Lifting with Caroline Girvan 2024: What's not to love?!

[BigButtons]

New thread!

I got an adjustable barbell from Amazon it was about £30. It’s up to 20kg. I really recommend investing in something like this

There is one video it might be the mighty, where the main movement IS the lunges - she sometimes works in 1 movement to repeat repeat repeat. I only do this one occasionally 😂

but the lunges are why I wear rubber soles converse! This really helped me get a proper grip to do them better

Here is the knee friendly

beware this one is HARD 😂

2nd day of Intent and it feels really long and really hard!

Not sure how long I'll keep at it. Have been using CG for over a year now and maybe working out home alone I've got a bit too comfortable. I should accept the challenge 💪her weights seem super heavy to me!

@Menora thanks I will see what amazon has to offer. I won’t need super heavy but something that I can add to over time would be great.

I did the glutes day today (iron day 3) - it’s definitely a new way of working out for me, these very slow steady workouts but I am enjoying them.

The normal lunges are ok, but those sideways lunges and just too pinchy on my knees. I maybe am not doing them right? I don’t normally get knee pain generally, but any static stepping (even jogging on the spot) is guaranteed to get my knees pinching, and now clearly these as well!

@samthebordercollie I know you said you run, how do you organise your week? Presumably you must double up some days? Do you have still the set 2 rest days, or do you run on those days? I’m trying to work out how to fit them all in and keep up my running programme as well. Not enough days in the week and I need at least one full rest day (well active rest as I still walk the dog and other general activity)

@thenewaveragebear1983 I do a long run 3 or 4 days a week every morning and strength train 3 or 4 days a week followed by a little 5km run with the dogs. I double up sometimes when I do a long morning run and then do a strength session - upper body or glutes - in the evening. No rest days unless I'm ill. and a dog walk every evening too for an hour. I'm 58 and only work part time so I have time to spare. It's too much - sadly I have an exercise addiction problem 😟

I remember her longer epic (not heat) workouts and intent feels more like those to me so I don’t find them too long. I just get my head down . I am liking the format so far actually. I hated unleash. I am having to be creative because of my dodgy elbows still, but am enjoying learning other ways to work the same muscle.

@samthebordercollie yes that’s a lot! I think I definitely need at least one rest day, ideally two but that means doubling up on 2-3 days to get my runs in. I’ll have to see. I might have to complete the cg programme over 8 weeks not 6 to get them in, or double the cg work outs to get a couple of clear days. I could do eg. Legs and arms on the same day 🤔 I’ll try it as it is for now and see how I get on.

@thenewaveragebear1983 If you are doing strength training 3 days a week then you can double up no problem, it's like doing 3 full body workouts, which are very effective if you don't have time to do separate body splits 5 days a week.
@BigButtons Was Day 3 Intent lighter weights more reps? Intent sounds much more attractive than Unleash. I will finish Iron 2 in the next week and thought about doing the Cluster programme then going onto Intent. I'll save Unleash for when there is nothing else left!
BTW for those with the App Caroline has written a really good article on how to measure progress. I really like her articles, more than the others in the knowledge section. She knows her stuff. I wish she would go into more detail about how calories burned during workouts don't matter, strength training isn't about that, it's about building muscle which in turn speeds up your metabolism and burns more calories. As a former cardio queen I'm still too obsessed with the 'calories spent' reading on my Garmin even though I know it's bllcks

@samthebordercollie I will do day three later today. My mindset has shifted a bit re the sessions. Having backed of pushing the weights I kind of no longer dread any of them- I make them what I want them to be. I chose the intensity level. Caroline is always banging on about this but I have failed to listen🧐😆
so far I like the format in that I am not bored. I found unleash tedious .
I have a feeing though that intent will be very intense- even if you were to really lower the weights. She talked about maybe needing more rest days with this series than with others and I can see why!

@samthebordercollie I agree the articles are great. The one about measuring progress was excellent and so sensible. I do not weigh myself nor calories/ macro count ( apart from trying to get the protein in).
I used to be obsessed with running and trying to be as skinny as possible. It was horrible. I am enjoying being larger and stronger now and can eat more.

@BigButtons It's true, with strength training you can eat so much more. I need to cut down on running. As soon as I increase cardio the scales start to creep up. I cn't get the hang of measurements as I seem to do them so inaccurately so I still weigh myself.
Isn't it funny how sometimes one day the weights feel light and sometimes really heavy?

Well, I certainly have a touch of DOMS today after that glutes session yesterday! I took an active rest day so aside from 5 miles with the dog I’ve not worked out today. I’m going to run tomorrow morning but I may do the CG session in the evening.

