Project Scrawny

[Trozzle]

hahahaha 95kph on an exercise bike...that's f**ked

Yeah I've had my fair share of experience with cheap parts on things breaking when they shouldn't, kinda why I have a habit of buying the model of something slightly above my requirements or just spending that little bit extra to get the next model up coz it comes with upgraded parts (example with this new bike is the gearsets are much better than the next one down, worth the extra kesh imo).

The Norco was an amazing bike and so much fun to ride, WHEN I rode it....which was practically never, especially for what it was designed to do. In the last few years I owned it, it barely even saw dirt let alone jumps....LET ALONE A REAL DOWNHILL TRAIL haha

[No Crust Racing]

Yeah I have that frame of mind for most things now, buy a touch better than you think you'll need.

The exercise bike stunt was hilarious, lying on the floor, half drunk laughing my guts out and while my pate pissed themselves laughing at a dickhead who crashed an exercise bike, good times.

I don't ride much anymore. Use to just hammer the old dunlop hard tail around for fitness.

[Trozzle]

Yeah that's why I got the Giant, get my fitness up in a bit more of an enjoyable way. Shame there's no way of remotely accurately measuring calorie expenditure on it....I mean even stationary cardio equipment DESIGNED for that purpose isn't accurate haha

[No Crust Racing]

Nope, all guess work.

[Trozzle]

Yeah....ah well, I'll just aim for a certain distance each week. The lake nearby work is pretty well spot on 7km around via the cycle path, so I'll set a goal of 50km/week and see how it goes.

[No Crust Racing]

Get ready to start eating.

[Trozzle]

Get ready to start eating.

Main point of my desire to increase the amount of exercise I'm doing (not specifically lifting) is to create a caloric deficit without eating less, so this is a good thing won't necessarily increase the amount I'm eating for a little bit, but I definitely don't need to lower again it to keep body fat down

[No Crust Racing]

Yeah, you're a pretty fat bastard hey...

[Trozzle]

Depends on what you're comparing it to lol....lately it's gone to shit BIG TIME thanks to stress induced depression. f**king hormones lol. Thankfully my increase in cardio is helping a lot with my general mood, but it's working against my lifts (well, they aren't getting better yet lol). Haven't had much appetite, but when I do it's EXCLUSIVELY for average quality foods that's getting better with mood change, but gotta get it back to regular meals through the day. This will help me to eat more for lifting energy, without having to worry about any kind of notable fat gains

[No Crust Racing]

You moody f**k.

[Trozzle]

I wish it wasn't so but dead serious, this is the first time I've dealt with actual depression (hating life for no logical reason, as opposed to my usual grumpiness ) and goddamn it sucks haha

At least I can keep a relatively logic frame of mind no matter how shit I might feel. Unfortunately this only really stops it from getting worse or really affecting me; doesn't do much to help it go away when there's no cause that I'm aware of.

Meh, squats are still increasing and that's the only lift that really matters....right?

[No Crust Racing]

I've been through it mate, it's shit, you just keep on trucking though and it does get better. Keep focusing on things you know "should" lift your mood, exercise, eat well, socialise etc.

[Trozzle]

So I rode around the lake on my lunch break (accidentally took a shortcut so it was only 5.8km)....and all I have to say is I'm sold. Consider me a convert....not enough to go full licrafag just yet though

This will become a daily thing for sure. Feel great having done a half decent "cardio" sesh outside in the fresh air and NOT on my old bike or something equally exhausting and unexciting.

[GH05T]

deadlifting is great too, its the most calories you can burn in one movement, you dont have to be strong to do it however you can really increase the weight and you feel it very fast but even with beginner weight our body burns heaps.

i dont realise how much its working (due to low fatigue unlike high rep stuff) untill i get dissy then i realise how much im working.

also i got some advise the other day which hepled a supprising amount (for squats)

dont try to lift the bar try to push the ground away from you.

sounds dumb but it stops the back lifting and moves eveything down to your legs.

really try to push the ground away from you mentally.

[No Crust Racing]

DL is definitely my favourite which is why I miss it so much, agree on the most calories burned etc,

I read that squat tip once also, good advice.

[Trozzle]

deadlifting is great too, its the most calories you can burn in one movement, you dont have to be strong to do it however you can really increase the weight and you feel it very fast but even with beginner weight our body burns heaps.

i dont realise how much its working (due to low fatigue unlike high rep stuff) untill i get dissy then i realise how much im working.

also i got some advise the other day which hepled a supprising amount (for squats)

dont try to lift the bar try to push the ground away from you.

sounds dumb but it stops the back lifting and moves eveything down to your legs.

really try to push the ground away from you mentally.

I actually figured squats would burn more cals haha, but yeah it's a different kind of calorie expenditure. Can't rep out squats for 30 mins straight (for the record, I'm a very firm believer in what you've said and agree entirely - dropped 4.5kg in 6 weeks with ZERO cardio, just modified diet and kept trying to increase my squats and deads haha)

Regarding the whole "push the ground away" thing, I've used it (or tried to) for deadlifts and unfortunately it just doesn't bloody happen haha. No matter what I do or think when I go through the movement, it ALWAYS ends up feeling the same (lifted the bar). But yeah, I understand that part too - guess I just need to work on the mental side of it a bit more haha

[No Crust Racing]

I should clarify push the ground only works for me with squats not DL.

DL is still very much a pull for me.

[Trozzle]

I should clarify push the ground only works for me with squats not DL.

DL is still very much a pull for me.

Yeah same here. There's still way too much obvious pulling movement going on and not enough use of legs overall to mentally label it as "pushing the ground away" in my mind.

[No Crust Racing]

I think the idea is that your arms are anchors only, hook on the to bar and push the ground with your legs, as part of that motion your back will straighten up, lifting the weight.

I guess.

[Trozzle]

I find that when I think to myself about my arms being nothing more than hooks on the bar, I inadvertently relax the muscles pulling my scapula back IT'S ALL SUCH BULLSHIT! hahaha