Syndr0m's Chesticle Admiration Thread
I'm finally going back to the gym after a ~1 year layoff.
Goals:
1) Strength
2) Size
3) Fun
Old PRs:
Squat 190kg / 420lbs
I don't think I'm answering the exact question you're pondering so w/e but IME your best bet is just to force yourself into the ****ing gym first thing in the mornings, even if/when you feel **** and tired as hell. If you leave it til later, work, kids, wife etc conspire to keep you out of there way more often, but getting up & out of the house before the rest of the day has s
+1 to all this - with minis, mornings are the way.
I just remembered how good it is to log
Glad to be back
My experience is the same. I've finally found a consistent routine by going to the gym every morning first thing. Between work, kids, and exhaustion, it just never happens at night. A cathartic morning gym session is also a great way to clear your head before starting the day imo.
That reminds me, I actually did a lactate threshold test fairly early on. My IAS is 177 and my max hr well over 200. I found out that even after years of crossfit my base conditioning was still terribad, hr shot up real high super early on. The guy who did the test told me I basically start from 0. He wrote up a program and had me running 4 times a week at 12:00/mi. It was aro
Totally relatable — that mental hurdle at the start is huge.
Props for pushing through and finding a system that works for you. Intervals + structure really are game changers!
tried logging elsewhere for a while but it wasn't better so dumping my logs from the past two months and will continue here again
2025/2/20
made it to the gym for a short and random pumpfest, better than nothing
planning to restart Juggernaut AI brogram when I get back home next week and finally get myself to squat 200 later this year
scapular pullups 3×15-20
leg raises 3×10
db tricep ext 20×7.5 2x10x10
leg ext 10×110 10×130 10×150 10×170
ham curl 15×70 12×90 12×110
bicep curl 15×7.5 12×10 10×10
first juggernautai workout is in, most focused session I had in a long time
kept some of this intentionally light cause old + not in optimal shape
I’m not doing any deadlifts so swapping any DL work for random back exercises in the app
2025/2/27
session length = 80mins
1000m row
curl ups
side planks
hbbs
2x10xbar
2x10x60
10×80
10×100 @RPE7
10×93 @RPE6
10×94 @RPE6.5
band pullaparts
3count pause bench
2x8x50 @RPE5
pullups
2×8 w green band @RPE7.5
bench
3x5x60 @RPE5
split squat
3×15 w 10kg dbs
front plank 3x45s
2025/2/28
10min run
bench
4x10x60 @RPE5-6
back extensions
3×10 @RPE6
pendlay rows
3x15x40 @RPE6
db lateral raise
3x20x2.5 @RPE5
french press
3x20xbar @RPE7-8
^ superset w bb curls
3x20x5 @RPE6
wall balls
2x20x20
2025/3/3
200 single unders
pullups 3×8 w green band @RPE7
100 band pullaparts
feet up bench 2x10x50 @RPE5
paused hbbs
1x6x80 @RPE5
1x6x90 @RPE6
dips 3×8 @RPE6
BB hip thrust 2x12x40 @RPE6
2025/3/7
somehow really anxious to train but as soon as I started I felt like I wanted to quit, cut some stuff short, hope this is not the beginning of demotivation season
squats felt heavy and sluggish today
1000m row
hbbs
10×60
5×80
2×100
10×106 @RPE8
10×95 @RPE7.5
10×95 @RPE8
10×95 @RPE6.5
pullups 3×8 w green band
split squats 2x15x12.5 @RPE7
front plank 3x45s
2025/3/10
bench
10×40
10×60
10×70 @RPE7
10×65 @RPE5.5
10×67 @RPE5.5
10×68 @RPE7
back extensions
3×15 @RPE6
pendlay row
13×50
10×50
^ gonna cut these out cause after the back extensions feels a bit meh on my lower back
db lateral raise
3x15x5 @RPE6
standing skullcrushers
20×10 @RPE7
17×12.5 @RPE7
18×12.5 @RPE7
bb curls
18×7.5 @RPE6
16×7.5 @RPE7
15×7.5 @RPE7
2025/03/15
tons of pullups throughout the day, gonna do 25 clean reps of pullups almost every day for 4 weeks and then test a rep max
feet up bench
3x10x60 @RPE5.5
tempo squat 5:0:0
1x6x60
1x6x70
2x6x80 @RPE6
dips 3×8 @RPE7
glute ham raise 3×12 @RPE6-8
2025/3/16
25 chinups
2025/3/17
bjj 1on1, back to basics focusing on guard fundamentals
hbbs
10×130 @RPE9
4x10x110 @RPE6
25 pullups
2025/3/18
bench
1x10x40
1x5x60
1x3x70
1x3x80
1x10x90 @RPE9
4x10x80 @RPE7-8
barbell bicep curls
4x15xbar
2025/03/19
bjj guard retention practice + arm drag into back take + bow & arrow choke
pullups 25 reps
2025/03/21
bjj guard retention practice + sweep + americana / arm triangle
2025/03/22
back extensions 4×15
chinups 25 reps
2025/03/23
