Nick Momrik

20.1

Yesterday I walked 18 holes. It was a beautiful day and now the weather is shifting tomorrow.

I’m curious how I’ll do this year in the Open. I didn’t do any special “Open prep” work, like the Thruster Attack program or additional gymnastics volume. I’ve been doing the engine builder work, but that’s since February, so not new. My training hasn’t been very consistent for the last couple of months either.

Warm-up

Bottom Squat Hold
Dead Hang
PVC Passes
2:00 Echo Bike
Snatches
C&J

Maybe could have done a better warm-up. 🤷🏻‍♂️

CrossFit Games Open Workout 20.1

10 Rounds

8 Ground to Overhead (95#)
10 Bar-facing Burpees

Last year for the three rounds of 10 snatches and 12 bar-facing burpees in 19.4 my rounds were 1:20, 1:32, and 1:30. Plus I had a pretty badly tweaked back which slowed me down. Based on the video. I estimated a quick round of this workout would be a little more than a minute with snatches. That was my big question though, to snatch or to clean and jerk?

I think going unbroken on the snatches is a trap for the majority of us. When I did 17.5 I split up my thrusters 5-4, so my plan was to do something similar with 4-4 today, and even 4 snatches + 4 c&j. The break helps to slow you down, which in needed in a workout like this. That rest for your grip is a huge help as well. Mixing up between snatches and c&j saves from taxing any specific muscle groups and breaks up the monotony of 80 reps.

My rounds were 1:11, 1:19, 1:22, 1:26, 1:40, 1:41, 1:51, 1:48, 1:51 and I ended up needing 7 more burpees to finish. So I did 9+11. I clipped the bar once with a foot and had to redo a burpee. I started out with 4 snatches and 4 c&j, which was working great. At some point I decided to give up on the snatches and do 2×4 c&j. If I had to guess it was in round 5, where I fell off 14 seconds. Then at some point I went to singles. Guessing it was when I dropped another 10 seconds in round 7. I think I did 1-3-1-1-2 in the 10th round and then 3 quick burpees.

My first four rounds took 5:18 and I don’t think I’d want to go much slower than that or there is no room to slow down the rest of the way. The next four rounds took 7:00, so if I can bring that down to the 6:00-6:30 range I’ll be solid. I mentally gave in for whatever reason. I can keep doing the two movements of four reps, which would be huge for my time. Pretty sure I’m going to give this one another try.

I checked WHOOP and my heart rate got up to 150 quickly and then stayed at 145-160.

On to the Next Cycle

My legs are fucking sore! Out in the garage during lunch.

Year of the Engine – Rocket Race

12 Rounds

1:30 Row
1:00 Rest

On August 20th I averaged a 1:45.3 pace for this same workoutand the results were not good on the BTWB leaderboard. I think I should be going much faster for this, so my goal today was 1:40-1:41/500m. I did 1:40.8 for 446 meters every round. That’s a 226 total meter improvement from the last time.

2019-10-09-row

Kevin came over around 4pm.

No B.S. Bench Press

10×45#
6×115
4×145
4×185
2×215
2×235
2×255
2×260
1×260 (fail 2nd)
1×260
2x1x265

Was supposed to do 4×2 @ 265-275#, but that didn’t happen. With all the struggles lately I’ve completely lost all confidence on the bench. I have a long way to go to get 300 this year. Fresh start with this next cycle, so I’m going to try some other things:

Be more conservative with the weights in the program to keep speed through reps and not struggle so much.
Lift 2-3 doubles or singles after the working sets each week to get used to heavier weight.
Accessories on another day to target chest, back, and triceps.
More protein.

Accessory / Conditioning

10 Rounds

5 Strict C2B Chin-ups (fat bar)
10 Goblet Squats (50#)
10 Banded Tricep Push Downs (green band with Fat Gripz)
5/5 Single Leg Lateral Step-ups (30”)

I did 3-2 and then all singles with a drop from the top for the chin-ups. Sped up the squats and step-ups over the last 3-4 rounds. Finished in 20:08.

Trade-Off

Definitely getting sore from squatting. Out in the garage during lunch.

Year of the Engine – Polarized

32:00 Airdyne
** Endurance pace with 7s sprint @ 6, 12, 18, 24, 30

I did 883 calories and 18.7 km.

Went to the 4pm class.

Warm-up

4 Rounds

10 PVC Passes
5 HR Push-ups
5 Ring Rows
10 Jumping Jacks

Strength

5 Sets

10 Strict HSPU
10/10 Kroc Rows (53# KB)

I’m benching tomorrow, so I did these strict handstand push-ups instead of 5×10 bench press. Had a good 2-3 minutes of rest between each set, but it was still surprising to get all five sets of HSPU unbroken. I went wider with my hands on my last set, which was a lot easier.

