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

[BigButtons]

New thread!

I do not enjoy complexes..I'm always behind caroline and this annoys me and puts me off!

Hahaha I know what you mean. (Especially on pushups - how does she crank out the pushups so fast?) I just try to ignore her, keep my eyes on my own paper and listen for the beep.

Insofar as they're a strength exercise, it's much better to do them slowly though. At least that's what I tell myself.;)
Epic 2 Day 5 today. Incredible workout.
I would love her to do another Epic series.

Can anyone please tell me the best video to start on with CG? Read great things but overwhelmed. And what size weights do I need? I only have 3kg dumb bells at home

Hi @pinkyponkyplink if you have Caroline's CGX App the Ultimate Beginner is the best program to start with. If not, then Iron on YouTube is good to start as it's slower than the Epic programs so you have time to learn the different lifts. 3kg is quite light, I started with 5kg, 7,5kg and 10kg. But You do You, it's no one size fits all as it depends on your experience and general fitness. Good luck!

Am enjoying the PE program more and more and today had a little win, I matched Caroline on 10kg flyes weight - was previously using 7,5kg. Still got an awfully long way to go before I get to 10kg for shoulder press and 17,5kg for chest presses, though!

Hey everyone I hope you don't mind if I join your thread! I'm 53 and have just started CG Iron workout series - the aim being to do what I can at home and some at the gym as there are more weights to choose from.

I figure I'll do the series with light weights and then repeat with heavier weights in order to build up gradually. I do yoga every morning and also run twice a week and don't want any injuries!

Quick question, I've been doing IF for the past year. My eating window has always been 12-8pm. However early morning workouts are making me hungry/shaky so I know my blood sugar is low and I need to fuel. Today I did a workout and then had a Greek yoghurt with banana and nuts afterwards. It wasn't a massive portion but it settled my stomach. I will also try and eat more protein and reduce my carbs for the rest of my meals. I think I have to stop IF really while I'm doing this. Would you agree, does this sound about right?

I should say that my aim is not to bulk really, I want to tone what I have and have more definition on my arms/legs etc.

Thank you in advance for any advice/wisdom/experiences you can share x

@mumtoadhdasdboy welcome to the thread!
You should find that lifting with Caroline will prevent injury rather than cause it, and it will also help with your running, so don't be afraid to challenge yourself with weights as long as you are getting the full range of movement and are doing the lifts correctly!
Regarding IF, the main problem most people face with eating like this and building muscle is that if the number of meals is reduced it's difficult to get in enough protein. I only have a protein shake and a couple of expressos before working out and then eat breakfast after lifting - usually a massive bowl of Greek yogurt with fruit after. The lunch after 1pm. I was a runner for years and always ran in the morning fasted so I'm used to it, but it certainly isn't for everyone.
Do what ever suits you but aim to eat 1g protein per lb of bodyweight to build muscle. And enjpy Iron!

@pinkyponkyplink I've only just seen your post. Have you started on a series? I've not used the app, but as @samthebordercollie said - 'Iron' is a good YouTube series to start with.

Everyone here has been really helpful in giving me advice on which series to do. (I still feel like a complete beginner but I've been consistently doing 5 CG workouts a week for a few months now and really enjoy it.)

Good afternoon everyone. I just wondered if anyone here is also trying to lose a bit of body fat (alongside doing CG workouts for health, strength, etc.)?

I'm a 'healthy' weight but I'm quite short/small framed and know that I feel and look better around 7 pounds lighter. Has anyone been successful in fuelling their body enough for workouts (eg. enough calories & protein) but having enough of a deficit to lose a few pounds? I'm struggling to know how to do this, especially as weight loss is slow for me anyway with being short and a 'healthy' weight.

@Cherryblossom81 you absolutely can still gain muscle whilst in a slight deficit. Just make sure that you prioritise your protein intake🙂

@Cherryblossom81 Yes, as @BigButtons says you can lose fat and not interfere with muscle if you eat all your protein, ift regurlarly, sleep well and eat in a slight calorie deficit, do you know your maintenance calories?

Thanks @BigButtons and @samthebordercollie

According to different calculators, my maintenance calories are 1373 or 1467 calories. This fits with my experience as well!

