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

965 replies

BigButtons · 07/01/2024 18:48

New thread!

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devildeepbluesea · 06/05/2024 21:42

Omg 13 hours after my 1000 rep challenge and my arse / inner thighs are already screaming. Dreading the dog walk tomorrow morning. Hastily re-scheduling tomorrow’s workout for something upper body related.

AtomicBlondeRose · 06/05/2024 09:47

RosaRoja · 05/05/2024 20:10

@AtomicBlondeRose thanks for the podcast recommendation. Is this the first time you’re doing Iron? Or is it one of those series you keep coming back to. I’m finishing it in a couple of days and I’m thinking of starting it again before I move on to others.

I did the YouTube version and now I’m on the app version. I do think you could do either over and over - they feel more like maintenance programmes to me but not in a bad way! And of course you can increase the challenge all sorts of ways. I like knowing I’m rarely swearing at the Tv during Iron, and never have to do burpees or sprawls…but after a few weeks I find the pace less inspiring. However if you only did Iron over and over for the rest of your life you’d be in great shape!

devildeepbluesea · 06/05/2024 08:59

@AtomicBlondeRose looking great!! Glad to hear there are plenty others who don’t get DOMS.

Although I might tomorrow. Started back this morning after my week off, and picked the Pure Endure 1000 rep lower body challenge. Bit of a mistake! I finished but had to take a lot more breaks than CG!

*Edited because at first I only credited myself with 100 reps 🤣

samthebordercollie · 05/05/2024 20:35

@AtomicBlondeRose it's interesting
about fasting. I still run or lift fasted every morning but I now have a protein shake or Greek yogurt with berries after - before I never ate until 1pm. But unless I have the breakfast after working out there is no way I can get my protein intake in (I aim for 120g a day).

RosaRoja · 05/05/2024 20:10

@AtomicBlondeRose thanks for the podcast recommendation. Is this the first time you’re doing Iron? Or is it one of those series you keep coming back to. I’m finishing it in a couple of days and I’m thinking of starting it again before I move on to others.

AtomicBlondeRose · 05/05/2024 10:51

For good usable information on intermittent fasting I’d check out Gin Stephens - she has a couple of useful books (“Fast, Feast, Repeat” and “Delay, Don’t Deny”) and a lot of podcasts. Basically clean fasting is only having black tea or coffee or water in your fasting window. No milk or sugar, nothing flavoured, basically trying to avoid anything that might spike insulin. I find this really the best way as although it sounds harder you don’t get hunger pangs after the first few days of acclimatising. I go from 7pm-12 noon the next day as a rule - I’m not especially strict now although I was at the beginning and often did only 3 or 4 hour eating window - I work out fasted every morning and just have a black coffee afterwards, and I get through until lunch just fine. I do eat a fairly hearty lunch but I’m not fainting with hunger or anything, I’m just hungry enough to really enjoy my food, and not count what I’m eating. Just a good amount of nutritious whole foods.

Interestly in the last few weeks when I was finishing up Epic 3 I was very hungry in the afternoon and craving carbs and sweets. This week starting Iron that’s disappeared and I’m not that hungry at all. So I do think sometimes you just have to listen to your body. I needed those carbs obviously!

JumpinJellyfish · 05/05/2024 10:28

What is clean fasting @AtomicBlondeRose? I think IF could work for me. I have a terrible sugar addiction which I can beat by going cold turkey but I fall off the wagon every couple of months - it is a constant struggle. I need to cut it out totally as even eg a couple of squares of chocolate makes me craving more.

I did Iron day 6 today - I think my arms are stronger already! Need to do my measurements and before pics and start tracking to maintain accountability as I’ve been a bit half hearted so far.

florenceandthemac · 03/05/2024 22:54

CG has released a one hour callisthenics workout on YouTube today. The first free workout since she launched the app

AtomicBlondeRose · 03/05/2024 17:13

@Cherryblossom81 yes, I have changed my diet a lot. I lost 2.5 stone in total. The first 1.5 was before I started working out and I did that through intermittent fasting and calorie counting. Probably about 1400-1600 a day. IF makes calorie restriction way easier; I clean fast so you don’t get hungry and then have enough calories to eat a decent lunch and normal dinner.

After the first couple of months I started CG and then I went up a bit in calories but always doing the IF. By Christmas I was at my target weight but I carried on tracking, while bringing up calories. Now I eat in a roughly 6 hour window, I don’t track calories but I go protein-heavy, from whole foods, low UPF and generally focussed on good nutrition. That feels like a very sustainable way to eat and I can see myself keeping it up for good.

Cherryblossom81 · 03/05/2024 16:03

Your posts are always so encouraging @AtomicBlondeRose! Do you mind me asking - did you make changes to your diet as well? I'm short, at a healthy BMI but would ideally like to lose maybe around 7-10 pounds. Online calculators always tell me I need a tiny amount of calories due to being short, but I'm trying to get the right balance of fueling my body properly, especially now I'm doing these workouts.

