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

[BigButtons]

New thread!

I think once I've finished the giant horse pills I'll just get powder the next time and throw it in with a protein shake.

A lot of people don't respond to creatine at all- anywhere between 25% and a third report no benefits. If I wasn't feeling a marked difference in my workouts within a month I'd probably drop it.

I don't take it anyway though because I drink a lot of coffee and that's one of the known things that nullifies it. Maybe at some point.

Hello everyone. I am enjoying the CGX christmas series- love the sorter workouts. It's a good change of pace and I find i can really challenge myself because of this.
Having said that I did the leg day 13 on Friday. I used the heaviest weights for the lunges that I have ever used. I managed 2 sets with 19 kg , 2 with 17.5 and then dropped to 10 kg as i couldn't feel my legs.
I now have the worst leg does I have ever had in my life.
I went to a church service today and there was alot of standing up to sing and sitting back down. It was agony. I had to use the pew in front to help me and I am hobbling. It hurts to even touch my thighs or have anything pressing on them!Nothing pulled, just good old doms!

Well done @BigButtons How are you feeling today?

I'm doing the YouTube Christmas series and really enjoying it. I've also noticed I'm able to use slightly heavier weights (but no where near what you are using!). I find it encouraging though that this must show I am making a small bit of progress!

@BigButtons those severe doms are awful.
@Cherryblossom81 i have to keep reminding myself to go heavy first,sometimes I have to drop my weights back down but it is a great feeling to be able to lift heavier than before-nothing like what caroline or some posters on here can do!
I'm up to 9kg for lunges but I struggle with lower body
Squats in particular, I still am only really comfortable using 6kg as I feel it in my lower back otherwise and it hurts my shoulders to rack any heavier

I’m really liking the CGXmas 2024 stuff - just need to remember never to read anything on Facebook where everyone’s doing those plus 10000 other workouts! I think they’re a great length and level of challenge at this time of year, such that I can do one practically every day and not feel like I’m losing fitness at such a busy time. I’ll be away from home for 10 days over Xmas though so I’ll pack my band and do some body weight stuff - I might have access to a gym once or twice but I’m not sure. The Sunrise series worked for me in the summer holidays so I’ll probably use them.

@BigButtons wow, that's some serious weight for lunges! It's really important to try lifting heavier, it's the one thing that coaches always say, men go too heavy and sacrifice form, women don't dare to go heavy enough! There's no way I could do lunges with 19,5kg. I'm up to 15kg on a fairly regular basis for lunges, squats, pullovers and one arm rows. I asked for a 17,5kg dumbell for Christmas for staggered RDLs as I can go heavier than 15kg but not ready for 20kg. I've been lifting for 2 years now and have moreorless doubled the original weights I used - except overhead presses, CG is a beast with her upper body strength.
Did anyone do the weighted vest workout on the App? I nearly threw up after that.
Agree the 2024 Christmas series is great and certainly challenging enough. Day 14 upper body is one of my favourite ever workouts. It's not the length of your workouts, it's the muscle stimulation that counts, then the growth during rest, people who spend over 1H15 working out are wasting their time!

Creatine certainly seems to be affecting my muscles - they look noticeably bigger to me. Actual strength gains tbc. Also my arse is already quite bodacious in relation to my waist, so I'm kind of hoping that doesn't get significantly bigger or my clothes won't fit.

Happy Christmas, everyone!

I really enjoyed the YouTube Christmas series.

I'm now looking for recommendations for my next series.

Since May 2024 (when I started CG), I've done Iron, Epic 3, Endgame, Epic 2 and Christmas. Any recommendations on what to do next?

Have you done Heat? That's shorter sessions on 30 minutes of intense lifting. Not as much cardio as Fuel which I never finished as I didn't need all the cardio when I was running (I think the new programme on the App, Rev, will be another Fuel) so if you like burpees every day try that! Alternatively Epic 1 which is bonkers but fun to do, sessions a little shorter than epic 2 but less organised with some weird lifts never repeated in later programmes, and a killer complex session of 20 minute complexes near the end,of the series 😰. I really enjoyed it.
Not sure that helps much!

Merry Christmas all

Excited about Rev, as I loved Fuel. It will be great to have some more variety on the app. With Intent, Iron, PE and the Full Body Split on there already, hopefully the people who dislike or don't need her cardio have enough to repeat/enjoy while she does a more cardiovascularly-challenging series. Personally I love to really sweat so should be good! Right now I am mainly doing various kettlebell workouts and running.

Thank you @samthebordercollie I'm going to do Epic Heat.

Happy New Year everyone!
How are you getting on with Heat @Cherryblossom81? What's everyone else doing?
I've been doing upper and lower body workouts from Unleash for the last few weeks with add ons from the Christmas series. Still debating whether to do the new program Rev from next Sunday or repeat PE. Fuel was the only program I didn't finish because it seemed too cardio based to gain any muscle and Rev seems to be similar. It's great she's doing another program like Fuel but not sure if it's for me as I want to get stronger, I do plenty of cardio (running and cycling) separately to weight training.

