Anyone else doing Caroline Girvan's EPIC programme?

[BigButtons]

I thought I was pretty fit and toned. I have exercised consistently most of my life: weights, cardio, hit, running etc ( now 53). I have just finished day 8 of EPIC and feel like a complete wuss. It was the lunges one. I wanted to be sick even though I was standing infront of a large fan the entire time.
How do people actually manage to get through these? I have just looked ahead to the burpee day and feel like I am simply not up to this.

I have a similar plan @OrangeSunset, I did CG, Peloton and a yoga class today! I can't run anymore, but still want to do all the other stuff.

This is doable as long as you don't have a social life. And you skive a bit from work. Or get up exceptionally early every day.

Wow @AnnaDyne how do you fit all that in? Back-to-back or spread through the day? I don’t have enough gym clothes for that!

I’m working up to getting up at 6am after a loooongg summer off. It might need to be 5.45 in truth. Which has its own effect on the social life!

Thanks, @AnnaDyne - always happy to help

Rebecca is Rebecca Louise. Links to my favorite workouts of hers are in my previous posts. The BEST ABS one is absolutely brilliant - it sooooo works! She has tons of very short workouts online. Search for Bingo Wings and Total Body Stretch - another two I do all the time. I like her chirpy can-do attitude, though I usually turn the volume right down as her continuous chatter is a bit much...

@OrangeSunset....... I work out around one and a half hours a day and I adopt a very mix and match approach. I am 67 years old and stronger and fitter than most women half my age. Not boasting - it's simply true.

I admire Caroline Girvan, but I cannot face her full workouts every day. It took me about 4 months to finish EPIC 1...

So I tend to do a bit of the following - sometimes this, sometimes that:

• Caroline Girvan EPIC or one of her shorter workouts
• Growingannanas HIIT, either low impact or sweaty or super-sweaty or military... She is my favourite overall.
• Bowflex 3 minute plank
• 2 or 3 of my long-standing favourites: Rebecca (see above), Lucy Wyndham Read's Thighs & Glutes (OMG it's the best!!!),
• Jake DuPree for a good and entertaining full body workout
• recently I started adding in abs workouts from Chris, the heavily tatooed Asian chap - see links in my recent posts.

So, on a typical day I might do the following, in this order:

• warm up: one of Anna's introductions or bits of Rebecca's stretches
• a Caroline's EPIC # whatever OR a Growingannanas super sweaty HIIT OR one of Jake's full body workouts
• Bowflex 3 minute plank
• Rebecca's Best Abs (I do this most days - it's that good!)
• Lucy's Thighs & Glutes (ditto - I credit my solid thighs and butt to this workout...)
• a few stretches to cool down.

And on days when I can't be Rsed, I do this, which is good fun:

Blimey I think I would keel over if I did all of your routines.😮. Hats off to you though.
I am easily bored that is why the Epics work for me. I don’t know what’s coming next.
I struggle with say RL because I know what’s coming.
I did the plank one yesterday- short and sweet. I can cope with that.
@FlowerArranger which was the BEST RL again?

Thanks @FlowerArranger I may add a Rebecca Louise in today (can't make yoga as I have to work instead ).

I thought Epic 3 day 1 was easy, and I'd need to up the weights, but my arms are definitely feeling it today! I think like @BigButtons I need to follow a programme in order to ensure I actually do it. So it's day 2 for me today!

@OrangeSunset I think the main thing is to see how you are feeling with that amount of exercise. Personally I know if I am doing too much because all I want to do is sleep, I ha e no energy.
If you are feeling good on that and can fit in in them crack on.
There will be times when you haven’t got the energy for whatever reason. Then rest. I have found that NOT pushing yields more benefits. By resting I come back stronger. If I push too hard I get diminishing returns, but we are all different.🙂

I ended up doing Burpee Bonanza today as I only managed half a Jake Dupree yesterday due to work calls, so I felt guilty. In the end not too bad although I did get seriously out of puff at some points, so much so I couldn’t manage sips of water. Also the ticker did seem to get stuck on 30 something % for ages. In the end it was no worse than the burpee session in epic 1 and no pistol squats either!

To all those managing back to back and running, where do you find the time and energy? Since work has picked up I’m finding it hard to slot in a half hour session, not that I would have the energy for more! I was super chuffed I managed a single 1hr session per day when doing Epic 1. I do sometimes add a short plank or 10 min yoga session but that is it.

@BigButtons - I was referring to RL Best Abs. Because I often do the Bowflex plank as well, I tend to replace her two planks with Russian Twists, V-hold, sit-ups, bridges etc.

@Melassa - one of the few benefits of getting old is that one gets to retire and indulge oneself, doing what one wants to do

Yes, there is that. Alas a long way off for me still (at least another 12 years probably). Hopefully when I do retire I will still have the energy that you all have.

