Buffy Buffington gets Buffer

I’m gonna try to keep this short & sweet!  I’m gonna try…

Background: A few months ago, I decided to take squats & deads out of my workouts as an "experiment" after reading many, many forum threads, especially in the female sub-forums, about concerns that these exercises would either "broaden" the waist, or keep it from getting smaller.

Realization:  As I was writing out last week’s leg workout, I realized that over the past few months I had been deeply discouraged by my lack of progress and general feeling of "softness" in the prior months.  Now, yes, I CAN blame poor diet on some of the regression; however, I now believe that at LEAST 25% of the regression was because I stopped performing these essential compound exercises.

FACTS:

• Performing squats and deads stimulate production of growth hormone and testosterone, the primary muscle-building hormone (see http://www.bodybuildingweb.net/blog/squats-deadlifts-and-release-of-testosterone-and-growth-hormone/)
• Performing squats and deads will NOT make women “bulky”, they will only give you the gorgeous, shapely sticks (and just about every other major body part, abs included) you are working so hard to create
• Performing HEAVY squats and deads is HARD! If they was easy, the squat rack wouldn’t look so damn lonely over there with no one using it (or be used only for bicep curls or shrugs, which irritates the HELL outta me when I wanna do my damn squats!)
• My goal is to be a hard body.  Without squats & deads, it just is NOT gonna happen!
• I would rather have a hard, trim 29″ waist, then a soft 27 or 28″ waist any day of the week.

Conclusion:  Ladies, please, please, please, if squats are not a part of your regular leg workouts, add them in immediately, and let me know how you feel 4-6 weeks from now.  If they are a part of your workouts, then kudos to you!  Keep up the great work!!

P.S.  Keep your eyes open for my new "after" pics in November!

The chicken breast.  Hate it.  Used to love it.  Then I hated it.  Then it was tolerable.  Well, I’m back to hating it.  Started a new transformation challenge this morning, and I cooked up a crapload of breasts for my work lunches.  Cannot even stand the freakin’ SMELL of it, and I don’t even re-heat those lil b!tches.  I just eat it cold.  Reheated?  DIZZZ-GUSTING!!!  What am I gonna do?????  Perhaps I’ll smother it in ranch dressing…  No.  I won’t.  I’m just gonna have to figure out a different source of lean protein that I can stomach.  I already supp with protein powder 2-3 times a day.  Don’t wanna rely on it so much.  Trying to stay away from the deli meats.  Love red meat, but you know you need to watch it.  Love cottage cheese most days, but it’s becoming more and more like the breasts.  Some days, icks me OWT!!  Crap.  Egg whites?  Eh.  I can only handle ‘em so much, and I really, really only like ‘em with toast.  Maybe I’ll try oatmeal/pp for breakfast, and move my egg whites/toast to lunch. 

 Any suggestions are appreciated! 

I’ve been shaping my physique for 3 years, 7 months.  Not shorter, not longer.  That’s it.  It’s been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, highs and loooooooowwwwws, elation and frustration.  Just now, I am beginning to realize the true ramifications of the lifestyle I, as a committed, dedicated, perhaps addicted (?) iron-slingin’ chick, have chosen.  The least of which is VERY early mornings at the gym, the most of which is admiration and respect from most of the people I encounter every day of my life. 

I’ve built some respectable muscle.  I’m just now working on the leaning out and, during this process, I’m realizing what a [vicious?] cycle I’ve created for myself.  As I become leaner, I realize that I have NOWHERE near the amount of muscle I desire!  WTF?  Now, I’ll want/need to do a "bulk" at some point?  Are you effin’ kidding me?  That $hit scares the crap outta me…Oh, well, again, it’s a choice, and I’ve chosen it and I have a love-hate relationship with this "choice".  Is it a "choice" at this point?  Me thinks not so much.

