Nick Momrik

Heading to Regionals

My ass is sore from the split squats and the air squats probably contributed too.

Warm-up

3 Sets
- 30s Jump Rope
- 10 Zombie Kicks
- 5 Scap Pull-ups
10 RDL (45#)
10 RDL (135#)

Strength

E2M – 6 Sets

12 RDL (185#, standing on 55# competition plates)
8 Weighted GHD Sit-ups (20#)

My grip was starting to fail but I held on for every rep of every set. Have been doing them all with a double overhand to get in the extra grip work. Makes it extra hard when I add in the bonus sit-ups like this, but I had to get in my reps for the week with no other time left to do them.

And that’s a wrap on big strength sets! I enjoyed the lighter loads, but they got pretty nasty these final two weeks. I think we are going to do a little transition next week with our strength work due to Memorial Day and Murph being tough, but then we’ll start putting some weight back on the bar in our next cycle. Looking forward to some smaller sets and heavier weights!

Conditioning

20:00 AMRAP

5 Back Squats (115#, no rack)
10 Push-ups
15 Box Jumps (24″)

We hadn’t done much longer stuff in a couple of weeks so we changed the workout from what we had planned. It was a good grind. Kept moving, did all push-ups unbroken, and did all box jumps with step downs. Was able to pick up the pace in the last 3 minutes and finished with 11 rounds plus the 5 squats and 4 push-ups.

I’ll get in a little ROMWOD action before leaving town this afternoon. Heading to Columbus to watch the Central Regional! Then back Sunday evening in time for Memorial Day “Murph” on Monday.

Double Tabata

Don’t feel anything after yesterday’s workout.

Warm-up

Crossover Symmetry Activation
3 Sets
- 5 Burpees
- 20 Mountain Climbers
- 1:00 Bottom Squat Hold
10 Shoulder Press (45#)
5/5 Bulgarian Split Squats
10 Shoulder Press (75#)
5/5 Split Squats (75#)

Strength

E3M – 6 Sets

12 Shoulder Press (95#)
6/6 Bulgarian Split Squats (95#)

Yuck! Close to failure on the last 3 sets of shoulder press. Did the split squats with the bar on my back again. Glad we are done with this cycle!

Conditioning

8 Rounds (Tabata)
- 20s Air Squats
- 10s Rest
2:00 Rest
8 Rounds (Tabata)
- 20s Double Unders
- 10s Rest

My goal was sets of 17 air squats and I managed, though had to speed up the last few on some rounds. 136 total squats. Thought the dubs were going to be horrible after the squats but I think it actually helped to relax my legs, which sounds kind of stupid to say. I only had one miss and it was to start round 2 or 3. Got 284 reps, just 2 shy of my 286 best. If I don’t have any misses and get an extra rep or two per round, that 300 might be possible. It’s hard to speed up dubs though because then you have a higher risk of missing.

8:00 AMRAP

5 One-Arm Deadlifts Right
50′ Suitcase Carry Right
5 One-Arm Deadlifts Left
50′ Suitcase Carry Left

Used a 70 pound kettlebell. We were outside and I have no idea how many rounds I did. Not speedy, but kept moving the entire time.

Went for a run before dinner. Hot out! Ran 2 miles in 16:17, which is 30 seconds faster than Saturday. Slowly speeding up. Started out way too fast or I think I would have been able to hold a better pace.

Will have time for ROMWOD yet later.

Go Unbroken

Yesterday walked the golf course and the app said I was close to 7 miles. I guess I spent more time than usual walking back and forth trying to find my ball. First time of the year where we really got to feel the heat of the back 9 at Sawmill when you get out there in the trees with no breeze. Drank a lot more water than I have been and wore my Oakley’s instead of cheap sunglasses. Seemed to help prevent getting one of those sun headaches I often have trouble with. Also did a 45 minute ROMWOD at night. My legs were feeling a little tired all day after the Sunday workout and run.

I was coaching this morning so got in early for my warm-up and snatches before class started.

