@Koestrizer - Hah! That’d make sense, but in fact, I’m literally hopping over a rolled-up towel: It’s kinda like jump rope, but I’m hopping side-to-side, and I don’t have to worry about hitting the ceiling with the rope when I’m inside—perfect for hot summer days (or cold winter ones, when the time comes).
I was imagining him making the towel hop some other way
5x5/3/1, 5x5 FSL - 2025.c2w1d4
Wednesday - 30 July 2025
Workout: Bench + squat, 0715-0820 (65 minutes)
Jumps/throws
Begin: 0727; End: 0808; Duration: 41 minutes
Bench - 160x5, 180x5, 205x5, 205x5, 205x5, 205x5, 205x5
Squat - 190x5, 190x5, 190x5, 190x5, 190x5
DB shoulder press - 2x45 lbs - 10, 10, 10
Ab mat crunch - 15 lbs - 10, 10, 10
BB row - 165 lbs - 10, 10, 10
Lateral raise - 2x20 lbs - 15
BSS - L/R - 2x35 lbs - 15
One-arm lat pulldown - L/R - 25 lbs - 15
Assault bike - 5 minutes
Assistance totals:
Push - 45 reps
Pull - 45 reps
Single-leg/core - 45 reps
Main work in 17 minutes, supplemental in 24 minutes, assistance superset throughout.
Was chugging along nicely, but then just absolutely crashed after the last set of BB rows—it was one of those mornings where it felt like I was breathing water, but the humidistat wasn’t too high: only 37%. Anyway, that finally caught up with me and it took forever to get through the last several sets of stuff.
Solid morning, though, despite the crash: I actually felt strong, even if slow.
Good job!
I know what you’re talking about with the humidity. Where are you from?
Oh ok, I’m from South Carolina. The temperature has been in the high 90’s & 100’s here.
Ugh—that’s miserable. We’ve been hitting the low 90s everyday for weeks now, but I don’t think I’ve seen the thermometer higher than 95 at its peak. I can’t even imagine how horrible the 100s must feel.
Guess I need to toughen up!
Its no shame to get a little wilted.
Legend has it that they built all of the steel mills here to have somewhere cool and indoors while they worked.
.
I’ve actually seen contract welders from Caribbean and central america pack up and leave because of this hot muck we call weather.
I can only do a few hours in full welding gear at a time myself. My tolerance for heat is nonexistent anymore.
5x5/3/1, 5x5 FSL - 2025.c2w1d5
Thursday - 31 July 2025
Workout: Deadlift + press, 0900-1015 (75 minutes)
Jumps/throws
Begin: 0911; End: 1002; Duration: 51 minutes
Deadlift - 215x5, 245x5, 280x5, 280x5, 280x5, 280x5, 280x5
Press - 90x5, 90x5, 90x5, 90x5, 90x5
Flat DB press - 2x70 lbs - 10, 10, 10
Deficit reverse lunge - L/R - 2x35 lbs - 10, 10, 10
V-grip cable row - 110 lbs - 10, 10, 10
Dip - 45 lbs - 15
Serratus crunch - 25 lbs - 15
Pull-up - BW - 10+5
Assault bike - 5 minutes
Assistance totals:
Push - 45 reps
Pull - 45 reps
Single-leg/core - 45 reps
Main work in 27 minutes, supplemental in 24 minutes, assistance superset throughout.
And I thought I was dragging yesterday… Sheesh!
Guts have been unhappy since about 0300, so I came into feeling drained before even setting up. Everything moved alright, considering, but it was a slog.
Not sure what’s up, but I’m thinking something I ate just didn’t agree with me.
Hopefully that’s the case.
This is all great stuff! How’d box jumps feel after carries and wall balls?
It’s still on the fritz, actually—didn’t hit me again until 0500, so that’s progress, I guess. I do wonder if I’ve got a stomach bug or something…
They started off light and springy, but I was anything but light-footed by the end. That might’ve had as much to do with my breathing as fatigue in my legs, though.
It was a good mix, in any case!