The true "gist" of this rambling blog you ask?  GET TO THE EFFIN’ POINT, WOMAN! you are screaming…

The past month has been an eye-opener for me.  It’s not that I’m "huge", that I look like the brick ****house I desire to be, but I think this "leaning out" has lended itself to making my muscles [appear] larger to the average Joe/Joanna.  I am not imagining the stares, the whispers, and the spoken and/or muttered comments.  A man at my office has asked me about my workouts and has assured me (after my pointed question, "Are my biceps too big?") that I look "FANTASTIC", "awesome", "great"; yet as I walk past him in the hallways, he just shakes his head and smiles…almost looking, dare I say, intimidated by me?  Say it isn’t so!!!!  No one offers to lift the heavy boxes for me anymore people!  Not that I would allow them to anyway, but you know what I’m sayin’.  I may look strong, I very well may BE strong, but that doesn’t mean that a lil chivalry along the way would offend me!  Just the offer.  I would say "No thanks, I got it", but that’s not the point.

One day, about 3 weeks ago, I was at the grocery store, milling around the produce in yet another one of my countless sleeveless shirts, when I noticed that two 20-something young men seemed to be following me.  I was becoming a little wary of their presence and tried to distance myself from them, but it seemed as though we were on the same shopping schedule.  Every lane I went down, they were either behind me, or in front of me, coming the opposite direction.  I felt their stares, and heard their whispers.  But it wasn’t those things that bothered me.  It was when one of them did that coughing thing where you cough and say something at the same time, but have every intention of the person you’re aiming the comment towards hearing you AND understanding your comment?  You know what I mean, right?  I think the most well-known phrase is a cough while saying "Bull$hit"…AHA!  NOW you definitely know what I mean! Well, the word this young man spoke embarrassed me to no end, and I think it is something that I will ALWAYS remember, either until the day I decide this lifestyle isn’t for me, that looking buff is not attractive, or until the day I die, whichever comes first.  He coughed, yet also clearly said "MUSCLES!" at the same time, all the while looking at me under hooded eyes and a slightly bowed head.  I just kept going, probably smirking a little along the way, all the while thinking, "Are my muscles too big?, Should I wear shirts with sleeves even when it’s 90 degrees outside?, Should I just stick with cardio from now on?…"

This past weekend, at a Detroit Tigers baseball game at Comerica Park, I found that I have become the sort of person I never really liked.  The one who doesn’t smile or have eye contact with strangers, because I could FEEL the stares from other women.  I did not see ONE, NOT ONE, fit-looking chick that night.  I was an anomaly, an oddball, a "freak" to some, I’m sure…but inside I was beaming with pride, because I KNOW that 90% of those stares are bred by insecurity and envy.  If they want it, they’re gonna have to do the same Godforsaken hard ass work that I’ve done!

I asked one of my best girlfriends to assess my arms the next time we got together and give me her brutally honest opinion.  She did.  She said "Your arms are NOT too big.  They look good….My goal is to have arms like yours…I want people to look at me and know that I workout, even when at rest.  Even when you are sitting and talking, you can see that you workout.  That’s MY goal!" 

I get the "OMG! Do you workout?" from the teeny-bopper, skinny-fat chicks at the mall, the "Nice guns!" from the random [male] stranger, the "You must workout ALLLLL the time" comments from everyone, the looks of disbelief when I respond, "No, I don’t"…

I guess I’m at a crossroads in this life I have chosen.  Do I take pride in the gains I have made, not only in muscle, but in confidence, energy and self-esteem?  Or do I let others dictate how much muscle is TOO much?  Since the comments and stares are only sure to escalate from this point forward, and since I’ve only increased my intensity at the gym, and reaffirmed my commitment to eating clean, I suppose my decision has been made.  I’VE made the decision.  I will continue to progress, to move forward, to enjoy the frustrations and rewards of this difficult lifestyle we have chosen.  Stare, whisper, mutter, giggle, laugh, admire, compliment, criticize - whatever makes YOU feel better about your pathetic physique, but BACK OFF, cuz Buffy Buffington is just gonna get 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!