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'm on a whole body day as well though day 4. Really love the shorter workout. Then I cna fit in an extra ab session and cool down as well on a day like today where I have a bit more time. Those hip thrusters though! I went down to a glute bridge after the first two sets as I didn't think I could get myself upright from the chair if I stayed where I was.

I refuse to do anything involving chairs!!

My excuse is that I don't have a chair where I exercise, and I can't be arsed to drag a chair from 2 rooms away just for a few hip thrusts...

Day 14 alright actually. I even managed 8.5 kg weights for the legs and chest presses.
Makes me think I must have been doing it wrong. I did find it tricky to stop my back from arching with the RDLs and the heavier weights though.

I did day 12 today as got back too late to do it yesterday. Not too bad and even managed flies with 6kg, although the second set of rear delt flies and the front raises I went back down a weight. On the whole I enjoyed it and have noticed improved strength in my arms, which I’m chuffed about. Weekend tomorrow so no excuses and day 13 to look forward to and maybe some more top up abs.

I have a dress I’d not worn since the spring and it all hangs much better now, no need to hold my tummy in. I’m also sleeping better, but that could be the HRT.

I was just thinking, if I’d carried on with Epic 1 I’d be in week 10 now (or maybe even finished?). However I’m finding it hard enough fitting a Heat session in my day in this period so Epic 1 would have been nigh impossible. Maybe I’ll go back and complete it in my Xmas holidays, when I have more time.

@BigButtons you managed8,5kg for the chest presses???? Wow! Well done!

@yes it was odd. I have just found a local seller on eBay seller a shit load of weight plates. Soon I will need to up the weights again.
However, no way could I do 6kg on the flies, I can manage 4. I am weak in that area. Hats off to you!😃

That should have been @Melassa!!

Heat 14 Antangonist done. Didn’t love it - I think partly as I kept getting interrupted and couldn’t quite focus properly.

Definitely trimmer round the middle though. I’m really grateful I found CG as I was really treading water before.

No more CG this week - a run tomorrow then big old night out then rest on Sunday with an evening stretch. Back to it Monday!

Flies with 6kg, nice @Melassa.

Day 13 ISO and Pylo done. Oh my. I suppose I should be grateful most were without weights.

I couldn’t do the one legged bridge jump at all and I’ve not improved since Epic 1. The only way I could do it was by lowering my back and pushing off with help from my hands. I must be missing a muscle or something as there was just nothing I could engage to do it differently. Anyone have any tips?

@Melassa I didn’t mind the one legged bridge jump. This leads me to the conclusion that I was doing it all wrong 😂😂

Ha! Yes, I get that doubt when I hear that someone has struggled with something I found easy. Sometimes I go back and watch it to double check…

@Melassa out of curiosity I had a look at the exercise again and went and gave it a go. I don't find it hard. Odd. I do however find others hard that most folk find easier. I also don't mind the get up from the floor on one leg from kneeling.
What I will find hard is the hiit session I have been putting off all morning.
I am hungover which will make things even worse. Serves me right.

I did the EH day 14 this morning. Rather enjoyed it!
I don’t know who I’m anymore

Heat day 15 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵
Omg
Omg
Some movement were so complicated I had to watch it through just to work out what to do.
I had to keep pausing it to take a rest and modify heavily by the 70% mark.
I was frequently giving her the finger.
I was however not prepared to duck out of yet another hiit session.

@BigButtons I’m putting off day 14 and spending my time looking for jackets on Vinted. I really must get around to it as next week I’ll be travelling for 3 days and there’s no way I’m putting weights in my suitcase, à la crazy ladies from CG FB group.

It is weird how we all manage different exercise with varying levels of ease. Most of the leg stuff I can do, knees permitting, but the arm stuff and weird things involving the core (like those bridge jumps) I find a lot harder. Although some core is ok for me and I have no problem doing abs exercises. Some exercises also just set my teeth on edge for no discernible reason.

@wetpants well done on completing and enjoying day 14. I hope to join you shortly, as soon as I can tear myself away from jacket shopping.

