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Exercise

Chat to other fitness enthusiasts on our Exercise forum.

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

950 replies

BigButtons · 10/09/2025 16:45

New thread!

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BigButtons · 11/01/2026 21:17

I did do a heat legs. Was great. I do really love the volume work. This had a staple of heel elevated squats and rdls. All supersets of 50/50 seconds with a 20 second rest between each. 🙂

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Gobacktotheworld2 · 12/01/2026 03:52

Sounds perfect BigButtons. I will probably be doing all the Play ones which appeal, which has so far been about two thirds of them. Day 7 of Play is just shoulders though (😖 a 41 minute workout just on delts... unless you're a bodybuilder, just why?). So I repeated Heat Day 12 which was fabulous- yes, it has some shoulder press and frontal raises and rear delt flyes, but also plenty of push ups (I managed 45 across the sets, with lots of failure), chest press, pullovers, chest flyes, tate press, back rows, sweeps, renegades, skullcrushers, hammer and ordinary bicep curls, weighted dead bugs... a perfect upper body workout. And she wasn't lifting any lighter than she does now-- sometimes the reverse, in fact. I got to use my new 7kg hexes for skullcrushers and tates- so much less hair-raising than using 10kgs was.😃

BigButtons · 12/01/2026 07:13

@Gobacktotheworld2 I just love heat- it is so well balanced- although day 2 shoulders is an absolute bitch.
I think the obsession with glutes and shoulders is because they are visible under clothes. They are the parts of the body that are trendy to work on.
I often do Tate press anyway now. I swapped out one of the a complexes last week and did a tricep one using Tate press and lying over head extension.
I shall do today’s but maybe swap some exercises out.

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BigButtons · 12/01/2026 07:15

I think her reduction in upper body weights is a very sensible move tbh- she would have long term trashed her joints and tendons using those weights!

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Enrichetta · 12/01/2026 10:26

BigButtons · 12/01/2026 07:15

I think her reduction in upper body weights is a very sensible move tbh- she would have long term trashed her joints and tendons using those weights!

Absolutely - I totally agree. There was a time I was super focused on lifting heavy….. and then I injured my wrist, which took a very long time to recover from. I’ve learnt my lesson!

plus we are all getting older, including the lovely Caroline, and the older I get the more I find I need to focus on flexibility and stretching. Anyone has any suggestions in this regard? I do a fair bit of Livinleggings but I’m also looking for flexibility workouts that are less contortionist than some of Liv’s.

Regarding strength training, I too find Tate presses and lying over head extensions very useful and incorporate these in other workouts.

PS @BigButtons - what cardio do you do? I like Growingannanas but would like to try something else…

BigButtons · 12/01/2026 14:07

@Enrichetta I am always on the look out for stretching routines that I like. My favourite one is one youtube just for then hips and is the most short ad effective routine I have ever found. The cardio I do is Caroline simply because I am a creature of habit. I know what i am going to get. it is brutal at times but I get a rush for hours afterwards.
That reminds me that I need to do one after the shoulder session today as I didn't do one at the weekend. She has some great ones on the cgxmas series.
There are always bits of me now that are complaining. I have had something wrong with the front of my right shoulder for months now. I have tried everything, nothing makes a difference so I just train anyway.

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Fibrous · 12/01/2026 14:19

For the runners - there's a guy on youtube - run better with Ash - who does great running stretches. I always stretch after running now, after decades of not bothering and thus having terrible lower body flexibility. I've got to the age now where I really enjoy the stretching!

I failed to do anything yesterday. I think I needed another rest day. Did my run this morning but had to walk up all the hills as I have no power in my legs at the mo. Not sure if it's the weather, veganuary, or just needing a more chill january.

samthebordercollie · 12/01/2026 16:18

@Fibrousif you are vegan are you sure you aren’t iron deficient? That could account for lack of power in your legs. I’m not vegan but have to supplement with iron daily as I’m always deficient

Enrichetta · 12/01/2026 16:26

Hey @BigButtons - do you have a link for your YouTube hips stretching workout 😀

Fibrous · 12/01/2026 16:34

@samthebordercollie I'm not usually vegan! I'm just doing veganuary to keep my DP company (he is vegan/vegetarian depending on his mood) as he was pretty disgusted at the amount of meat eaten in our household over christmas by me and our guests. He is turning into a sanctimonious vegan which I usually ignore but I thought it was a good opportunity for a reset. I don't eat meat that often usually, I prefer fish. I'm looking forward to fish and cheese again next month. I'm salivating just thinking about it, actually. Much as I love beans and tofu, I am missing cheese.

