EPIC!! Losing, gaining and groaning with Caroline Girvan

[BigButtons]

New thread!

As expected I feel no soreness in my glutes this morning. Mind you I rarely feel sore anymore. Seems I have hit some sort of impass. I am maxed out on my weights for the moment- am not strong enough to go heavier- form goes to pot if I try- but am not feeling soreness the next day even when I go to failure.
Any ideas?🙂

I’m not achey either, except for my triceps a bit from the day before. I did do extra stretching though after the glutes so that may have helped.

I think it’s entirely normal not to be achey after a workout, I remember after Epic 1 not feeling it the day after many workouts, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t getting stronger. Heat made me more stiff after some workouts, maybe we’ve just got used to that?

I remember from my avid gym going days that feeling stiff the next day or the day after meant that you hadn’t done enough stretching. CG doesn’t do a lot of stretching, so that probably contributes to the sore muscles next day.

Interesting conversation.
I'm rarely achey after the workouts (Epic Heat, Advent). However when I took a break for 2 weeks, after my first workout back, I was really aching for two days after! So I think we're a bit conditioned. It's only when we take a break that we notice it.
I also really ached for a couple of days after the glute workout.
When I increase the weight, I feel it.
But I think even when we don't feel achey, we're still getting stronger. I don't expect (want) to ache after every workout.

I don't ache very often now either for any of the workouts. Is it a case of increasing the weights further?

I have also realised that my glutes don't activate at all! I have very lazy glutes.

Anyway I did inner/outer thigh and ab workouts this morning and then went to what was meant to be a nurturing, relaxing yoga class but which was being covered someone who is the opposite of nurturing. Really enjoyed it.

Maybe it is a case of us being stronger.
The last time I knew I had worked out by ache was when I re did leg day 7 Epic 1.
I can’t up the weights safely atm without losing form.
@Itsnotdeep that sounds fun. I have just finished work and am almost too tired to stand let alone workout😮

I randomly did ache in the first week of advent when she did a couple of abs classes. But my arms and legs are impervious. or something

Day 3 done and it was better than I expected as the hip thrusts were broken up. Still not sure I’m doing them 100% correct but really concentrated on keeping my chin in and squeezing at the top. First finisher I’ve finished well behind CG. I’ve felt a little soreness in my legs on the stairs but not like I used to feel at the start of Epic.

I think I'll do hip thrusts on the floor next time. I was reading the FB group members' comments - mostly they don't like the chair hip thrusts and it's easy to get them wrong and exercise your quads not your glutes (I think I was doing this).

Day 4 was the whole body workout. I substituted other exercises for the lunges and squats and feel much better for it. Will do the ab add-on later on I think.

I’ve just spotted there are add ons! Will do the full body in a while, then try the add on, whatever it may be.

I agree re hip thrusts on the floor, I do mine in the sofa and keep sliding down and needing to adjust, so I’m never sure if the position is right.

I am never doing them on a chair again. All I work is my hamstrings. Floor much more effective.
Will do full body later.
The tucked abs add on is my favourite abs of hers as no leg lowers!

Day 3 done here. I found it quite a challenge. Did my thrusts against the sofa. I don't mind them too much as at least your upper body gets a bit of a comfortable rest.

What would really help me is if she somehow marked out during each exercise where you should be feeling the work. For example in those staggered leg hip thrusts I couldn't work out where the focus was meant to be. Just an arrow or maybe a few flames on the screen to show you would be good.

Day 4 done.
After the first circuit I started to struggle. Had to take a few mins rest between each circuit and was really out of breath. So tiring. Wonders if it was me or whether it was just hard work?
I found the 100 sumo squats the easiest part really😂. Shoulder exercises were easy to as I couldn’t switch my adjustable weights quickly enough so had to stick with 5 kg when really should have done 6 kg.
My adjustable are too bulky to do diamond presses with . Need a free pair.

