Nick Momrik's Fitness Logs

Feeling Wrecked in the Morning

Feeling pretty beat up this morning, especially in the posterior chain. Went in at 10 with Kevin and Ellen for strength lifts though.

Warm-up

5:00 Air Dyne

Strength

Bench Press – 5/3/1 Cycle 1 Week 2

5 @ 85# (40% of Training Max – warm)
5 @ 105# (50% – warm)
3 @ 125# (60% – warm)
3 @ 150# (70%)
3 @ 170# (80%)
3+ @ 190# (90%)

* Working sets completed using the Reactive Sling Shot

In the set with 170# I realized if I came a little lower on my chest I could keep my right elbow in a lot better. I think I was benching too high on my chest, which makes it hard to keep that elbow in. Went on to knock out 13 reps at 190, which is the same number I hit at 180# on Sunday! And I didn’t have a single issue with the right elbow flaring out to cause that arm to lack behind. Estimates my max at 271.5#, which is a joke, but I’m improving!

Deadlift – 5/3/1 Cycle 1 Week 2

5 @ 165# (40% of Training Max – warm)
5 @ 205# (50% – warm)
3 @ 245# (60% – warm)
3 @ 285# (70%)
3 @ 330# (80%)
3+ @ 370# (90%)

Felt good. Pulled 8 reps at 370# and it actually felt better than the 9 at 350# I did on Saturday. New estimated max of 467.5#.

Maybe I should lift more often when I’m not feeling great! Cut the session after those lifts because I’m going to a class this afternoon with a friend who wants to try out CrossFit. Went in at 4pm to a pretty big class.

Warm-up

30 Air Squats
20 PVC Pass-thrus
10 Burpees
300m Run

Strength

Wasn’t too big on doing another big strength lift with 2 already this morning, but I can always use an extra squat session. Front squats on the menu today.

5 @ 135#
3 @ 185#
3 @ 225#
3 @ 245#
3 @ 255#

Fuck it, go big! Matches my best 3RM, but the two sets before were higher than I’ve gone before, and legs got some solid work with the hill sprints last night and deadlifts this morning. When I last did this a couple of months ago I used 155-175-195-225-255, so this is a nice improvement in overall weight moved.

3 Rounds NFT

8 Ring Dips
8 Ring Rows

I still suck at ring rows. Did all of my dips strict and unbroken though.

WOD

12 Rounds

1:00 AMRAP (continue next AMRAP where you leave off)
- 5 Pull-ups
- 10 Hand Release Push-ups
- 15 Air Squats
1:00 Rest

I was getting over a round per minute the entire way. In the 10th round I thought my hand felt a little funny on the bar. I got stuck to some old tap glue and it ripped it right open because I couldn’t slide around the bar on my butterfly. Ugh, just what I needed a few days before the Warrior Dash. I finished with 14+1 rounds, with the push-ups being my limiting factor. Probably could have gone a little faster on the air squats too, but all pull-ups were unbroken.

Some Hills

Lot’s going on today. Headed to Survival Fitness earlier than the normal 10am so I could drag the sled, get in a workout, and be out of there by 11am.

Warm-up

0.56 mile slid drag with 135# in 14:45. Needed this because my ass and hamstrings are beat up from yesterday.

Strength

Weighted Chin-ups

3 @ 20#
3 @ 25#
3 @ 25#
3 @ 30#
3 @ 35#

Probably could have gone up 5# each set instead of spending 2 sets at 25#.

Weighted Push-ups

8 @ 45#
8 @ 55#
8 @ 55#
8 @ 55#

Got really tough on the last reps of the last two sets.

Weighted Planks

30s @ 70#
30s @ 80#
30s @ 90#
30s @ 90#

Had to really fight to keep my core from dropping. Heavy!

WOD

7 Rounds

7 HSPU
7 K2E
21 DU (Unbroken)

I did this one back in February out in Phoenix in a time of 10:48, with some HSPU failing at the end. I hadn’t missed at all on DU then though. Today I missed one set of DU after 14 and another set after 16. Still getting used to the lighter Rx cable I think. My HSPU were much better though, so I finished in 9:55! Solid improvement in 5 months.

I had a 90 minute massage in the afternoon that was great.

In the evening I went out to the soap box derby with Kevin and Ellen to run some hill sprints. Warmed up with a jog around the track which is probably 600-700m.

10 Rounds

Hill Sprint (About 150 paces)
Slow walk back down to recover

Walked a lap for a cool down. Not too long after, my hamstrings were tightening up already. Deadlifting should be fun in the morning.