Conditioning

15:00 AMRAP

Buy-in:
- 10-20-30-40 H2H KB Swings (53#)
- 3-4-5-6 Muscle-ups
AMRAP
- 6 Burpees
- 30 Double Unders

It was programmed as American swings and 10-20-30-40 pull-ups. The Rx+ version was muscle-ups and I really wanted to do some. I knew I’d get done with the muscle-ups much faster than doing 100 total pull-ups, so I was going to have the joy of a lot more time doing the AMRAP. Win-lose? I finished the buy-in at 6:11. Felt good on the rings and was able to do each set unbroken, even with all the hip fatigue from the swings. Started out a little slow on the burpees, but then, I think, in the third round, Michelle (who was coaching) joined in to push me. I figured she’d drop out soon enough, so didn’t pick up my pace much. When it was clear she wasn’t going away and I saw there were only a few minutes left I was able to speed up my burpees. I ended up doing nine rounds plus the six burpees.

I don’t think 18 muscle-ups is a good sub for 100 pull-ups. There is no way I would have done the 30 and 40 pull-ups unbroken, so I should have been forced to break up larger numbers of MU. Around 30 total MU would have been pretty solid. Doing 3-6-9-12 would have stuck to the 1x-2x-3x-4x pattern and forced me to break 9 and 12 in to 2-4 sets.

Could Have, Maybe

My legs and hips are tight from the weekend. Out in the garage during lunch.

Year of the Engine – Speed/Threshold

15:00 Airdyne

I did a much better job holding ~80 RPM, especially through the second half. Did 507 calories and 9.68 km, which are both improvements from a month ago.

Went to the 4pm class.

Warm-up

3 Sets
- 15 Reverse Hypers (50#)
2:00 Echo Bike (22 cals)
2 Rounds
- 10/10 Leg Swings
- World’s Greatest Stretch
- 10 PVC Passes
- 5 Air Squats

Strength

Back Squat

10×45#
10×95
6×135
3×165
3×195
MAX @ 225 (6)
MAX @ 165 (10)

I had no idea what to use since it was percentage based. I think I picked pretty good numbers though, not having squatted in so long. It wasn’t really a max set because I stopped well before I started getting out of position. Time to slowly work myself back to some lower body strength.

Midline

3 Sets

1:00 Weighted Plank (45#)

These were done immediately after the final 3 sets of squats.

Conditioning

E3M – 5 Rounds

10 Hang Power Cleans (95#)
10 Toes-To-Bar
10 Front Squats (95#)
10 Burpees Over The Bar

I probably could have done the Rx 115#, but I didn’t want to push my luck after heavier squats. Maybe a good decision though because the front squats got slow and I tried to be careful on every rep. As my squats got slower, I tried to pick up the pace on the burpees. I had 1:14 – 1:17 of rest every round.

Even Splits

I put in over 6.5 miles of walking yesterday at Cedar Point, so my legs were pretty tired by the end of the day from standing on that concrete all day. Got home before 5pm and went out for a run at 5:45.

Year of the Engine – Endurance

40:00 Run

It was the best I’ve felt running in a very long time. Went 4.11 miles with very consistent miles.

2019-10-06-run-splits

Coastin’

I got a solid night of sleep and am off work today for a weekend trip to Cedar Point. Out in the garage around 10am.

Year of the Engine – Rocket Race

6 Rounds

2:00 Row
3:00 Rest

A month ago I did 8 rounds of 2 on 2 off with a 1:41.9 average, so I was shooting for 1:39-1:40 today with the longer rest and fewer rounds. Hit it right on the money with an average pace of 1:39.5/500m for 602-603 meters every round. Needed one more meter!

2019-10-04-row

I mowed the lawn and ran some errands before heading to Ohio.

Slow Progress

No golf today with shitty weather. Out in the garage before lunch.

Year of the Engine – Polarized

30:00 Airdyne
** Endurance pace with 7s sprint @ 5, 10, 15, 20, 25

Feels like I haven’t done one of these polarized workouts in forever and just about, because it has been 2 weeks! Got 889 calories and 18.13 km.

Kevin came over in the afternoon to lift.

No B.S. Bench Press

10×45#
10×95
4×135
4×175
4×205
4×220
4×235
4×240
4×245
4×240

The working sets were supposed to be 3×4 @ 245-250, but with the way last week went I wanted to play it safe and err on the side of getting all four reps each set instead of going too heavy and only doing three. On the 245 set, that 4th rep may have been the longest rep I’ve ever done, but I fought it out. My right side is definitely weaker too.

I looked back at the first cycle and I did:

8×45
8×95
4×135
4×175
4×205
4×225
3x4x240

So today had 220 and 235 compared to just 225, plus five pounds more on the middle working set. Progress I guess, but I was hoping for more over 9 weeks.

Today I noticed that Kevin’s hands were in much closer than mine. Maybe I’ve gotten too wide with my grip? Though, later in the evening I found a T Nation article and if I’m measuring correctly, I’m pretty close to the recommendation.

Max Followed by Max

Out in the garage during lunch.

Year of the Engine – Rocket Race

15 Rounds

1:00 Row
1:00 Rest

On April 11th I did 15 rounds getting 303-304 meters and on June 4th I averaged 1:37.8 for 12 rounds. Today my goal was to go sub 1:38 and I averaged 1:37.5, getting 307-308 every round. Today was 67 total meters more than the 15 rounds in April.