I have sciatica so I am having some time off, I walked 5 miles instead. Wasn’t as much fun tbh but at least I’m not hurting my back more

I'm working through epic 1,I had really bad back and shoulder doms after doing a back and abs session..so had two rest days together.
I do try to push myself on the upper body days so think I went to hard.
Lower body is still a struggle,I am only really comfortable using 6kg for everything,and even that becomes tricky as the workout progresses.
I am in awe at what caroline uses and also reading what others use(mainly on the slightly ott Facebook group)
I want to lift heavier but know I simply can't as yet-i wobble all over and it hurts if I try!onwards and upwards.
I do follow another trainer called shelly dose who insists you should incorporate cardio into every weight session so I'm not sure if Caroline's way is the "best" way...but I am enjoying the more slowed down pace and being able to go heavier because of it! I have noticed progress mainly in my legs(go figure!)

See I have read a lot about how cardio just tires you out faster so shouldn’t be combined with strength, it’s separate. If you use all your energy on cardio you can’t use your muscles as effectively. If you are just simply trying to burn calories then having a very intense workout makes sense for time purposes but not really for gaining muscle. Everything I’ve read said do your cardio last or at another time. Even body builders do not do cardio first (not that we are) although they might do some cardio warm up you can warm up by doing the reps with just lighter weights

There is no point lifting heavier just as you can or want to, it really should be a slow progressive overload. If you can’t finish reps on the weights you are doing then don’t move up yet. Caroline is a beast I would expect it could take me years to get to her level and I probably never will even get close - good genetics and consistency also matter. Just do what is right for your own body don’t try to be like someone else xx

I think I got sciatica from poor hip movement in my workouts so I need to not move up weights and go slower and be more mindful of not pushing my hips forward in RDL or squats when I come upwards

@ellebelli you do you! Don't worry about the weights everyone else is using. Caroline is a beast and has been lifting for years. It's best to concentrate on form and if you are wobbling with heavier weights stick to lighter weights and more reps. You will increase your weights - I started of with 7.5kg for legs in Jan 2023 and am now on 12,5kg without wobbling, I'm trying 15kg but form isn't great.
The only weight I really haven't been able to increase much is for chest press, maybe I'm doing them all wrong as I can only manage 10kg if there are more than 2 sets 😕. Overhead presses have only increased by 1kg to 6kg for more than 2 sets.
@Menora I hope your sciatica gets better soon!

Hi all. I came across this thread a few months ago and was going to start some CG workouts but really struggled with them. I've just completed a 12 week programme following Heather Robertson which was more manageable for me.

I keep hearing such good things about Caroline Girvan and wonder if now that I've built a bit of strength, I can attempt again. I just wondered if anyone could recommend which programme to start with.

Also, what do you think are the maximum number of days per week to do her workouts? I'd quite like to do something every day but don't what to overdo it.

Thank you.

Hi! Can I join? How long are the workouts and do you do them 7 days a week?

I do not do them for 7 days as I rest some days. I do 4-5 days a week usually.

The programmes vary in length from 20 minutes to an hour for some sessions - in Epic 1 and 2 for example. Most programmes are 30 minutes to 45 minutes, 5 days a week. I do the workouts 3/4 days a week - I do a long run on the other days.

Hi @Cherryblossom81 🙂if you are going to follow a series on you tube most people suggest iron simply because you can make things manageable for the level you are on by choosing suitable weights for you. The moves are slow and the sessions only 30 mins or so. There is also no hiit. Don’t do the beginner series a it is actually not for beginners.
my first series was epic one and I very nearly threw in the towel after day 7! That is a horrible and notoriously hard leg day.
i am so glad I didn’t though.
@samthebordercollie I have done day 4 of intent now. Still having to adapt because of the tennis elbows and forearm pain- and can’t go as heavy as I want.

Today was upper body again and pretty well ll 4 sets of each exercises were 75 seconds.
i swore at her today and she was pulling all kinds of faces herself during the lateral and arc raise set and she was using 4kg😂( she was most likely swearing at herself too!)

Thank you @BigButtons

@BigButtons Thank you for recommending Iron. I did Day 1 (legs) today and I'm genuinely really looking forward to tomorrow.

I'm hoping to slowly build some strength and tone up. Would be great to maybe lose a bit of body fat too (I'm short & 8 stone 4ish but definitely have too much body fat).

Finished Iron on the App today. Not sure what to do next as Unleash probably isn't for me, so I'll probably just do some full body workout and mix and match with other program sessions. Really enjoyed Iron on the App, much more than Iron on YouTube.