Warm-up

Crossover Symmetry Activation
2 Sets
- 5s of StrongFit Tricep & Bicep Openers (10#)
- 10 Reverse Hyper (210#)

Weightlifting

E2M – Squat Snatches

4×45#
4×75
4×95
2×115
2×135
2×155
6 sets of 2×175

I wanted to get in 10 total sets, so planned on 4 sets with 175#. Set the clock for 12 rounds just in case it was feeling good. It was, so I kept going. Of course then I rush the 2nd rep in the 5th set and don’t get it pulled into the slot. Stepped right back up and hit it though. That was the only miss. When I exaggerate those knuckles down it really helps me keep it close and feels so much more solid. I did power snatch the final rep, but then stood up and did an OHS with it. Feeling a lot more solid snatching lately.

With Class Warm-up

3 Sets

20 Push-ups
10 Band Pull Aparts (green)

Gymnastics

Max Set – Pull-ups
2:00 Rest
3 sets
- 50% of Max
- 2:00 Rest

Regular kip again and wore the leather grips. I’m going to look for some new type of grips at Regionals this weekend. I knocked out 30 reps much easier than the 26 a couple weeks ago. That was good, so dropped off the bar; I’ll take the 4 rep PR. Did the 3 drop sets at 15 reps without any trouble. Really happy with how fast pull-ups came back. I think spending some time on ring rows when I was scaling helped out, not to mention more of the Pendlay and landmine rows lately. Wish I could butterfly though. 😦

Conditioning

4 Rounds

200m Run
10 Power Snatch (95#)

Holy shit did I underestimate this one. Went out running fast thinking it would be a quick one. Goal was unbroken on the snatches every round and that jacked my heart rate sky high, making it difficult to push the runs. Really wanted to put the bar down in the last 2 sets but held on. Finished in 7:20 and I guess I ripped open a finger in the process. Dammit!

Cooled down and did Crossover Symmetry Plyo.

Out in the garage for a quick afternoon session to catch up on Monday’s strength work.

Warm-up

3 Rounds
- 1:00 Air Dyne
- 30s Bottom Squat Hold
10 Back Squat (45#)
8/8 Landmine Rows (45#)
10 Back Squat (135#)
8/8 Landmine Rows (55#)

Strength

E3M – 6 Sets

12 Back Squats (185#)
8/8 Landmine Rows (65#)

It’s hot in the garage now that summer has finally arrived. This combo wasn’t easy today but not as hard as I was expecting.

Murph Work

7 Sets

20s Push-ups
30s Rest

Went 20-20-17-17-13-12-12 for 111 total with all reps being chest-to-deck. Might as well do the extra work now so it seems easy during Murph on Monday. Already had done 3×20 this morning too.

Need to ROMWOD tonight after all of that work.

Be a “Nancy”

Worked last week so went with the pancakes again for breakfast topped with almond butter and maple syrup. These Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes are the bomb!

Warm-up

Crossover Symmetry Activation
2 Sets
- 5s of StrongFit Tricep & Bicep Openers (10#)
- 10 Wall Squats

Conditioning

“Nancy”
5 Rounds

400m Run
15 OHS (95#)

Exactly 2 years ago, to the day, I did 16:58. At the time I hadn’t done any overhead squats in months when I was coming back from a shoulder impingement. I lost the bar on the 12th rep in the final set too.

Tried to start out fast on the run to buy some time and still push the other runs too. They did slow down though and then I picked it up in the final 200 meters. Didn’t want to have any drops with the bar that was for sure. I went right into a squat snatch on the first rep of every set. OHS felt really good, which I think has a lot to do with all of the shoulder and upper back work I’m doing. If I could improve my cycle time on the squats that’s where I could make up some more time. Wish I had worn my Garmin to be able to know round splits. Final time was 13:35, a PR by 3:23!! Run, run, run, run, run! Another monster running WOD PR.

Strength

E2M – 5 Sets

6 Pendlay Rows (145#, normal grip)
6 Good Mornings (145#)

Gymnastics

4 Tabata Rounds
- 20s L-hang
- 10s Rest
1:00 Rest
4 Tabata Rounds
- 20s HS Hold (facing)
- 10s Rest

Was on the rings for a L-sit in the first round but it was hurting my shoulder so switched to L-hangs. All done with bent knees up. Cart-wheeled up to the handstand holds since I did them facing the wall. Not much rest other than to quickly shake out the arms, but it kept me feeling fresh. I felt really solid in the hollow with just my toes on the wall an my nose right up close.

