjoyed it -I am definitely stronger and was able to do 10 pushups in a row last night, which was a surprise! Just not sure ow much of an impact it has had on my body fat. I missed a glute workout at the beginning (Week 2) and missed the Tuesday workout this week too. Not sure whether to just tack them on to the end so do them Monday and Tuesday next week and then take a 5 day ret.

I still need to decide which one I am doing next. Tempted to do BeastMode or Callisthenics...The Epics are just too long for me to squeeze after the nursery run or before dinner.

There were some rumours on the CG FB group that she had filed a business application for an app and undefined other businesses....

@FlowerArranger ah thank you, that's good to know.

Are you saying you've done all of her existing ones!?? Chapeau 😎

I think Caroline is taking an extended break. In October she did a one-off workout in a room which looked completely different from her usual setup. I think she said she was halfway through preparing her next series. So maybe it's imminent?

I don't believe there have been any updates since then - unless someone else has heard anything?

Hi there

Sorry to crash this thread but has Caroline stopped releasing new content?

I don't have Facebook or Instagram so unable to see any updates.

I used to weigh daily many years ago and it worked great for me but I feel happier since I stopped so I don’t really want to get back into that again. I don’t snack or drink alcohol which helps but I do like a hot chocolate every evening.

I really enjoyed day 4 of the beginner epic, the dumbbell workout. If iron is similar then I’ll look forward to it.