Lifting and getting stronger with Caroline Girvan: 2025

[BigButtons]

New thread !

Well done on Unleash!

I did the Anterior Chain 60min workout from the cgx this morning. It wasn't all that bad, just a bit boring when it was 4 sets at the start (the matching posterior chain workout is all 3 sets which seems to keep me interested for longer). I did chest press instead of sissy squats and this made it a more balanced workout. I do have to admit I prefer the more metabolic Anterior Chain one by Tracy Steen- love fun stuff like bear crawls and stability ball abs moves.

Muting Facebook and will probably get rid of the app off my phone again for a while so I'm not being too irritated by the spicy SMASHED IT 🌶 🌶 🍑 🍑 🍑 🍑 🌟 🌟 🌶 WHOOP WHOOP brigade with the new programme arriving this week. I have 1000 workouts in my YouTube "to-do" list anyway.😬

I’m so excited!! I don’t know
how I’m going to sleep
tonight waiting for Iron Pro Day 1 to drop tomorrow! I might even have to get up at 1am to be the first to post about how good/diffficult/sweaty the session is!!

Only joking I will be finishing PE tomorrow.

I finished the iron series yesterday and tbh I liked it so much I'm debating between repeating it or getting the app and trying iron Pro next. Or which other you tube series would you recommend that don't have too much cardio and the sessions are no more than 40min?

Omg - and they are offffffff
the app comments are either the whoop whoop brigade or a bunch of whingers who are moaning about not being able to keep to their schedule because of when it. Drops, when their rest day is.
People getting semi hysterical because they think they have to lift her weights and they don’t have them.
For me the annoying thing about going up in weight from say 20-25 would be that I will have to adjust my adjustable dumbbells. I might try to go heavier than 20 and see what happens as the sets are short.
No way am I going heavier on upper body though my shoulder is in rehab. I am practising really slowing the movement- does syne same job with better form.

Had a quick look at day one. Yeah…not doing that. Endless sets of the same thing (and it will be the same thing as I don’t have loads of different sized weights!). Going to redo PE instead as that gets a lot or love!

On you tube there aren’t really- all the other have a hiit day and they are generally faster paced and feel very cardio like. The app only has one series that has cardio in - non of the others have. I think you would like the app.

@LostaraYilthe app is good and not expensive so I would recommend it however you could just pick a series on YouTube and skip the cardio days. I did that for about a year before I switched to the app.

Not my thing but it was never going to be. Hope those of you doing the new program enjoy it. It looks sort of dark and moody as though it should have the Mogwai "Les Revenants" album as the soundtrack.

Just checked what Day 1 was, 3 different exercises, each with 4 sets plus the finisher. The tedium of it and worse, with 60 seconds rest between sets. I think I'll be repeating PE again for the 4th time at this rate.

It's pretty stark to compare it with Heat Day 1, which is the same three basic exercises (lunge, squat, staggered RDL) but they're jazzed up with:

• complexes format
• a cardiovascular move in every complex (squat jumps, squat to curtsey, lunge jumps)
• more variations in each type of exercise (lunge, curtsey lunge, rear stepping lunge ; squat, sumo squat, staggered squat...)
• some calf/ankle work (squat rocks)
• 45 second rest and you are GRATEFUL for every second!

Just a great workout for the weights I have.

It's funny the tagline for IronPro is "the next level" which is the title of Stacy Sims's book, when her menopause article seemed like one long swipe at Sims.

I have done it. Yeah it wasn't very exciting but I did a full clean of my sitting room in the rests including all the windows. I think I'm going to have a very clean sitting room if I stick it out! I don't mind doing repeats of a few weights although I bloody hate lunges. And I think I need to buy some heavier weights. I'm going to stick it out for a while and see how it goes anyway.

