Getting fitter and stronger with Caroline Girvan- all welcome!

[BigButtons]

New thread!🤩

@GregBrawlsInDogJail it will come. I now work extra on my triceps every week now. I can do dips with relative ease now and tricep push ups are much better. Keep plodding on!

Me neither. Tricep push ups I barely bend at the elbow, or I fall down. Skull crushers push ups, I don’t get off the ground. If I start off the ground, I fall on my face.

you are not the only one. I was beginning to think I was missing a muscle.

Do they get better @BigButtons ? My dips are fine now and I can do tricep presses etc. but the push ups elude me still.

@Melassa i can’t do them when she puts them right at the end of a punishing routine, but I can do about 10 of my arms are not too tired. You need to keep your elbows really tucked in.
i can’t do diamond ones
very strangely I can do some skull crushers. I am probably not doing them correctly.
I hate push ups though.

Yeah I was doing them right at the end of the routine after my biceps and triceps had been merrily caned for 35 minutes. I'm blaming that. I could probably do at least a few if they were right at the start. 😉

Thank you @BigButtons, both finally back to school/preschool and I am starting to get back to routine. I need to invest in a resistance band so skipped Iron day 3 but have gone onto 4 and 5. Hopefully will be able to get one this weekend so can go back to glutes day 3.

Trying to keep up with some core work in the background too and maintain 10k steps per day to keep baseline activity high

@GregBrawlsInDogJail of course you could have done them at the start 🙂
@prescribingmum glad all is back to normal again.
I am knackered from leaping straight into Epic 3 so no more weights until fuel starts on Monday. Think I will do the wall sit challenge and the advent tricep work out this weekend, otherwise yoga and walks🙂

Thank you, just had a very half hearted attempt at D6 Iron Series.
I hated the volume of lunges, I am not one that has avoided or hated them in the past. For the first time, my knees are also getting sore too so I think I will look at substituting some for another exercise
Any stretching video recommendations? I really need to improve before I injure myself

@prescribingmum I'm sure there are plenty of free options on YouTube, but I use the Down Dog yoga app which is about £15 for a year, and I do flexibility-focused yoga - you can set both the length and focus of your session, and even add a boost if you want to focus on a particular joint or area (I usually do a hip flexor boost because of all my running and desk work).

I was on day 6 iron today too. Agree it was a lot of lunges. Found I was stopping before the timer by a good ten seconds. Think iron might be one for repeat and progression? I am enjoying it more than epic 1. The half hour time fits nicely with other things I'm trying to achieve!

Can anyone help or advise please?

I've just done epic heat 48 (push-ups) and whilst I know I'm a beginner (my first program) and very high on the scale for hypermobility (which is always going to go against me, I know that) I am so fed up that I haven't progressed further with push-ups.

I am such a lightweight, I did all of them on the stairs or my knees except for the plank based ones and cobra's. I can't get as deep as I would like either. Dead stop for example, isn't happening!!!

I really thought I had improved my strength but no. The best I can say is that I've graduated from wall push-ups.

I am under a physio and have a new program for my upper body, but I feel like I will never get there with push-ups.

Any advice please?

No advice, only sympathy @Lelivre!
Did EPIC 1 (almost twice!) and now iron- still can't do a proper push up! Not even one
I have progressed to 2/3 of a push up, which is something I guess

@prescribingmum - I find Rebecca Louise's Stretch very useful. Redefining Strength also has a lot of stretch advice.

@milkfromthesleepycow - Redefining Strength has a lot of advice about the correct way of doing push ups. Though I still struggle with anything other than basic push ups...

@prescribingmum I do alot of stuff from 'strength side' on youtube. His stretches cut to the chase and they work

I did an old epic heat upper body today. I managed 2 sets of 10 push ups on my toes. It has taken me a year to be able to do these when my muscles are already fatigues during a work out.
I have been thinking about what is making the difference for me and I think it has to do with the extra shoulder/upper body workouts I have been adding during the week recently. Push ups are so much about shoulder strength.

Thank you for stretch ideas @GregBrawlsInDogJail @FlowerArranger @BigButtons

@milkfromthesleepycow I lose all motivation with longer workouts so 30min Iron is perfect for me. I also enjoy strength training in general and don't usually get bored with it

@Lelivre it has taken me a long time to be able to do push ups (still can't do many) but something that has helped me when almost there was using a pilates ring between my chest at the floor. It doesn't provide much support but gave enough to enable me to make the transition from knees to feet and I can now do a fair few reps with the ring and a small number without anything

Day 49 full body endgame completed today. I used 5kg throughout to CG’s 10kg. Only seem to be able to fit in 1 workout each week at the moment, probably not helped by falling so behind so I feel less accountable. Boy did my triceps ache for a long time after day 48, reckon the 45sec tricep push-ups were to blame. So close to the finish line! Despite my lack of workouts I’m my lowest weight since Christmas, I like to think all the extra dog walking each day must be helping rather than muscle loss 😂

Only seem to be able to fit in 1 workout each week at the moment

@Forgotmypasswordsgain - I know it can be difficult to fit in full daily workouts, but I found just doing the Bowflex 3-minute plank every day really useful in strengthening my core and thus improving my overall fitness.

@FlowerArranger I must get back into doing that plank. I used to be able to hold a plank for three minutes quite easily.
I have also started doing this
m.youtube.com/watch?v=HFnSsLIB7a4&list=PLeXzBbaPjjPXmOeUXhD7BouMHmEbjbTDI&index=13
this guy is great. I do alot of his stretches.
I am going start FUEL tomorrow and see if I like it. I have really liked epic three but backed off from it a bit this week as I was getting too tired- I could feel I needed a rest.
Been walking though🙂

I too need to get back to doing that plank series. Did it for the first time in ages last week and it was an effort, when it had become fairly easy before. Did Iron day 20 with the core exercises and the side plank was a challenge, so I do need to keep up the plank training.

I saw the new series coming out. I’ve got 2 weeks left to do on Iron so uncertain whether to switch now and go back to Iron later or persevere with Iron. I’m not very good at following the live series as inevitably I get behind due to work schedule, so maybe I should stick with Iron (currently managing 3 workouts a week, if that) then do Fuel at my own pace after.

@Forgotmypasswordsgain well done on the weight loss, dog walking is probably doing you a world of good, as well as the CG workouts of course. I think walking is underestimated, when DD was at primary I used to have to do a 20 min dash at speed from the railway station to her school to pick her up and I was fairly fit and slim with seemingly no effort. Contrast with now… I probably need a big dog, alas my lifestyle at present only allows for cats.

The facebooks group has got itself into an hysterical lather over the new series. There are threads calling for everyone to wear pink like ’our queen’ it is really quite nauseating.

Oh my, vomit inducing. Do they all have matching outfits do you think? I can imagine them raiding Nike online after every session.

@Melassa I was debating the same regarding new series although I am only on D7 iron but I will continue for at least 1 more week. On reflection, I decided I wanted to be slightly behind as I workout at 5.30am and assume her videos will not be available that early?!

To be fair, I was enjoying iron until excessive lunges on D6, I just need to decide on my own alternative for when my knees get sore.

@BigButtons I steer clear of fb groups, I feel like I am surrounded by crazed fans at a music concert 😂

Groups like this one are so much more balanced

@prescribingmum think she uploads them at 5 am?