Lifting and getting stronger with Caroline Girvan: 2025

[BigButtons]

New thread !

My free dumbbells range from 3-20kg
I have a barbell I can put various weights on/ also 2 sets of adjustables.

20kg! 😮

Same as @BigButtons although I don't use the 20kg for lunges yet! I also have a 27,5kg for sumo squats and a barbell with plates up to 60kg.

I'm so glad to find this thread! Please may I join? I find the Facebook group a little ... odd, especially the one who keeps calling Caroline 'Hunny Bunny', the couple who constantly post photos of themselves and are always the first to add a comment to the app workouts, and just the general obsessive adoration of Caroline. I'm pleased to find a more 'normal' discussion here!

I've done the ultimate beginner programme and the Pulse series (on the app) - I loved both. I started Iron and I was enjoying it, but then got frozen shoulder, so I switched to doing the lower body calisthenics workouts for a while and avoiding upper body altogether.

I started Max and have been switching out the upper body exercises with my shoulder physio exercises, but I've lost all motivation and am avoiding it, only averaging now 1 or 2 workouts a week. I'm finding it a bit of a faff switching from say getting all set up with the band and lap weights for hip thrusts just for 1 set, then having to get it all off to stand up to do 1 set of upper body, then back down and re-setting up again for hips thrusts, then back up again and so on.

I'm hoping to re-find my mojo and some motivation from this thread because I'm struggling really. I've lost all my upper body strength and I'm comfort eating and putting on weight

I have a 24kg kettlebell I use for deadlifts and hip thrusts. I try to use it for squats but I find it really awkward to hold it ‘by the horns’. I use 2 10s for squats and lunges, and chest press, and 6s and 4s for most arm work.

Regarding Max and the constant changing of positions for different sets - I just keep the band on for the upper body bit 😂

Welcome. Yea that fb group is all kinds of weird. I don’t mind mr hunny bunny- he is quite funny and not afraid to say he doesn’t like something. The silly boy man and his wife the Caroline wanna be make me feel 🤮.
The facebook group also has exactly the same posts everyday. Never any interesting chats.
sorry to hear about your shoulder issue. I seem always to have something going on. My left shoulder has been crap for months. Oddly only when I chest press- god knows what it is- maybe frozen shoulder ? I really dropped the weights but kept going as long as there was no pain. Before that I had tennis elbow in the same arm- again I kept going and just avoided moves that annoyed it and let the weights down.
Are you able to do something like that?

I agree that some of the max change moves are bloody annoying. I haven’t got an Olympic barbell so constantly having to get it out and put it away pretty much every session or just three sets is irritating me- a lot. Because I haven’t got bumper plates it’s a huge hassle to wiggle my way out from underneath to go and do a minute’s arm exercise and then climb back under again. So I often just do banded instead with no weights.
I am also switching out moves quite a lot. There seems to be a heavy emphasis on glutes and shoulders in this series.
Did wonder if that was from a drive to please people who wanted that big bum broad shoulder look.
triceps and biceps, back and chest don’t get much of a look in compared to lower body.
So I often do those instead of a third set of lower body.
I like it from the point that if is a relatively easy series- I never reach failure even with her weights- so a bit of a break from the usual punishment.
I will stick it out for a while longer.
I actually really liked the CGX iron- having found the YouTube series tedious. It was only 30 mins. I loved most of PE but am after some shorter session atm.

@Gobacktotheworld can I ask how many years you have been lifting for? What sort of pause do you have in between sets? One of the biggest criticisms of CG is that her rest periods aren't long enough and if you are lifting heavier than her I suppose your rest periods are longer?

I'm still plugging away using the workouts on YouTube..I've just started epic endgame.
(Then there's quite a lot of full bodyones I've yet to do that are not part of any series)
Might sub these in with iron again(iron was my first ever series so that was about a year and a half ago now...will be interesting to see how my weights have progressed)
I have from 3kg to 15kg free weights and some bars and plates which I never use(husband does on occasion haha)
I seem to be managing to up my weights on upper body but still hate using heavy on lower..it hurts!I'm comfortable with 6kgs But I'm pushing through and using 7.5kg or 9kg for lunges and squats when I can,usually dropping back down..
Use mainly 7.5 and 9kg or 10kg for upper.

@BigButtons Thanks for your suggestions - it's a good idea to do some exercises but with low weights. Really I just need to avoid shoulder-specific exercises, and I find things like pullovers and chest presses aggravate my shoulder too, and I can't do push-ups at all anymore. But there are others I could do. The physio exercises are sooo boring.

I might go back to Iron (app) and give up on Max.

And I'm glad I'm not the only one with that FB group!!

'Caro-clone' is so true!!

I love your idea of re-framing my 1-2 workouts as maintaining baseline fitness, with anything extra viewed as a bonus. I'm going to do this.

And also what a great idea to do all the hip thrusts in one go. It's fine if it's something like squats, as you're stood up anyway, but it's these ones such as hip thrusts that I'm finding a faff. Thanks for the idea!

Hi all, apart from Iron, is there another program that is weights only? I only have the Youtube workouts at the moment and have done a few of those in the last year but I much, much prefer doing weights.
I might consider the app.
Also: are you seeing improvement in adductor muscles in Caroline’s programs? I never felt like those (and calves) get properly targeted but maybe those are just my weak areas.

@Gobacktotheworld for lower body I am moving more into the traditional strength training model- simply because I want to maintain now, stay strong but not grow any bigger. I am pushing the weights, safely, for me, but am enjoying the slower pace, stopping when I have done my 6-8 reps. I used to love the lighter weighted, faster sessions, but am finding more and more that I get more out of it when i take it slow. I am also prone to shit form when I speed up and injuries.

I don't know about YouTube, as I went straight to the app, but pretty much all the programmes on the app are weights only.

I felt in dire need of a good upper body only thrashing so I did one from unleash. This was a series I abandoned a couple of weeks in as I didn’t like the format.
However, I did like this. It was bloody hard though. We went from back to chest for 45 mins. I have be some so much stronger since that was released- many moves I can match CG now- Never thought I would get to that. I am aware that she can lift way heavier than she does though.

@BigButtons I loved Unleash - except for the glute days.The leg days are some of the harderst I've ever done and there were plyometrics in most which I love. You really felt like you'd done a workout. Can't really say the same about Max, I'm still not sure about it, but I've only done the first 4 days. @Gobacktotheworld I did Day 3 yesterday and yes, there was a lot of lying on your back - which I hate!

I think I need to work on my form. I tried RDLs yesterday with 5kg and my lower back hurt a bit the and has continued to hurt. I’m hoping I can sort out my form as I’m enjoying getting in shape.

you really need to push you hips back as you hinge forward .All the movement comes from the hip hinge. Your back should be flat never rounded. Tighten your lats and think about pushing back as if you were going to shut a car door with your bum🙂

@BigButtons Thank you, I’ll definitely check the app.

@PeachPumpkinyes great point goback makes about Caroline going really low for RDLs, when I started lifting I though I was doing them really badly because I couldn’t go as low as her whilst keeping the hinge movement. I think I posted on the FB group and was assured that you only need to go just below your knees.