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.

[fishonabicycle]

Ha! I've been doing epic heat with my husband - up to about number 38 I think! Love it - I've always exercised, but this has pushed my fitness on another step, and although my weight has stayed the same (I'm not trying to lose any) I definitely have slimmer legs and bum. I'm 56, and use 7.5kg or 10kg handweights now. Very occasionally the 5kg for front/side raises.

[FlowerArranger]

Try these stretches from Cori of Redefining Strength - she really knows her stuff:

I’m attaching a photo with the timings for each stretch so you can skip the explanations after you’ve listened to them.

[BigButtons]

I need to start stretching again- especially after the hammering my muscles are getting at the moment. @FlowerArranger thanks for the reminder🥰

[Melassa]

Thanks for this @FlowerArranger, I’ve just done a set of each and my shoulder already feels better. My ankles are really stiff though, I wake up each day with tight Achilles’ tendons and need to stretch them in the morning. No idea why! It’s a novelty from this year. Probably because I walk a lot less, what with WFH, also I’ve not been using heels much at all. I’m not sure if that has an impact too.

[Melassa]

Did the back and biceps today, not too bad, I managed all the moves pretty easily and did extra stretching before and after.

Tomorrow is lunge-tastic day and I’m thinking of swapping it out for another leg day further along, until my knee is a bit less sore. They’re all going to have lunges in them, aren’t they?

[BigButtons]

@Melassa Good news about today- I am about to start mine.
Oh no, lunges tomorrow, gawd- I hate them. Definitely swap that out for something else. Can you manage squats? We did a squat one recently I think. Can you do that one again? Or perhaps someone like Rebecca louise or Lucy Wyndham Read. LWR has some really tough ones that will burn like buggery BUT there is no stress on the knees whatsoever

[FlowerArranger]

Just want to add that many of Anna's HIIT workouts (Growingannanas) include lots of squats. And not too many lunges...

Weak or stiff ankles: have you tried wearing ankle (and wrist) weights? After a while you'll barely notice them but they are very effective in strengthening the joints.

[fishonabicycle]

The very worst exercises are those Bulgarian split squats (with the back leg up on a chair) - I hate those with a passion.

[Melassa]

I can do squats, yes. I will what the lunge one tomorrow while eating crisps to see what she’s targeting and find a squat workout instead, maybe LWR that you’re recommending. Or modify the hell lunges and turn them into squats.

My ankles i think are stiff because I don’t walk anywhere near as much as I used to. I’m trying to remedy this and do 10k steps every day this week. Not least because we’re supposed to be hiking in the mountains next week and after wimping out of a 3 hour trail about half an hour in last year I realise I need to build my stamina up again. I used to walk so much every day and everywhere (no car) and with the various lockdowns I’ve got out of the habit.

[wetpants]

I started the 1 week complex series yesterday and already have to have a rest day tomorrow

The first day was a leg day, basically 40 mins of lunges and squats. Today was upper body which I actually managed much better. But man my buns hurt from yesterday And tomorrow is glutes day, no way I can get through it when I ache like hell from yesterday! So, tomorrow is going to be a stretchy yoga day and I’ll tackle the glutes on Thursday.

I have strangely come to enjoy lunges… maybe I’m experiencing Stockholm syndrome I do struggle doing them but I’ve noticed my balance has improved hugely in only few weeks. I find it very motivating.

[BigButtons]

@wetpants I am going to plough through Epic 1. I do believe I have a lunge day on blocks tomorrow. It’s going to be hideous.
I wish she would do more abs BUT having said that she expects you to engage abs with all the arm work……..

[FlowerArranger]

I always add in a little mini abs workout along with the EPIC. Usually one of Rebecca's, especially this one, which I love:

Plus a few Russian twists and sit-ups for good measure. Obviously turn down the sound LOL... Love her enthusiasm, but the endless chatter is all too much!!

[SophieLion]

Thanks for that flowerarranger. I do feel that Caroline girvan never does enough targeted abs exercises for me so add on a quick abs session most workouts.

[BigButtons]

@FlowerArranger my abs do actually feel like they’ve been worked quite hard today after yesterday’s back and biceps. The one exercises where my upper back was on a low stool and I was pulling the weight behind really worked my abs.
It may have been supposed to work something else though 😂😂

[Melassa]

Chickened out of the lunge session today and did a mini abs session from Rebecca Louise as well as a power yoga session with Kassandra. I still managed to sweat loads with the yoga, so I feel I’ve had a “proper” workout.

I may try to lunges tomorrow, but I saw the preview with the lock and just though no. Plus, what’s this I hear about a lunge to a pistol squat? Possibly worse than the burpees.