I also found it a bit tiring repeating the circuit, the third one was a bit of a challenge but I tried to plough through and keep up the reps. Needless to say I didn’t do the add on.

The 100 sumo squats at the end were not taxing at all. In fact, I suspect she added another10 or so to the full range ones as I got to 50 ages before her and practically finished the half squats too in the same time. There’s something a bit iffy with her counting as I find myself finishing before her in most of the finishers. Hmmm

@Melassa😂😂
I did count today rather than just follow her and was only one out when she got to her first fifty! I do agree that it did seem to take along time to get to 50 though.
I am a bit happy that you found it tiring too- I thought was just being feeble.
If you think about it there were 6 minutes of lunges and the. another 6 of Bulgarian lunges! I actually don’t mind them too much any more.
I would like to do a session with her when I don’t feel beaten up. Maybe I need to lower the weights a tad.

@BigButtons I always count my reps, it helps get me through the exercise, plus where there are repeats I try to best the reps. Also because for the exercises where you do one side first then the other I have this irrational fear of doing more reps one side and ending up with a thicker arm or leg.

I’ve been keeping up or beating her on all the 100s so far hence my suspicion that she’s been sneaking a few more in and hoping we won’t notice 🤔

Day 4 done and I really enjoyed the circuits. I definitely to get the new weights as the arm exercises felt like a break. I think this week has been really good to slow down the core moves and really focus on form, I never would have thought 1 min Bulgarian lunges were doable at the start of epic 1. As it’s the weekend I did the extra abs add on, never done an extra workout before but my abs need the most work!

@Forgotmypasswordsgain I too need heavier weights for arms and adjusting the dumbbells wasn’t an option yesterday.
I am going to do an ankle weight glutes soon( still smarting from the useless endless hip thrusts that did nothing). Then maybe the 15 min wall sit challenge. Very short and very effective.
I am on a mission to up my protein. I don’t have a big appetite anyway so it really is a challenge . I am now taking a clear whey isolate drink which is actually drinkable. I am hoping this will make a difference to energy and muscle growth.

I did a weighted abs one today which I prefer to the endless tuck raise things (which hurt because my spine is too knobbly).

And LWR's glutes. Which hurt because my glutes are so lazy.

and ordered some ankle weights too! My glutes will be activated if it kills me.

So, if today is another active rest day, does that mean tomorrow is HIIT? 😬😱

I did no training today, couldn’t face any abs but we did go for a brisk walk and I did 14k steps. I did the same on Thursday, although we may have walked for longer. When I’m back at work I won’t have time for long walks so Thursdays may well become yoga day. How active are we supposed to be on an active rest day?

I want to start upping weights for my lower body, I would do for my arms too but I still have an iffy right wrist so don’t want to push it too much. 6kg is about right for most depending on how many reps we need to do and I can do 8s for the back stuff, but for the lateral raises I feel I’ll be stuck or 3s or 4s forever. It seems that for Endgame all exercises are 1 min long so far. Oh my, I hope she doesn’t do 1 minute of Tabata tomorrow! I can just about cope with 20 secs at a time!

@Melassa tabata is a very specific thing 20:10 secs .
I think she is doing cardio tomorrow. Today I did weighted glutes and then 15 min wall sit session which I really love because it bloody works and is short.

@Itsnotdeep I too am determined to work my glutes.

Day 5 done, that was hard work. Not going to lie, I did the low impact most of the way through and I might have finished a few seconds early on some complexes to gain a bit more rest. Not sure I will keep up next week being fully back into the work/school schedule but really chuffed I managed it this week. I also have 2 netball sessions to fit in but I’m working from home tomorrow so that helps 😀

It looks hideous. They are all hiit moves. Bloody burpees. I hate burpees. IF I try this I will go very very slowly.😱

It was - ALL burpees. I did the adaptations which were still too much for my knees. And really boring too. I'd rather do an astanga class for my cardio activity (which in fact I did)