Lifting with Caroline Girvan 2024: What's not to love?!

So glad it’s not just me! It’s crazy that I’ll be doing body weight lunges then switch to my heaviest weights for RDLs and love it. They’re 30lb (got them cheap from Amazon Warehouse because they’re imperial I guess) which is about 13.5kg and I’d actually love to use them for high squats and chest presses except I can’t lift them high enough to get started… yeah I can’t lift the weights I’m about to lift!

I do not get the FB thing of experienced long-term CGers going about their legs being wrecked, can’t walk/sit down the next day, all of that. After months or years of doing the workouts? I can usually feel that I worked out but in a fairly pleasant way at most. I did come close to switching the TV off three times today which is a record though.

I also do lunges with body weight and don’t care, they hard enough as it is! Just pleased to get through them 😂

@Mommybunny how is your sleep? It's so important in terms of recovery. How is your diet, are you eating enough - and enough protein?
@AtomicBlondeRose Great progress pics! I'm now half way through Unleash, and actually really enjoying it. Day 16 and 17 today and except for some single leg RDLs the leg day was all lunges, static, Bulgarian, rear step...they are really effective so I like doing them. Day one was hard. I just ignore all the comments; the regular commentators always make the workouts out to be really tough. No idea why! I think I still prefer Intent but I'm enjoying Unleash more and more, except for the glute days which can be a bit boring.

I found I was actually less tired when I started working out more. Make sure you’re eating enough - even if your aim is weight loss, you still need to fuel your body enough.

I did Unleash day 1 today. Hmm, I kind of hated it, but then I really hate lunges and lunge variations and there was a shitload of them. Then I made the mistake of looking it up on the CG Facebook page and it’s full of “legs like jelly” and people using fucking ridiculous weights. Please. I actually often find myself dropping to body weight on lunges which I know is a psychological issue because I can do them weighted, but I just find them so tedious and energy-sapping. Anyway I’ll give upper body a go and see how I like that. I’m not mad committed to Unleash and might switch to Intent or something else if I don’t get on with it.

Well done finishing Iron @AtomicBlondeRose ! Looking forward myself to amazing results like yours.

Is it normal to feel so tired after starting to work out regularly? I’m finding myself constantly exhausted lately-like I could sleep all day, every day. I don’t know whether it’s the workouts, or my constant work travel, or maybe I’m even coming down with something, or bits of all of it.

Not been on here for a while but I’ve just been plugging away with app Iron and I finished today! Some before and after pics. In the left ones I’d just finished Epic 3 - I actually put on weight during Iron due to being very hungry and relaxing my diet a bit (more junk 🤦🏼‍♀️) and you can see that in the photos, but I have definitely built muscle over Iron. The back photos aren’t great but my shoulders have really improved! I put on a blazer last week and felt it pulling over my shoulders/chest for the first time. I’ve also noticed my quads are bigger.

Both good programmes and I feel I now have a go to for fat burning in Epic 3. Not sure what to do now - I go on holiday in two weeks without a gym so I’ll be on some short body weight hotel room workouts probably that week.

I have both and it isn't as strong as the Teknifit.

I have the extra-strong glute band from Decathlon in a small and it feels pretty fierce to me 😁

Thank you @samthebordercollie

@Cherryblossom81 the Teknifit band is really strong. I tried lots before, even the extra strong from Decathlon aren't as good

I'd also been meaning to ask if any of you recommended a particular gluten band? I have a set of 3 but even the strong one doesn't feel very strong (it seems to stretch too easily and not really create much resistance).

You could also use your other dumbells to stand against for heel elevated squats.
Though that wouldn't help with elevated lunges.
I get most of my equipment from amazon and have quite the selection...including a bloody mini trampoline that the other trainer I follow used in a workout ONCE and never since! Grr..kids like it though 😀

Yeah, I think that is probably a one-off slip. I've never had a workout which needs a piece of equipment not mentioned in the description. She does occasionally demo other pieces of kit (e.g. dip bars) that you can use if you happen to have access to them but that you can also replicate with a plain old chair.