Wow, your maintenance calories are quite low already, I wouldn't cut more than 100 calories a day. Can you increase your daily activity, steps for example? I don't know if you listen to the Mindpump podcast but they often talk a lot about women losing body fat, episode #2445 from 14th October was all about this if you are interested.

@samthebordercollie Thanks so much for the link to the MindPump podcast. (I'm always keen for podcast recommendations linked to this.) I have listened to some of their podcasts a few months ago, but then forgot about them. I will listen to this episode.

I already do around 20,000 steps a day! It's really frustrating - I seem to be gaining weight! I only want/need to lose a few pounds (I'm at a 'healthy' weight), but I can definitely see/feel the extra pounds on my stomach. In the past I probably would have cut my calories a lot, but I've been really enjoying CG workouts over these last few months and want to fuel my body correctly.

Started Epic Endgame this morning. I have now completed Epic I, Epic III, Epic Heat and Iron. (Well, technically I still have session 50 of Epic III to do, it's a HIIT which I prefer to do at home and today was an office day, so.)

Not sure what to do when I get done with Endgame. The sessions of Epic II are really too long for me. Maybe redo Iron, with boxing as my HIIT? I just started taking DC to a boxing gym so I've been thinking I might do a session a week there.

@DreadPirateRobots Have you done Beastmode? It's only 2 weeks but a great programme. Fuel is only 30 minutes long too, I didn't do it because I prefer keeping cardio and lifting separate which is why I like the programmes on the App so much.
Only one week left of PE now, it sounds like Caroline will be giving us some kettebell workouts and then another Christmas Advent Calendar. I think I'll repeat PE, I've loved it and supersets really work for me, I've put on muscle, improved strength and feel great.
On a different matter, does anyone find they are constantly warm now? I really used to feel the cold but now it's my husband asking for the heating to be turned up and I'm taking off layers.

I'm just about to start the Iron series on YouTube but does it mean you have to do one EVERY day for 30 days?? If not, when would you suggest having rest days?

@user50and it's a 5 day a week structure with 2 rest days, but you don't HAVE to do anything. You can do one a week. Or two. You can skip the leg days. You can do whatever you want. I don't skip sessions but I frequently swap the order around as I prefer to do HIITs and days involving hip thrusts at home, and I usually do 3-4 a week rather than 5 as I also try to do a day's yoga and a run, plus I'm sometimes run down or get a "low readiness for exercise" from my Fitbit so don't work out that day.

No, Caroline only ever does 5 workouts a week, her rest days are always Thursdays and Saturdays but you do you - no obligation to even do 5 sessions a week, just do what fits in best with your schedule. I would say that 3 sessions a week minimum are required if you want to see results.

I'm hot all the time at the moment, I'm sat in a gym top and yoga pants at night! Sweating!
I'm putting it down to maybe being peri but you never know! 😀

@samthebordercollie I haven't done Beastmode but maybe I'll do it as a short programme when I finish Endgame. Still not sure about committing to the app if only because I have a few paid fitness apps already and don't really want to add another one...

I wouldn't say I run hot now but I probably do run less cold than I used to, now that I think about it.

Which video is the best place to start for an absolute beginner please?

Morning @pinkyponkyplink I'm not sure what you mean by 'absolute beginner'? Caroline Girvan might not be the best person to start with depending on your starting point with exercise?

But if you are ready for CG, then the first series I did (on recommendation from people on here) was the Iron series. However, I still feel like a beginner (I've only been doing CG workouts since April), so someone with more experience might be along later to give you a better answer.

I am an absolute beginner too. Never done weights, don't have any. I need basic instructions about what to buy and how to start.

Hey @WillowWands do you definitely want to work out at home with CG? Starting at a gym can be advantageous purely because weights are expensive and ideally you do want more than one option. If you're committed to weights and want to work out at home then the easiest option would be adjustable dumbbells as you will want different weights for different exercises. If you really don't fancy that, I would perhaps start with 2.5kg and 5kg weights. Then only other specific thing you might want is a glute band, which is easy to get and not pricey. You can use a common or garden chair or a thick book for all other CG purposes.

Yeah don't go buying a mini trampoline like I did-because the trainer I was following at the time used it for a workout (twice)
😂