Double 5/3/1 Day

Yesterday I walked 18 holes of golf in the morning and took the rest of the day off. Really needed it. In at 10am this morning to train with Kevin and Ellen.

Warm-up

Ran 450m and felt really good.

Strength

Doubling up on the 5/3/1. Going to try and squeeze 3 weeks into 2, since I’m heading out of town the next week and can use that as my deload.

5/3/1 Shoulder Press (cycle 1 week 1)

5 @ 60# (40% of training max – warm)
5 @ 75# (50% – warm)
3 @ 90# (60% – warm)
5 @ 95# (65%)
5 @ 110# (75%)
5+ @ 125# (85%)

I got 8 reps on the last set, which is kind of disappointing. It estimates my max at 158#, which is below my PR of 165#.

5/3/1 Back Squats (cycle 1 week 1)

5 @ 115# (40% of training max – warm)
5 @ 145# (50% – warm)
3 @ 175# (60% – warm)
5 @ 190# (65#)
5 @ 220# (75%)
5+ @ 250# (85%)

I was thinking about trying to hit it as Super Squats and go for 20 reps since I’d done 245# for 20 before I got sick. Went by feel though and cut it off at 12 reps because I could feel my form getting ugly. It estimates my max at 349#, which I think is high since I haven’t put 25# on my back squat in the last 6-8 weeks. Once you get past 8 or so reps, the max rep calculators seem to be off. Happy with the work though.

Accessory

4 Rounds NFT

10 Front Rack Lunges (135#)
5 Strict T2B
10 Pullovers (60# DB)

I did everything unbroken and went from one lunge right into the next one without putting my feet together. Our T2B weren’t exactly strict, but we weren’t kipping was the key point I guess.

WOD

4 Rounds

10 Push Presses (35# DBs)
90s Air Dyne
2:00 Rest

I sped through the push presses each round. My calories were 35-30-30-33. The AD6 is so much different (harder) than the AD2 I have. World’s of difference. There is no way I could do 300 FY on the AD6 and it was easy on the AD2.

PR Fails

My left calf is tight, either from push presses on Friday or all of the double unders yesterday. Went to the gym at 2 with Kevin and Ellen.

Warm-up

DU
3:00 Air Dyne

Knocked out a streak of 81 DU in a row. Thought maybe it was the day I finally join the century club, but it was not to be.

Strength

Bench Press – 5/3/1 Cycle 1 Week 1

5 @ 85# (40% of training max – warm)
5 @ 105# (50% – warm)
3 @ 125# (60% – warm)
5 @ 135# (65%)
5 @ 160# (75%)
5+ @ 180# (85%)

* Used the Reactive Sling Shot for the working sets.

Still trying to force that right elbow to stay in, but in the last set it still kept leaking out. The Sling Shot is a pretty weird feeling. I got 13 reps with 180#, which I’m pretty damn happy about.

Weighted Dips

Did 3 sets of 8 with 30# hanging from a belt.

Olympic Lifting

Snatch

Kevin helped me with my setup and some drilling to work on meeting the bar with my hips. Worked on this for awhile with a 45# loaded training bar. Then started going at snatches.

2 @ 95# (power snatches)
115#
135#
145#
155#
165#
3 Failed attempts @ 175# (PR)

I had 175 on my first two. Just didn’t lock out my arms when I received it, but get under it and down to the bottom of the squat without a problem. On the 2nd attempt I had the weight there and in the hole, but then started losing it backwards, saved it, then lost it forward. Third attempt was pretty poor. Hit 165# easy though, which is only the 2nd time I’ve made it. I’ll get 175# next time.

Clean & Jerk

155# (power clean)
185#
215#
245#
2 Failed attempts @ 260# (PR)

I got the weight much higher than needed and got my right elbow under the bar really fast. My left just didn’t want to get under for some reason and so I lost it in the hole. It was pretty scary too since one arm was under and one wasn’t, I couldn’t bail on it safely. Bounced off my right knee a bit, which is sore and stiff now. My second attempt I didn’t commit because the first was in my head too much. Glad I got the 245# without much trouble though, which is only 5# below my max.

Conditioning

0.5 Mile Sled Drag (135#)

Felt really good. I put the sled straps through the belt I use for weighted dips and pull-ups, which was much better than looping the thing over or through my shoulders.

5/3/1 Begins

Was up early and got back to Saginaw around 11am. In to the gym this afternoon with Kevin to train. I read 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength (2nd Edition) last week and loved it. Decided to start my first cycle of 5/3/1 today. Really looking forward to see how it works. I like having a program where I don’t have to guess what weights to lift; give me percentages and reps and I’ll do the work and trust the program.

