Lifting with Caroline Girvan- keeping it real and having a laugh along the way!

[BigButtons]

New thread!

Much less blood for me this morning so think I’m over the worst of it, so I’m going to give the Xmas calendar a go too. I am very close to finishing iron pro (I’ve got as far as day 47) but I’ll just finish it off afterwards.

a short session every day combined with getting back on track with my running and yoga sounds like a good plan for the darkest month of the year. With lots of soup and tv and relaxing in front of the fire. Winter is a lot easier to deal with when you work from home!

Hope all are recovering from their lurgies. I have skipped winter entirely by changing hemispheres but am now being beset with hay-fever, so little smugness here

I also plan to do cgxmas-- going to double these up and continue to do CG about 3x a week, and ramp up the cardio again. I did IronPro Day 47(?) last night with my new 2 x 15kg dumbbells (hurray for Black Friday sales) and it really hard for me to lunge at that weight, so won't be starting cgxmas immediately as it's legs I think.

@Fibrous I am starting a new job that isn't WFH and totally not looking forward to having a brush my hair nicely and check my suit for dog fur every morning again lol

Leg day done (day 1 of CGXmas). I kept the weights pretty low, about half of what Caroline uses but I still felt it. I quite like to know what the next workout is in advance so I'm not sure if it's going to annoy me that the next day isn't released until midnight. Anyone else joining in?

@Gobacktotheworld2 i barely leave the village these days so I’m always in muddy dog clothes. I’m going to have to chuck my makeup I so rarely wear any now. I think I’d like an excuse to dress up once a week although having to go into an office more than that would quickly piss me off!

@LostaraYil i did day 1 as well. I don’t mind not knowing what comes next. Although I usually do it in the evening so I have plenty of time to mull it over during the day if I wanted to.

with me off sugar, weight training daily, and running three times a week this will be my healthiest December yet. Or I’ll get ill or injured, Sod’s Law it will be the latter.

put my Christmas tree up this evening and made myself a wreath for the door, so if it all goes to shit from here, at least I started the month well!

I’m doing CGXmas. I’ll say, they’re not particularly easy going if you use the same weights as CG! But I always love the short length. I’ll try to do them as often as possible, and I don’t really mind not knowing the content - pro tip is that you can tell from the thumbnail photo if it’s upper or lower body. She always wears shorts for lower. And if she’s got braids, run fast in the opposite direction.

I've finally got the app so that I can join in with the advent series this year.
I day one using heavy(for me)weights and I found it quite hard work especially because of the duration of lifting.
Of course all the nutters on the fb group where boasting they did double (one from the last year also AND a cardio session too because 20 something minutes wasnt enough for them)
I'm liking the app and no longer have FOMO

Oh and im embracing the whole "advent" concept so quite liking going in blind to the workout

Good tips @AtomicBlondeRose , thanks! Did day 2 today, I love a back and biceps session. I like the short length of the workouts, 25min is about right if I'm doing it every day. Definitely no extras needed!

Yes, pro tips! I’ll look out for the pigtails!

I did day 2 today. I’m also enjoying the shorter lengths.

Hurray Tess on getting the app. Some of the short series are the bomb and I hope you get the chance to check them out.

Someone on FB was actually complaining that the Advent workouts aren't Christmassy enough. Not sure where Caroline is supposed to find roasting chestnuts, carol singers etc in Oct or Nov or whenever she filmed these. I did Day 46 of IronPro again last night instead of day 1, but did Day 2 of cgxmas this morning. Perfect length for a back/biceps workout. I really like the unfussy, understated decor as well.

I’ve just done day 3 of CGXmas and I’ll say there’s no need to double up at all! I’ve come from Iron Pro and still felt properly worked out after today’s. Actually, when you look at the length and consider there’s 7 a week, if you do all of them, you’re doing a comparable length of workout over a week as with the full programs, and the CGXmas workouts aren’t easy or light, so this year especially (I feel she’s using heavier weights etc although I’ve not gone back to check) you’re almost being tricked into doing a full on programme! Which is fine by me as that’s what I need in December tbh.

Yeah I agree. I was only doing 3 of the iron pro sessions a week so this will be no easier for me if I manage to do it every day.

Looking back at last year’s I do think this year’s is a step up demand-wise; they’re longer too. But I’m fine with that. There’s some grumping on FB which I don’t get - just do last year’s if you prefer it?? There’s no reason why you have to do 2025 and then complain about it when 2024 and the YouTube series are just right there!