Murph Training Bonus

8 Round Tabata

20s Bottom to Bottom Air Squats
10s Rest

I did 11 reps for the first 6 rounds and took the extra rest, which wasn’t much extra by the 6th time through. Then went faster with 13 and 14 reps in the final 2 rounds. 93 total for a 6 rep PR. I don’t know of anything else that gives this kind of burn in the legs. This little 4 minute grind is starting to grow on me.

Finished with Crossover Symmetry Iron Scap since I had skipped it a couple of times this week already.

Run

With golf tomorrow and feeling good, I ran in the evening with a single goal of going at least 30 minutes and keeping it close to a 10 minute per mile pace. When I finished up, it was 3.26 miles in 32:37, which Runkeper says is exactly a 10:00/mile pace! I never got much slower than that overall either, so maybe I’m starting to get the hang of run pacing for once in my life. Doubt it though.

Will ROMWOD yet tonight.

Another PR Double

My hamstrings seemed to feel those RDLs when I woke up, but by the time I got to the gym at 9 I wasn’t feeling it. Did Crossover Symmetry Activation before heading to the platform.

Clean & Jerk

2x5x20kg
2x3x40
3×60
2×70
2×80
2×90
2×95
2×100
2×105
2×110
2×115
2×120 (PR)

I think 115 was a PR double as well and maybe even 110. My jerk is sloppy from not lifting heavy lately. The shoulder work I’ve been doing allowed me to hang on and stabilize several reps though. Became a real mental battle on the second rep after 100kg. That is multiple PRs on both my snatch and C&J doubles this week.

Conditioning

“Reverse Kalsu”

100 Burpees
EMOM – do 5 Thrusters (75#)
- We used ~30% of our max

Yes, you start with thrusters! No free minutes to make your time look better. :-p Got 13 burpees in the first minute, settled in to 11 for the next 7 rounds and then a final set of 10 to finish in 8:49. This was really all about finding the correct pace.

Had thought about doing Rowing Kalsu today but figured I should probably do this, which was programmed yesterday for classes. No 🍒 picking!

Midline

5 Rounds

18 GHD Sit-ups
12 Russian Twists (55# plate)
3/3 Turkish Get-ups (35#)

Not timed, but moved without resting much between movements. Been doing weighted GHDs for weeks so unweighted was a nice change.

Recovered with some pizza.

Run

After mowing the lawn I took off for a 2 mile run, which took 16:47. Times keep coming down without feeling like I’m pushing. I think the main this is I’m getting more comfortable running at higher heart rates. Garmin reports an average of 146 beats per minute for today’s run. I’m also trying to improve my breathing and cadence.

I’ll ROMWOD at some point.

“Cindy” Cycles

Walked 18 holes yesterday and did a long ROMWOD. I think I was feeling those Bulgarian Split Squats in my legs and hips.

Out in the garage today before lunch to get in some work I missed yesterday at the gym.

Warm-up

Crossover Symmetry Activation
3 Sets
- 1:00 Air Dyne
- 10 OHS (45#, close grip)

Amazing how much easier those close grip overhead squats get after the initial set. My shoulders really open up.

Conditioning

6 Cycles

3:00 AMRAP – “Cindy”
- 5 Pull-ups
- 10 Push-ups
- 15 Air Squats
1:30 Rest

6-cindy-3min-cycles Each cycle starts fresh with the pull-ups.

Still no butterfly pull-ups for me so all regular kips. All go in the first 3 minutes with quick squat cycling. Squats slowed a bit in cycle 2, and then push-ups also started to slow mid 3rd cycle. Scores were 4+5, 4+1, 3+26, 3+17, 3+15, and 3+15. Comes to a total of 126 pull-ups, 240 push-ups, and 313 squats. #volume

I got a little blood blister on my left hand near the crease of the pinky and it popped. Didn’t even noticed until a rest period when I felt blood dripping down my fingers. Was no issue continuing since it wasn’t a rip and wasn’t going to get any worse; just meant I kept leaving blood on the bar. Whoops!

Strength

E2M – 6 Sets

11 RDL (185#, standing on 55# competition plates)

My back was feeling pretty tight after these so decided to skip the GHD work I had planned. I’ll get in some midline tomorrow. That was enough reps for one day anyway!

ROMWOD tonight.

Unhook the Piano

Not much sleep since I was up playing around with a little home network server project.

