Well- maybe that’s too dramatic. We’ll continue to see each other, but after I finish the Iron Series, we won’t be going steady anymore.
There are 30 workouts in the Iron Series, and I’m on #27. I CANNOT WAIT to be done! I’m going to finish out the series because that’s what I set out to do, but I won’t be starting over again as I originally planned.
Doing this series was a great way to get back into strength training. It pushed me in a way I wasn’t pushing myself on my own, and also got me to do a lot of exercises I was neglecting. But some of the workouts are just so tedious. I don’t WANT to do an entire workout focused on hamstrings, or biceps and triceps. At the end of each workout words flash across the screen, “Did you enjoy this workout!” and most of the time I want to shout “No! I obviously hated it!”
Having said that… there were several that I did like. #26 was a leg workout. There are seven exercises in a circuit that you repeat three times. It was hard, but moved along quickly, and there was enough variety that no one body part ended up debilitated by the end.
I did this one at the gym, which was also key to my success. It was nice having all the equipment I needed, including a bench for step ups (as opposed to stepping up precariously on a pile of books, which is what I was doing at home.)
Moving forward, I’ll go to the gym several times a week and do selected Iron Series workouts, but I won’t be doing them in order, and there will be some that I’ll never do again as long as I live (please remind me of this if I say I’m going to do this series again in a few years!)
In a future post I’ll list the workouts that I like the best. As I was going through the series, I made a note of ones that I liked, and those I especially disliked (I’m looking at you, #20). I’ll have to see if any of the last four make it onto either of those lists!
Link Up With Tuesday Topics
Welcome back to Tuesday Topics, as Jenny, from Runners Fly joins Jenn at Runs With Pugs to co-host this link-up! Please join us every week for a new topic! Write on our weekly prompt or choose your own topic! Make sure to add your post to the link up, link back to your hosts, and comment on the other shared posts!
This week was a free topic. Next week: What Does Global Running Day mean to you? (You are also welcome to write on any topic of your choice- the prompts are just there to generate ideas).
Top photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
30 Responses
Haha, Jenny, breaking up with CG!
Only doing the workouts you enjoy is a smart way to stay consistent, because if you like it, you’ll actually keep showing up.
BUT I feel I have to add this: the workouts we dislike most are often the ones we need the most. Even tedious hamstring curls! 😅
Maybe this is also a good opportunity to explore the internet and to check out other fitness instructors? You know, like a new flirt after a break-up?
I agree- if I only did things I liked, I wouldn’t ever do Bulgarian split squats again. I did fall into that trap last year, which is why the CG workouts have been good for me. And- I’m open to new instructors! Send recs my way, people!
I agree with Catrina, only choosing what you enjoy doing would be sustainable in long term. I did GC several times but never finished all and I was not looking forward to it. Now I look forward to my slim fit class. what a change. So keep looking until you find what you like, even for strength training.
Yes, I need to keep looking around. I’m definitely open to suggestions!
You’ve been doing great with these workouts to keep them up even when they got tedious! Also, well done finishing the serious when you obviously don’t like it. That’s a lovely attitude, way to go!
I think your plan sounds good, to go to the gym a few times a week and mix workouts. Just don’t skip the important ones or skip muscle groups… like Catrina said, those we don’t like may be the ones we need and some are really important for us. You just don’t need to do a full workout of lunges only! Mix and match to get all muscle groups worked on.
Yes- I don’t want to skip muscle groups. But the workouts I don’t like are the ones that are ONLY hip thrusts or lunges. Ugh.
Kudos to you for sticking with the program even though some classes weren’t your favorite types of workouts! I think it sounds more like you’ll be two-timing on Caroline Girven since you plan to continue “seeing” her occasionally while “seeing” other instructors. 😉
Yes, I’ll be cheating on her. I don’t think she’ll be too upset though!
Life is too short to do workouts that you loathe! I do really enjoy the CG workouts but there are some that are so very hard that I have to modify. I like her full body ones best. I had intended to do the iron series twice in 2026 but now I am going to OTF so much that I don’t have time for CG workouts so I need to swap out that goal for something else. And I am getting plenty of strength through OTF.
Yes, you are getting plenty of strength! And, I think my favorite CG workouts are the upper body or lower body ones- in other words, a workout with a variety of upper or lower body exercises, as opposed to ONLY hamstrings or triceps, or whatever. I’m not crazy about the full body ones actually. I have one more of those coming up this week!
I’m impressed that you stuck with it!!!!
Well- I had to do something, and I didn’t want to think about strength too much or have to make my own program. I kind of wish I could quite right now, lol, but I think I would regret stopping at #27 instead of finishing the program.
The workouts sound really tough so I think it’s great you’re sticking it out until you finish the program, and then just go back to the ones you liked more! It’s always easier to convince myself to do strength training if I actually enjoy it. And it’s nice that having the gym motivates you to go. I much prefer working out at home so I’m glad I have that option, though it would be nice if my apartment gym would have more weights since it’s never busy like a regular gym!
I would like working out at home more if I had all the equipment, but if I want to get the most out of the workouts I have to go to the gym. The problem is, our gym is crowded and I don’t like that. I’m going to try it today around 11 am (I’m starting my new summer schedule of not working Tuesdays!) to see if it’s a good time to go.
