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

[BigButtons]

New thread!

Congrats on finishing Iron, @clearingaspace . The app is certainly good value if you have a certain program in mind. MAX is also one I would recommend!

Great weights on the hip thrusts, @BigButtons . I have liked the Back and Biceps workouts from PE that Samthebordercollie has posted about, but these IronPro glute/hams workouts seem the best she has donefor that area. Have yet to find a program I like the shoulders/triceps/chest workouts from, though, but that could well be a me problem.;)

Iron pro day 5 for me, I had another round of cleaning the sitting room while I was in the rests. It went by quickly enough. I was avoiding doing some work I was putting off so that ups my enthusiasm.

Congrats @Clearingaspace on finishing. I have not made it to the end of any programs. Maybe I'll turn over a new leaf!

Well done
@Clearingaspace !🥳
@Gobacktotheworld every session from every series feels the same to me really😬😂. I am liking the pace of iron pro though- it suits my mood atm. It feels calm and I can just concentrate on how I am lifting. I have had doms from most of the sessions so far- my arse still hurts😬

Ironpro Day 6 (glutes and hams) done. Liked it a lot and not boring as the long rest was welcome, though the short sumo section at the end felt a bit random and tacked on! Again her yoga block is the same colour as her floor, very hard to spot if using the phone, but happily I noticed it in time this time. Noticed quite a few app comments yesterday talking about the even smaller font she is flashing up her "tips" in, and it is indeed pretty much illegible on a phone screen mid-workout. Fortunately they don't seem too critical.

4 x ht 68.5kg, 5 x rdl 45kg, 3 x lunges 2 x 10kg, 3 x rear stepping curtseys 1 x 10kg, 1 x sumos ~32kg. Only the sumos felt a bit tacked on. Was not a fan of the rapid clusters of sumos as the finisher as speedy deadlifts always feel unsafe for the lower back to me so I did slow reps, 1-2 per cluster.

Enjoy your DOMS, BB😆 I think I will feel the foot elevated curtseys in my hips / adductors later!

I've got hill reps this evening, might do day 6 to round that off, although as my weights only go up to 10kg, it wont be a big do. One of my neighbours has some gym kit in their garage they've said I can use (it's got a keycode on it handily) but I think I'll stick with light weights for now. I'm still adjusting to this change in weather and don't fancy leaving the warmth of my sitting room for a cold and dirty garage just yet.

I can barely read the instructions on my tv screen let alone on my phone @Gobacktotheworld , My eyes are shite these days. Think it's time to swap the reading glasses for bifocals 😭

Day 7 pro was fab- lived it. Finally- after nearly a year of shoulder issues- managed to chest press a few reps at 15.kg without pain.
j can’t believe how much more I am able to lift safely with this series.

Well done on Day 7 @BigButtons and the 15kg chest presses! I'll be trying Day 7 on Friday as not doing the full body days, sticking with upper/lower split. So today did Day 6 Iron Pro; only have enough plates for 60kg on the barbell so added an band and a few more reps, aside from that followed CG's workout, except I did the curtseys with 2 x 10kg instead of 1 x 10kg because I wasn't paying attention. Apart from the fact that lunges are increasingly painful for my right foot because of the bunion I really enjoyed it. It's nice having time to set things up properly and not rush around which sometimes happens with the 30 second rests. Agree with @Gobacktotheworld no idea why she tacked on the sumo squat at the end. I'm having to get an awful lot of dumbells out for very few lifts due to the changes in weights she uses during sets.

Great that people are finding workouts they like on iron pro. Day 2 shoulders, chest, triceps. This will probably be the only workout I am close to CG’s weights. Although my presses were a lot lighter to be fair.

fantastic that your shoulders were ok for heavy chest press @BigButtons

i did a basic Iron legs day. It’s the first time I haven’t just done a full body and I really liked the change. I feel like I’m quite fit but my legs were shaking! So - and I know this obvious to others / but 30 minutes just on legs is way harder!

kudos to you all on Iron Pro. It looks a bit dark!

It’s dark and calming! I love it - just in my workout space.
and I love the fact that the FB noise about this series is very low compared to other series. It all feels calm and not frenetic. I am amazed at the weights I can now comfortably lift with good form.
well done everyone for getting done whatever you fe getting done x

I hope your glutes feel as uncomfortable as mine after that day 6 workout, Sam (unless being married to a French man has rendered you immune;) ).Terrific chest press, BB! Hope you enjoyed the workout, clearing. It's a superb app really.

