Buffy Buffington gets Buffer

I’ve been lazy and need to update.  For fear of boring anyone to death, let me just say I’ve been mixing it up.  Incorporating HIIT twice a week right now…going heavier & heavier with the weights.  Experiencing decent DOMS.  Diet has been so-so:  "ON" 5-6 days of the week; still incorporating pretty big "treats" on Saturdays.  Need to cut that out - getting down to the wire in the 40+ Transformation Challenge.  I’ve also gotten into the habit of enjoying a cocktail a few days a week…more than usual.  Used to just be Friday nights and occasionally on Saturdays.  I gotta blame it on our new house - I just feel like I’m on vacation all the time!  No excuses…I’ve just been lax.  Gotta straighten up my act!  Progess pics soon…

Since I was disappointed by my ham workout a couple days before, I decided to hit my quads with a vengeance last Friday.  And, boy, did I get the DOMS that I was asking for!

Friday, 4/24/09:

Walking Lunges - 3 x 12 w/ pulse, 12 w/o pulse = 72 walking lunges

Leg press - 3 x 10

Reverse Lunges - 3 x 12

Split Squat - 3 x 12

Leg Extensions - 3 x 9, 8, 8

GREAT workout! 

Saturday, 4/25/09:

Delts/tris

Arnold Press - 4 x 12, 8, 7, 5

Upright row - 3 x 10, 8, 8

Seated Rear Raise - 3 x 12

BB skulls - 3 x 12, 10, 6

Rope Pushdown - 4 x 9, 8, 8, 4

Decent workout.

Monday, 4/27/09:

Back/bis

Chins - 3 x 9, 4, 3

Wide pulldown - 3 x 8

Reverse Narrow Grip pulldown - 3 x 8

Bentover Row (alt. overhand/underhand) - 4 x 9, 9, 8, 8

EZ Bar curl (alt. narrow/wide grip) - 4 x 7, 6, 3, 8

Incline hammer -3 x 10

GREAT workout - little DOMS in lats, but that’s it!  Frustrating!

Diet has been GREAT!  But, boy, am I hungry!!  Took today off - slept through alarm.  Tomorrow, 4/29, I’ll do delts/abs and HIIT (ugh, blech).

Wednesday, I did hams/glutes/calves, and, I gotta be honest, I’m seriously disappointed in Buffy Buffington!  First, I just felt disconnected from the entire workout.  Second, I have zero, zilch, nada DOMS (except in my calves)!!  Here’s a breakdown of my workout:

Wednesday, 4/22:

ATG BB Squats - 3 x 12

SLDL - 3 x 12

1-leg DL w/ med ball - 3 x 10

Ham curl on stability ball - 3 x 12

Weighted Hyperextension to kneel - 3 x 10

Standing calf raise - 3 x 12, 10, 10

My diet on Wednesday was great.  Mood was "eh".  Just could not get into my workout.  Didn’t work up much of a sweat and could not get my mind in the muscle.  Not sure what the dealio was. 

Today, 4/23, took off because I had an early DDS appointment, which ended up being a bust.  I was supposed to get a root canal, but come to find out, I don’t need a root canal at all!  Instead, it appears that the last time a root canal was performed, a teensy-weensy piece of an instrument broke off inside my gum and that’s what is causing me the occasional infections!  Now, I have to have my gums cut open and the endo has to root around in there to find that lil sucker.  Too bad the statute of limitations has run.  I’m not litigious, but c’mon!!  I have had 4 years of monthly pain and infection!!

My diet today has been right on, except I’m under on my calories.  I need a snack!

Tomorrow, 4/24, I’m hitting my legs again!  Let’s call it "All Lunges All The Time"!  DOMS fo’ sho’!!  Then, it’s party time.  My husband was laid off about a month ago, but he has just accepted a fantastic offer with a new company - he starts May 4! 

Oh, and I’m officially down a size in jeans/pants!  Not "in between sizes" anymore!  That, my friends, puts a chick in a GREAT mood!