@samthebordercollie I agree re REV. I disliked fuel and didn’t finish it. I will see if rev is slightly different on its formatting.
i had a gastric bug over Xmas which set me back. I am doing the 10x10 series again which I love. If l don’t like Rev I will start PE again as I liked that one and for good gains from it.
i have new 17.5kg dumbbells for Xmas and am enjoying playing about with those😍

I'm determined to do all the free youtube workouts before I commit to the app.
At the moment I'm combining a few of the series that are short.
Last one I did was a leg workout from the tempo series.
Have endgame left(as a ten week series) then will hopefully get the ap.
I'm not a fan of cardio but will do it if it's within the programe.
After all the extra calories over Christmas I probably need it more right now 😊

@BigButtons I had the same Christmas present, but just one 17,5kg dumbell for staggered RDLs, I'm not strong enough to use that weight for lunges, yet!!
Sorry you were poorly over Christmas. Out of interest, when did you start lifting? I'd love to know your progress in weights from when you started.
I've put on weight, 3kg in a year, most of it in the last few months...

@samthebordercollie i wasn’t going to ask for 17.5 but they were on sale for less then £50 and cheaper than the 15kg I initially wanted!
I had only seriously started lifting with CG summer 21. I only used 2-5 kg for a while. Then I got 10kg adjustables, then another set, then heavier weight plates etc.
i do find that the increase in strength is not linear at all. Often it is injury dependant. I tend to try a heavier weight for just a couple of sets and then back off for a bit and then go up again to that weight again a week later then back off again.
doe hip thrusts and bridges I have to keep to 20kg or below or helps my right hip goes bananas. I also have to be careful with double RDLs . I will try increasing the weight for staggered now through and see how that feels.
i have some weird issue with my left shoulder. It’s been like it for months and I find chest pressing really painful. Of course I didn’t let that stop me- not good. I just hoped if would go away like all the other niggles.
I am due to chest press today and with use my 7.5 kg and see if that helps. I was up to 14kg before the pain started. If feels as if my shoulder has restricted movement when I bring my arm across my body- like it catches. I have no issues raising it above my head and shoulder presses are fine. 🙂

I'm doing Unleash full body days and trying out her Majorca workouts after my runs. The latter are much, much better than anticipated. The first day is a really solid mixed calisthenics and mobility workout: all yoga wild thing moves and so on.

Didn't fancy a run in the ice tonight in a park so did one of her kettlebell series on the app. Good, but far less challenging than any of her youtube kettlebell ones, surprisingly. The finisher was one minute of swings, with a fifteen-second break halfway through that. Her last kettlebell workout on her kickass series on youtube has an insane finisher that is 4min15sec of solid swings!

Thanks for asking. I'm really enjoying Heat. The only day I've not enjoyed so far was the 'calisthenics' on day 9. Not sure why. I think I found it really hard! But maybe that's a good thing.

This is so helpful to read. I started last April with using 2kg-5kg. I was probably mainly using 2kg & 3kg for a while!

I got an adjustable set of 10kg a couple of months ago (mainly only using them at 8kg at the moment for lower body).

I was encouraged yesterday that I noticed I was using some weights for upper body that I was originally using for lower body.

I know these weights are still tiny compared with some of you (and definitely compared with Caroline), but I'm encouraged that I'm making progress and also been consistent since April 2024.

I'm hoping I might see some changes in body composition soon. I'm a healthy weight/BMI, but quite short/small framed and flabby (especially tummy fat).

@Cherryblossom81 well done! Her calisthenics is much harder than her weighted stuff imo- much harder. You can’t make things easier by reducing the weights and there is nowhere to hide!
far better to stay at lower weights and move up safely and with good form. So many people on her official FB page are quite competitive with their weight choices and I find them quite irritating at times.
last week I completed the 10x10 again. Such a superb series. I had terrible sims all over my body- infact I still do from the back and chest day. 100 pullovers worked my entire upper body and my triceps were really sore for well over 5 days!
I will definitely repeat that one in a few months.
I am feeling nervous about REV. I have a feeling it will be like fuel. I hated the mix of strength and cardio within the same session. We shall see. I hated iron in you tube but loved it on the app so I am hoping it will be the same with rev. If not I shall start PE again.🙂

Started REV this morning - I’ve had an enforced rest period for the last three weeks due to being away and then being ill. Still tried to do at least 2 workouts a week but a lot of body weight and long gaps between sessions so I was happy to see the first workout was upper body! This was just a classic upper body circuits workout - liked it a lot actually. No cardio or weird moves in this one which I was glad about. After 18 months of CG I can match some weights (always for the 4kg delts/lats, and I can do 15kg for single arm rows and one set of pullovers) for everything else and for the other pullover sets I tend to be “one below” - so if she’s on 15, I’m on 10, if she’s on 10, I’m on 7.5 and so on. I usually give it a try at the matched weight for a rep or two just to see. But I’m happy at the weights I’m at.

Rev Day 1 was OK. Not cardiovascular at all though. Just business as usual.

Oh that's good , it means REV won't be Fuel 2! Judging from the description it looks like the second set of upper/lower body will be faster than the first set and the full body day more cardio based. The braids she has in the photos indicate this too!
I'm on a rest day so will start REV tomorrow.

I'm enjoying Rev on day 2. Prefer the 3 circuit format than doing 3 sets of the same exercise one after the other. Enjoyed having an abs and some bodyweight too to mix it up a bit.

But..I feel done after circuit 2, the 3rd one is killing me! I think I've got used to the quicker advent workouts so have some adjusting to do.