row – Page 63 – Nick Momrik's Fitness Logs

Long and Brutal

Legs still pretty sore. In at 9am to get lifts done before doing a long team WOD in class at 10.

I warmed up with a 500m row and some PVC pass-thrus.

5/3/1 Shoulder Press – Cycle 1 Week 2

5 @ 60# (40% of Training Max – warm)
5 @ 75# (50% – warm)
3 @ 90# (60% – warm)
3 @ 105# (70%)
3 @ 120# (80%)
3+ @ 135# (90%)

Felt better than the first “wee”. I managed to get 7 reps at 135#, which puts my estimated max at 166#, over my current PR.

5/3/1 Back Squat – Cycle 1 Week 2

5 @ 115# (40% of Training Max – warm)
5 @ 145# (50% – warm)
3 @ 175# (60% – warm)
3 @ 205# (70%)
3 @ 235# (80%)
3+ @ 265# (90%)

Oh boy! I felt horrible going down on that first warm-up set. Only managed to get 4 reps at 265# before dumping the bar. Too much leg work packed into 8 days to get in 2 5/3/1 cycles and it showed. Won’t be hitting strength again until Tuesday and only one strength lift per day, so it should be a better week next week for the 3rd week and then a deload after.

In class, we did a brutal teams WOD in honor of the CrossFit games going on. I teamed up with Brent and Kevin. The events were one right after the other, so keep moving.

Event 1: “Road Grater”

Barbell/Plate carry one mile (Guys: 45# bar, two 45# plates; Ladies 30# bar, two 35# plates)
One member must carry the bar and the other two must carry a plate. Members can switch implements at any time.

We took about 13:10 (forgot to look at the clock) and got smoked by Ron, Matt, and Ryan who did it in 10:35.

Event 2: “Hippie Hop”

Load weights on barbell. Each member must complete 50 lateral hops over the bar while the other two members hold the bar. The holders can hold the bar at any height but cannot set it down until the 50 hops are completed. Penalty for letting the bar touch the ground was 10 reps.

This was easy. We had 2 guys lay on their side on the ground and set the bar on our hips. The 50 hops were like a rest period for me and I knocked them out like nothing. We started our comeback here, crushing it in 2:42 to finish at an overall time of 15:52.

Event 3: “Rack of Ribs”

Unload the barbell and complete as a team: 200 Burpee plate jumps and 100 front rack empty bar lunges. Here’s how it works: Two members do the burpee plate jumps, while the 3rd member does the front rack lunges. Every member has to go rep for rep, so one lunge, two burpee plate jumps (one each member with the plate) at a time. Teams can switch out the lungers and the burpee plate jumpers whenever they feel like it with no penalty.

We switched out the lunger every 11 reps, which worked well because it still meant doing 22 burpees in a row. We almost complete caught up here, finishing in 8:46 for an overall time of 24:38.

Event 4: “Ron Morse Mile”

Stop at each turn and complete the following, every member must do this:

Turn 1: 50 Air Squats
Turn 2: 75 Air squats
Turn 3: 50 Push-ups (chest to deck)
Turn 4: 75 Push-ups

Suck fest, especially that many push-ups at the end of this WOD. We did 5 at a time with breaks and it worked well. Took us 20:17 to finish the mile for a total time of 44:55 to take down the best time in the last 3 events and the overall. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

I did a really slow 10:00 on the Air Dyne after for a cool down to flush things out.

Randomness

Feeling beat up today after 3 big strength lifts yesterday. No golf this morning, so I went in at 10am for some low intensity, low impact recovery work.

Rowed a 500m, did 3:00 on the Air Dyne, and did some mobility stuff.

We set up a circuit with 285# on the sled, 180# on the prowler, and an 80# sandbag. For 30 minutes rotated around doing various sled drags (forward, forward low with straps between legs, and backwards with ass low), rope pull the prowler while sitting on the ground and then push the prowler back, and a shoulder carry walk with the sandbag. The sled and prowler were about 50 feet each direction and the weighted walk was about 50m down and back.

2 Rounds of the MB Passes

10 Passes
10 OH Passes
10/10 Side passes
10 Straight up passes

Feeling better after moving around.

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.

Open Gym Friday

Headed in at 5:15pm today for a long spaced out session. Feeling pretty good after the last few days.

Warm-up

450m Run
PVC pass-thrus
DU

I got streaks of 40+, 70+, and 60+. Ordered the thinner cable from Rx, so I’m excited to see if it fatigues my shoulders less.

Conditioning

Easy 20:00 row. My pace was between 2:15 and 2:20/500m pretty much the whole way and about 20spm. Made it 4,420 meters and felt good.

Olympic Lifting

Warmed up with some C&J at 135#.

5:00 EMOM

Squat C&J (185#)

Rest 3:00

5:00 EMOM

Squat C&J (205#)

I was planning to do another round with 225#, but at the end of the 205# reps I could tell I was starting to hit a wall. Just not anywhere close to being back to myself yet, so I shut it down there and did a couple sets of back squats.

Strength

Back Squats

2 Sets of 5 with 205#

Strongman / Road Work

Laura, Brent, Kevin, Ellen, Casey, and I did a big circuit. Just kept moving, nothing too intense.