Had a great delt/HIIT workout today:

 Tuesday, 4/21:

5 min. warmup on elliptical

Iso-lateral shoulder press - 3 x 10, 10, 7

Lateral raise machine - 3 x 7, 7, 6

Upright row - 3 x 12, 12, 10

Bentover rear raise (no benches available, Worm) - 3 x 15, 13, 13

HIIT on Precor Elliptical - 15 minutes (felt like I was gonna hurl - yay!)

Need to go heavier on my rows & rear raises!  Diet has been clean, cals are good, fat % too high.  I have this problem everytime I have a serving of nuts and a serving of salmon in the same day…irritates me!  Mood:  FANTASTIC, but feeling a lil "fat" today.  It’s a girl thing… 

After some "unclean" diet choices on Saturday, I’m back on track and feelin’ GREAT!  I decided to shake things up this week, and re-order my workout days, along with going heavier.  Next week, I’m going HEAVY. Period.  Today was back/bis.

Monday, 4/20:

Unassisted pull-ups - 3 x 5/1neg, 3/1neg, 2/1neg

Narrow-grip pull-down - 3 x 8

Iso-lat low row - 3 x 9

Iso-lat high row - 3 x 8

EZ-bar curls - 3 x 10, 8, 8

Incline db curl - 3 x 8

Upright hammer curl - 3 x 12 (a lil lighter - finished off my bis!)

It was an AWESOME workout!  I felt strong and PUMPED.  My only regression has been in my pull-ups, which intrigues me.  I was up to 8 unassisted, but I’ve been stuck back at 5 for a few weeks now…however, my EZ bar curls are stronger than ever and I’m about to go up to 60 lbs, which I’m excited about!

Diet has been perfect today.  Looking forward to dinner of chicken breast & broccoli, followed by PP "ice cream" for dessert, and some cottage cheese before bed!

Hope all my groupies are doin’ great this week! 

Had vacation day, but went to gym as always at 6:30 a.m.  Anxious and excited for quad workout.  Decided to mix things up a bit and put walking lunges at END of workout instead of first, as usual.  Just a reminder, this week I’m high repping/lighter weights.  Next week, gonna go heavier/less reps…

Friday, 4/17:

Precor/15 min./Prog. 5/Resistance 8

Hack squats - 3 x 15

Split squat - 3 x 15

Reverse lunge - 3 x 12

Walking lunge - 3 x 12 w/ pulse

Hard, but so fun.  Worked up a great sweat and ready to take on the world!  Went home, took dog for walk…lots of energy!  The DOMS are setting in - glutes & quads.  LOVE IT!  Diet has been good, excluding the bar burger I had for lunch.  It was such a beautiful day here in Michigan!!  Gonna hit the gym on Saturday for some a.m. cardio.  Mood is GREAT!

I was back "on" today, peeps!  It was "cardio/tri/abs day".  I am not currently training pecs, but I do occasionally do a "push-up challenge" with myself to maintain.  Pecs were really "popping", and I, personally, don’t feel the need for "poppin’ pecs".

Thursday, 4/16:

Elliptical/15 min/Level 14

BB skulls - 3 x 15

Weighted bench dips (feet up) - 3 x 9,8,8

V-bar push-down - 3 x 15,12,12

Rvs grip straight bar pull-down - 3 x 15

Cap’n chair leg raise - 20, 15, 10

I really didn’t want to leave the gym, but had to go…it was one of THOSE days!  Diet has been dead on today (thank goodness), but I am HUNGRY!  Enjoying filet & sweet potato for dinner soon!  Cannot wait…  Mood has been GREAT!  Today is my "Friday" and we’re gonna do some mountain biking tomorrow, but will NOT forego the gym - it’s "quad day" tomorrow - LOVE IT!

Today was one of THOSE days at the gym.  On the way there, I am excited, anxious, feelin’ strong….hop on the recumbant bike and WHAM! I hit some sort of wall.  The entire time is difficult.  All I want is for it to be OVER, so I can get to the "meat" of my workout - LIFTING!  Cardio done and outta the way, I head to the pull-up station (today was back/bi day), hop up there to do some neutral grip chins and I’m WEAK!  So very, very weak…the rest of the workout followed suit.  Ugh!

