Getting fitter and stronger with Caroline Girvan- all welcome!

[BigButtons]

New thread!🤩

I m still on my Deload week. Finding it tough tbh. My legs have shrunk- that’s no bad thing. They were pretty pumped up.
they’ll be pumped up again soo enough!

Epic 1 Day 48 yesterday. Decisions, decisions; what series do I do next? Definitely want to focus on building strength and muscle. Epic II? Iron?

@AquaticSewingMachine I am on my second round of Epic three. I love it. It really suits my body.

Hi all! I am a newbie to CG (and really, consistent exercise 😳). I've been doing the epic beginners set for a couple of weeks on rotation, it still feels pretty tough and I'm not sure I'm ready to graduate from it!! When do I know and where do I go from here?

Hi@DryIce !
CG’s workouts are really tough. Well done you for sticking with it. The benefits will be huge in the long term. You will get stronger and fitter. It will always hurt though- sorry!
everyone has their favourite series. None are harder than any others in theory but some feel harder to some people.
You could try her advent series as they are shorter sessions- not easy- but do able 🙂

@DryIce I'd just give it a go. Caroline herself often has to pause/stop during a session due to muscle fatigue. I'm always using lighter weights than she is, I count it a good day if I'm doing 75% of her weight and I still do some pushup variations on my knees. The important thing is that you're challenging yourself and getting stronger, and you will be. It will always be hard, if it's easy you need heavier weights 😉

@BigButtons okay, I'll try Epic III next!

@DryIce she also has a 5-session Kick-Ass Kettlebell series you could try if you have a Kettlebell, much less daunting than 50 sessions!

I just made it through almost a whole 30min full body session using my 10kg dumbbells! Not the next session in Epic, I didn't have loads of time and couldn't face a full 1hr+ session. But a personal milestone nonetheless! I only switched down for overhead presses. And boy do I feel it now.

I bet you do!

I have a spanking new set of 20 pounders on order that should arrive on Friday.
Wish me luck 😅

PS: any of you doing Caroline's braced core/abs workout? I now do this almost every day, though I still go back to Rebecca Louise's Best Abs every now and again.
Plus the Bowflex plank (with variations), of course!

@FlowerArranger not sure if I have done that one. Does it have lots of leg lowering? Can’t be doing with those- my hollow back!

Lots of crunches, tucks and hollow holds - plus dead bugs and a solitary Russian twist 😂

And she's back!!!! 😎

Yeah I saw she'd just been posting some new sessions! I did one on Mon. No new series yet though, right?

My arms are starting to look pretty good although not nearly as defined as Caro's. I don't know if she just has lower body fat, bigger muscles, or bit of both? 🤔

I think she said that she's half way through preparing a new series?

As for her physique...... her muscles are unreal and she is sooooo lean. But she does a LOT more than the 30- minutes daily sessions she shows on her channel. She is a marathon runner - ran the NYC marathon in just over 3 hours I think!! I imagine her entire life is focused on fitness, including her nutrition. Plus lucky genes...

I wish CG had been around 20, 30 years ago. I'm in excellent shape in my 60s, but I feel I wasted so much time. The sort of - mostly aerobic - exercise we used to do way back when just aren't enough. Doing weights like CG has shown us how to do is a gamechanger. Life changing actually!!

Well I still haven't done the last two sessions of Epic 1, because they're fucking long, and I have to go in the office more now and struggling more to fit 1hr+ workouts in

I did Iron 1 this morning and enjoyed it though. Used 10kg/12kg throughout and found I was well into cardio zone and sweating despite the slow movement. 30mins sessions are where it's at for me right now I think.

@AquaticSewingMachine I liked day 49- it was a mixture of body weight and stretching wasn’t it?
certainly if you lift heavy enough you will be in the cardio zone.
I am now up to 14kg for leg days and can rack the dumbbells high. It really works my core.
what I do now is take extra breaks every few sets when I am lifting heavier. It allows my muscles to recover better and keeps good form.
it’s amazing how much my deload week helped to improve my strength 🙂

Yes I think so @BigButtons . I still intend to do it... on some day... when I have an hour!

Still meh about HIIT. I just don't think I like it and struggle to do a session on my own.

Hello fellow Girvanators - I am here, plugging away at Epic Heat (second time around). I definitely feel stronger, can do almost 5-6 true pushups now, although at a much slower pace than our dear Caroline! I'm on Week 7, Day 3 - not looking forward to the endless lunges in today's workout but I will grit my teeth and do it.