Warm-up

I got a new, lighter/thinner cable for my Rx Jump Rope and tried it out as the warm-up for today. Got a streak of 73 in a row right off the bat. I was hitting the ground a lot with the cable though, which I haven’t been doing with the cable that is one step higher. This would prove to be a big difference when fatigued.

Strength

5/3/1 Deadlifts – Cycle 1 Week 1

5 @ 165# (40% of training max – warm)
5 @ 205# (50% – warm)
3 @ 245# (60% – warm)
5 @ 265# (65%)
5 @ 305# (75%)
5+ @ 350# (85%)

I got 9 reps at 350 before stopping because my grip had been failing since the 5th rep and I could start to feel my low back giving out. Wendler says leave a little in the tank, so I did.

10:00 EMOM

Odds: 7 Strict Chin-ups
Evens: Snatch Grip Deadlifts (135#)

I should have had the straps on right away, but didn’t until the 2nd round of snatch grip deadlifts. So I only got 4 in the first round, then 6 in the 2nd, and 8 in the last 3 rounds. Was really a struggle in the last two rounds of chin-ups. Working on the snatch grip deadlifts and hitting the hips hopefully will help me out with my full snatches.

WOD

30:00 AMRAP

500m Row
400m Run
100 DU
10 Ring Rows
10 Ring Push-ups
20 Air Squats

Figured we’d do a long WOD, which I haven’t done in at least a month. Kevin smoked me right out of the gate because he kicks my ass on the rower. I couldn’t catch back up. My DU kind of sucked and I think the new cable got me. Felt like it was hitting the ground so much it would either bounce up or lose shape. I could rarely recover from nicking it and I actually got whipped quite a few times, which hasn’t happened to me in who knows how long. Tried Kevin’s cable which looks to be 2 inches shorter after the WOD and I seemed to do better with it. So maybe with the lighter weight it just spins that much different that I need to chop off that much length. Or maybe I just need to get used to it.

Anyway…I finished 3 full rounds and was about 100m through the run in the 4th when the time ran out. I kept going though and completed everything in the round, so it was about a 35 or 36 minute AMRAP for me. 🙂 Had to split up every set of ring rows, but got all of the ring push-ups and air squats unbroken.

300 FY

Legs are tired from the last couple of days.

Got on the Air Dyne around 9am. There is a test to see if you can do 300 calories in less than 10 minutes called 300 FY (“Fuck You”) and since I was already planning to do a steady 10:00 @ 76-78rpm I figured I’d give it a shot. I hit 299 calories early in the week without even trying.

I kept above 76rpm 99% of the time and even got up in the low 80s here and there. Totaled 319 calories and 3.9 miles.

Out in the garage around noon because it was raining out. I didn’t find out until yesterday that the garage was unlocked or I would have been lifting in there on the flat floor all week. Oh well, I guess I was preparing for the unknown.

Push Press

5 @ 95#
5 @ 105#
5 @ 135#
5 @ 145#
ME @ 165# (got 8)
3 x 10 @ 105#

They felt pretty solid today. Not much, if anything, left in the tank on the max effort set.

More Strength

5 Rounds NFT 135# (don’t drop the bar)

6 hang power cleans
4 front squats
8 back loaded walking lunges

Wow was I breathing hard after each round of this. Forgot how bad barbell complexes can be. I’d actually planned higher reps and some good mornings too but it was scary trying the first rep with my back so sweaty so I canceled them and adjusted everything.

4 Rounds NFT 53#KB

10/10 side bends
12 Goblet squats
10/10 single leg RDLs

When you concentrate on doing the side bends correctly they really burn! I don’t ever remember goblet squats being so easy.

Solid week of workouts on vacation and a great way to come back after being sick for two weeks. I’m just going to relax the rest of the day and then I head back home in the morning.

“Rest” Day

My legs are smoked from yesterday. Slept in for once and I really needed it. Making today a lighter day.

Went out on the road a little after 9am. Warmed up with a 0.3 mile jog.

10x

100 yard hill sprint
Walk back

That was fun! I paced it out twice so the distance should be pretty close. Then I walked 0.3 miles back to the cottage.

Got out the sled at 8:30. Went 1.04 miles in 28:59 with 115# of weight. I started out walking forward, the switched to walking backwards after a quarter mile and switched every quarter mile. Longest sled work so far. Wasn’t 135# but felt good.

A Morning Run

Hard to sleep at the cottage because it’s so hot and there is no AC.

Went for a run before 8am to beat the heat. Wasn’t going for any 5k records, just an easy jog to get the heart beating. Didn’t expect to go as ow as a did, but I’m okay with that because the goal was to build up aerobic capacity, not kill myself for the rest of the day. Ran 3.01 miles in 33:09.