My bum exploded when I significantly upped my weights and frequency of training at my gym just before christmas as I had a month off work so thought I'd make the most of it. Four haemorrhoids popped out and I got an anal fissure that wouldn't heal. I had to pay 3k for a private sigmoidoscopy with a colorectal surgeon as I was just in severe pain for months and months and the nhs waiting list was nearly a year. I'm ok now but the haemorrhoids are permanent (and they're the external type so only treatable with really painful surgery) and I'm much more at risk of getting fissures I think, so trying to be careful. My physio said 'you're not 25 anymore, you can't just decide to train really hard out of nowhere'. Consistency is key, ladies!! Learn from my mistakes. Respect the bumhole.

I am so in two minds about it- I do love one and I do love epic three. I hated iron on you tube but liked it on the app. I don’t know what to do. I hate doing series live because of all the competition and hysteria. I might try out a couple before I am due to renew my subscription.

Good Christ, Fibrous, that sounds horrendous.

I absolutely detest cleaning and tidying so that is an extra reason not to do IronPro.

@Gobacktotheworld ha ha fair enough. Not a fan of cleaning myself but with four pets who seem to spend half their time flobbering on the walls and every available surface, I've conceded it's necessary!

Fibrous, your story about the anal fissure is awful! I didn't realise that could happen lifting heavy. I can just imagine some of CG's disciples having the same issue now they've upped their lunge weights to 25kg.
I'm married to a Frenchman so probably less likely to get an anal fissure if you see what I mean.

I'm not sure what you mean @samthebordercollie but my mind is going in all sorts of places 😂

Yeah I think it was mostly the fault of the gym I went to as it was kind of a cross fit type one where they really pressure you to up things, and I had an overtight pelvic floor already which has been made worse by the last couple of years of pull ups, hanging leg raises, etc as well as all the barbell load. It's a shame as I felt pretty strong but my form must not have been good enough and you're only as strong as your weakest point. So far no trouble with the CG workouts thankfully.

The mind boggles, Sam😁

Christ @Fibrous that does sound horrendous and really scary.😧
@samthebordercollie my mind is also working over time must be said. Please do expand 😂

Okay- just done day one. I didn’t mind it actually. I decided to challenge myself with the weights- ever mindful of possible exploding bum holes, I braced accordingly 😬
for lunges I did 15/23/23/20- could feel my right thigh about to throw a tantrum so I dropped back down.
I stuck with the 23 to CG’s 25 and it felt surprisingly ok- even for the RDLs . All the rest as CG.
We shall see how this pans out.
i liked the 10x10 series so i actually quite like setting myself a rep target and then stopping when done. My rep range today was between 6-8.

Day 1 Iron Pro pretty much the same as @BigButtons for me except my biggest weight is a 20kg. I like feeling like I could go heavier and I actually have always liked the slow and boring workouts. I read my kindle in the rests or when I’m doing something one handed! And now I’m considering whether to get a heavier dumbbell than a 20…

Well done! I see CG has put this on youtube. Very cute introduction with the dogs, worth seeing even if you have the app.

@AtomicBlondeRose well done- my heavier dumbbells are adjustables. I have a gazillion plates that I have bought over the years( before I invested in heavier free weights)so I can go up more slowly.

I have some adjustables but I find them so cumbersome compared to the hex weights. I don't know if it's because I'm short (5' 1") and my leg length/hand size just don't work with them but maybe I should fish them out of the garage and try again. The plates just seemed to stick out really far from the bar holding them. It would save me money if I could get to grips with them instead of shelling out for heavier hexes, which I think I'll need to do this program.

@Fibrous my plates are cast iron . The vinyl plates can be huge!

My 10kg vinyl ones are massive but still vexingly not big enough to roll over my tree trunk legs.

I am still wondering what Sam meant.😄

I did a hybrid workout of two cgx favs: Xmas23 #8 (banded bridges, banded walks, banded clams) + REV Day 15 (two circuits / 66% only). Total workout time 52mins & felt so energised- forgot that that REV day had step ups, my absolute favourite! Eldest joined me for part of it but politely demurred when it came to push up burpees, wise girl.