Warm-up

Crossover Symmetry Activation
2 Sets
- 5s of StrongFit Tricep & Bicep Openers (10#)
- 15 Reverse Hypers (210#)
3 Sets
- 10 Thrusters (45#)
- 10 PVC pass-thrus
- 20 Mountain Climbers

Strength

E3M – 6 Sets

11 Shoulder Press (95#)
6/6 Bulgarian Split Squats (95#)

Didn’t even need any extra warm-up after those thrusters. The presses were getting rough in the 3rd set! Hope it was just the lack of sleep and early morning. First time trying split squats with a bar on my back. Worked well.

Conditioning

Every 30 second Death By 2 MB Cleans (20#)

1st 30 seconds – 2 reps and rest with what it left
2nd – 4 reps
3rd – 6
… adding 2 reps each 30 seconds until failing to hit the assigned number of reps

Wasn’t bad until 10 and then you’re basically going with no rest. I finished the set of 12 and got 12 of 14. All sets unbroken because you have to; no time to waste in 30 seconds.

1 Mile Run

Been a long time since I tried to push a mile. Wanted sub-7, but only managed a 7:08. I’m so bad at pacing. Should have paid closer attention to the pace on my watch. I would love to get this under 6 by the end of the summer.

Finished up with Crossover Symmetry Iron Scap and will ROMWOD tonight.

More Running

Forgot I had a chiro appointment or I would have went to the gym in the evening and saved a drive out that way (it’s night by the gym). After finishing up with work I decided to head out for a run. Maybe I just needed to learn what it feels like to run again because the paces are getting so much easier every week and I don’t even realize I’m going faster until I check the watch. Went 2.66 miles in 24:10, which is just over 9 minute miles. It’s night and day to compare how that run felt compared to the 11 minute miles I started with 3 weeks ago. Average HR of 144 (bit inflated due to a bad reading for 90 seconds around 1 mile in) is higher, but it felt fine.

Vary Your Pull-ups

Morning 8am session in the garage to catch up on some of the Monday programming.

Warm-up

2 Sets

5s of StrongFit Tricep & Bicep Openers (8#)
10 Back Squats (45-135#)
8/8 Landmine Rows (45-55#)
20s L-hang (supinated grip)

Strength

E3M – 6 Sets

11 Back Squats (185#)
8/8 Landmine Rows (65#)

Yuck! One more week with sets of 12. I’m having to focus less on recruiting the other muscle groups in my squats as it’s starting to become automatic. Noticing a lot more explosiveness out of the hole late in the sets as I fatigue. I really like these rows a lot more than Krocs, which are easier to cheat.

Gymnastics

6 Sets

20s Pull-ups
30s Rest

Did them all with a regular kip and felt like I had a much better rhythm than in the half Cindy last week. Didn’t wear any grips because I need to get these hands conditioned again. My first four sets were 11 unbroken, then 7-2, and 6-3 for 62 total reps. Being forced to do a regular kip instead of always doing butterfly once you can do them is a good reminder to vary your movements.

Rested to catch my breath and then did Crossover Symmetry Plyo.

Went to the 5:30 class at CrossFit Intuition.

Warm-up

Crossover Symmetry Activation
3 Sets
- 10 Goblet Squats (44#)
- 15 Hollow Rocks
- 150m Row

Weightlifting

2 Snatch 3-Position Deadlifts + 2 Snatches + 2 OHS

45#
75#
95#
115#

Snatches

2×135#
2×145#
2×155#
2×165#
2×175#
2×185#
2×195#

All snatches to a full squat. The warm-up complex was done without dropping the bar. Drop and reset after each rep with the doubles. Was programmed for 6 sets so my goal was 185. It was feeling good, so I went for one more set. Huge save on the final rep with the bar way out in front of me on the left side. Shoulder work must be paying off because I never really save anything that heavy and I was able to pull it in, be patient to stabilize it, and stand it up. I think the 185 and 195 are both PRs for a squat double, but I don’t keep track of those that close so not sure.

Gymnastics

Max Diamond Push-ups
2:00 Rest
3 sets
- @ 50% of max
- 2:00 Rest

Got 40 and did drop sets with 20. All reps with chest touching diamond.

Conditioning

10-8-6-4-2 Burpees
400m Run

Did the burpees outside which makes the run a little short. Took me 10:07.