Wednesday, 4/15:

15 minutes on recumbant/level 12/"random" setting

Unassisted chins - 3 x 8, 4, 2

Wide-grip pull-downs - 3 x 12, 10, 9

Seated cable row - 3 x 10, 10, 10

EZ Bar - 3 x 21s

Upright hammers - 3 x 12, 12, 12

Diet has been "eh" today - craving carbs, so I’m having ‘em, but I’m going to be over on my calories today, but not by a lot, so I’m not gonna stress.  Mood:  Pretty darn good, all things considered…

Tomorrow’s a new day…

Got a new workout log just for the challenge, peeps!  Can you believe some dude at the gym asked me about my log and said how it’s "old school", how it USED to be popular?  I couldn’t live without my log!

Not sure if Sunday or Monday were technically the "challenge start" days, so I started on Monday, 4/13.

I pre-workout supp w/ 2 scoops White Flood (N.O.); during workout supp w/ 1 scoop Purple Wraath (BCAA’s).  I never eat before my workouts - can’t stomach it.  I do 2 "carb-up" days a week, 1 is within calorie deficit calories, Saturday is my carb-up/refeed day - eat well OVER maintenance (or try to - don’t usually track on Saturdays).

Monday, 4/13:

15 minutes on elliptical (level 12), followed by hammies (going lighter/more reps this week):

ATG squats, 4 x 15, 12, 12, 10

SLDL, 4 x 15, 15, 15, 15

Kneeling ham curl, 4 x 15, 15, 10

Diet was perfect on Monday!  Macros 50p/25f/25f.  Mood:  FANTASTIC, excited, feelin’ great!

Tuesday, 4/14:

15 minutes on elliptical (level 13), followed by delts/abs:

Arnold press, 3 x 18, 15, 13

Iso-lat raise machine, 3 x 15, 15, 15

Upright row, 3 x 15, 15, 15

Bentover rear raise, 3 x 15, 15, 15

Decline leg raise, 3 x 20, 13, 12 (my abs fatigue VERY quickly and BURN!)

Diet almost perfect - couldn’t get enough carbs in for my "carb up", may try again tomorrow.  Cals were good.  45p/25c/30c.  Feeling VERY hungry today!  Mood:  FANTASTIC, pumped, can’t wait to workout tomorrow!

Tomorrow is a NEW day - with endless possibilities… 

So today is the start of the 40+ group’s "8-Week Transformation Challenge" and I am PUMPED UP and excited to get going and start seeing results.  This is just the kick in the ass that I need, at just the right time.  Summer’s coming and I am going to rock my ‘kini all summer long!!

I tend to not be very objective in how I view my own physique.  Seeing my "before" pics from yesterday reinforces not only how far I have come, but how far I still want to go.  I admit, I look pretty good, especially from the front.  However, you will note that I’ve included only 1 pic of my back and NONE of my glutes/hams.  They’re just not "there" yet, folks!  Nothingn to be proud of back there!  lol  Even my back pic makes me cringe.  MUCH TOO MUCH FAT!  Not so much around my lats, but my waist appears so thick…don’t even get me started on my glutes/hams.  NOT a pretty picture!!

My goals for this challenge are as follows:

1.  Uncover my lower 2-pack to complete my 6-pack; and

2.  Lose fat all over (I know you cannot spot reduce), but especially I need to SEE the leaning out in my glutes/thighs/hams/waist vicinity. 

It’s a constant struggle and a long journey for those of use females who started this body-shaping journey after allowing our bodies to go to Hell in a handbasket! LOL  That’s where we gain fat quickly, but it’s the most difficult location to lose fat from.  It’s "hanger on-er" fat and it’s a bitch, I tell ya!  During the following 8-weeks, I intend to keep my diet pristine & my workouts new and challenging.  I’m ready!

I intend to use this challenge to jump-start my leaning out process.  I am determined, I am commited, I am excited and I am motivated!  Look out, boooyyyyzzz!