wait, I wasn’t done!
Brief power outage. I’m back!
Here are my “pull-ups.” I will be getting that band soon to help…
Fwiw, only the ball of foot is on the bench, to at least minimize the ‘assist.’ I wish the bar was higher…
wanted to be one of the cool kids…
my arms look funky…stretching the band too far back or something.
amidoinitrite?
MiM, you’re looking great! My only question is whether you breathe during your lifts! haha
On a side note, totally respect that you want your “omph” to come from within, but if that’s the case don’t ever try creatine! I think I have a mental addiction. That and the beta-alanine. I like to think of it as still coming from within, I’m just helping my body optimize. 
^ its funny you say that L, a friend I play soccer with just started taking creatine and now she’s all super amped up during our games. Its hilarious! She’s like, “Its the creatine!!! RAWR!!” HAHA! Not sure if its just a placebo effect or what, but its amusing none-the less.
Training is looking good mamamita!! I think you’ll do awesome w/ a west side program. You’re so strong!! If you could just hone that strength in with some discipline, you’d dominate!
Love the vids!! Those wall squats looked damn easy for you! Now get that chin over the bar girlie 
Maschy!!! how YOU doin?
chin over bar…check! I just ordered some ‘bands,’ as well…so I can be cool like N8tive and do ghetto GHRs too!!
Thanks about the squats…and I’m a bigger girl, kinda long legged so the levers are not in my favor…but I do my best to make it work…the wider the feet and the bigger the arch make it easier. Now to add some weight!!!
L- thanks girl…duly noted. I took liquid stuff back in the day…it came in a little vile with a syringe, lol…I had no clue what I was doing.
I didn’t realize I made so much noise, lifting…had my headphones in, haha!
After all this time, I’m finally getting serious about my training, so I figure I would step it up with a experiment in supps…with what we can afford anyway…bcaa’s make sense to me. But I never bought them because I didn’t think I needed or trained hard enough?
Hey, check this out…so cool!!
I was talking with the hubby online, getting him all excited about gardening, LOL!
Happy day!
My miracle noodles showed up…but I was ‘bitterly,’ dispointed by my cacao nibs…so DISGUSTING!! wasn’t what I had in mind at all.
guess I’ll stick to the 80-90% dark chocolate variety instead…
Lunch!
haha, Maschy! I mean, I don’t usually feel like a super creatine beast at the gym, but I can now see a noticeable difference in feeling when I train if I don’t take anything. I say feeling because I might still be able to lift the same/similar weight/reps when I don’t take it, but it feels different. Definitely harder. But I’m fully willing to admit it’s probably also a mental boost.
MiM, a syringe?! Yikes! And I was totally serious! You’re super quiet in comparison to me, and it looks like you never exhale through your mouth. Luckily I don’t have to listen to myself when I’m exhaling with the weight because I keep my headphones in. I’m sure people around me can tell when I’m squeezing out those last few reps. 
[quote]…but I was ‘bitterly,’ dispointed by my cacao nibs…so DISGUSTING!! wasn’t what I had in mind at all.
[/quote]
Aren’t you punny… I could’ve warned you about those! haha
Yummmm! Cabbages. Raw or cooked. I like them all!
Nice MPs!. So fun to see everybody in their “real life” by video.
I see you’ve got your wall squats on too. All the cool kids are doing it!
Oh, you were asking about supplements. I use the low carb Metabolic Drive as a protein supplement, fish oil, and a handful of vitamins. Never tried BCAAs. I did notice an uptick in my energy levels when I added a B complex.
I don’t know, I read a lot of stuff and some articles said that creatine can help with women and weight loss. I don’t know, maybe it’s the training harder aspect. Maybe it’s the higher muscle mass? I can’t remember now, I’m writing a paper that’s fogging my mind lol
I’m going to start taking it again though, thanks for this discussion. It definetely makes me hold more water (not bloat wise though) and I’m hating that I’m creeping down past 140. I don’t want to be in the 130s lol
So I’ll cheat having a higher weight with creatine
As for BCAAs, I don’t take any separate from what’s in my PP. But that’s because losing muscle isn’t a problem for me, even fasted cardio doesn’t affect me. A lot of people swear by so many things, but I’d rather spend money on what I need/feel that I need haha
I’m not punny!!
I know what you meant, haha…
ya, I don’t know what I was thinking…you think I was quiet? I think what happens is I hold my breath on the way up/down and blow out forcefully near the end? I dunno!
ppuff- I’m going to give my green thumb a shot and plant some veggies this weekend…so excited!!!
Hey Nikki-
ya, its definitely hard to decide what we ‘need,’ -VS- what ‘could be,’ ok to use… Do we ‘need,’ creatine or bcaa’s? probably not… could it help? probably.
I think of the old school bb’ers…I don’t think they had creatine and bcaa’s or Alpha GPC? And all this other fancy stuff… They kept it basic…ate and trained really hard. (as far as I know)
Good in theory…
GAWD I’m hungry!! Tomorrow is the last day of my ‘diet.’ What is one more day? why can’t I just go pig out now?
You are WAY BETTER at wall squats than I am. Way better.
First, you have been and always will be one of the cool kids! Second, what is that pasta dish you posted?
Mims - This is the recipe for Emril’s Creole Seasoning. I double it because I use it a lot. Good on chicken, fish, shrimp…quarter little red potatoes and roll them in olive oil and sprinkle it on before you bake them.
Gardening - I’ve had luck with tomatoes, boysenberries, and citrus. I have a tiny yard, mostly flowers. I’ll put a pic up on my log.
I dont really have any advice or anything to add, so I will just say with sincerity, “keep up the great work MiM, and heres a history lesson for you!”
Cocoa nibs are nice in stuff, so use 'em to perk up a chilli or in baking.
Kimba- :patshead: it’ll be ok…maybe this will be just the thing that will help??
Grny- lol, thanks! Glad you think so 
the “pasts,” was my squishy miracle noodles…with shrimp and spinach and Parmesan cheese on top. Not terrible, I spose.
DF- FINALLY!! A history lesson I can comprehend! Thats the way they should have taught in school
Cal- you can have my nibs
yay! more wall squats! only thing i got is to think of the band as a bar that you want balanced so aim to have it moving in a horizontal line over your midfoot.
bcaa’s… my protein powder has some of those… i didn’t realize you could additionally suppliment. creatine… i’ve wondered about that, too. i haven’t tried the nibs but i got some 100% powder (dutch processed which apparently isn’t best, though). they might be an acquired taste? wonder if you could heat them and add stuff to them. milk (so make yourself a milk chocolate). maybe add some maple syrup or something if they are too bitter… dunno.