Of course I’m going to ROMWOD. 🙂

Easy Run

Legs are tired. Went out for a run before lunch. 3.04 miles in 30:09, pretty much the same pace as Saturday. Will get in a couple of ROMWOD tonight.

Fuel

My hips, legs, and lower body in general is tight from yesterday. Put in a lot of work yesterday and a lot of loaded squats. Tough one today that I know is a long grind, but I was actually excited for the chance to redeem myself after what I felt like was a pretty poor time last year. Much cooler day today, with the temperature around 40-45°, compared to last year (May 3) being one of the hottest days of the year.

Warm-up

Crossover Symmetry Activation
Bottom Squat Hold
3 Sets
- 5 ATYs (5#)
- 10 Shotguns
- 50 DU

Got every round of dubs unbroken.

Strength & Midline

E2M – 6 Sets

4 Pendlay Rows (165#, supinated)
30s Hollow Hold

Did 10×45# and 4×135# to warm-up. Second week in a row I went with the underhand grip since I had gone two in a row pronated. I feel these rows just a bit on my left shoulder.

Conditioning

kelly “Kelly” – 5 Rounds

400m Run
30 Box Jumps (24″)
30 Wall Balls (20#, 10′)

There were some complications with the music last year so it wasn’t even a true time for me, but I called it 29:59, which I thought was actually shortchanging myself for how long it took me to fix the tunes. Could I push harder on the runs this year?

The first run started out a little faster, but that’s to be expected fresh. Tried to keep a steady pace on the other 4 runs. I did all step up/down on the box since that many jumps will lock up my back. They were 8 right, 8 left, 7 right, and 7 left every round. Wall balls were 4 rounds of 18-12 with a quick 5-10 second breather and unbroken to finish.

Wore my watch so I could see some of the heart rate data and get an idea of my round times. Unfortunately the HR data had a bunch of drops down near or under 100 bpm so the average is pretty useless. Does show a max HR of 166 for the workout, which should be pretty accurate.

Not easy to tell because the GPS data jumps all over the place while inside the gym doing the reps, but looks like my splits were 4:35, 4:48 (9:23), 4:57 (14:20), 5:02 (19:22), and 4:44 (24:06). During the workout when I checked my watch on each run I kept waiting to hit a wall but it never happened. I felt much better throughout than I was expecting. Really happy with how consistent those round times stayed for a long workout. The last round time came down because I did the wall balls unbroken.

I thought if I was able to PR by 3 or maybe 4 minutes that would be great. I thought a 5 round average of 5:00 was a pipe dream, but I was well under that. Improved by almost 6 minutes! I think I could almost walk fast and get that 30 minute time from last year. haha The heat could have been a big factor too.

Definitely looking forward to ROMWOD tonight!

Diet

I’m not sure if I’ve written about it, but I’ve been counting macros for about 4.5 months now. I used to absolutely hate all of the counting and keeping track, so was never able to stick with it for more than a week or two. Something shifted this time around and I’ve actually enjoyed it. My previous “diets” worked, but usually ended up with me falling off the wagon and I’d gain back the weight. My “go to” was always low carb and try to stay cleaner. Doesn’t really work in the long run for me though because I enjoy food too much.

So I read about Renaissance Periodization and figured I’d give it a shot. It’s been working brilliantly so far and I feel much better mentally and physically. I give almost no care to the quality of what I’m fueling my body with as long as the quantity lines up with my macro number goals. The fancy term for it these days seems to be “flexible dieting” or what a lot of people call IIYFM (If It Fits Your Macros). Another popular company besides RP that will help you is Working Against Gravity. While I can see the value in paying RP or WAG for help, it’s really not that hard to do on your own if you have some discipline. If I can do it, so can you. 😉

Progress was steady for the first 2 months. It leveled out during the Open, when I was having a massive 36 hours way over my macros after doing each week’s workout. I didn’t track food on a week vacation so gained a little bit there, but quickly lost that and have been stable at 203# since. The trend lines are still heading in the right direction and body fat % seems to be decreasing. We’re getting towards the end of an 8 week hypertrophy cycle at the gym so this means the muscle building has been working and muscle gain + fat loss are leveling each other out. Will be interesting to see what happens when we switch back to lifting heavy shit during our strength work. I’d like to drop closer to 195# and get the body fat down to 10-11%.