EPIC!! Losing, gaining and groaning with Caroline Girvan

[BigButtons]

New thread!

@Itsnotdeep you have done 2 cardio sessions already? Wow.
Some of the moves on today’s session look ridiculous. That rolling around one. What’s that all about?
I might just do one of her other cardio sessions or a hiit ones that doesn’t look too awful☹️

I’m gonna do the jumping Jack cardio. I don’t mind jacks. I hate burpees and can think of other ways to raise my heart rate other than chucking myself on the floor.

I just did day5 and I agree, it was hideous. Too many burpees, plus I’m really slow at them so I do 10 in the time it takes her to do 10 then the following exercise then back to burpees. I thought I was going to die on a couple, I just didn’t have the strength and it was hard pushing through. However on my Fitbit very little cardio activity was registered, it was all heartbeat in the fatburning range. How is that possible? It must be faulty 🤔.

I’ve really noticed a slowing down in my cardio strength. I don’t know if it’s age or the remnants of lockdown immobility or a combination of the 2. I also get tired on my long walks, which never used to happen. I guess I should get it checked out, it seems to have got worse in the last month or so, I had thought it was stress but I’ve been off work a week and it’s no better.

Reading these comments, I'm glad I went for a run instead!!

@Melassa I don’t think you fit it is wrong. I’d you look at the exercises they are the same ones that she uses for her hiit but for 3 minute cycles. How can that possible be cardio?
I have decided to do a different hiit later today. One that doesn’t involve burpees.
I can’t see the point in doing something I will hate.
We all go through tired/ sluggish periods. It’s January, dark and cold with not much to look forward to. Is your diet ok?
I am going to get some essential amino acids to go with my protein juice today. I know I don’t get enough protein in my diet( I have a small appetite). I am hoping this will help strengthen muscles and make the workouts less onerous( just a bit anyway!)
Hats off to all of you who have done it though.

@BigButtons you are wise to avoid today’s burpee bonanza. They are awful. I don’t mind one or two, but the whole thing? Also I’m so slow with them. Oh well, done for this week.

I also need to eat more protein. Diet is pretty much ok except I’ve been eating a bit more crap than usual (chocolates, panettone, crisps, biscuits) and drinking wine. With the exception of the wine I think all the sweet stuff is making me more sluggish and I’ve not been digesting well as too much crap all at once. I usually cook and eat loads of veg and pulses, plus pasta, rice etc. I’ve been trying to eat more eggs, which I don’t love, and extra nuts and seeds at breakfast. I’ve not tried any protein shakes but I find stuff like that hard to get down (horrid memories of being sick as a child after drinking build up shakes). Do you mix it with milk or water?

@BigButtons I do an astanga class on a Sunday morning every week.

@Melassa how old are you? I have been taking iron and vit d in an effort to get more energy. But I don't get enough sleep so I'm assuming it's that that is affecting my energy levels . Although maybe perimenopause too.

and yes I'm also giving up sugar and processed food and alcohol as someone on the menopause board suggested that was affecting my sleep and energy levels.

@Itsnotdeep I’m mid 50s. I have been taking vitamin D but no longer take multivitamins as I find I become lazy and eat less well when I’m on them. My sleep is much better since being on HRT, I find I sleep a bit more deeply than before and usually wake up fairly well rested. I’ve noticed I can get away with a lot less in terms of not eating well, or drinking wine, so I try to limit the amount of sugar and empty carbs/ultra processed foods I ingest as I don’t feel great or sleep less well if I eat too much. I think this happens to us all in menopause/peri. I’ve noticed also any mild food intolerances I have are exacerbated right now, plus my skin is more sensitive.

Agree on the whole peri/ meno crappiness. I am 54 and love red wine . It badly affects my sleep now and causes night sweats even though I’m on HRT. I try and have 4 alcohol free days a week now. ( not fun but a necessity).
I have failed to do anything yet today. A visit to my mum’s took longer than planned and am now cooking dinner.
Will try to fit in the jumping Jack session later. Probably won’t happen. Hey ho.

Day 6 ouch ouch.
My right shoulder is playing up from taking up knitting again and doing too much.
Made pretty well all push ups impossible- managed a few on my knees- but those bloody diamond skull crushers ones? I just laughed.
Could do the cobra ones though- I must have been doing them wrong.
Managed 5kg for pretty well all tricep work which is an improvement for me- even for the flies .
Had to drop to 4kg for the finisher after 20 reps!
I feel this much more in my front delts than my triceps.🙄🤷‍♀️
My triceps are not strong.
I hate skull and shoulder crushers. I reach failure really quickly.
Anyone else done this one today?

