Lifting and getting stronger with Caroline Girvan: 2025

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New thread !

I've been using Caroline's workouts for about 2yrs now...I still do most push ups from my knees.
Hate them and hate ab work
Hate most lower body days and Hate cardio.
🤣🤣🤣🤣

😂😂😂

Not an expert but I did see recommended this "strengthen your core after diastasis recti" workout.

Which looks enjoyable with cat cow, bird dogs, bridges. Caroline does favour the exercises I think you are supposed to avoid.

Why not sample some of her other workouts from other programs to see if there are others you click with more?

Legend

@tostaky - in your case I would book a few sessions with a physiotherapist to ensure that you know what you can or cannot do.

As for strengthening one’s core - which is central to fitness training and totally worth it - this is what I did, years ago:

• Bowflex 3-minute plank every single day
• Rebecca Louise’s Best Abs 3-4x a week (turn off the sound…)

And if I was starting out now I’d also walk with a weighted vest.

@enrichetta "turn off the sound" haha...
I'm just amazed she can talk that much all whilst doing an ab workout!!
I have done the odd Rebecca louise workout over the years and she's definitely come a long way from where she started.(now with a much posher sounding voice!) 😉

Wondering if BB did do the posterior chain one she planned? I liked that one!

I did not do the second 75min one in the end. The description was just so meh.

Today I did Max Day 43 (35mins) as half the exercises were supine (glute bridges, chest flyes, pullovers) and I was feeling lazy. There was no direct back work so I might tackle a PE back and biceps tomorrow inspired by Sam. 💪

@Enrichettathanks a lot, i will have a look.
i’m probably punching above my weight with those epic workouts so i will have a look at alternatives. Thanks

@tostaky - Growingannanas has lots of great workouts, mostly HIIT based, that are quite challenging but not in the same league as Caroline - both with weights and without. I particularly like her Tabata sessions - some are very short and perfect for a mix & match workout.

@Gobacktotheworld I did do most of the posterior one yes- though I gave up at about 80% because I could not be arsed. The longer workouts are not great for me . I have been doing some of the cgxmas ones - lovely and short. Though my right entire shoulder is playing me up still so chest presses are very difficult.
i am about to do an iron leg day from the app.
she has just dropped an interesting albeit terribly long winded article about her supplant stack/ refreshingly she doesn’t have one- apart from d2 in the winter and a cup of coffee in the morning.
i am really enjoying my giant size vinyl weight plates- what a find. They are 15kg and for a normal barbell but are so giant I can easily slide out from under them- so j can finally up the weight on the barbell without crushing myself to death and causing myself an injury trying to get it off me!
ah Rebecca Louise- for a while FB was spamming me with her pregnancy reels- get the bucket 🤢

Yes, the supplements article is sensible, but I wish she'd get a copy editor to trim her articles. It would sound more confident and punchy.

ah Rebecca Louise- for a while FB was spamming me with her pregnancy reels- get the bucket 🤢

I can imagine…… in recent years her output has become a bit 🙄as she increasingly seemed to view herself as an ‘influencer’ - but her older workouts are still useful for beginners. They certainly helped me a lot in the early days of my ‘fitness journey’

Well done BB on doing most of that workout! And on reading Caroline's latest epistle to the disciples. That's a lot of words to say "I don't really take any supplements" bless her socks. Good for her. I recently saw the best analogy: taking vitamin supplements if you eat well is like filling up your car's petrol tank with petrol, and then filling up the boot, the back seat, the front.... like her recent 75min workout, it's simply overkill.

@Tostacky all her youtube programs are different IMO in workout length and focus and types of move. BIgbuttons mentioned her Christmas workouts- they are short and tough, but probably quite a good starting point as well.

I am trying to do those vacuum suck in stomach things once a day- i have lie on the floor though and am shit at it. I have to be careful with ab work , I have a short waist and can easily look boxy . I bloody hate all ab work- it kills my back. CG did one standing ab one years ago and I loved that. I like her dead bugs one.

