Caroline Girvan - New Iron vs Old

[SandyT]

Is there anyone who has had experience with both the new Iron series from the app vs the old YouTube series? Are the app sessions just more of the same? Thanks

[Kathy G]

I’ve done the You Tube six week Iron program two or three times. I just started the CG app Iron this week.

My thoughts so far are that they are similar. Weekly set up is still Legs (or Quads), Upper body (or split), Glutes (or posterior chain), Total body, and Upper body (split and may include core). But it’s ten weeks (50 workouts) instead of six weeks (30 workouts). So more like her other “full programs” on You Tube.

The workouts are mostly 30-35 minutes but the Total body workouts have been about 43 minutes.

She is also using a barbell (for thrusts or other lower body exercises but easy to substitute dumbbells). For blocks under her heels during elevated squats, she’s using some metal wedges (she put a link to them on Amazon) but again you can use small dumbbells or weight plates instead (what I do). https://www.amazon.com/HarderWill-Ad...s%2C189&sr=8-3

She’s also using a bench sometimes (it’s like one of those padded ones you get for the end of your bed but I use my weight bench) but it’s easy to sub or use the floor.

ETA: Exercises are mostly 60 sec work/30 sec rest for two sets. But she does throw some longer unilateral sets in there too because you’re resting one side. For example the Total body had some back moves that were 75 seconds work/30 sec rest.

So far these are the differences I see but I’m not that far yet. She just posted Day 11 today so I’m a week behind because of vacation. Hope that helps! I think her app has been well worth the $99 US for a year that I paid.

She uploaded several new salad recipes a couple of weeks ago that look delish! And no weird, hard to find ingredients either.

[SandyT]

Originally Posted by Kathy G

I’ve done the You Tube six week Iron program two or three times. I just started the CG app Iron this week.

My thoughts so far are that they are similar. Weekly set up is still Legs (or Quads), Upper body (or split), Glutes (or posterior chain), Total body, and Upper body (split and may include core). But it’s ten weeks (50 workouts) instead of six weeks (30 workouts). So more like her other “full programs” on You Tube.

The workouts are mostly 30-35 minutes but the Total body workouts have been about 43 minutes.

She is also using a barbell (for thrusts or other lower body exercises but easy to substitute dumbbells). For blocks under her heels during elevated squats, she’s using some metal wedges (she put a link to them on Amazon) but again you can use small dumbbells or weight plates instead (what I do). https://www.amazon.com/HarderWill-Ad...s%2C189&sr=8-3

She’s also using a bench sometimes (it’s like one of those padded ones you get for the end of your bed but I use my weight bench) but it’s easy to sub or use the floor.

ETA: Exercises are mostly 60 sec work/30 sec rest for two sets. But she does throw some longer unilateral sets in there too because you’re resting one side. For example the Total body had some back moves that were 75 seconds work/30 sec rest.

So far these are the differences I see but I’m not that far yet. She just posted Day 11 today so I’m a week behind because of vacation. Hope that helps! I think her app has been well worth the $99 US for a year that I paid.

She uploaded several new salad recipes a couple of weeks ago that look delish! And no weird, hard to find ingredients either.

Thanks for the detailed response! I am doing YouTube Iron for the second time now. I think I will get her app when I finish.

[Kathy G]

Sure, np Sandy! I think as her programs are released on the app, it will become a better value. But for me, it’s already worth it. I do have to say if she does another “Fuel” for the app, I’ll do something else (either repeat Iron, Beastmode or STS 2.0). I didn’t like Fuel!

[cjayd]

Originally Posted by Kathy G

Sure, np Sandy! I think as her programs are released on the app, it will become a better value. But for me, it’s already worth it. I do have to say if she does another “Fuel” for the app, I’ll do something else (either repeat Iron, Beastmode or STS 2.0). I didn’t like Fuel!

Fuel was tough. I love Heat and was repeating that on YouTube in the interim of waiting between Beastmode and Iron 2. I wasn’t going to purchase her app but CG is my main strength training now and I also felt $99 for a year was a good price. I hope she doesn’t just redo what’s on YouTube because then there really isn’t any point to subscribe. She’s still working out the bugs on her app. I don’t explore it outside of the programs as I don’t understand how to find everything. It’s a little clunky which is odd since she paid someone to develop it for her. It used to crash every time I started a workout and had to restart everything and then it worked fine. That seems to be fixed now. I use an iPad for reference.

I just started Iron today. I’m in the serious minority here and didn’t love Iron 1 and I was disappointed to see her wearing that same drab brown color again. Fall and gray skies and tan and orange outside is annoying to me because I miss the sun of summer. Seeing her in the gray walls and puky colored shorts just gloms on that summer is over.

The other big difference I noticed in all of one workouts in on Iron 2 is she has way upped her weights. She was using 37 lbs, 44lbs pairs and a 60 lb dumbbell for the first leg day. I usually match her weights but I don’t have those sizes of dumbbells. I used pairs of 30 and 37 and my heaviest kettlebell 24kg (56 lbs). I’m going to have to invest in some more dumbbells. I wish I could find affordable kg dumbbells here in the States and had money to have a complete set of kg and lbs. LOL.

[Negin]

I adore Caroline, love, love, love her.
I wish so much that she offered regular streaming like Jessica/Ellen, etc. Apps are just not my cup of tea. This annoys me to no end.

[Kathy G]

I’m so glad that weird glitch that booted you out of the app is fixed too! I found that if I favorite (heart in the upper right hand side that toggles to red) a workout that I like but it’s not part of a program, it’s easy to find on Home -> Favorites -> Workouts.

Her search is also good if you use general terms like legs, upper body, total body, or abs. It’ll pull up all the workouts in that classification. There’s actually a lot there already, but just the app is filtering on different criteria when you look under workouts. Hopefully it’ll get better as she gets more subscribers.

I hear you on the dark set. I was surprised at the dark gray walls. I kinda like the “metal” colored workout clothes but I liked the Pink color variations in Fuel better but not the workouts, lol.

I thought she was developing the app to include a version you could use on a PC? I haven’t heard much lately though. I really do love her workouts too!

[SandyT]

Originally Posted by Kathy G

Sure, np Sandy! I think as her programs are released on the app, it will become a better value. But for me, it’s already worth it. I do have to say if she does another “Fuel” for the app, I’ll do something else (either repeat Iron, Beastmode or STS 2.0). I didn’t like Fuel!

Which of her other programs are the most like Iron? (weights only - no cardio)

[Kathy G]

In the CG app there’s only one other program so far which is Beastmode. But it had four days of lifting and one day of HIIT cardio. I only did the couple of the cardio that used light dumbbells because they were easy to modify to low impact but I just did something else for the other HIITs (iFit on my treadmill). She has other workouts on her app that aren’t part of a program too.

As far as You Tube goes, I think all the other programs are structured like that and only Iron is all weights (but maybe someone else will know because I’ve only completed Iron and a couple of the shorter programs).

[MARIKA]

I did the Week 2 Full Body Workout yesterday and all I can say is.....WOW!