Getting fitter and stronger with Caroline Girvan- all welcome!

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New thread!🤩

Slowly getting back into more consistent workouts this week. I did fuel day 4 on Tuesday, netball match Thursday in gruelling heat and completed fuel day 5 this morning. Supposedly using ‘lighter’ weights but as CG used 10kg I did my usual halving this which for me is my ‘heavier’ weights. I did go fetch my 3kg after the first superset but I was determined enough not to drop down. Time to dig out my husbands old adjustable dumbbells so I can move up on heavier weight days 💪

Fuel day 15. Burpee dumbbell hell.
I thought I was going to see my breakfast again at points. HR hit 170 at one point. Pretty well all sprawls, burpees and the odd weighted squat.
The staple was one minute of sprawls and that came up 4 times.😩

So, this week's random question: has anyone found that getting into weights has, um, changed the shape of their bum to the extent that their knickers don't fit right?

Sounds like hell. I’ll have to remember to give that one a miss. Far too hot here for such shenanigans! I had hoped she’d dropped the burpee but obviously not.

@AquaticSewingMachine i did notice my bum appeared to be veering towards Kim Kardashian’s, although it seems to have settled down a bit (probably because I skipped many a hip thrust). It’s not so much knickers but fitted trousers and skirts that have got tight at the back. My office wear has dwindled!

It's not even like my bum has got bigger. Just... Differently shaped? Knickers which didn't used to fit properly now do, knickers that used to fit now don't, and my top priority in a knicker is 100% comfort so now I'm wondering if I'm going to have to substantially refresh the drawer. Is weird.

@AquaticSewingMachine everything about me is bigger! Although I seem to be finally tightening up.
@Melassa I actually don’t mind physically doing burpees and sprawls -they just leave me very breathless- I guess that’s the point.
next 2 weekends I will be away so can’t follow the hiit hell

@AquaticSewingMachine yes, definitely. I am also on a quest for the elusive well-fitting knicker, which I don't remember being a problem before!

My bum is deffo bigger. Had trouble with the waist band on my trousers today. I don't think it can be my stomach as that is much more toned now. I think my bum is using all the spare fabric!!
Fuel day 16 quads- was a good one, very sweaty and heart rate up even standing inront of the fan. Excellent -now my bum will get even bigger from all the squats and bulgarian lunges......... I might skip glute day this week and do another upper body or do a hiit since I won't be around on Sunday to do one.

What I don’t understand is, how is CG’s bum not Kardashian like? Unless it is partially disguised by her hamstrings. Luckily my hamstrings have not really developed too much and I’m happy to keep it that way.

My upper body however has really got stronger. We went paddle boarding and kayaking over the weekend and I noticed how much faster I was paddling with very little effort. Not at all tired from crossing the lake and I even beat DP (though of course he tells me he wasn’t really trying…). It reminded me that even if I don’t see the effects in the guise of super cut muscles the training is having an effect.

CG definitely has verrrrry low body fat, so whatever she's got going on back there is almost certainly 100% muscle. I suspect it is quite substantial; one of the things I like about her is that she's got the mighty thigh muscles going on and I crave her arms. I reckon her shorts are quite stretchy.

Yes- she has extra low body fat and must watch her nutrition very very carefully. More than I can be bothered to do . I like wine too much.
my hamstrings are also big- they always built easily. I do like my rock hard thighs though. No jiggle here.
good news on the arm strength @Melassa 😍

Hello, can I join you?!

I'm 46, peri, not really overweight but hopelessly unfit and very wobbly! I've been hearing a lot about how important strength training is as we get older -I am determined do something about it because I am really beginning to notice a difference in my body, and not in a good way.

I've got some really basic newbie questions which I'm hoping someone can help me with...
1 - I should start with the Beginner programme, yes? Is it all on YouTube?
2 - What weights do I need to begin with? Is it hand weights, dumbbells, bands?
3 - How much physical space do I need? I'm trying to figure out where I can actually do it!
4 - I've got carpeted floor, do I use a mat? Should I wear trainers? (see I told you these were basic questions!)
5 - how regularly should you do a session? Daily? Every other day? A few times a week?