tempo squat 5:0:0
3x6x80 @RPE6
feet up bench
3x10x60 @RPE5
dips 8,8,10 @RPE7
GHR 3×12 @RPE7
2025/03/27
deload
circuit(
db lat raise 3x15x5
pushups 4×15
pullups 25 reps
)
squats
2x10xbar
1x10x60
4x10x70
^ fast unbroken feelgood reps
2025/04/01
squats
10×110 @RPE7
10×102 @RPE5.5
2x10x105 @RPE6
3count pause bench
3x8x60 @RPE5-6
2025/04/03
bench
10×40
10×60
10×80 @RPE7
3x10x74 @RPE6-7
2025/04/12
squats
1x10x120
4x10x112
+ a couple of days of 25reps of chinups/pullups throughout the week
quick summary, restarted the juggernaut ai program because I was too far behind, now late into the hypertrophy part and about to deload and start a strength cycle. should be peaking for 1rm's halfway september
been doing 3x/wk bjj the whole time very consistently and been managing gym time pretty well but recently my Chinese mother-in-law left and since then it's harder (with a 3month old baby) so I'm starting to notice I'm cutting workouts shorter and shorter
I'm okay with that but it's at a point where I shouldn't do even less than I do now
2025/04/13
bench
1x10x40
1x10x60
1x10x80 @RPE7
3x10x72 @PRE6
2x10x74 @RPE7
Isn't juggernaut crap at this point in time or am I confusing it with something else? Aren't you literally besties with someone who knows programming inside and out at this point for either bodybuilding or powerlifting?
If I were ever gonna bodybuild for sure I would have Evo coach me but I don't care at all about bodybuilding. Aesthetic wise I think I have good enough genetics to make pretty much any resistance work for me.
I have no idea why it would be crap, I've made more strength gains on that program than anything else I've ever tried. It's what got me to 170 frontsquat.
The best part is that most of the training is done at RPE6-8 and so you're never hitting limits or crushing CNS. I literally never feel beaten down on this thing which I always did on other/older popular programs, esp those with lots of amraps.
Hmm, sounds better than what I assumed. Carry on. Still think Evo's programming may be better but it's moot if what you're doing is already fine.
I think Evo would agree he's not the go-to guy for pure strength oriented programs, he knows a ton about what not to do but afaik he doesn't have any hands-on experience designing them
Just spoke to him and maybe the confusion comes from the old Juggernaut Method vs Juggernaut AI (the app).
JM is percentage based and fixed (and according to him way too hard and will break you)
The ai app is adaptive and auto-regulated, most of the work is RPE6-8 (which explains why I never feel beaten down on it)
Ok. Yes, I assumed you meant OG Juggernaut which I don't remember specifics but just that it likely was part of many older programs that are not great.
Yeah the juggernaut method excel sheet is made for people with enormous bones and joints made of steel. I tried that program 3x and ended up injured within the 10s phase even not doing AMRAPs when using a 90% training max. Pure brutality. The Juggernaut AI program turns things waayyyyy down in volume and intensity.
19/4/2025
squats
10x140 @RPE9
10x119 @RPE7.5
8x119 @RPE7.5
10x113 @RPE7
10x113 @RPE7
haven't backsquatted 140 for 10 in ages, very happy about it
bench
10x95 @RPE10
10x80 @RPE7
9x80 @RPE8
10x80 @RPE8
[email protected]
9x80 @RPE8.5
my bench doesn't feel that solid, feels like I'm not using any leg drive at all
25 pullups
deload next
2025/4/23
deload
squat 3x10x80
strict press 4x10x40 @RPE6.5
bicep curls 1x12x7.5 3x12x10
2025/04/27
deload
incline db press
1x20x12.5
4x15x17.5
dips 5x12
banded facepull 4x15
pullups 25 reps total
2025/04/29
bench
8x85 @RPE8
3x8x80 @RPE6.5-7
hanging leg raise 4x12
bb bicep curls 20,20,15
2025/04/30
squat
8x130 @RPE8
8x120 @RPE6
8x120 @RPE7
pullups 30 reps total
seated barbell press 4x12x30
2025/01/05
squats
8x140 @RPE6.5 wow amazing set
8x132 @RPE8 somehow suddenly harder
8x132 @RPE8
8x130 @RPE7
weighted pullups
+10kg x4,6,5,4
bicep curls 4x15xbar
2025/05/07
bench
8x87 @RPE7
3x8x82 @RPE6
2025/05/13
squat
8x150 @RPE8
3x8x130 @RPE7-8
25 pullups total
Most I've backsquatted in many years, maybe since 2018
My volume and frequency is both extremely low (I still do bjj 3x/wk too) but so far it seems to be working
Impressive work! Soon you'll be back to the version of yourself in loco's avatar that he thinks about in the shower all too often (I'm assuming).
