Lifting and getting stronger with Caroline Girvan: 2025

[BigButtons]

New thread !

I've just started Iron, just done day 3. I run a couple of times a week and try to walk as much as I can too but are these 30 minute workouts enough to build strength? I'm working to my maximum when I do them and lifting as heavy as I can. I don't know if I'm still in the mindset of you have to be putting in hours to make a difference.

I only do CG, prefer shorter workouts and occasionally do the odd 3 mile run but more often don’t, and I’ve built plenty of strength and my fitness is off the charts compared with where I was. I still have a fair layer of body fat because I like chocolate and wine, but if I cared enough to be on point with my nutrition I think I’d look really great. On Max this morning I was doing 15kg pullovers and RDLs and am very often matching Caroline’s weights which is a major improvement from where I started and I’ve found Max a great programme to go more heavy on. So I’d say yes, it’s enough!

I am very torn with max.
my body feels tired- like it doesn’t want to do upper and lower everyday. Yet in some ways it feels easy- although it can’t be.
I have a right hip issue which has flared up so I modified the hell out of day 18 and went much lower in weight . This series demands alot of your back I find since she concentrates so heavy on gutes and hamstrings .
i think there are thrusts again on Thursday. I might swap it out for another upper body from unleash.

That's great thank you. It's definitely an old mindset I think. I know what you mean about chocolate and wine, I would like to think without those I'd look like Caroline 😂

On a funnier note- did anyone see the comment by someone of the app comment section for max day 16? Basically comments about how annoying the Kearneys are and how they have to be the first to post and how they had blocked them on fb.
she then comes back with lots of passive aggressive crap. I think she is totally obsessive. I never post on any of those pages now- mainly because it is so cliquey and boring. But it was good to see that someone else feels the same way. There are probably loads of people who feel the same way.

Haha just went and looked at those. He says something like “as a psychologist it’s interesting to think about why people make comments like that” - er, I’m not a psychologist but I’d say if someone’s saying you’re annoying then it’s because you’re annoying them? It was pretty clear what they meant 😂

The fucking facebook group is annoying me..cant post anything unless it's loads of photos of your gains and gushing about "the queen"
🤨

Oh I missed all those dramas... thought it was deleted but it is there. It was day 16, a little carried over by that woman into day 17.

The only other time I saw drama it was her as well. I think PE towards the end, or maybe Rev, Caroline forgot to upload the description and a couple of people said "description please, I need it for the gym." The drama from Mrs Positive the psychobabbler's wife! "Why can't people just watch the intro.... Caroline does so much for us... you are so entitled!!" Over many replies. A really vile woman of limited intellect.

Caroline stays out of it but I think she would do well to distance herself from it to be brutally frank

What about the weekly post of "am I the only one who waves back at Caroline?!!!" Cue 100 morons with I do, I do!

The stupid before and after photos of their 200lb weight loss with Caroline when it's 99% down to diet as any fule know?

Narcissists flexing with stupid captions like Flex Friday? How about fuck off to the far side of fuck Friday.

And what about the wet wipe who posted today how sad she was that there at no confetti at the end of Rev?:(((((

You lot have made me laugh- how fucking refreshing to have you all here keeping me sane.
that fb group is a creepy echo chamber

And the conversations are exactly the same on the app.
‘wow, what a burner. Loved it. Best series ever. I went on. 20 mile walk after.
‘ couldn’t agree more. So glad you had a great session and well done on your lovely walk’
’ thank you. Are you having a lovely walk too?’
🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

20 mile walk after

I missed the drama of the app comments - it looks like they've been deleted now. They needed taking down a peg or two!

Pmsl!!!

Everyone simply smashed it, don't you know.

And every workout is super spicy.🌶🌶🌶

(But if your add-on wasn't the London Marathon, you failed.)

“No add on today as no time, just did a 5k and 1000 crunches”

Dare I admit I was slightly annoyed at the lack of confetti at the end of Rev…for 10 seconds and then I thought, you know what, that’s her living room, the dogs eat it and it must be a pain in the arse to clear up….I get it.

I’m started on it now. Mr and Mrs naughty boy -I mean why. Why go on a holiday and run straight to the gym and then post photos of it and then post photos of your evening outfits? Why can’t you just go on bloody holiday and enjoy yourself?
I swear to God they either think they don’t exist unless they post or they seriously believe people want and need daily updates down them.

Yes, I think this sums it up for me too.

I have been doing CG for about a year, and I have definitely built strength a lot more than with what I was doing previously. I like the shorter workouts in Max (and in Fuel, Epic Heat etc) as I like to do yoga most days too (a more strength based practice)

I wasn't sure about Max at first, but it has grown on me now, and I have been lifting heavier than usual (the slightly longer rest breaks help too). I'm enjoying the pace of it, and it is nice not to have DOMs so often. I guess I will see at the end of the programme how effective it has been, but I'm planning to stick with it.

There is never confetti for series, only programmes. Although why Unleash is 6 weeks and a programme whereas all the other 6 week programmes are series I don't know. Yes, the FB group is nauseating, the same people posting their workouts day after day and the ones who post videos - where do they get the time??

Facebook fans: Where can I get Caroline's shorts? Her ottoman? Her hair extensions? Ie. Tell me the one simple hack that will make me into Caroline apart from years of hard work, great genes and perfect nutrition? I think if I just wear her shorts, I'll be there.

Don't stop BigButtons. It is therapeutic. Mrs naughty boy left some truly obnoxious comment in reply to that user saying "I think I know who you are"-- yeah, because there is only one user among all her thousands of subscribers who would find them annoying, sure. I also like that veiled threat to doxx the anonymous user that her comment carries. I saw someone describe the group as "toxic positivity" and that odious pair really do sum it up

@Gobacktotheworld there is a lovely woman I message who is in the group. You might have seen her posts- she is a breath of fresh air and always very helpful to other posters. Her name is Jennifer Batts.Bloody sensible and very knowledgable. We have whinge and a laugh about all things FB group- especially the bloody Kearneys.
She won’t put up with any nonsense from the queen wannabe. She advised a poster that 60 second sets were not ideal for strength training ( more for hypertrophy). She is of course correct.
The wannabe went loopy loo. Told her Caroline knew the right way to do things and if we wanted results we had to follow the sessions as set out.
People had been discussing beforehand whether to shorten sets and lift heavier to get just a 6/8 rep range in and then stop before the beep.
the wannabe couldn’t take it on board that people have different goals, I and my friend repeatedly reminded her that Caroline encourages exploration and wants us to make the sessions our own.
wannabe then told my friend she had no right to post info as she was not an expert. When challenged she came back with a nasty snarky comment about not realising my friend was in fact a qualified PT. My friend isn’t and never claimed to be.
and that bloody rictis grin she has on her face- like she has a pole shoved up her arse.

They even copy the brand of self tan Caroline uses. They're utterly obsessed - I'd find it creepy as fuck if I were Caroline.

The Rev series on the app has cardio, and there are a couple of standalone cardio workouts on the app as well.

I used to be a runner, but when I started with CG, I found it way too tiring doing both running and weights (I am having a crap perimenopause though). So now I just do CG.

@BigButtonsJennifer Betts is a legend! I wish she was in charge of the moderating. She always gives good device and rarely (once I think!) posted a photo of herself. It’s never “me me me” with her unlike some members!

Also in the Jennifer Batts fan club. Always sensible, knowledgeable and kind.:)

Just had a look. And a giggle 😄