I haven't done it yet today - I decided to fall off the dry January wagon last night and drink red wine. Alcohol doesn't agree with me either! I'll need to get onto it after work today.

But after complaining about my glutes being lazy and the workout yesterday, I woke with both aching arms and one aching glute. (and a very sore head).

@BigButtons I did Day 6 and am completely with you on those diamond skull crusher ones. What were they all about? I had to do them on all fours 🤣

Way too many variations of tricep push ups for my liking. Some tricep kick backs might have broken it up a bit!

My weights were all over the place - anything from 8kg down to 3kg for skull crushers and the finisher. Tbf I finished the finisher way before CG so had obviously gone too low 🤣

@Anjelika I much prefer kick backs: I can actually feel them working. Sometimes I substitute pull overs for the skull crushers. Same movement but more effective imo🙂

@BigButtons I find the lying on your back skull crushers OK but I never know which body part pullovers are supposed to be targeting! I can't feel those in my triceps - I'm talking the ones where you lie on your back and take the weights from above your chest to right over your head.

@Anjelika I probably didn’t describe them well..
Pullovers with straight ish arms are chest - I meant the ones where you hold one heavier weight with both hands, arm up and then just bend back from the elbows. I find having both hands on one weight gives me more co trim and I feel it more.
Blooming right shoulder is not happy😫

I did day 6 over lunch today. Still not managed to buy my 5kg weights so initially I thought it wasn’t too hard with the 3kg but definitely started to feel it midway through in the staple move and very glad to have stuck with 3kg by the finisher. I generally managed ~10 push-ups for each type with a new record of 9 skull crushers for me. The first time I tried these in epic 1 I couldn’t even work out how to will my body up onto the hands so major improvements for me in my triceps. I used to only manage about 3 dips as well but can keep them up for 45secs now 😀

Oh is it triceps today? I’ve just got back and haven’t looked. I hate triceps, they’re another one where I feel I can’t progress. I missed out the triceps one in the advent series and every time I log into YouTube it comes back to haunt me as a suggested video 😬

I will gird my loins and fo it later, once I’ve worn off the wine I just poured.

Lol at you getting a sore shoulder from knitting @BigButtons! Mind you mine is from excessive smartphone use so I can’t talk. Middle age, eh? I once got a sore thumb from skiing. Not sure how or why. It only happened one year, then never again. Bizarre!

The advent triceps workout is the add on today @Melassa !

I did it this evening - it hurt. The diamond pushups were impossible. No add on for me today.

So it’s triceps and chest then more triceps? Wow, that is sadistic!

I think I will probably give the add-on a miss today.

@melassa lol at the wine and sore thumb!
I have been a knitter all my life- no issues. Then about 9/10 year ago I did a huge amount over a period of a few months- non stop. I was making bags to felt and a large number of jumpers for different people.
I developed a pain in my right shoulder and stopped knitting. Even though that healed years ago now -I knitted another jumper ( first one in years) in December and it’s flared right back up again. Bloody annoying. I find it relaxing and it stops me reaching for the wine😂😂. The arm work out today has made it worse- it was the push ups. However much I would like to get better at them I do really hate them and they hurt!

@BigButtons I get you now. I call those skull crushers too. I find them much easier with just the 1 weight - even when the 1 weight is the equivalent of 2 - so say 6kg as opposed to 3kg in each hand. My arms were bloody shaking on the ones with weights in both hands today.

@Anjelika exactly! Why is that. With 2 weights my hands get tired before my triceps. I might just stick with one heavier weight from now on- more me personally I think it would be more effective.
Need to go and do some shoulder stretches soon-l.

I try to use two weights, as it makes both arms work equally hard - whereas if you use one weight, the stronger arm compensates for the weaker one I think?

Anyway, did the glute (day 3) - much better staying on the floor - felt like my glutes were working rather than hamstrings.

Morning! I'm back from the gym after Day 7 lower body day. That was a knee trembler but not in a good way 🤣 I did the add on too, but flipping hate those Bulgarian lunges, my balance goes out of the window. At least it is done now. I found Day 5 hideous and had to modify so much I was starting to wonder whether EPIC is for me, but back on it today. 😅