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.

One of the reasons I never clicked with Pilates was all the emphasis of alignment, centering, breathing, etc. I know a lot of people swear by it but I prefer to keep things simple. I like both Caroline and Anna because their workouts are so precise, straightforward, controlled.

I remember the move you queried and agree it is a bit unusual - though I've seen Rebecca do something similar. For me it was comfortable and felt very easy.

Now then...... today it's thighs, glutes, butt......... Caroline or Anna? So glad to have the choice. A year ago I didn't know either of them existed, and it has been life-changing!

Day 47 of epic 1. This last week feels like she's set a test to see if you've been paying attention for the last 9 weeks 🤣

Really enjoyed the last 2 workouts and having been feeling OK for the last few weeks everything aches again in a good way. I managed 50 sec of Russian twists yesterday, shows me how far my core strength has come over the course of the programme.

Wow, well done @ManxRhyme, I’m now feeling guilty for having abandoned Epic 1 for Heat, but I simply no longer have the time for a 1hr workout . When I’ve finished Heat I will probably try to pick up Epic 1 from where I left off in order to finish it.

Today I skipped day 8 as went out walking and ended up doing 12km. My small win is that my hips didn’t ache at the end and nor did my back. I will do day 8 tomorrow, today my glutes were protesting a bit from day 7 legs. I’ve not had a day without sore muscles since I’ve been doing Heat. Except for maybe the first or, strangely, after the Burpee session.

Sounds a sensible plan @Melassa to have an active rest day.

I’ve tried a few work outs from Heat and EPIC 1. I’m going to take one upper body, one upper body and one full body a week alongside a running and swimming. I’m going to skip the HIITs altogether. It’ll take me longer to get through the programme but I’ve printed the HEAT schedule off and will tick the workouts off as I go all - that’ll get me pretty much to Christmas!

I’m one week in to ramping up from some less challenging stuff and taking a break from the wine for the next two weeks to see if that helps with sticking to the plan!

@Melassa no need for guilt. Everyone's gotta do what works for them. I've printed the heat schedule tonight and will start it next weekend. That's a really good distance you've covered there with your walk!

Wow Heat Day 2 Shoulder Complexes is full on! Needed quite a few breaks to get through those sets, and heartened to see Caroline did too! Great movements though.

On the back of this thread I've just tried Caroline's 30 minute kettlebell workout. I had to take a break after 11 minutes, and missed out some of the alternating kettlebell lifts as thought I was going to faint!!

Just checking in again. I’m doing something every day from the first epic series, but am missing out the hiit and replacing it with a run with my daughter once a week. Will have a go at the 10 thigh glute link you posted @FlowerArranger. Maybe even each day for a month as you suggested to another poster.

@BigButtons am also on the over 50 CG FB page. I don’t really post much though.

@OrangeSunset those shoulder complexes had me hurting for days afterwards😱
Did the RWR thigh one yesterday and my hips really ache today-l……

@labtest57 everything she does has that effect generally 🤣
I’m going to attempt the legs heat today. My thighs hurt after LWR, but I am going to do that 10 mins everyday I am not doing leg work with CG and she what happens. ( most likely what will happen is that I will seize up).

On the general Caroline FB group there have been a couple of posts on weights and feeling guilty for not exercising. I was surprised by how sane most responses were.
It seems less bonkers than the over 50’s one for some reason.

Well that was actually 'enjoyable' dare I say it? probably there first time I have eve said that about a CG workout.
The reason being I could do all of the exercises. I didn't need to modify. There wasn't anything ridiculous and the pace was nice and slow. It was tough, but not stupid tough.
I'm sure I will hurt like buggery later on, but I will bear that one in mind for a leg day in the future.

It seems there are quite a few of us who are not too keen on Caroline's HIIT sessions. I did EPIC 2 Day 11 yesterday and gave up halfway through. Too intense for me, plus I prefer to do some HIIT most days rather than a long session once a week.

