This buff babes fitness guide specifically targets lean muscle gains for women. More and more ladies are now craving muscle tone. Looking lean with sexy lines is a goal many ladies strive for. This look is only attained once women are able to decrease their body fat levels. Most ladies think they will bulk up and get huge if they start lifting weights. This is simply untrue. It can be a huge challenge for females to pack on just a few pounds of lean muscle mass due to the low levels of muscle building hormones they naturally have (testosterone). The first part of this guide focuses on nutrition but we will also touch upon training since this is the only way to induce muscle growth.
A common situation that many women run into is that over time they get tired of trying out all of the different workout plans and get very discouraged when they don’t see any results. Once this phase hits a woman, the tendency is to stop training and overindulge on unhealthy foods which results in gaining a few additional pounds and getting even more discouraged.
The power is in your hands and with the right tools nothing can stop the results from coming except your lack of consistency. In order to help you keep consistent and focused on your individual needs, I designed this program so that you are NOT doing the same things you tried before and are NOT doing anything you can’t accomplish with hard work and desire.
If you do not use a gym then you can opt for the at-home version which is included in this guide. Meals are fully outlined for a month so all you need to do is figure out your grocery list and food preparation. Below is a sample program to help get you started. Every month, things vary so this sample does not indicate a normal series since it will change all the time with different styles, exercises and techniques.
Buff Babes Meal Plan
You have 4 choices per meal giving you a bit of flexibility and variety. You should choose sodium free spices, sugar-free items and avoid sauces which tend to be packed with these type of ingredients. You are welcome to add onions, cracked pepper, garlic, chillies, and fresh or dried spices of your choice such as rosemary, basil, oregano and thyme. Lemon, lime and vinegar are also fine to add to different foods. Lemon and lime should be your main choices this month for flavoring and make sure not to be afraid of using garlic and chillies. Parsley and cilantro (crispy and fresh) is an excellent choice which adds some flavor as well as excellent nutrients so add these to your grocery list and try to use them in one or 2 meals per day. Try to avoid caffeine packed drinks and supplements (coffee and pre-workout formulas). Decaf is best but if you must have some caffeine then try to take your vitamins at the end of the day instead of first thing in the morning.
Intake of nutritional supplements can vary. I have clients who take primrose oil, CLA, carnitine, grape seed caps and various other things. Most of these are fine with this program but avoid using a bunch of different supplements and pills. Water intake should be at least 2 liters per day.
Meals should be spread out every 2-3 hours with dinner falling preferably before 8pm unless you have odd work hours. Snack #3 is your last meal and it falls 1-3 hours before going to bed.
If you are hungry at any time, drink a protein shake. Have just a half of a scoop of protein powder with ¼ cup water. You may need more than just that with this diet so make sure to gauge it and see how you feel.
Training
Cardio is performed for a warm-up exercise before hitting the weights and also for a cool down period after weight training. Make sure you do not rush through and really try to focus on your weight training workout and put forth a great effort. Lift what you can in order to achieve the required sets and reps. Lifting weights is the key to building lean muscle mass which helps tremendously with fat burning, so try to spend 30-45 minutes hitting the weights hard to get the best results. Your weight training workouts should never exceed 1 hour in length.
For the one month this guide covers I want you to lift weights with a 3-4 rhythm pace (3 seconds concentric and 4 seconds eccentric). Weights are included for 5 sessions with the focus on bodyweight workouts. Make sure to log your training journals so you can track your progress.
Meal Plan
There are 4 choices for any meal during the day and some will be a bit leaner. You can use a meal from one column, then the next meal from another if you would like but it is more effective if the entire day of meals is followed for that specific column.