I did a 35 min Kettlebell Power and Conditioning workout from Daniel PT,

enjoyed it very much indeed. Have a million things to do today but am eyeing up Day 7 of IronPro (upper) because "dark and calming" sound jolly good. Is there really less silly hyperbole on FB? I thought it was because I had blocked all the worst arseholes.😁

Also- am a bit relieved she is not using the new bench for anything specifically requiring a bench, and my coffee table + pillow combo continues to do the job for now.

Yes definitely been able to workaround the bench. I tried the floor, a foot stool and an ikea storage ottoman with a blanket on - the ikea option was almost too comfy, but a bit too wilde. My tummy was getting in the way for some things so I had to stand up!

Storage Ottoman sounds great! I just did IronPro Day 7 as some packing boxes that should be here aren't and I was pacing up and down like an angry lion. For shoulder presses I did all sets at 12.5kg (usually I default to 9 or 10kg) and thought about trying higher but glad I didn't as I was still crapping out by the end, and had to switch to hammer presses during the last set. It was pretty good overall (glad she had sufficient chest and even a bit of back and biceps with the supine rows) but admittedly the rests do drag on just a hair too long for me. I can't switch off and my mind has time to wander- boo.

I peeped at Day 8 and it is entirely squat variations, hmm. I might do an Epic 3 or Heat quads instead just to stay with the theme- but with step ups, wall sits, calf rocks or other fun moves mixed in.

Caroline's text on "I get to" rather than "I have to" bothered me. Perhaps I am too hardened a Mumsnetter, but when she said how grateful she told herself she was when getting up to her baby for the third time that night ("I get to tend to my baby again") I thought "How nice for her husband, he "gets to" lie there snoring his fat head off."

@Gobacktotheworld ha ha yeah fuck that level of positivity! I would want to be getting to snore my fat head off too. I sleep with a snoozeband on and the dog licking his arse still wakes me up, and not my snoring DP, even though he wears nothing to block out noise. The ability of men to sleep through stuff is bloody irritating. And yet he still claims he's tired all the time! I think if we'd have had a child I'd have kicked him out after six months in a sleep deprived rage.

I did iron pro 6 yesterday after my short burst of running up and down the hill I live on six times which wasn't that bad actually, and can't feel it today, which I think means I probably do need to up from 10kg weights. Roll on payday!

I'm gonna give day 7 a go later today. I have a poof I use but it's square and a bit wide for arm things. I usually end up doing everything on the floor and just using that to lean on for rows etc.

Oooo I used to love Caroline Girvan but haven’t done a think since having my twins a year ago! Would love to get back to it!!
haha that Kearney couple…they are obsessed aren’t they!
haven’t properly read all this thread but has Caroline had a baby?!
any mumsneters done a Caroline programme post C section?
o my YouTube fitness influencer I’ve ever stuck with….shes great isn’t she

Ha I thought that ‘I get to’ post was a little to saintly even by Caroline’s standards. She also gave a special mention to Silly Boy saying what a valued member of the community he was 🤢🤦🏻‍♀️.
Has anyone checked out how many people are actually doing the Iron Pto workouts? I’ve never seem such a low participation, usually it’s at least 15k people if not 20k but for Iron Pro more like 5k.
@GobacktotheworldIll be going for a different quad workout, if she has long rests for those weights which aren’t any different to her other programmes I’d rather do a decent paced PE workout.
today I redid for the nth time PE day 20, the best back and biceps workout!

@samthebordercollie thats strange as I would have thought people would try iron pro 1 on YouTube and then signup. I wonder if all the talk of heavy weights and benches has put people off even trying Iron Pro as they don’t have the equipment?

Hi all, can I join?

