Getting fitter and stronger with Caroline Girvan- all welcome!

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New thread!🤩

You’ve got me intrigued about the macro check @ladybranstonpickle , I’ll have to go and have a look.

I’m early 40s and haven’t looked into whether fasting raises cortisol etc. But I think some forms of it make sense from an evolutionary perspective. Back when we didn’t have electricity, people went to bed when it got dark and didn’t sit on the couch at 10pm eating chocolate and drinking wine. IMO doing something like a 16:8 fast every or most days should be a good thing. Doing a 5:2 fast on the other hand where you have 2 very low calories days doesn’t seem to me to be a good idea and I can imagine that would raise cortisol.

I did 16:8 for a while but can’t say it helped me lose weight, as I was still eating 3 meals in a shorter window. It really does make a difference to sleep though. I have an Oura ring which can tell from my sleep stats if I have eaten late at night.

As for CG, I was planning on getting back on track today as school has just gone back where I am. As luck would have it DD1 is off sick so my plans are out the window!

Beginners Day 2 in the bag - ow, my wrists! And the ache from Day 1 is setting into my legs and bum. Which I see as a good thing!

@chloechloe the only time I can do this is before everyone else gets up, which is brutal but better than continuing to get less fit - could you?

Beginners day 2 completed here too. It confirmed my upper body is my weakness! Good job I like the Cobra!

I felt my legs a little this morning too, which never usually happens. I’m going to do my own cool down/ stretches afterwards from now on, as I think the ones I’m used to doing make a difference.

If I want to add it something like Lucy’s thighs and glutes, should I do it on a leg day or non leg day (or am I supposed to rest my legs?). I fancy doing something else later.

If I want to add it something like Lucy’s thighs and glutes, should I do it on a leg day or non leg day (or am I supposed to rest my legs?).

I don't think it matters. I've done both, depending on how I feel, though in practice I'm probably more likely to work something else if ive alreadydone a legs workout, e.g. Rebecca's Best Abs or Bingo Wings.

Thanks

@bluesuitcase I didn't start with anything near that weight! Think the heaviest I owned was a pair of 5kg and that was plenty for a while. You will build up strength quickly if you are consistent!

I’ve toyed with the idea of getting up earlier but that would mean a 5:15 / 5:30 start which is especially brutal in winter. I already get up at 6:00 / 6:15 to get 3DC out in time as school starts at 8am where I am. I may try and talk myself into it!

Iron D3 …interrupted so had to stop at about 83% :(

That is brutal! My getting up early time is your normal time.

Although that hasn't worked for me today and won't tomorrow. A couple of late nights - just finished work now- mean my morning slot doesn't work. I'm effectively taking my weekend rest days in the middle of the week and will pick it again when these deadlines have passed.

Ugh I've only been doing CG for 1 week and I've put on 2 pounds!! I must be eating more. I'm never over 9st and I was 9st 2 this morning. I think it's making me feel hungrier and my usual eating has gone out the window. I'll need to pull it back.

I can feel my abs this morning - in a good way!

I haven’t weighed or measured - I was considering just going by my clothes and how I look and feel. I’m not one for photos either. I’m wondering if I should though. I haven’t weighed for years.

I’m eating healthily alongside it. I’d got into a rut last year of eating breakfast when I hadn’t for years, and this change along with lack of exercise led to weight gain. So I’ve gone back to not having breakfast, and eating a light lunch as late as possible, then eating a healthy dinner. So 16:8 or thereabouts.

@bluesuitcase I weigh myself every morning. I know that's probably not healthy but I've done it for years and it works for me. As I know I've put on 2 pounds I'll cut my carbs a bit over the next few days and have no chocolate after dinner!

@pharmachameleon - i wouldn't get too hung up about gaining 2 lb since muscles weigh more than fat. I'm about6 or 8 lb heavier than I was at my slimmest, but most of my old clothes fit again since I started working out with Caroline. Maybe use a measuring tape as well as scales?

I used to weigh daily many years ago and it worked great for me but I feel happier since I stopped so I don’t really want to get back into that again. I don’t snack or drink alcohol which helps but I do like a hot chocolate every evening.

I really enjoyed day 4 of the beginner epic, the dumbbell workout. If iron is similar then I’ll look forward to it.