| Meals | Plain & Simple | High Protein | Hearty | Hardcore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meal 1 | 1 cup of ancient grain cereal with skim milk, or soy/rice nonfat, one cup. | 6 scrambled egg whites with ¼ cup dry cottage cheese. | 3-4 lean turkey bacon slices, 3 egg whites and ¼ cup baked sweet potato. | 2 boiled eggs, ¼ cup green beans. |
| Snack 1 | ½ cup chopped tomato, ½ cup chopped cucumber, ¼ cup crumbled feta, oil, vinegar and oregano. | 3 oz grilled chicken breast | 1/4 cup raw plain almonds, 3-4 celery sticks, 1/4 cup dry cottage cheese. | Protein drink made with a tablespoon of peanut butter, protein powder and ½ cup skim milk or nonfat soy/rice milk. |
| Meal 2 | ½ cup brown rice, 3 scrambled eggs and ¼ cup dry cottage cheese, all cooked with eggs mixed in. Rice is pre-cooked of course. | Protein shake made with ¼ cup frozen fruit, ½ cup skim milk (soy/cow/rice low fat), 2 tbs oat bran and a scoop and half of protein. | ½ cup mashed sweet potato with ¼ cup peas and 4 oz lean beef strips (you can use chicken if you prefer). | Serving of tuna sashimi and an order of gomae |
| Snack 2 | ½ cup chopped tomato, ½ cup chopped cucumber, ¼ cup crumbled feta, oil, vinegar and oregano. | Can of oil packed tuna (small can). | 3-4 celery sticks, 1/4 cup dry cottage cheese. | 6 egg whites |
| Meal 3 | 6 oz chicken breast grilled with lemon slices on top, 3-4 slices of grilled eggplant, zucchini, tomato, onions and peppers. Use olive oil to grill. | 4-6 golf ball sized turkey meatballs made with eggs and chopped veggies and oat bran instead of bread. 2 cups of colorful salad with vinaigrette, low fat, low salt. | Baked or grilled white fish (6 oz) with lemon and orange. Top with ¼ cup chopped papaya, chopped red onion, 2 tbs chopped tomato and ¼ cup chopped cucumber, top with white vinegar and apple cider vinegar served over a cup of mixed greens or ½ cup asparagus and ½ cup brown rice. | 6 oz of white fish and ¼ cup spinach (steamed or raw) stuffed into a cup. |
| Snack 3 | 3 oz grilled chicken | Handful almonds raw and ½ cup raw broccoli. | 3-4 celery sticks with ¼ tsp peanut or nut butter, 1/4 cup dry cottage cheese. | Protein drink (use snack 1 recipe). |
*Suggested white fish would be halibut, sole, tilapia, orange roughy, snapper, cod, or bass.
Cardio Workouts
Day 1 – Elliptical trainer on hills or intervals (mode) at level 6 for 30 minutes.
Day 2 – same as day 1.
Day 3 – Treadmill walking on an incline at 10%, manual speed at 4 mph for 30 minutes.
Day 4 – 2 minutes on bike followed with 1 minute of burpees (total of 12 minutes). Try to use level 3 on hill mode on the bike which can be upright or recumbent.
Day 5 – 10 minutes of jump rope for a warm-up and 5 minutes of jump rope for a cool down period.
Weight Training Workouts
Do the best you can and if you cannot complete the set and fail part way through, stop and continue as soon as you can to complete the full set. You can use assistance for any exercise or use the modified version, like horizontal chins or pull-ups if you cannot do regular ones, or use a chair under your feet for regular pullups and chinups. You can do a few days of weights with a few days of cardio so you do not have to do day 2 of cardio with day 2 of weights. You can also do day 1 of cardio with day 3 of weights or whatever match works best for you, as long as a day of each is completed.
Day 1 (3 sets of 10) (Gym or Home)
- Handstand presses – if you cannot do these, start working on handstands against a wall for 5 minutes instead.
- Tippy Toe Squats.
- Overhead Press with DB seated on a ball, with a leg up, change feet at 5 reps.
- 20 seconds of squats (done in a butt to heels position, lift to 90 degrees and hold 20 seconds). Perform 3 of these for 3 sets.
- Prone arm raises – palms up, laying face down, arms at sides, hands by legs, thumbs inward (DB).
- Ham Rippers.
- Donkey Calve Raises (you will need a partner for this one).
Day 2 (5 sets of 10) (Gym or Home)
- Tricep Pushups (arms in)
- Tricep dips, feet up on bench or ball, weights on lap
- High pushups with feet up on a chair, couch or bench
Day 3 (5 sets of 10) (Gym)
- Wide Pullups
- Barbell Curls
- Single Leg Deadlifts
- Preacher Curls
- Cable Mid Back Rows
- Hero Cable Curls
Day 4 (5 sets of 10) (Gym or Home)
- Crunches 5×50
- Hyperextensions 5×10
- Reverse Crunches, feet in air, lifts 5×50
- Cable Crunches 5×50 (at-home: use bands or do 5×10 v-sits)
Day 5 (Home or Gym)
Pick one exercise from each day for a total of four exercises. Add seated tush lifts to the workout by sitting with your legs straight out in front of you and your legs tightly stuck together with your hands at the side of your thighs and use your abs to press down and lift your tush (butt) up off the ground, then lower down with total control and repeat for 5 sets of 20 reps.