Planning to try Iron after Heat, I've bought new dumbells - 10kg pair and a 15kg pair. I was put off Iron when it came out as I didn't have heavy enough weights and didn't think it would work with lighter ones.

I think I'm seeing some definition in my arms, and very slow reduction in belly fat - a long way to go yet!

I've also been really focused on my diet. I calculated my macros and have been trying (although not always successfully) to keep to them. I struggle to hit my protein goal, especially as I don't really love deli/prepared cold meats like chicken slices etc. But I've got some protein powder and I'm eating more protein than I used to, so hoping every little helps.

How is everyone else doing?

Hello! I'm a Girvanator who has just done an aquatic name change 🙂

I still have Day 50 of Epic 1 to go, although I just do not like Caroline's HIITs, but I'm enjoying plugging away at Iron. I'm using my 10kgs for much of it now and thinking about ordering 12kgs! Who'dathunkit.

I'm vaguely fascinated by the way the fat is being slowly pared away from my thighs. I've noticed that eating more protein has actually made me less interested in carbs. I definitely need the shakes/protein powder to really make up a protein % though. Yesterday was arms and abs and it burned real good. I've also added a run a week back in just because I really like running.

Hello! I've lurked this thread and just want to stop by and say I've just done CG Epic Beginners.
I'm an injured nearly 50 year old runner looking to build strength to help put a stop to the running injuries I've had over to last few years. Combined with some yoga.
I'm fine on the lower body but jeez, it's really highlighted how pathetic my core and upper body are. I'm the opposite of the "forgot leg day" meme😆
Think these weaknesses give me poor running form so lots of work to do.
Love hearing about you Girvinators lifting heavier weights. Gives me hope I can progress with time. Sticking to my little dumbbells and an 8kg kettle bell at the mo. Have OHs bigger dumbbells for progression but nowhere near ready yet.
I was going to move onto Epic but as mentioned above seen they are 40 min + sessions which might be hard to fit so might do the Advent ones suggested up thread.

Hello you all 😀

Not posting much these days but still working out 60-90 minutes most days. Primarily Caroline, plus Growingannanas for HIIT (don't like most CG's HIIT...), and occasionally going back to my old favorites (Lucy's Thighs & Glutes and Rebecca's Best Abs mainly). And always, always, the Bowflex 3-minute plank!

A couple of points in response to points raised by PPs:

Building a strong core is absolutely vital. I cannot stress too much what a difference this has made to my fitness. This is how I did it:

Bowflex 3-minute plank every single day.
Rebecca Louise's Best Abs
Caroline's Braced Core & Abs and her 15-minute plank workout

Protein...... At one point I was obsessing about protein, though I never went as far as adding supplements. Even so, I found that my kidney function - as measured by E-GFR - was declining. No doubt this is partly due to my (advanced) age, but still worth keeping an eye on by getting yearly blood work done.

Weight vs muscle....... I gained nearly 20 lb over lockdown... I've lost around 12 lb, but all my old clothes fit me again. And my muscles are awesome, even if I say so myself. Nicely toned, rock hard thighs, and no more bingo wings!

I'm in my 60s and fitter than I was decades ago. I can outrun many women half my age. I can ski all day without a break. I enjoy exercising so much and would miss it more than anything if I couldn't do it any more.

Keep at it, Ladies - it is so, soooooo worth it!! 😎

That is so inspiring flowerArranger. Thank you for posting.

How long do you spend on abs/core each day? I sometimes do the 3 min plank and I like CG's braced core and abs but never done her 15 min plank - sounds very tough!

I probably spend about 15 minutes on core and up work most days. Variations on the Bowflex plank and a dedicated abs workout.

Rebecca's Best Abs is a favorite, though I often vary the individual exercises, e.g. adding in Russian twists, deadbugs, bear walks, etc and also substituting more challenging plank variations. And obviously turn the volume down (😱)........ I usually listen to tge Women's Hour podcast instead...

Caroline's 15-minute plank is less strenuous as it sounds as it's lots of variations, with a 5 second break between each one. Maybe do just half the first time?

Thanks FlowerArranger. Today I plan to do the 3 min bow flex one, a CG HIIT (I'm working my way through epic heat again) and may do the Rebecca Louise one if I'm not totally exhausted after the HIIT!

Yes definitely remember about turning volume down on Rebecca Louise!! Have you tried any abs workouts by krissy chela?

Well done everyone. I have found that I use my core so much during normal weight work that I hardly ever do a dedicated core session. My abs are hard.
I have fallen off the wagon a bit because it has been ‘bonfire’ season down here in the SE. The main event was on Saturday and I am still so tired that I can barely function let alone work out 😮😳