Help with my (30f) routine – Caroline Girvan

[johnnyfred1]

Hi all! I'm a long time lurker on this sub looking for some advice about my routine. I have no idea where I stand really and whether what I'm doing makes sense.

I went from sedentary to working out seriously little over a year and a half ago. I used to do a lot of cardio, but my focus has shifted to weightlifting, which I love. I used to do a lot of MadFit or similar style YouTube workouts, but I've mostly moved on to Caroline Girvan (CG), whose programs I find to be more structured and her workouts extremely challenging. I went through a phase when I was unemployed and just doing full-time school, during which I worked out 5 days a week, 90 minutes of work (not counting warm ups, cool downs, or stretching). Although I got in great shape (for me), I think this was a bit much both physically and in terms of my schedule later on, and have readjusted to where I'm now working out every other day, sometimes two days in a row but usually 1 day on 1 day off.

My workouts go like this:

• 10 min warm up
• 40 min Caroline Girvan Program (right now I'm doing EPIC III)
• 40 min isolated work to complement the main CG component (mostly CG videos, some MadFit or Growingannanas, or just my own routine).
• Stretch

The "isolated work" varies depending on the main workout I did that day in whatever CG program I'm following. So on leg days, I will do 40 min additional leg focused work (e.g., glutes, calves, hamstrings), broken into 10 to 15 min segments for each muscle group. On upper body days, I will do additional push ups, pull ups, etc. No matter what the focus was that day, I usually do an ab workout. I also always have one or two calisthenic moves I'm working on (right now it's pull ups and pistol squats), so part of the isolated work I do involves practicing those. I always aim for 90 minutes total, and then I stretch.

Also, while most CG workouts double as cardio for me, I usually incorporate one HIIT-focused day per week as well. On those days, I still tack on the isolated work but with more of a full body focus, or I hit any muscle groups I may have missed that week. The dumbbells I use for all my workouts are pairs between 3 to 20 lbs. I'd say I use my 20lbs, 15lbs, and 10lbs pairs the most, which are sometimes significantly lighter than the weight CG uses in her videos (understandable, she's insanely fit). I always push myself to use the heaviest weight I can manage for that particular move – some days it's pretty close to what CG uses.

My diet isn't perfect, but I always consume at least 100g protein in the form of whey isolate powder. That's my breakfast and lunch, and then I make a meal kit for dinner.

I'm 5'2.5" 120ish lbs. Weight fluctuates a lot, between 119-126. Here is a link to CG's EPIC III program: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhu1QCKrfgPXAMz4TJv5Ub4IFvdXjuFXy&si=qTOxlfk0r0tNakK3

What am I doing wrong, or is this a decent routine? My plan is to keep building my routine around CG workouts, sometimes even repeating the same program, but always trying to work harder and progressively lift heavier weights. I sort of feel like I'm nearing a plateau, but also like I'm working pretty hard and not sure I should do more?

Thank you!!

 

[xypher101]

@johnnyfred1 Let me preface this by saying we have the same exact stats (except I’m 38), and I’ve been doing CG for two years and learned a lot along the way. I have over trained my body repeatedly and learned how important it is to pull back a bit.

Very smart decision to do the program every other day. I do 4 days a week. BUT, in my opinion you’re still doing WAAAY too much volume!! You don’t need to be doing an additional 40min workout on top of Epic 3, that’s sooo much! Your body is gonna be in a constant state of stress, even with the alternating day schedule. Just do the CG program, maybe add abs 1-2 times a week, and if you’re going to add any isolation work you don’t need more than 10-15 minutes max. Epic 3 is REALLY HARD. Your body will hold onto fat and refuse to respond to hypertrophy training if you’re overtraining. The body needs to feel safe and rested in order to build muscle. Aside from that, I would just add more walking, you didn’t mention walking so add that if you’re not doing it already.

 

[johnnyfred1]

@xypher101 Thank you so much for your insight! I have this tendency to always think I'm not doing enough or see myself as "lazy" if I only do the CG program without the additional work. It was a mental struggle for me to cut back to every other day, but it seems like it was the right choice for my body (and schedule). I definitely don't want to be still overtraining and might take your advice on cutting back a little more to maybe only 15 or 20 extra minutes after the main workout.

I am so glad that I'm not the only one who thinks CG's programs are super hard! I feel like maybe if I was following a less intense program, that extra work time might be more necessary.