BigButtons · 12/01/2026 17:19

@Enrichetta
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hsPUAppdfqs&list=PLeXzBbaPjjPVoI7p1zRRwT-llI2lHmLCW&index=9&pp=gAQBiAQBsAgC
it’a great

@Fibrous i would rather die than go without cheese. Not happening

i sid say 7 today and felt suitably challenged and entertained. Felt the need to work another part of my body so did an old Caroline triceps on you tube but subbed all the push ups/

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?index=9&list=PLeXzBbaPjjPVoI7p1zRRwT-llI2lHmLCW&pp=gAQBiAQBsAgC&v=hsPUAppdfqs

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BigButtons · 12/01/2026 17:20

Looks like you also get my entire yoga / stretch play list too @Enrichetta !

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SpaceRaccoon · 12/01/2026 17:22

Due to a December injury I'm only working my way through this season's Christmas series now, and I'm really enjoying it, they are short but intense and I feel like I work hard and don't get bored.

I don't know if Play will be the one for me, I might redo Max as I gelled with it last time round. And I have a bit of Iron Pro to finish before that.

Enrichetta · 12/01/2026 17:31

BigButtons · 12/01/2026 17:20

Looks like you also get my entire yoga / stretch play list too @Enrichetta !

Indeed, and I’ll try and work my way through it… Many thanks!,

Here is one I also like:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/R0eqxnSyRkM?si=LjLaojaPpxU8mGjs

Gobacktotheworld2 · 12/01/2026 17:38

Yes, tendons take longer to strengthen up than muscles and I avoid moves that hurt my joints (sissy squats can get in the bin), but lifting on the heavier side (for me, not setting any world records over here) is the only thing that builds raw strength and that converts to actual usefulness in my daily life for me. So every week I do a heavier workout. I don't follow formal specific periodisation programs in any conscious way but the general "lift heavy, lift less heavy, then endurance workout" scheme that Caroline did in Intent best mirrors what feels naturally useful. The upper/lower split in Intent is amazing and feels "right" too. Just the volume in that program was a bit insane and the neglect of cardio would stop me following it to the letter for ten weeks as written.

Finally read her HQ from week two. I'm sorry she gets anxious on leg days! It's always been awesome that she doesn't edit out the fuck ups, especially things like losing balance in lunges, and often includes the wobbles in those little clips showing the next move.

samthebordercollie · 12/01/2026 17:43

Intent is a great program as is PE. I just add on my own cardio. One of my favourite quad workouts with step ups in PE has Caroline forgetting which side to do first and she has to correct herself. Definitely makes her more human! And in another where she is swatting a spider away.

BigButtons · 12/01/2026 18:16

@Gobacktotheworld2 I have been stuck at the same rather sad weights for chest presses for ages and ages. There always seems to be something wrong with a shoulder that stops me going heavier. I have no idea why it is the weakest part of my body relatively.
intent was a bit too intense for me- I did most of it/ I liked PE a lot.
i was going to do a cardio today but remembered I am binged up with a cold so not the best idea/

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BigButtons · 13/01/2026 15:59

Day 8? Of play today - glutes and hammies . I could not be arsed to get out the barbell so did heavy banded bridges which hurt plenty. the Bulgarians were absolutely awfully viscous today- I was wondering why she dropped to 10 kg for the last set . Omg they hurt and I also gave her the finger and she had it coming 🤬🖕
still this is more like it- feel like I being challenged now!

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BB49 · 13/01/2026 17:30

Has anyone bought a barbell recently for a good price?

Keepoffmyartichokes · 13/01/2026 17:47

Has anyone done Fuel on YT? I have done iron a couple of times and feel like Fuel is kicking my arse. Day 2 was so hard on my wrists I had to modify a lot!!

BigButtons · 13/01/2026 18:18

Keepoffmyartichokes · 13/01/2026 17:47

Has anyone done Fuel on YT? I have done iron a couple of times and feel like Fuel is kicking my arse. Day 2 was so hard on my wrists I had to modify a lot!!

I didn’t get on with fuel at all. I did if live. it felt messy and very leg heavy. I seem to remember I stopped it and went back to Epic three which is my happy place!

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Keepoffmyartichokes · 13/01/2026 18:28

BigButtons · 13/01/2026 18:18

I didn’t get on with fuel at all. I did if live. it felt messy and very leg heavy. I seem to remember I stopped it and went back to Epic three which is my happy place!

I'm not sure about it but I'll give it a few more days

TessTickle0 · 13/01/2026 18:50

I preferred Heat to Fuel but did find them quite similar, Is Fuel the one with random burpees thrown in???

Fibrous · 13/01/2026 20:00

I did play day 6 today follow by day 11 of Charlie follows yoga. I’ve fallen behind a bit in both but I’m tired. DP is ill so maybe I’m fending that off more successfully than him in the background. I didn’t massively enjoy play but it went quickly enough. Yoga afterwards was nice. I think I just really like yoga in winter, it seems like a restful thing to do.

I’ve not done fuel or heat being a recent Caroline convert.

Enrichetta · 13/01/2026 20:37

I cannot remember anything about Fuel…… other than I didn’t enjoy it so stopped doing it…

My favourites are still Epic 3 and Heat.

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