5x5/3/1, 5x5 FSL - 2025.c2w1d6
Friday - 01 August 2025
Workout: Conditioning + calves, 1500-1355 (55 minutes)
Seated calf raise - 120 lbs - 3 minutes
EMOM, 10 minutes:
a) Face pull - 25 lbs - 10
b) Towel hop - time remaining
3 rounds of:
a) Farmer’s walk - 2x77 lbs - 50 yards
b) Alternating DB snatch - 50 lbs - 12
c) Pull-up - BW - 6
Assault bike - 10 minutes
The humidity broke, temperatures are reasonable, and that went quite well despite something still being out-of-whack with my guts.
Off to see a (minor league) ballgame tonight—and it’s $1 hot dog night!
(Why do I not find that last bit encouraging for the way my stomach feels?)
it’s strange. someone decided to turn down the thermostat today.
It’s kind of nice because my apartment’s AC has been broken so “room temp” has been hovering between 88 and 94 for the past few weeks.
That’s nutty—I’m not sure I’d survive those temps overnight!
5x5/3/1, 5x5 FSL - 2025.c2w1d7
Saturday - 02 August 2025
Workout: Easy conditioning, 1420-1515 (35 minutes)
2 rounds of:
a) Devil’s press - 2x35 lbs - 8
b) Pull-up - 6
c) Box jump - 24-inch - 6
Assault bike - 20 minutes
Done.
5x5/3/1, 5x5 FSL - 2025.c2w2d1
Sunday - 03 August 2025
Workout: Squat + bench, 1115-1220 (65 minutes)
Jumps/throws
Begin: 1127; End: 1211; Duration: 44 minutes
Squat - 205x5, 235x5, 265x5, 265x5, 265x5, 265x5, 265x5
Bench - 170x5, 170x5, 170x5, 170x5, 170x5
HLR - 10, 10, 10
CS DB row - 2x50 lbs - 10, 10, 10
One-arm DB press - L/R - 55 lbs - 10, 10, 10
KB swing - 32 kg - 15
BB shrug - 155 lbs - 15
(Short) BB front raise - 50 lbs - 15
Assault bike - 5 minutes
Assistance totals:
Push - 45 reps
Pull - 45 reps
Single-leg/core - 45 reps
Main work in 25 minutes, supplemental in 19 minutes, assistance superset throughout.
Man, I figured something out today: I love lifting on Sundays! There’s just something about not having to worry about getting back to email, Teams meetings, etc. that just makes it so much better.
And today I did something I haven’t done in a really long time: I actually savored what my body was doing while doing it! Simple, yes—maybe even stupid or silly or something—but I was really able to appreciate just what the heck I was doing every time I got under the bar or picked up a dumbbell or whatever.
Great stuff!
Two other things to note in my ramblings: Friday was not $1 hot dog night, so I only had one. That was moderately disappointing, but I made up for it with crappy late-night soft tacos from Taco Bell after the game—I haven’t made a Run for the Border in ages, and every bit of it was awesome!
Second, I don’t think I’ve ever done BB shrugs before, and now that I have, I’m not sure I like them: I don’t think the ROM is as good as with DBs, and my junk gets in the way—yeah, awkward!
So there you go…
If it’s trap work you’re after, then try snatch grip high pulls from the hang. It’s an explosive movement so you get to move your hips quickly which we rarely do with things like squats, lunges, etc. The wide grip doesn’t cause internal rotation of the shoulder like the traditional upright row, which is also a plus for shoulder health.
Otherwise, try leaning forward a bit (slight hip hinge) if you ever try barbell shrugs again. It eliminates the collision with your junk and the angle aligns to the fibers of the upper trap better.
hold the bar behind your back great for grip too.
The junk thing is the reason I love this smith machine for doing shrugs. You can lean back and not fall over ![]()
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@Frank_C, @simo74, @shaneinga - Thanks for the comments and suggestions, guys! Obviously the problem is not unique to me—I just need to keep refining things until they work. That said, I forget about high pulls; I should use those in addition to everything else, too!