This Tabata workout from Anna is short and sweet - we all can do 12 minutes of 20 seconds on 10 seconds off, can't we:

@FlowerArranger I don’t like her hiit. It’s too throw yourself around for my liking.
My legs are already sore after this afternoon’s session.
The weird thing about heat is that it doesn’t my appear that hard core at the time but by god you feel it afterwards

Well it’s very quiet on here!
I shall keep posting for accountability even if it means wittering on to myself!
Hope everyone is doing well.🙂

Keep wittering on @BigButtons! I love reading the updates here even though I don’t always post myself. Are you feeling much better now?

I did Epic Heat Day 7 today, triset day. Really struggled with the Bulgarian lunges. Made me wonder if i’ve bitten more than I can handle by taking the Heat series on I’m really knackered now and it’s not even the dinner time yet!

What I did yesterday. Feeling just a little sore…

It’s supposed to be 45 minutes chest and triceps today. Or maybe not…… LOL.

On reflection, today might possibly….. perhaps turn out to be a Jake day

@wetpants thankyou I am still bunged up and coughing but much better.
I did the day 7 yesterday and really enjoyed it. We are all so different . normally it's others saying they liked a session that nearly killed me.

First one I have enjoyed. My legs hurt like buggery in the evening though so I did a 20min yoga leg stretch.

@FlowerArranger why don't you give heat a go? I much prefer it. I seem to be getting better results for less hardship( there's still hardship a plenty though, just a shorter amount of it which seems somehow more bearable).
I can't work out how that works but it does. I think @melassa is finding the same?
Back and biceps today I think. Debating what weights to go for. I am roughly just over half of CG's She is using 17 and 8. So I might use my 8 kg bell instead.

@BigButtons - you are probably right. I just wanted to win the EPIC battle. Me against me... But maybe now is not the right time. I'm looking after my granddaughter a lot, having surgery on Thursday, then going on a long holiday next week. And I need to do my bloody taxes!

Just too much going on. Much else besides the above. I think I just need to cut myself some slack. Problem is that, at my age, you lose it if you don't use it sooooo much quicker than 30 years ago... But then I look at other women my age and I think "you're not doing too badly, Old Girl!!"

Day 49 of Peic 1 today here. Didn't have time to finish the stretches at the end but it's a very good workout. Lots of core and balancing, very low impact. Need the rest day tomorrow then will give the day 50 HIIT a go just for the sake of doing the last day of the programme.

@FlowerArranger you have a lot on. Cut yourself some slack. Muscle has memory. You won't lose it at all. you are so fit and it will do you good.
I have decided that what matters is that I am doing something. Epic fitted in when I had more time and now it doesn't. ironically because it is short I do now find time for add ones. I shall go and do LWR thighs in minute.
Good luck with the surgery and hope you recover quickly. Sounds like you deserve the holiday.
I did the back and biceps. Started with 8kg then got tired and dropped to 7. Did mostly 5kg for the curls. Another workout that was really do-able. i felt able to push myself because it wasn't too exhausting in other ways, even 2 minutes of plank to standing rows.

@ManxRhyme that is amazing, wry well done!🌟🥂

@FlowerArranger Christ does that LWR thighs EVER get any less painful? My legs were cramping so badly. I like it because it works the legs in a completely different way to CG and targets different muscles that in my case are obviously not very strong still-despite the endless squats and lunges

@ManxRhyme

Day 49 of Peic 1 today here. Didn't have time to finish the stretches at the end but it's a very good workout. Lots of core and balancing, very low impact. Need the rest day tomorrow then will give the day 50 HIIT a go just for the sake of doing the last day of the programme.

Always do the stretches!!!! Skip what you have to, but do not skip the stretches. So important.

Rebecca has a really good stretch session. You can do the first 5 minutes or so before your workout, and the rest (pigeons etc) at the end. Plus a few plates rolls are always good

She has several other stretch-based workouts and cool downs.

Thanks, @BigButtons - it's nothing major, so I'll be fine!

As for Lucy's Thighs & Glutes...
It does get easier, definitely! !

After about a year...

Provided you do it every day

@FlowerArranger it was the session with the 20 min stretch. Which is great but I really only have 5 min for cool down on a work morning so I did my own stretches.

Good luck for surgery. Going into it so fit is really good for recovery.

Epic 3 day 6 here today. Back and core today. I am finding the weights easier now and think I need to up them. (but will maybe see how my arms feel tomorrow first....).

Also doing LWR glutes and thighs each morning.