Here’s a comparison of my heart rate with April 11th on the left and today on the right. Slightly better today at a faster pace, even with a bogus reading during the middle of the April attempt that would have made the average HR higher.

Went to the 4pm class.

Warm-up

1:30 Row (400m)
3 Rounds
- 5 Double DB Shoulder Press (25#)
- 5 Ring Rows
- 10 Air Squats
- 10 PVC Passes

Strength

5 Push Presses (45#)
5 Push Presses (95#)
5 Push Presses (135#)
5 Push Presses (155#)
8/8 Kroc Rows (40# DB)
50 Double Unders
5 Push Presses (185#)
8/8 Kroc Rows (53# KB)
50 Double Unders
MAX Push Presses (205# – 5)
MAX Push Presses (155# – 7)
8/8 Kroc Rows (53# KB)
50 Double Unders

Belted up for the last 4 sets of push presses and every set was touch-n-go reps until the two max rep sets where I reset on each rep. The other movements were supersetted with the push presses and the two max rep sets were back-to-back, which was hard! Could have gotten more on the max sets, but would have risked over-extending my back.

Conditioning

10:00 AMRAP

60 Air Squats
50 Push-ups
60 H2H Russian KBS (53#)
30 Box Jumps (24″)
20 HSPU
10 Push Jerks (135#)

I swapped out 40 dumbbell snatches for the swings with my back as tight as it is. I sped up on the last 20 air squats, knowing that my legs would get a rest. Went 4×10 and 2×5 on the push-ups, 40-20 on the swings, 4×5 handstand push-ups, and 3-4 on the jerks. So three reps shy of finishing a full round. I was planning to bust out all 10 jerks, but that plan quickly went out the window when I picked up the bar!

Gym to Garage

Yesterday I walked 18 holes on a very sloppy golf course from all of the rain. When the conditions are like that it really takes a lot more out of me than you’d think. Went to the 4pm class at the gym.

Warm-up

3 Sets

15 Reverse Hypers (50#)

4 Rounds

10/10 Leg Swings
10/10 Arm Circles
10 PVC Passes
Front Rack Stretch

Hang Power Snatch

2x3x45#
3×75

Hang Power Clean

3×95#

Conditioning

7:00 EMOM
- 7 Pull-Ups
- 3 Hang Power Snatch (95#)
7:00 EMOM
- 7 Burpees
- 3 Hang Power Cleans (125#)
5:00 Rest
7:00 EMOM
- 7 Pull-Ups
- 3 Hang Power Snatch (125#)
7:00 EMOM
- 7 Burpees

I was able to get all 14 sets of pull-ups unbroken! I was starting to feel my back when bringing the bar down between reps during the 125# snatches. When I’m resetting like this is when it’s bothered me the most over the last year or so. Then I almost lost my grip on the barbell during the last two sets of that second round of snatches. I went to pick up 165# for the hang cleans, deadlifted it, and decided not to push my back, so I just did the burpees to finish. Lifts from the hang and especially stringing them together affects my back a lot more; I probably should have done singles from the ground.

Year of the Engine – Time Trial

10:00 Airdyne

Jumped on the bike when I got home from the gym. Could I beat 400 calories? Close, but no cigar. I got 396 calories and 6.95 km. It was the middle section again where I start to really slow down. Solid effort after being at the gym.

My Take on Frantasy Land

Had great night of sleep and didn’t wake up until ten after 8. Went to open gym at 10am.

No B.S. Bench Press

10×45#
10×95
5×135
5×175
5×205
5×225
4×240
2x5x235
MAX @ 225 (7)

I’ve been struggling through this entire second cycle of the program. I couldn’t even hit one full set of 5 at the recommended 240-245 and then the max reps was seven again, which is what I got during the first two times of this cycle. Maybe it’s time to try benching in the evening. Or maybe I’m not eating enough. Or maybe all of the cardio is affecting my ability to get stronger.

Conditioning

9-6-3
- Thrusters (95/65#)
- Bar Muscle-ups
2:00 Rest
12-9-6
- Thrusters (75/50#)
- C2B Pull-ups
2:00 Rest
15-12-9
- Thrusters (55/40#)
- Pull-ups

This is my take on Frantasy Land for an everyday CrossFitter. When I came up with the rep schemes I was wondering if I could go unbroken through the entire thing. Hahahaha!! I did go unbroken (very slowly) on all of the thrusters, but the dream was crushed early when I had to go 5-4 on the first muscle-ups. I went 3-3 on the 6 and did the final 3. First part took me 3:46. I almost quit the workout right there. I started with a set of 7 C2B, but after that I don’t remember. I do know I was doing a bunch of singles to end the 9 and then all of the 6. Took me 5:09! I felt better for the final couplet doing 3×5, 3×4, and 5-4 for my pull-ups. That took me 4:47 to finish. End time on the clock was 17:42. I am just not comfortable with a bunch of barbell work in a metcon right now. 😦 Stood around resting way too much in between sets and movements.

I don’t know if I’m coming down with something or what, but I wasn’t feeling great the rest of the day and skipped out on an engine workout again.