I did Day 18 of Iron today. I am a complete beginner (first time I've ever done any type of workouts with weights) but I can already notice progress in what I can do compared with a month ago!

samthebordercollie · 03/05/2024 13:15

@AtomicBlondeRose great before and after photos, your face definitely looks more defined and overall brighter than before!
I've done one full body from the Epics and 4 Intent sessions this week, up to Day 16 and17 today which I loved, a leg day circuit - and I matched Caroline's weights, but they weren't very heavy today 😂 and a brutal upper body workout but soooo effective. Off to the UK tomorrow for a few days so I'll just take a couple of kettlebells and do some of those workouts. There isn't room in the car for all the weights and equipment I'd need for Intent!

JumpinJellyfish · 03/05/2024 11:04

Looking great @AtomicBlondeRose! You also look nice in the before picture though, but it’s all about how you feel.

I’m still plugging away at Iron - did day 6 (legs) yesterday and see that today is arms and the dreaded triceps! Will give it a go tonight.

AtomicBlondeRose · 03/05/2024 10:33

My weight has stayed the same since new year pretty much but I’ve definitely been toning - every time I work out I see different definition in my legs for sure.

Another before and after, because I was looking back to this time last year. The photo on the left isn’t horrendous but I felt SO puffy and lethargic all the time, just a swollen up version of myself. And looking back I really lacked brightness, skin tone was poor, even my hair felt different. I definitely credit working out and intermittent fasting for the vastly improved state of my body overall - not just weight, but the added sparkle and vitality.

Lifting with Caroline Girvan 2024: What's not to love?!
Menora · 03/05/2024 10:09

My quads are so tight this week after my dedicated leg week so I am going to have a couple of rest days.

weight is stable which was frustrating me but I have dropped another inch off my waist and half an inch off my thighs so I am building muscle/toning phase

pharmachameleon · 02/05/2024 13:32

Thanks both. I'll check it out tonight as I'd really love to try the app. Not least for meal ideas!

samthebordercollie · 02/05/2024 09:28

@pharmachameleon what connections do you have to the projector? The ones I've used you can connect a device by WiFi, Bluetooth or a cable usb or HDMI. So normally you can connect all devices to watch whatever is on your laptop, phone or tablet on the screen - now CGX is available for pcs it's the same as any other website if that's what you usually watch

florenceandthemac · 02/05/2024 09:15

@pharmachameleon I guess it means you can use it on your laptop, computer or even a browser on the TV.
I do this with Lottie Murphy Pilates as it's too small on my ipad or phone, whereas my laptop has a slightly bigger screen it's a bit easier to view

pharmachameleon · 01/05/2024 16:46

I see the web version of CGX has been launched today. I know I'm being dim but what does that actually mean? I would love to use the app but I do my CG routines using a projector to a massive screen. I can't work out how to project the app workouts so I've never joined the new app and just stream the YouTube workouts. Does this mean I might be able to search for the GGX app online and stream the workouts to my cinema screen?

samthebordercollie · 01/05/2024 13:58

@BigButtons how strange! I understand about the shoulders. Tricep push-ups just feel awkward to me! So the big announcement is that there is now a website version on the CGX app which will be very useful if you can't cast to a TV!

BigButtons · 01/05/2024 12:31

@samthebordercollie it’s funny. I have always found tricep push ups easier than normal ones. My shoulders can get aggravated by norma ones. None of them are easy though!

OP posts:
RosaRoja · 01/05/2024 09:46

Fantastic progress @Menora and @AtomicBlondeRose !

Menora · 01/05/2024 06:47

Maybe May is tricep month on the CG thread! 😂
I do these push up/lowering down moves in Pilates and I’ve only just started to be able to lower myself down rather than just collapse straight to the floor 😂

samthebordercollie · 30/04/2024 21:13

@Menora What a transformation, 25kg is a huge amount of weight to lose! What did you do dietwise?
I was quite weak on triceps to start with and chest and triceps are my least favourite workouts, but doing them has really helped. Regular pushups are no problem but I can't seem to get the hang of tricep push ups, I can't get as low as I can with normal ones. Compared to Caroline I never get low enough but then my bust, which was small before, has just about disappeared now. I understand why so many female bodybuilders get breast implants (I think CG has them too??[

AtomicBlondeRose · 30/04/2024 21:05

I’ve been doing CG since September 5 times a week and have only in the last couple of weeks been able to do even a single tricep push-up! I’m happy though because I couldn’t do normal press ups before I started and now I can. Dips I find easy for some reason, which seems weird.

JumpinJellyfish · 30/04/2024 21:00

Wow @Menora well done you - that is an incredible transformation! You look so great. I’d be delighted with that side profile!

I got back in the saddle with iron day 5 today. My arms are so uneven in strength - I can do bicep curls fine (5kg each dumbbell) but triceps are pitifully weak. I could only do about 10 seconds of the dips and still can’t manage a single push up!