Getting fitter and stronger with Caroline Girvan- all welcome!

Yeah I saw she'd just been posting some new sessions! I did one on Mon. No new series yet though, right?

My arms are starting to look pretty good although not nearly as defined as Caro's. I don't know if she just has lower body fat, bigger muscles, or bit of both? 🤔

And she's back!!!! 😎

Lots of crunches, tucks and hollow holds - plus dead bugs and a solitary Russian twist 😂

I bet you do!

I have a spanking new set of 20 pounders on order that should arrive on Friday.
Wish me luck 😅

PS: any of you doing Caroline's braced core/abs workout? I now do this almost every day, though I still go back to Rebecca Louise's Best Abs every now and again.
Plus the Bowflex plank (with variations), of course!

I just made it through almost a whole 30min full body session using my 10kg dumbbells! Not the next session in Epic, I didn't have loads of time and couldn't face a full 1hr+ session. But a personal milestone nonetheless! I only switched down for overhead presses. And boy do I feel it now.

@DryIce she also has a 5-session Kick-Ass Kettlebell series you could try if you have a Kettlebell, much less daunting than 50 sessions!

@DryIce I'd just give it a go. Caroline herself often has to pause/stop during a session due to muscle fatigue. I'm always using lighter weights than she is, I count it a good day if I'm doing 75% of her weight and I still do some pushup variations on my knees. The important thing is that you're challenging yourself and getting stronger, and you will be. It will always be hard, if it's easy you need heavier weights 😉

@BigButtons okay, I'll try Epic III next!

Hi all! I am a newbie to CG (and really, consistent exercise 😳). I've been doing the epic beginners set for a couple of weeks on rotation, it still feels pretty tough and I'm not sure I'm ready to graduate from it!! When do I know and where do I go from here?

Epic 1 Day 48 yesterday. Decisions, decisions; what series do I do next? Definitely want to focus on building strength and muscle. Epic II? Iron?

Epic 1 Day 46. Twenty solid minutes of push-up variations. Why, god, why?!?

A skull-crusher pushup feels like such an unnatural movement to me.

I have to decide which set to do next after I finish Epic 1 soon - I think either Iron or Epic 2. I definitely want to focus more on weight training than HIIT.

Thanks @BigButtons !

Yeah, come on, @CalmConfident ! Back in the saddle, it'll feel great 😀

I just knocked out an Epic 1 HIIT before breakfast and starting a new job and it confirmed for me... that I don't really like Caroline's HIITs. Give me a dumbbell any time.

I need to get back to the Caroline habit! I thought a new program might drop so have been procrastinating and eating toast. I think I just need to get on with it !!!

Epic 1 Day 44 ticked off. Brutal. Two 20-minute solid dumbbell complexes. But my arms have really acquired visible muscle lately. Extra protein has been the game changer.

Sadly, it has come to my attention that I make really embarrassing faces when I lift. I have never cared about being red-faced and sweaty, but the weird faces are not good. 😊

Ah Decathlon is a great idea, I will check there. Mine were Core Balance ones from Amazon, I liked the look of them because they were neoprene (which my smaller ones are) but just found them a bit big to hold onto. Thank you!

All my dumbbells and also my barbell and weights are Decathlon - they're good value and I like the textured metal grips. Where are your current ones from?

Hi everyone, thanks again for this post, it's been so helpful. I am finally on the last day of Epic Heat, although it has taken me more like 14 weeks than 10! I'm trying to figure out what to do next... I like the 30 minute limit as I can fit it in quite easily, are there any others that have a similar format?
Also another question, does anyone have any weights they'd recommend? I bought a set of 8kg dumbbells but have barely used them as I find the grips too big - annoying as they're not cheap! Thank you!

I think that's the way to go @BigButtons . I only step on mine occasionally out of curiosity, but an increase of 2kg in 2 weeks freaked me right out.

The muscle volume on my arms has definitely increased, although I'm nowhere near Kidman territory. I like my shoulders though.

I'd like to believe that, but I'm struggling to, a bit. And that takes me right to the top of healthy BMI range (I'm short). But my clothes still fit. Maybe I need to start taking measurements of my body rather than ever measuring weight. Or get a proper pair of body comp scales - allegedly my scales are but only if you can get your Fitbit to sync with them, and it's old and mine won't.

I do generally lose weight on holiday, because I exercise a lot and eat a lot of vegetables from the buffet :) I know, I know, what kind of psycho am I.

Keep working it @FlowerArranger !

It's also possible that my scales are buggered...
😂

I 'somehow' managed to gain around 15 lb over the pandemic, even though I exercised most days. Well, no 'somehow' about it........ I developed an unfortunate wine & cheese habit... 😱

I've lost 10 lb over the past 2-3 months, but it's a slow process as I'm more focused on building muscle, but I look a lot leaner and I reckon I've lost a couple of dress sizes already.

Onwards & upwards!! Caroline & Anna await 😎