 

[johnnyfred1]

@xypher101 Also – the walking. Good point. I live in Wisconsin, where much of the year it can be icy/snowy and somewhat difficult to walk around outside, but frankly, any walk is easier than doing 40 additional minutes of strength training. Soo... that excuse is lame. I could definitely walk more. Thank you!

 

[xypher101]

@johnnyfred1 Bundle up and get outside! It just feels good too. So good for mental health. I don’t know if it’s really snowy or icy but you can also get thingies that attach to your shoes that have like metal nubs on the bottom so you can walk safely in icy conditions. Good hat, coat, gloves, balaclava, and sometimes those foot warmer things that you open up and they get hot and you stick them to the bottom of your socks - all can be a huge game changer and make walking outside in winter damn near pleasant. I’m really into birding so it gives me more motivation to get outside even when it’s cold.

 

[xypher101]

@johnnyfred1 Commenting again to add that you should really really try to get your protein NOT all from a whey shake. Aim for whole foods instead and only use the whey if you don’t otherwise meet your protein goal. The body will respond much better to protein in real food.

Check out the Mind Pump podcast. The format is chit chat at the beginning but then they answer listener questions and there are a lot of women that call in with these same kinds of issues. I’ve learned a lot from that podcast!

 

[johnnyfred1]

@xypher101 Thanks for this advice also! I struggle with this. The protein shakes have been a huge improvement over my diet before I was working out, and I can definitely tell my performance and muscle gain have improved.

You are right that it is just a ton of whey isolate though... I guess in part I go this route because I don't want to go way over on calories, and I'm not sure how to get as much protein as I am looking for from whole foods without doing so. In addition to my 2 daily shakes, I do meal kits most nights because I like the variety (a nice departure from my protein sludge). And because I'm also cooking for my significant other, who isn't on any sort of special diet. I make the super typical kits you can get from Blue Apron, Home Chef, Everyplate, HelloFresh, etc. Most are pretty balanced meals, but not particularly protein heavy.

Would you suggest I swap one of my shakes for a whole food instead? I suppose I could do cottage cheese or just like chicken or turkey. The shakes are my go-to because I don't have to think.

 

[xypher101]

@johnnyfred1 Yeah, one shake is fine if you can’t meet your goal otherwise, but I wouldn’t do two a day unless it was like an emergency situation. I don’t think you need to worry too much about going over calories if you’re eating whole healthy foods, considering the amount of working out you’re doing.

 

[jerryj]

@johnnyfred1 What do you mean by plateau? Are you not able to progressively overload (lift more weight in this case?), not losing weight (fat?)? What are you trying to achieve?

 

[johnnyfred1]

@jerryj All of the above, really. It feels like I've been using the same max weight for most exercises instead of being able to keep going up in weight, which makes it hard to tell if I'm really improving. But it also feels like I'm working super hard and pushing myself every time, if that makes sense. It also seems like progress is really slow for the calisthenic moves I focus on. For example, it took me several months to work up from 0 pistol squats to being able to do about 10 in one minute on each leg. I had to take 3 weeks off due to illness, which lasted until the beginning of December. My fitness seemed to take a nose dive after just that short time off, and every workout has been extra hard since then. It feels like I'm finally almost back to where I was. Just today, I'm back at the point where I can do 8 on each side in that time. Same thing for pullups. I got up to doing 8 with good form, and after illness and a few weeks back working out, I'm stuck back at 6. Fat loss seems stalled too, though that probably has more to do with diet.

 

[secretniqabi]

@johnnyfred1 41f. From where I’m sitting you’re doing too much. Your body needs rest. I’m at my lightest weight in 10 years right now. In my 30’s i did Insanity all the time. And enjoyed it. And lifted. And focused so much on what I was eating…

Now I do modified Pilates (I literally do this while I watch tv) and hit the gym for two 45 min lifting sessions a week. And dance party with the puppies in the morning for at least 20 mins (morning playlist is necessary for life to be lived) along with about 2 miles of walking them daily.

And I like my body way more now. But this is also just me.

 

[johnnyfred1]

@secretniqabi That's what one of the other commenters said as well. I always underestimate the amount of work I'm putting in – even when I know it's a lot, I tell myself it's not enough. Especially because I can see how far I am from "perfect" performance or looks. Thank you for the feedback! I will try to remember that what I'm doing is already quite a lot.

 

[bandarbo]

@johnnyfred1 Howdy! Jumping in (pun intended wait for it...) to add that if it's in your budget, a rebounder is a great way to get steps in during the winter. I got one last year b/c I can't do any impact whatsoever and it's easy and fun! Plus it's a more efficient work out than running (according to a NASA study).