@Melassa I have a real weak spot for jackets- it’s terrible, particularly leather ones. I have far to many and never wear them all.
Ditto with blazers.
I will not look on vinted- no I won’t…..
I stumbled across a CG vid where she does inverted rows using a broom handle and sofa arms. Would love to try that but I haven’t got 2 heavy chairs. I tried it using my did I get chairs but they fell over and so did I 😂😂.
Then I saw another one where a guy uses a knotted sheet shut in a door. I tried a few of those and they were tough.
I want to work on my back more so might do a few of those everyday.
I did worry I was going to lose my grip and fall over though🧐.

I have a ton of coats of all shapes and sizes, every year I see a new coat I must have. Fewer jackets, I’ve got ones that are part of suits but not many blazer styles that you wear alone, so I decided I need another.

Did day 14 EH, it did pass quite quickly thankfully and really wasn’t too bad. My arms still ache from the upper body 2 days ago, probably from the increased weight on the flies. Legs from yesterday nothing, which surprises me. Maybe it will creep up on me tomorrow.

Off to have a late lunch as absolutely starving. Have a great day everyone!

Some movement were so complicated I had to watch it through just to work out what to do.

Some exercises also just set my teeth on edge for no discernible reason.

Yes to both of the above. Being comparatively old and occasionally a bit grumpy, I just tend to skip those or 'modify' or do something else altogether...

I find that most of Heat goes quickly without much pain at the time( often a lot after though)!. Perhaps we are getting stronger.

I’m not sure about Epic lll though- going by the Facebook posts it is brutal- why does it need to be so brutal?
Not sure what I will do when Heat finishes. Maybe start it again but up the weights. Do some of the week long ones?
I’m a way of that decision though.
I appear to have been kicked off the general CG Facebook group- probably because I critiqued some of the more crazy posts . I can’t help myself. I do consequently get kicked off fb groups🧐
The over 50s one is a bit less mental at the moment.

@Melassa See, Day14 wasn’t too bad was it? I’ve earmarked it as one to do if I fancy a general full body session in the future. None of the moves didn’t feel like they were going on too much, it had a nice steady variations throughout.

I also love coats.. need to do a cull, some are now too big for me. I guess it’s a nice problem to have.

I’m going to skip Day15 hiit and go straight to Day16 tomorrow.

@BigButtons I left both of the FB groups last week. I found the talk about nutrition really annoyed me (for my own reasons).

@wetpants no it wasn’t. I could also do all the moves, unlike the previous day. I did like the fact there were only a couple of exercises per area, so you got a good general workout as opposed to killing one area. Mind you the killing one area ones are probably more useful in terms of results.

@FlowerArranger I do sometimes think of binning an exercise, then I worry that I might be missing a body defining move, so I end up attempting them all. Mind you, some exercises I hated, like the Bulgarian lunges, no longer irritate me. Only the hip thrusts annoy me now because they make me cringe at teeth level. No idea why.

Actually it’s been a while since we had a push-up medley with the skull crusher version included, so plenty to hate still.

Heat day 16
Ouch. I found that very challenging. It was working my weakest muscles. Lots of lateral raises and other shoulder work. I simply could not do tricep dips and triceps push ups after constant shoulder work/raises. Well I can't do tricep dips anyway lol!
Stayed with mostly 4kg and some 5kg. Doing three sets of 40 mins of each exercise made it super hard for me. My shoulders are literally hot to the touch!

@BigButtons

Heat day 16 Ouch. I found that very challenging. It was working my weakest muscles. Lots of lateral raises and other shoulder work. I simply could not do tricep dips and triceps push ups after constant shoulder work/raises. Well I can't do tricep dips anyway lol! Stayed with mostly 4kg and some 5kg. Doing three sets of 40 mins of each exercise made it super hard for me. My shoulders are literally hot to the touch!

To you and anyone else who is suffering from a bout of CG challenge overload - Dr FlowerArranger prescribes a session of low impact HIIT courtesy of Growingannanas...

@FlowerArranger😂😂
You are most likely right but I love the changes I am seeing. My body has never looked this strong.
I will do some growingananas promise. I am doing LWR thighs on the days when I have no CG leg work and am managing to do the Boflex plank every day. I would like to Chuck in some chatty RL I think there is a super quick 5 mins ow which I can add on to the boflex 😃❤️

Anna also has quite a few full body workouts with weights.

(What's OW ?)