@BigButtons if you do the lunges today let me know how you get on!

[BigButtons]

@Melassa I have just finished the lunges! It wasn't actually as punishing as the lunge one a couple of weeks ago; it was slower and the block work wasn't painful at all- I thought it would be torture, it was more about balance? I did have to take few breaks as the soles of my feet were sweating so much I was sliding over the mat so I had to wipe them down. I was really out of breath a few times. I managed to do it with 6 kg weights today. The last lunge session I had to do without any weights after a while. So definitely stronger legs.

Looking at my body it's certainly firmer and my legs are really muscly now ( they have tendency to build muscle quickly). I feel I am at the stage where I am building muscle all over but don't quite look defined, just larger, if that makes sense? Not quite the look I am going for but hopefully in time this stage will pass as the definition appears and the fat disappears!

Need to do an abs workout today. Rl possibly but she drives me nuts with the silly girl chatter.

[BigButtons]

oh and the lunge pistol squat- yeah right!!!! I just bent down as low as I could which wasn't low at all really but better than nothing!

[Melassa]

I agree, she never shuts up! I binned yoga with Adriene due to the inane chatter, I much prefer Kassandra, plus her sessions I find are more of a challenge.

I might try the lunges tomorrow, it sounds like they are less scary than they look. I will go slowly though. I’m with you in the sweaty feet, I ended up buying some yoga socks which have grips on the bottom. Sweaty hands are possibly worse, I was slipping and sliding during the push ups, no doubt doing them badly, so have now brought a towel to cover the mat.

[BigButtons]

@Melassa The burn out at the end was horrible, but then it generally is and my legs bloody hurt now, but not my knees. Because it was slow- paced I had time to check my form, even on the pivots

I prefer kassandra too.

[FlowerArranger]

I got halfway through Caroline's relentless EMOM HIIT EPIC 45 today... doing about half of what she does. Decided to divert to some more sedate arms and abs stuff. Still managed to get in 90 minutes of pretty solid work, so feeling quite virtuous.

I too cannot stand RL's inane chatter. "Look I've taken you to Bali!!!" And Alfie this and Alfie that. Poor chap has cancer, sadly. But there's always Penny...

I deal with it - and Caroline's and Anna's music, which isn't to my taste - by turning down the volume to very low - so I can still hear the beeps - and I listen to Radio 4, or 3. I guess I'm showing my age here

[BigButtons]

@FlowerArranger that emom sounds awful- luckily I'm a way off that yet. well done for giving it a go though

[wetpants]

You know what BigButtons You mentioned lunges on blocks which gave me an aha moment. Monday’s work out included those and that must be the reason why my buns are still killing me!

I haven’t ached like that for a long time but I’ve never used yoga blocks for lunges either.

I did my favourite yoga sequence (by Adrianne) this morning. Tomorrow is glutes day by CG, scared already

[BigButtons]

@wetpants I’m always scared😂

[SophieLion]

Yes girvan's EMOM is unbelievably tough. I never look forward to those sessions!

I also like Tim senesi and cat Meffan for yoga. I feel Tim explains things really well and focuses a lot on form. Plus he has a great sense of humour. Cat Meffan I enjoy because she always does very creative original routines and I never get bored.

Today I am supposed to be doing beastmode day 7 (lower body). I hope that will happen!

Melassa. - pistol squats are really tough but I've noticed she doesn't really use them in her more recent workouts/programs. Remember them popping up a few times in epic. Perhaps the feedback was that they were too hard. Also remember an upper body session in epic with handstands and they've not appeared again either.

[Melassa]

Well, I did the lunge workout today, taking it more slowly than I would normally have done, and you were right @BigButtons, it wasn’t so bad. I also did 6kg and didn’t find it too taxing. The ironic thing is yesterday I did a yoga session with lots of one leg balances (I like them to “reset” my back and posture) and my bum was feeling it a bit this morning, goodness knows what I’ll feel like tomorrow.

For the pistol squats I just kicked out my leg with a faint bend in the opposite knee. Glad to hear they’ve been weeded out of later sessions @SophieLion, I will look forward to a pistol free EPIC 2 (if I manage to get through the first one!).

I will say I have noticed an increase in strength from when I started, but I still have a long way to go to reach former levels (for eg. I can no longer do a pull up, whereas I used to manage one and a half a couple before), I hadn’t realised how much strength I’d lost, I was convinced I was still fairly fit. Ditto for cardiac capacity, I now get tired sooner or feel sick during intense HIIT routines, it never used to happen before. I guess I will never reach my fitness levels of, say, 10 years ago, let alone my 20s/30s.