I do not think CG is for me either. In fairness I haven’t done her whole series or anything but of the videos I have done, I did not love them either! I know many people do seem to love her, though.
For suggestions, since you asked, first, I recommended to SHU and some others to try Emma Montgomery’s monthly workout plan. There is a cost though- $25/month, I think. (I used to pay for the monthly workouts for a very long time but no longer do; I have a bunch saved though if you want to see the style!) SHU is currently trying these and can chime in on thoughts! I think they’re good! Her plans have 5x/week (2 upper, 2 lower, 1 full body), though I think many people drop one day.
Secondly, currently I am doing 3x/week full body strength in the gym and loving this for me. (I supplement with cardio/full body Heather Robertson youtube videos the other 3 days.) I had Chat GPT design an entire year’s worth of strength workouts for me. I just asked it for workouts that were “gym based, using a mix of machines, dumbbells and free weights, to last about 45-60 min, full body with good emphasis on legs and glutes, avoiding heavy barbell squats and deadlifts due to my back, and for a new plan each month.” It spit out 12 months of monthly workouts, 3 per week. They are honestly fantastic and I’m seeing great results. Obviously you need to be smart if having AI design something for you but I have plenty of strength experience so I can see if anything seems off. (Nothing has, anyway, the workouts have been very good.) I feel like you have lots of strength experience now too so this could definitely work for you as well! You can always ask it to sub a different exercise if you don’t like one it gives you.
Let me know if you want me to email you my plan – you could at least look at it, or feed it into chat gpt and ask for tweaks based on length/focus that you want!
Thank you Kae!!! Is the workout you shared a couple weeks ago one that ChatGPT gave you? I really like that one. As a matter of fact I was going to copy it when I finished the Iron Series. I’ll let you know about the EM ones- I don’t think I want 5x a week though. I’ll look into it.
Samsies! Caroline and I had a very good run, and she was my rebound after I broke up with running. I have fond memories but at the same time…it’s over. After doing several of the series, I found that what made the most sense was doing only the full body workouts. That way I wasn’t stuck with 45 minutes of hip thrusts, which with all due respect, no one needs to be doing.
Congrats on getting to #27 and having the shake up in your fitness routine. You’re going to reap the rewards in your fall race!
Thank you!!! I looked ahead and the second to last workout is like a thousand hip thrusts again, GROAN!!! I’m just going to do it and get it over with, and then never again. This was a good shakeup for me though, as you said.
Step ups on a pile of books!!!!! Jenny, I have read FAR too many dark novels to approve of that modification!
I think you have hit the nail on the head as to why I dislike CG workouts. I find them tedious. I know that “full body” workouts aren’t typically as effective as targeted ones, but they are so much less boring!
I actually don’t mind the general upper body or lower body ones, as long as there’s variety. It’s just when a workout is 90% lunges or hip thrusts that I get pretty dark.
It’s not dramatic! I feel like I see that name in all of your posts! But, it sounds like it’s for the best. It’s not you, it’s obviously her. And you’ve got a great plan to move on!
Ha ha- yes, it’s her all right.
I have to congratulate you on sticking with the program, despite your distaste for some of the components. That said, it sounds like you liked most of the series (?), so you at least have some solid exercises to take from it.
Yes, it was definitely worthwhile. I got a lot out of it- there were just a handful of workouts that I couldn’t stand. Overall it’s a good program, but once is enough. Actually this is the second time I’ve done it, but the first was several years ago so I had some amnesia, apparently.
Oh gosh, it stinks to think you’ve found great workouts and then think ‘HANG ON, THIS SUCKS.’ I like the CG videos, but there are definitely some that I like better than others. I’m not a huge fan of targeting one specific muscle group for an entire workout. I tend to really like the leg workouts or the full body ones. I do not like doing things on my toes as it aggravates one of my ankles. I modify those as needed. I just got to go to an in person class at my health club. This is taught by the woman whose classes I did for years after you posted them on FB during the pandemic. Her in person class tops anything CG does, but I can’t get there on Mondays during the school year. If I ever decide to trim down my daycare from Mon-thurs, I’ll def me going to Tues -thurs. Dare to dream.
Glad you recognized the issue and have a plan in place for how to do strength without being frustrated.
I actually don’t think I’ve ever been to an in-person strength class! I know it works well for a lot of people- the challenge, of course, can be getting there. It’s not always convenient. I could look into it at my gym- I know they have classes.
I only know her for her deadbugs, had no idea she had a series. I am fortunate in having a handy step in the middle of our landing I can use for step-based activities!
I enjoy Caroline Girvan workouts, BUT I modify as needed, and I have never tried to do an entire series. I rotate between upper and lower body, and sometimes a full body. You’re making it seem like I’ve done the right thing.
I don’t do CG anymore. I mostly do Sydney Cummings or Kaleigh Cohen. It’s challenging (and you can always make it more challenging by adding weights) without being impossible. *shrug* I’m just here for mobility, not to break any lifting records, you know?
I just started some random 30 day workout series that I found on YouTube. I love to run and I don’t like to strength train at all, so it’s good that it’s forcing me out of my comfort zone. We shall see if I can stick to it – I’m on day 3 hahaha.