I know that some of these questions will be 'it depends', but it would be great to get an idea of what other people do!

You can ignore all those questions, I've just found the PDF guide on her website that basically answers all of it!

Looking at the pictures it seems that it is a yes to trainers :)

hello @pastaandpesto !
I don't ever wear trainers, always workout barefoot. I even bought some Nike metcons especially for lifting and never wear them!
Epic beginners is tough, so go easy, you will be sore.
When i started, the weights I had in the house ranged from 2-5 kg.
I bought a set of adjustable dumbbells after a couple of months, then another set and then extra weight plates.
Start your weights low and get your form sorted out, that is the most important thing.
Be prepared to be sore, we all are.
Do what you can each session. You don't have to match her, she is a tri- athlete. Just progress as best you can!
Hope that helps

I, otoh, don't start hefting heavy things about unless I have proper shoes on! :)

I started with a single pair of 4kg dumbbells, now I'm up to 10kgs.

Just found you guys. Did beginners epic 1 this evening, couldn’t do all of it but liked it so planning to continue.

do you do it every day or have a rest day?

Epic 1 Day 26 for me. 4x10 minute continuous sets, I stuck to my 7.5kgs all the way through to Caroline's 10. I could not have done that when I started.

do you do it every day or have a rest day?

I work out 3-4 times a week. If you follow one of the programmes religiously, you generally have 5 days working out (including a HIIT session) and two rest days. Rest days are important.

ilovetomatoes, well done! I did Beginner Epic Day 1 this evening too.

No idea how I am going to get out of bed in the morning, I'm so stiff already!

It gets better @pastaandpesto . I'd feel I hadn't worked out hard enough if I didn't get any DOMS after a session, but the more I work out the less intense the DOMS is. Going for a walk or doing some yoga today will help.

Yeah walking, stretching and massage certainly helps reduce doms. The more you workout the less intense they are!

I just had to google what DOMS are - I am a real newbie...

It's good to know I won't be waddling around forever!

For those who are suffering after starting CG, do this before each session (but turn down the volume...):

@FlowerArranger that is the number one tip with RL for sure!
i think i am going to stop fuel.
I am tired, really tired and I am trying to work our why.
As a series it don't know what its focus is. It also has 4 lower body days, 4 days of thrashing your thighs.
So I have found I have being doing add ons just to get a balance.
I have been also doing full body callisthenics on saturday to try and get an upper/lower body balance.
So basically I have been doing too much.
I can't see the point in what she is doing. It's not like heat. I don't mind the cardio element , but I do sometimes come away feeling like I haven't worked hard enough at SOMETHING, it's like it's little bitty bits and it's not to do with the weights I'm using.
I don't like giving up on things, but I think i might pick back up with Epic three.
I did an endgame back and biceps today instead of the endless thrusts and rdls that are bum and hammy day. Couldn't face it again.

I’ve got a rare day off with no real plans today so I thought I’d start the day active and have that nice smug feeling that my exercise is done for the day. Fuel day 6 completed which was ok, I think my quads are the area I need least work on so glad to get it done so I can move on to upper body again. I quite like circuits, especially the last round when you can tick each exercise off and you know the end is near.
I do all my workouts bare foot on carpet and have a yoga mat as well for some exercises. I started with 1.5kg last Sept and now use 5kg for nearly all workouts. Looking to buy some heavier ones but slightly shocked at the price hike and not sure I have anywhere to store them!

@Forgotmypasswordsgain weights are stupid expensive- that's why I had to go for adjustables as the rest is too expensive.
day 19 fuel- I said I was going to give it up but I actually hate not seeing things through to the end.
I didn't look forward to it- i could see it would be brutal. More burpees. At the end- (the last of the 2 minute complexes with only 30 second rest each 2 minutes-) it was double dumbbell burpee x10 followed by burpee x10. At one point I couldn't lift my body off the floor, just just would not move..