Ah yes, that was a mistake! It's rare, but they happen in the description sometimes. I've never done the ultimate beginner program but I know on Intent most days I was getting out a significant amount of equipment each time.
Sometimes on the videos there are timer issues where the timer doesn't match what Caroline is doing, but on the whole it's rare that there are mistakes - impressive considering the number of workouts she has done in total!

Thanks @DreadPirateRobots and @samthebordercollie . Workout 4 definitely didn’t mention a yoga block but when I started it there she was with it doing heel elevated squats. I used a Quality Street tin in a pinch. I now know to look at each day’s equipment in advance but even looking yesterday at today’s schedule there was no way I could have sourced a glute band in time to do today’s workout. So as I’m ordering some equipment I was just wondering if there was anything else I might need. It’s also somewhat annoying if she doesn’t specify a certain bit of kit in the description as I keep it all in another room to where I work out.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions. It sounds like that Workout 4 yoga block miss may have been a one-off.

@Mommybunny I forgot the images from the App!

@Mommybunny I always find that the written description of each workout details exactly what is needed for each workout. I don't know which program you are doing now but the program guide for each program in the knowlege section of the app details any new equipment Caroline will be using, with stockists of the equiptment.
I have significantly added to my dumbell collection, and also bought a barbell (much easier for hip thrusts and bridges[, ramps for elevated squats and rdls, wrist straps to enable lifting heavy dumbells, a cheap bench from Decathlon and a box for step ups.
The band I bought was the original Tecknifit one used by Caroline, it's really good, I got it on Amazon.
Oh, I forgot the stability ball 😂

@Mommybunny I don't use the app, but I'm surprised - her YT workouts always say in the description what stuff is required. Glute band is pretty much it - you can use a thick book instead of a yoga block if you don't have the latter. (I used to use a complete edition of Shakespeare.) You can also do without those things altogether if you don't have them and just do regular squats, or a heavier weight instead of the glute band.

I like Decathlon for good and well-priced workout equipment.

Hi everyone,

As enthusiastic as I still am about my workouts, I find myself a little annoyed that the description of the whole program on the app says the only equipment needed is dumbbells, but then when you get into each workout it might add something like a glute band, and for one workout it didn’t even mention I’d need a yoga block but the raised heel squats are impossible without one. Am I the only one who’s noticed this? Or does everyone else just have this equipment already and it would have been safe for CG to assume that?

So anyway, onto Amazon I go. Any recommendations for specific glute bands/yoga blocks very much appreciated. I will also throw in a better mat so that’s helpful too. Is there any other equipment I might need? I know I will need heavier dumbbells but am going to ease into that.

I'm just not a laze-about person 😁i find I have plenty of time for reading a book on a sun lounger even with some bike rides and long sea swims built in. Neilson run fitness classes as well which I enjoy.

@DreadPirateRobots I'm heading off soon to the same resort in Spain I went to last year. Last year I went for 10 days and I worked out 4 of those days in the hotel gym using CG workouts. It was actually great doing the workouts at a proper gym where I could check my form in the mirrors and have access to every size of weight. I'll probably do the same this year as I'm going for 11 days.
The rest of my holiday is completely chilled though. I do very little so not sure I'd go to the gym as much if my holiday was as active as yours!

@ellebelli I think you'd just end up with uneven muscle development that way. If you can't mod the exercise to work for your injury, I think you'd be better off using lighter but even weights and just using different moves on the tricep.

A topical question: how much do you work out on holiday? I'm off soon and it's a Neilson active holiday, so I will be doing lots of swimming/bike rides/yoga/cardio and I will also have access to a gym, so wondering whether I should stick in a few weights sessions to maintain muscle mass.

I broke my Left elbow and had it pinned a few years ago,It really annoys me because it does start to bother me when doing triceps(mainly Skull Crushers)I could lift heavier but my left arm lets me down...Would it make sense to use a lower weight it that hand(and heavier in the right) when I feel it starting to bother me???

I can curl and chest press about 7kg but the next day my traps are very tight so I am trying to build up my traps to be stronger and less tight so resting them a fair bit. They just don’t like me. Tricep diamond press I can do 5kg but by the end of a triple 1m 30 set I am crying 😂