@pharmachameleon ditch the scales. Your weight will go up when you are lifting. it is both a mixture of muscle gain , which is heavier than fat volume-wise and water mention. Go by your clothes or a tape measure.

Hi there

Sorry to crash this thread but has Caroline stopped releasing new content?

I don't have Facebook or Instagram so unable to see any updates.

Are you saying you've done all of her existing ones!?? Chapeau 😎

I think Caroline is taking an extended break. In October she did a one-off workout in a room which looked completely different from her usual setup. I think she said she was halfway through preparing her next series. So maybe it's imminent?

I don't believe there have been any updates since then - unless someone else has heard anything?

@FlowerArranger ah thank you, that's good to know.

I'm in the last week of Iron! I've enjoyed it -I am definitely stronger and was able to do 10 pushups in a row last night, which was a surprise! Just not sure ow much of an impact it has had on my body fat. I missed a glute workout at the beginning (Week 2) and missed the Tuesday workout this week too. Not sure whether to just tack them on to the end so do them Monday and Tuesday next week and then take a 5 day ret.

I still need to decide which one I am doing next. Tempted to do BeastMode or Callisthenics...The Epics are just too long for me to squeeze after the nursery run or before dinner.

There were some rumours on the CG FB group that she had filed a business application for an app and undefined other businesses....

Well done! Have you noticed any change in body shape?

I really hope she doesn’t take her workouts off YouTube and move to an app just as I’ve discovered her! I refuse to sign up to apps, thus looking for YouTube workouts in the first place.

To be honest, I'm not fussed whether Caroline produces any more series or moves to an App as I'm quite happy to keep repeating what's already out there. I still haven't done Iron or Fuel.

I often dip in and out of different series or add in one of her stand alone sessions. My life is too busy to stick to a program day after day. If I 'miss' a workout I just do it the next day. If she's doing an all lunges workout (🙀) I may split it in half and add a Growingannanas workout. As long as I'm fit and continue to improve I'm happy!

Yes I’m not worried about new stuff as I haven’t even started a programme yet, I just hope she doesn’t remove the already released content from YouTube and move it to an app that you have to pay for (like Jillian/ Davina’s - but I already had their DVDs so it wasn’t an issue).

Beginner epic complete! I’ll move onto iron next week.

I very much doubt that Caroline would remove the workouts that are already on YouTube. It would be counter to her stated intentions to provide free content, and I don't think it's in her personality to be 'mean'! In any event she has probably made a fair amount just by being on YouTube. I expect lots of people might buy her App if she were to switch to that model.

Hi everyone!

I finally got back on the CG train yesterday after letting the training slip completely over Xmas and new year.

I’m going back to Epic Beginners again for a week or so and then I’ll do one of the 30 min Programmes. I had started doing Heat before but am now thinking about Fuel or Iron instead (no HIIT, I hate HIIT!).

I’m going to invest in some new weights as I only have 2 x 2kg at the moment (I often double up and hold 2 in one hand as a short-term fix). I swear the prices have shot up since the last time I looked, they’re so expensive to buy.

I was planning on getting 2 x 5kg and 2 x 10kg - do you think that would be good to start with? On the CG website it says to start with 3-6kg for upper body and 8-10kg for lower body.

5kg for upper body sounds about right. 10kg for lower body may be challenging- it's what I try to use, but I usually have to switch to 8kg
about halfway through the workout. But I'm quite old - if you're young and fit, 10kg may be totally doable. Do you have access to a gym where you can try them out? If you get 8kg, you'll eventually use them for upper body and progress to 10-12kg for lower.

I think one has to accept that if one takes this seriously, one has to upgrade periodically. Or go with adjustable dumbbells, but these can be a bit fiddly. I currently have 4 sets, ranging from 5 to 12kg and I use them all, depending on the exercises and how strong I happen to feel on a particular day. Dumbbells have become quite expensive - but still way cheaper than a gym membership.

As for Caroline's brand of HIIT, I get you 🙀. I tend to save those for days when I'm in bad ass mood. The rest of the time I substitute something by the lovely Anna... I often add on a short Growingannanas tabata workout to my daily dose of Caroline because I feel I need more cardio - and I hate running...