I had the same reaction to some of you to a Caroline’s “I get to” sermon…like, really?? 🙄

I always think the Kearneys have a life size effigy of Caroline that they keep in a special room to pray to every night.
I’ve taken a break from the FB community because I couldn’t bear it but sometimes I miss intentionally winding myself up by looking through it 😂

anyway, I’ve just done day 3 of Iron Pro after completing Max recently. I loved the first two irons and this one if definitely an upgrade for me. I’m a trad lifter so l looove the longer rests. I can go almost as heavy as I did when I was taking 3+ minute rests in other programs.

edited for spelling

Welcome @ButtCheeks ! Yeah that fb group is awful and the Kearneys make me feel unwell. How did you find the first day of pro? I am enjoying mostly- it turns out that I like that kind of lifting. I liked her 10x10 series for the same reason. Though thanks to this group j m not bothered by subbing out sessions that look proper tedious for mother that does the same job.
Speaking of subbing: I like a quad day BUT high/ heel elevated squats play havoc on my back. I hate them for that reason. What bilateral exercises could I do part from wall sits? I recently did a n all quad session that gave me serious doms- maybe I’ll try and find out which one it was.
@samthebordercollie I agree. There is very little of the usual frenetic rubbish that we get at the start of a series. The ‘this is my fave series ever’ and relatively few posts both on the fb group and on the app. And yes app participation shows much lower numbers.
Tbh that makes me like iron pro even more .
maybe it is an equipment issue. Certainly a weights one . I can easily sub out the bench for other bits of furniture so I don’t mind and have spent years building up my weights collection with a mixture of plates and dumbbells. I could imagine being peed off and or intimidated by the weight increase if I were less experienced.
still my app renews today so I guess that is that!
@Bobbieiris wow twins must be hard work! Deffo come in and join us again!
@Fibrous I literally don’t read the motivational waffle any more. I mean the word ‘get to’ means you have a choice even if it I because you are not dead in your bed. I would prefer ‘I am able to’. Cos actually you get to get up with your baby in the night- you have to.
That’a why this group is great- no happy clappy shite.
haaard day at work for me today so no workout. I must be a failure because I should get it done anyway or something.

Excuse typos - I am tired and squinting at my phone with fat fingers.

Thanks for the welcome @BigButtons 🙂

I am enjoying Iron Pro so far. I’m used to big weights and am a former powerlifter, but enjoy a follow-along workout, way more fun.

Have you seen a physical therapist for your back? Often a lower back issue when squatting can be to do with tightness in the adductors/hip flexors. Can you do normal squats and deadlifts with no pain?

Thanks- my issue is mild scoliosis, so I have a sway back with anterior pelvic tilt- which makes that move hard for me. I suppose I could just go let squat 1 dumbbell- that always feels like cheating/ or a supported sissy squat/
glad you enjoying it!🥰

Hi @ButtCheeks i did day 3 too.

Did people use a stability ball? I really don’t want to dig one out and inflate it, does it come up much? I am not a fan of Bulgarian lunges so wasn’t too happy but I upped to 4kg for them so feels like progress. Normally I use 6kg for hip thrusts but I surprised myself by using dh’s sandbag with 18kg in it. I also used that for sumo squats. I took a couple of bean bags out so technically I have a little room to go up to 22kg. I have got my medium band ready for next time instead of light!

Arf at Caroline effigy, @ButtCheeks . Hi to the new faces! Twins, hats off to you, @Bobbieiris . I had an emergency c-section with some complications, and was not able to start exercising properly until about the six month mark. I was not doing CG back then but would have if she had been around! Even if I just had to dump a load of my favourite dresses at the charity shop because she has made me quite swole around the shoulders and upper back.🙄

@BigButtons BigButtons Other than sissies and her usual step ups, Bulgarians, close lunges and wall sits, there are reverse Nordics, walking lunges, staggered squats with a reaĺly heavy heavy dumbbell on the squatting leg, pistols (can be standing up from a chair on one leg), squat jumps, or yoga moves like crescent lunge, skandasana or camel? Or ten minutes on a stationary bike, urgh- if you have one- that cripples me.

I have plumped for Heat Day 27 for tomorrow- it has a fair bit of calves in it as well as quads. Don't think I have done this one.

@clearingaspace fantastic progress! 🥂 Sounds like you're moving on up!

Hi to everyone new! @ButtCheeks curious as to know how you find CG's programming after powerlifting. She used to get quite a lot of criticism in the Weights Room threads for just being cardio with weights - the App is quite different although she's lifted quite heavy since the Epic 2 programme.
@Clearingaspace well done on the weights increase! There are quite a few stability ball exercises but I don't bother with the ball now, I sub RDLs, use sliders instead of a ball or do nordic hamstring curls - thanks to @Gobacktotheworld for that one!