@Melassa, don't beat yourself up! I vividly remember the days of full-time work, lots of travel on business, 3 teenagers, house, garden...... husband, et cetera. In those days all I managed was walking, a bit of cycling and swimming. Wasn't able to ski while kids were little, which I really missed.

You are doing really well if you are able to fit in even half an hour of exercise.

I really need to unfollow the CG facebook groups. I should have know what would happen, It's the same with every other large and popular face book group.
The veiled bragging and fishing for compliments.

• " I was feeling under the weather this morning so only used my 2x 25kg bells- I am hoping to be back up to lifting whole elephants again by tomorrow. I did manage 2 rounds of golf beforehand and a quick 10 mile run and that has stopped my urge to throw myself under a bus due to my failure to be better than everyone else"

Normal people don't seem to post.

Today's Crazy CG fb quote:
Its 430 am est when i did the workout. Yes love the EPIC III day 3 workout my glutes abs and hams are on fire. Now cardio then in pm Optional workout 10 min weighted abs will be using my 70lb weighted vest which i also used during the workout along with a 50lb resistance band for hip thrust.

What the bloody fuck?!! Do these mad women have an actual life...

@FlowerArranger

Today's Crazy CG fb quote: Its 430 am est when i did the workout. Yes love the EPIC III day 3 workout my glutes abs and hams are on fire. Now cardio then in pm Optional workout 10 min weighted abs will be using my 70lb weighted vest which i also used during the workout along with a 50lb resistance band for hip thrust.

What the bloody fuck?!! Do these mad women have an actual life...

I saw that one. I was . One woman in the over 50s group has had a rather large wooden hut put into her garden which she has made into her gym. Looks like serious stuff. I may be slightly envious

I am supposed to do the burpee hit today. I don't feel like throwing myself on the floor. I will do the Epic 1 day 40 that @ManxRhyme suggested upthread and I will do Rl abs later.

My knees complained bitterly yesterday evening after the day 4 full body heat( but in a different place and way than usual). They seem to be better today though.

Back at school with the cleaning, hand sanitising/hygeine routines seemingly gone to pot- as a consequence I am now brewing the first cold I have had in over a year- great.

I'm going to have to mute that group I think. I can't bear the bragging and competitiveness. Those people are really risking injury and overtraining.

Just doing epic is more than enough! Do what you can, with what you have is how I approach exercise. I do epic 5 days a week, but never on weekends, don't always do the add ons and that is plenty.

That was tiring- mind you I am finding everything tiring atm- god knows why.
I am wittering on to keep myself on track- feel free to ignore.

More FB bonkerness
"loved EPIC HEAT but am also really enjoying EPIC 3. Anyone planning to do EPIC HEAT and EPIC 3 at the same time? I am thinking a rough schedule could look something like this:
Mon - OFF
Tue - Epic Heat
Wed - Epic Heat
Thu - Epic Heat
Fri - Epic Heat
Sat - Epic 3 (2x) + Epic Heat (HIIT)
Sun - Epic 3 (2x) + Epic 3 (HIIT

70lb weighted vest? 50lb hip thrusts? Nah, those people need to get out more.

Did you do the day 40 @BigButtons or the Butpees?

I too feel a bit tired out by everything but it is a very stressful period at work and I find the exercises help a bit. I’ve started getting stomach cramps again from the stress and probably being hunched over my laptop all day, so I’m determined to keep these sessions going or I think I will go a bit mad!

Should say Burpees. Freudian slip

@melassa I did the day 40. I had to keep stopping it and I knew it wasn't that tough, I just got worn out. never mind. A day off tomorrow then back into day 6, then saturday off.

butpees is better!

I used to barely exercise so just managing to keep up with epic 1 is more than enough for me. Between work and kids there aren't enough hours in the day.

It's too hot today to do anything. Even with the fan aimed straight at me. Currently a grumpy hot hayfevery mess - will aim to get day 45 HIIT done early tomorrow when cooler then ill be into week 10!

Wow I’ve just done Heat day 4 - the full
Body one. That was full on! I started with the full 9 minute warm up which I think is necessary given how intense the workout was. Earned a hobnob or two I reckon.

@OrangeSunset

Wow I’ve just done Heat day 4 - the full Body one. That was full on! I started with the full 9 minute warm up which I think is necessary given how intense the workout was. Earned a hobnob or two I reckon.

It was a bit brutal- those hips thrusts😮😮

Omg those nutjobs on the FB group! I agree about the over training and risking injury. Rest days are so important! I follow Susan Niebergall on IG and she only works out four days a week. She’s about 60 and very very fit.

I have Epic Heat Burpee day on Sunday, bloody dreading it. Burpees make me feel extremely unfit. Even though I’m now in much fitter shape than a year ago. Seriously thinking of skipping it and doing something else that morning. Or do you lot have any thoughts? Will it be very essential? I don’t want to lose weight, I’m here for health and building big guns