@Gobacktotheworldmy favourite back and biceps PE workout is Day 36 back and biceps of PE but they are all good.
i just read Caroline’s article and agree with most of her points, although I thought she could have mentioned more about iron deficiency as most of her disciples seem to be women and women’s are usually low on iron and it’s men who suffer from too much. Obviously it’s not a problem for her! I have to take daily supplements even though I haven’t had a period for 8 years. I also like the fact that she doesn’t try and push supplements like many fitness and medical influencers even though she could and be paid handsomely.
I like her articles, even though they are long. She has her own style of writing and I much prefer her articles to the others on the app. I’d like her to do one on cardio, I’d love to know if she actually does any now!

Only 2 ultimate beginners to go! Have really enjoyed it. I’m eyeing up Iron next but looked at the suggested weights and nearly fainted…I know it’s totally fine to use lighter weights and work my way up gradually but I can’t ever imagine getting to 15 or 20kg dumbbells! I’m using 1.5 and 3kg and 5kg for squats. Should I do UB again and try and move up the weights or dive straight into Iron but using the much lighter weights?

When i started i had 2.5kg and 4.
I got some 5kg and 6 and for a long time just used my 4s and 6s.(the trainer I was following didn't use much heavier so neither did I !!)
It's only.since starting Caroline's workouts that I've increased my weights.(it's been 2yrs of doing CG)
I'm in no way as strong as some of the poster on here and am in awe of what they use(but this pushes me.on to try, and recently I've increased again for one set on my chest press-now using x2 12.5kg) only a month or so ago I didn't think I could..
So, just be consistent and slowly increase,it doesn't matter.how long.it takes you but it will happen.
Iron is probably a good program as its slower paced and only 30mins.
Continue with your weights and maybe get some 6kg (I used these for lots of exercises both upper and lower-and still do!)
Someone else will give you better advice but it's what worked for me.

I looked at those mega long sessions this morning and thought Nah. Did a full body iron day 4 from the app which was enough. I’ve got two difficult runs scheduled for the weekend so I don’t want my legs to be ruined.

i have 2kg, 6kg and 10kg weights. Need 4,8 and 12s I think as I’m definitely not optimising. I would quite like a barbell and bench but just don’t have the room.

I looked at those mega long sessions this morning and thought Nah.

Thanks for the recommendation, Sam, will do that PE one tonight!

PE Day 36 was indeed great. I didn't want to do pullovers two days in a row so did supermans/prone lat pull downs. Lovely stretch.

This morning did my step aerobics DVD ( it was this one here https://m.vkvideo.ru/video184507199_163632637?from=search ) and this light dumbbells pilates/strength one by Heather Robertson, which was actually really enjoyable though of course you wouldn't get hench just from doing these.

Don't worry, they're not suggested weights; they're the weights Caroline uses just for reference .. So say she's using a 10kg weight for an exercise you've not done before, and you know that usually, when Caroline uses a 10kg for other exercises that you use a 5kg, it gives you an idea of what weight to try. I am never anywhere near Caroline's weights! 😊

After taking a couple of weeks off to do some walking and mobility classes, I think I'm going to give the PE programme a try. I've done ultimate beginner, pulse and Iron. I was going to do the new Iron Pro, but actually thinking back to the Christmas series, I found the FB group made me feel quite negative about it and I didn't enjoy joining in 'live' (all the competitive "I did Christmas day 10 today plus 15 other workouts as add-ons 🔥🔥🍑🍑"

Wish me luck with PE!

Talking of the FB group, did anyone see the discussion about Caroline's supplements article? (If you've not read the article, the upshot is Caroline actually only takes vitamin D and has a protein bar a day.) I had to roll my eyes at the poster on FB that said she totally agreed with everything Caroline had written ... but then went on to give a list as long as my arm of all the supplements she takes - the total opposite of what Caroline does 😂

@TheNoisesAbove I absolutely agree with you on that awful FB group. Doing it live is demoralising . Everyone loves every season, the new prog is always everyone's all time favourite and don't get me started on the stealth boasting about weights used and how many extra sessions they have done.
I will try iron pro but I will check in on here rather than reading what the group says.

I'm glad it's not just me! If people in here are doing iron pro I might follow along with you guys instead in that case, and mute the FB group.