Just before noon I started some OLY work and strength stuff.

Snatches

2 x 3 @ 95#
3 @ 115#
5:00 EMOM of 2 @ 135#
2 x 1 @ 145#
1 @ 155#
F @ 155#
1 @ 155#

I felt good early and got a little shaky after 135#. Noticed in the 155s that I started jumping forward. First time ever hitting 155# twice in one fay though! Here’s the final snatch.

Back Squats

10 @ 135#
10 @ 155#
10 @ 175#
10 @ 195#

No rack made this tougher than it needed to be. Having to clean the bar and get it to the back uses a lot of extra energy. Not sure I’ve dropped more than 165 on my back before.

3 Rounds NFT

8 Front Rack walking lunges (135#)
12 Weighted Sit-ups (two 5# plates behind head)
8 Front Rack reverse walking lunges (135#)
12 Air Squats

Solid 2 hours of work without killing myself.

Jumped on the Air Dyne at 8pm for some sprint intervals. Warmed up with 5:00 at a solid pace.

6 Rounds

30s @ 100%
4:30 slow to recover

I was going around 34mph and 110-115rpm during the sprints and 15mph and 50rpm when recovering. Including the warmup I racked up 614 cal and went 9.73 mi in the 35:00 (did the final recovery as a cool down).

I’m definitely feeling much better because that’s 3 hours of training on a day when it was about 90 degrees out.

Playground as a Box

Drive over to Hinks School a little before 8am to beat the heat.

For a warmup I did a 400m run, band pass-thrus, Band pull aparts, and band walks with a red band.

Then I was going to do a bunch of muscle-ups and try stringing 2 together. But on my first try at a double a had an awkward fall out forward and got scared to commit after that. Only managed to do 3 total MU. Just not my day for them.

10:00 EMOM

Odds: 5 Fat bar chin-ups (strict)
Evens: 10 Bar dips (feet on ground)

“Brenton”
5 rounds

Bear crawl 100 feet
Standing broad-jump, 100 feet.
Do three Burpees after every five broad-jumps.

Did this in a field next to the school and measured out 100 feet with a tape measure. Was starting to heat up so hurried to get it over with. Finished in 9:23, besting the 10:16 from a year ago. Big difference being able to go 100 feet straight Instead of looping back and forth on 25 feet. I only had to do 6 burpees each round.

This was the first WOD where I felt normal since the Tough Mudder.

Around 3pm I jumped on the Air Dyne for some intervals. Warmed up with 5:00 easy first. This is another form of MAP.

10 Rounds

30s @ 90-95%
30s @ 50%

At high intensity I was going 90+ rpm and 45-50 at low intensity. Racked up 286 calories and 3.5 miles.

After golfing 9 holes with Dad (we ride due to heat), I went out for a sled drag after 8pm. Only loaded 125# because the 10# bumpers were on the bar and I didn’t feel like messing with it. Went 0.58 miles in 17:03 with only a short water break at the turnaround point. Was much easier than a couple days ago.

Vacation Monday

Does a vacation officially start before this first week day? I never work weekends anyway. Legs are feeling a little sluggish from yesterday. Went to bed at 10 because I was exhausted from all of the sun and 3 training sessions. Still have night sweats though.

Jumped on the AD2 just after 7am.

5:00 warmup
Reverse Tabata (8 rounds)
- 10s Sprint
- 20s Rest
5:00 cool down

My best calories for a regular Tabata was 77 and I got 107 here, which is another one in the books confirming the AD6 is much harder to rack up calories on. Nice workout for being so quick. I really like switching up interval periods. Hopefully it pays off.

Around noon I setup for the big training session of the day.

Warm-up

50m Run
50m Run backwards

20 Good Mornings (green)
20/20 band walk (red)
10 press band (red)
10 band pull aparts (red)

Strength

Shoulder Press

5 @ 75#
5 @ 85#
5 @ 95#
5 @ 105
5 @ 135
ME @ 145 (3)

WOD

A little max aerobic power (MAP) training in the hot sun. Object is to go at 80%. Three minutes of rest between each AMRAP.

3:00 AMRAP

135# Bear

3:00 AMRAP

10 Front Rack walking lunges 135#
8 OTB burpees

2 full rounds

3:00 AMRAP

10 HR push-ups
15 Russian KBS 53#

3 full rounds

3:00 AMRAP

6 OHS 95#
12 sit-ups

2+3

3:00 AMRAP

5 thruster 95#
10 sumo deadlift high pull 53#

2+12

Much harder than expected!