I do these xmas ones quite a bit and 2023 is my fave in terms of intensity and exercise choice, especially the arms day and the glutes day with banded clams. Though the youtube 20min abs day is a tour de force. I like this series so far. There will hopefully be some decent cardio workouts coming.🤞

I forgot how bloody hard it is to not turn into a little piggy in December. I’ve been sent a cheese hamper from work (everyone else gets booze but I stopped drinking when I turned 40 as I’m not one for moderation and the two weeks anxiety hangovers became unbearable). My no sugar December has also failed but I have managed to rein it in at least. We did a Christmas treat shop and I couldn’t help myself getting some marzipan chocolate things which have all now been scoffed. I asked my DP to hide everything else but I had a look earlier and he’s just been working his way through everything as he hid them in his office.

Im keeping track with the xmas series rollout. I’m finding it harder than expected but have no complaints. I’ll do the abs this eve, that looks like pure hell. I’m pretty sure I have no abs!

did an 8k run earlier and felt drained. I don’t know if it’s post viral fatigue or just from training every day but I was very slow. It was good to get out, though, as I’m a much nicer person to live with if I’m running regularly. It’s now pissing it down and blowing a gale so glad I got out when I did.

I did day 4 and 5 together today as I had a day off.The ab day was like @Fibrous says pure hell-I hate ab days,Leg lowers are a particular hell for me.
Wine and curry for tea later, and maybe a cocktail (well it is Christmas)

I’m firmly on the Baileys’ coffee, mini stollen, Lebkuchen and Celebrations train already so I need to keep up the workouts! Day 5 was ok because it’s only 17 minutes. Bearable for an abs session although I was cursing by the third round. Very very worried about the 11 minutes one on Sunday where the thumbnail looks horribly burpee-esque.

Sympathies. I have been pigging out solidly since mid November. And down to exercising 3x a week mostly through lack of opportunity unless you include dog walks. I am not going to fit into my usual Christmas dress at this rate🥺.

I have decided to renew the app mostly for access to full body split and because it's way cheaper in the currency here, but I'll probably have to join a gym to use it. Weights above 15kg are insanely dear. I can't get a 16kg kettlebell shipped to me for less than the equivalent of about £100, boo

Am doing the same series . They are always hard/ I like them . Me I am still dealing with work and life shittery. Tonight’s dinner is gin and Pringles . Not heat I know. Did the glutes and abs today- well I did one round of the abs and got bored. My abs had been worked plenty during the RDL session.

The simple full body one for Advent day 5! Was a great little workout! Trying to do renegade rows with round dumbbells though... lol. Never again. I quickly swapped to plank ab pull throughs. And I think I won an 18kg kettlebell in a local auction. 🤞 the things we find exciting now!

I skipped the abs one, yuck

I have been signed off work- hooray! Won’t be going back until at least 5th Jan. Gp took the stress and exhaustion very seriously.
i am even going to do the 11 minute hitt later. So much moaning about it on the app. We really need a weekly hiit session put back in.
i noticed that silly boi and his silly wife have been completely absent from the group and the app. I suspect they saw that Reddit thread? It is so much nicer without them.

Someone commented on a recent post that they missed the Kearney’s posts and Nicola commented that they are both in Edinburgh at the Christmas markets so haven’t been posting. She said they are of course doing CG workouts at the gym!

Thank God for that, BB. You sound totally burnt out.

Rest up @BigButtons! glad you’ve been signed off, it sounded like you were juggling all sorts of issues these last few weeks.

im in bed having a coffee trying to psych myself up for a long run. In the pissing rain. I’m not feeling the running at the moment but my piles are still aggravating me and I find running helps so I should crack on. I’m also really struggling with the strict diet adherence my bum hole requires. I’m a naturally greedy person and all the December treats are hard to resist. I definitely ate too much cheese yesterday and I’ll probably pay for that today.

Im skipping today’s advent as it’s covered by the run. I’m working away for the next two days and will be bored in my hotel room tomorrow eve so think I’ll take some weights and do some iron pro instead of the shorter sessions. I’m down for our works Christmas lunch, which is a smorgasbord of fibre-less beige treats, none of which I’ll be able to eat.

@Fibrous you do make me laugh - a lot. 😂
my piles are also not great- better than they were. I am also not prepared to modify my food to help. I suspect my gut issues have been caused by chronic work and home stress so I am hoping that will ease. Just keeping on the the germaloids.
@thedogdaysareover51 i don’t buy the Kearneys Christmas market stuff . They would normally be posting endless photos of themselves at said markets and also at the hotel gym with photos of their dinner and lunches and her in a silly fur hat. Something is deffo up and I still suspect the Reddit thread- it was brutal- honest- but brutal.