Caroline Girvan is the Queen of Epic, the Mother of Abs, and the Instigator of Change. She came out of nowhere and amassed over a million subscribers. She took a somber situation, the Covid Pandemic, and made the best of it by offering free fitness to the world. Literally.
She is one of several trainers that has utilized the YouTube platform as a way to share their product. It is genius really. You can already access three full programs EPIC l, EPIC ll and EPIC Heat (she’s currently in the process of releasing EPIC III). Each program is 10 weeks long, has a nutrition/workout guide along with a calendar. There is so much thought, knowledge and effort put into each of these programs… It is hard to believe it is FREE.
The videos themselves are shot simply in her home. No fancy set, no light shows or DJs. Each video starts with a brief introduction to the workout with advice on how to do modifications or instructions for the exercises. These are tough workouts that require minimal equipment and space. The workouts are anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes in length. And, to top it off even the background music is motivating. If you are someone that wants a no-nonsense workout program – Go check her out!
If you need more support, there is a free Facebook group you can join as well. Caroline or her amazing helpers moderate it so you can expect a clean, positive environment. It is a private group so those who have joined feel confident to ask questions, share successes and inspirational posts.
My Experience:
Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t share my own Caroline journey with you. I have spent the last 70 days (10 weeks) doing her EPIC l program. It consists of 5 workouts and 2 rest days each week. Each workout is focused on a specific Body area(s) and one day a week is HIIT (high intensity interval training).
To give you a little background: I am someone who has worked out most of my life but you can tell I like donuts (or more accurately ice-cream). Most of my life I have yo-yo’d in my weight and overall health. Consistency was not my friend and at the start of this journey I was pretty out of shape. Caroline’s guide says this workout program is for every single person and I believe it. It was hard. Sweat was dripping from places I didn’t know could sweat but believe me I. DID. IT. I took it at my own pace, I only did however many reps I could (not what Caroline did), I stopped to breathe, and lastly I wasn’t afraid to modify.
Along with the workout program I was tracking my food and eating in a calorie deficit. Caroline doesn’t promote necessarily any type of diet program but she does recommend healthy and balanced nutrition. Personally, I just needed a little more accountability with my diet so I tracked everything using the Lose It App. The app is surprisingly great at showing macros and nutrition details.
The first week I did workouts 1 and 2 and was so sore I took the next day off – even though the calendar said do workout 3 (remember there are 2 rest days and I used them whenever I felt the need.). Instead of the workout I took a 40 minute walk. The next day I picked right back up with workout 3. I usually get DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) when I start a new program. It hits me the first week but then goes away. It’s like my body is shocked that I am not sitting on the couch watching another Friends marathon. BoooHooo! My body will thank me later (wink wink).
Over the next few weeks, I wasn’t anywhere near perfect. I missed workouts, I exceeded my daily calorie goal and I even missed tracking on a few days. But, I worked hard (and had more consistent days than not) so I continued to see progress. That doesn’t mean the scale went down every day. Some days my weight plateaued and other days it went up (but not a lot). It is a lesson in patience and will-power.
Loving your body is a bit like improving your finances. You have to budget, you have to save, and every once in a while you get to splurge. For me this was a daily/weekly thing. Tracking helped me balance my day. I knew if I ate my veggies and got my protein in… I would have a little room for a delicious sugary bomb of goodness.
You understood me right I continued to indulge but in a more balanced way. I learned no food was off limits and enjoyed it all in moderation.
And, drumroll please….. I lost weight. A total of 19 pounds on my 5 foot 5 inches frame. I also went up in free weights from 12 pound weights to 15. This last part was a huge deal as I had been stuck on 12 pounds for several years. Another non scale victory I was so very proud of was doing push ups on my toes.
This program was one of my favorites EVER! I really hope you get a chance to check out her YouTube channel and see if she’s right for you.
fitgirlglow.com 