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

Thank you @samthebordercollie I downloaded the app and then deleted it a few days ago as I found it confusing. I hadn’t paid for it yet. Then I saw on the FB page someone posted a table of all the different programmes and what they do, so it’s starting to make sense again. I could do with a good explanation of the moves. (My DDs correct me when they see me.)

Hi @RosaRoja!
If you get the CGX App there is the genuine beginner's program by Caroline where she explains the lifts as doing them. But if not Iron is the best program to start with, definitely, as it's slower paced than the Epics.

Thank you @BigButtons The length and difficulty of the Iron series is just right for me at this stage, especially with the lower weights dumbbells I’m using. I can use my son’s heavier ones when the time comes. I’m grateful for PP mentioning the Iron series on this or other threads, I thought Caroline’s program was totally out of bounds for me otherwise.

Hello. I’ve recently started CG Iron (the YouTube version), finished day 11. I had tried Epic Beginner a few months ago, but it was too much and it put me off. I have read now that it wasn’t meant for actual beginners. I have 2kg, 4kg and 5kg dumbbells, which are more than enough for now. I was a fan of the FitOn app, but I love CG’s style loads more. I hope to stick around.

I don’t like to get out of the early morning workout habit by taking a day off during the week so on a Thursday I go for a little run - as in it’s a rest day run, which I don’t time/check pace/distance. Just put on my trainers and head out for 40 minutes or so. Sometimes I speed off, sometimes I walk, but the important thing is I just treat it as movement and a mental health break rather than a workout. It’s for a leg stretch and some fresh air first thing instead of feeling compelled to make it count in some way.

Thank you @BigButtons. Yes, definitely want to make sure I don't get an injury! How many rest days per week is best? Maybe I'll do some Pilates on those days, so that I can keep my new daily morning habit.

@Melassa and@AtomicBlondeRose Thank you for the replies about the gloves. I think I will get some and see if they even give a little bit of support to my wrists.

Another question for anyone (keen beginner here!) - do you make sure you have rest days? I'm really enjoying my new habit of getting up early (before everyone else) and doing a workout. I'm currently on Day 11 of Iron but think I've only had one rest day (last Sat). Is that ok if I feel ok?

I don’t double up and if I am not feeling 100% or have pain or not well I won’t work out, I feel like this is the true version of listening to and respecting my body and I don’t beat myself up if I miss a few either as I am busy or not up to it.

This works for me with getting a balance - I have pushed myself too far at other times and ended up with an injury that’s put me out of action for a long time. I’d rather take it slow, avoid injury and just get there eventually there is no rush, I’m not competing with myself or anyone else.

I'm guilty of doubling up, but I like working out for at least an hour, and I don't lift 5 days a week, usually 3 or 4 because I run on other days. If I feel tired I don't...Iron certainly with 30 minute sessions wasn't too much of a problem, Intent is longer but I do one upper body and one lower body. I find full body workouts very effective.
You do you as Caroline says, but always listen to your body!

@BigButtons I agree, I’m always a bit wary when I hear of people doing double sessions or “catching up” - that’s not what it’s about, we’re not out here trying to win at fitness or be the best or do it all “right”. That’s one really good thing I feel I’ve taken away from doing CG. When I was a bit of a cardio queen there was a real element of punishing myself, earning food, and ALWAYS trying to be better, faster, go further, run more, am I beating someone else, am I the best I can be? With weights it’s like, you know what, I’m tired and I used my smallest weights for the whole workout, who cares? It still works. My body doesn’t know what weights I picked up. Nobody else knows. I got up and worked out and that’s my win. And I need to eat to be able to work out so I can’t skimp myself constantly on food trying to “win” or cheat the system by eating a bit less or being the best at eating a small amount. It’s basically revolutionised the way I see and relate to my body.

I had never heard of Caroline until this thread and took the advice upthread and started on Iron on YouTube. I am loving it! I already do low level cycling and walking so wanted a weights program but never get round to going to the gym. So this is perfect. I’ve just got to find alternatives to lunges and anything else where you need to bend your toes! Thanks all

today was the first session where I really didn’t feel like it, I’ve run this morning and had the most boring day at work and I realised if I didn’t do it today I’d run out of days this week! So I did it, and I’m glad I did, but my heart wasn’t really in it today. this weekend I plan to do my long run tomorrow, then do day 14&15 as a double on Sunday

I assume as she is working and not just working out that means her work outs look different to the user than if she was really working out, she is producing content that has to fit across many different users of different ability, she also has to be able to direct the moves from one to the next as is likely thinking more about the content/move being right and easy to follow on camera. Rather than her own workout. She must record a lot of content probably back to back and she is good at it but it must take practice and her actual work outs probably look completely different. She is focused on presenting the video plus also showing you the stretches. She might have done 3 already that day so she might have fatigue

@samthebordercollie I definitely think some of her pauses in Iron are for the viewers benefit, they don’t seem natural somehow.

@BigButtons I was thinking that she must be capable of lifting more than she does, with the exception of the 20kg in each hand for lunges. But I'm curious about the pauses that she has in that case, during the upper body circuits she paused a lot and it wasn't really necessary - do you think she does it to make us feel better??
I've put on a couple of pounds at last, waist is the same size so I think - or at least hope - it's muscle and not fat! Jeans are definitely tighter around quads and calves.