2 Rounds

150m Sled Drag (135#)
Plank (while partner does sled drag)
150m Wheelbarrow Push (200# first round, 230# second round)
10/10 DB Curls
150m Prowler Walk (210#)
Grip Twist with a 5# plate hanging on it

We paired up the push/pull with a stationary movement and paired up in teams. Each team did both movements in the pairing and then rotated to the next spot. Took us about 30 minutes to finish

Know When to Fold ’em

Still not getting a full night of sleep and night sweats seem to be getting worse. Going to see my Doctor this afternoon and hopefully figure out what is wrong with me. Went it at 10am to workout with Kevin and Ellen.

Warm-up

500m Row
2/2 World’s Greatest Stretch
Various other stretching

Strength

Hadn’t done Super Squats in nearly two weeks, but today was the day to get back on it. With a week off I decided it made sense to still go up 10#. Warmed up with 10 @ 45#, 5 @ 135#, 3 @ 185#, and 3 @ 225#. Took a nice rest and then went for it with 255#. Right out of the gate, I could tell the reps were way too hard. I started leading with my ass, sort of doing some type of good morning squat. I got through 8 reps, and then coming out of the hole on the 9th, I decided to bail before I got hurt. Dropped to 225# and did a set of 5 for some extra work.

Disappointing, but not surprising with the week I’ve had. I should have been smarter and maybe went for 235#.

Did 3 sets of 20 pullovers after with 45# dumbbells. I’ve been using a 60#, but didn’t think that would be a good idea.

Core

3 Rounds (NFT)

10 Evil Wheels
45s/45s Side Plank

It’s been so long since I’ve done side planks I don’t even remember.

Conditioning

1/2 Mile Sled Drag/Pull (135#)

I did half walking forward dragging the sled behind, and half walking backwards pulling it along. At the gym it’s 6 laps, so I alternated each lap.

Heading to the Doctor this afternoon to hopefully figure out what’s wrong with me. Just want to get back to normal.

Dive Back In

I started to feel so much better last night after going to hang out for the fireworks in Bay City. Feeling pretty decent today too, so went in to workout with Kevin and Ellen at 3pm.

Warm-up

3:00 Air Dyne
20/20 Band Walks (purple)
10 Band Presses (purple)
10/10 Flamingos
Squat Hold

Strength

I wanted to get in some light squats to easy my legs back into things and hopefully get back on track for Super Squats this week.

2-3-X-1 Tempo, 90 seconds between sets

5 @ 45# to warm-up
5 @ 105#
5 @ 120#
5 @ 135#
5 @ 165#
5 @ 180#

Wow, was it humid in the box today. I was sweating buckets after only a few sets. These weren’t particularly easy or hard, so solid work for me coming back. Three seconds in the hole is deceiving and I recommend everyone try some. You can’t use the bounce to come back up at all, so it’s all drive.

WOD

10:00 EMOM

Odds: 20 Wall Balls (20# MB, 10′ target)
Evens: 10 Over the Box Jumps (28″)

Did all of the wall balls unbroken without any trouble. Was a bit wiped out for the box jumps though, which is my specialty, so you know I’m still fatigued.

Conditioning

1/2 Mile Sled Drag (135#)

Stopped for water every 2 laps (1/3 of the way). Should have maybe mixed in some backwards pulling, but just wanted to keep going.

Finisher

10:00 Row

Nice and slow. I think I was at 16-17 spm most of the way. Not trying to kill myself, just sweat and get the heart beating.

Was there about 2 hours and felt so much better than the “Hope” WOD yesterday. I bet I lot at least a few pounds through sweating, so tried to keep drinking water.

“Hope”-ing for a Speedy Recovery

Whatever this MudCrud virus is I got from Tough Mudder has ruined an entire week. I did a little work on Monday morning, but none the rest of the week. Headed over to the new Survival Fitness Bay City at 10am today.

Warm-up

500m Row

We were on our own for warm-up and I didn’t want to wear myself out because I know I’d be pacing the WOD really slow anyway.

WOD

“Hope”
3 rounds

Burpees
Power snatch (75#)
Box jump (24″) *Rebounding off the top is allowed
Thruster (75#)
Chest to bar Pull-ups

“Hope” has the same format as Fight Gone Bad. In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of “rotate,” the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep.

Last year I was left with tunnel vision for over an hour after this WOD. I had managed a total of 235 reps with rounds of 82, 74, and 78. No way I was coming close to that with my body beat down. I really paced things and probably rested more than I repped. Did 54-54-53 reps for a 161 total. Was great to sweat it out, but damn I felt like a rookie.

2013-hope

Finally Some Muscle-ups

Went over to the new Survival Fitness Bay City at 5pm, which opens on Monday. Really sweet setup there with a Rogue rig and all brand new equipment.

Warm-up

3:00 Jump Rope
2 Rounds
- 20/20 Band Walks
- 10 Band Presses
- 10 Ys & Ts (5.5# plates)

Those band walks and Ys and Ts are such sneaky burners.

Strength

Push presses today. Do a 5×3, working up to a heavy weight, then take 90% and do 3×3 with it.

4 @ 45#
3 @ 115#
3 @ 135#
3 @ 155#
3 @ 175#
3 @ 186#
3×3 @ 166#

Why the weird weights ending in a 6? Because Jason had brought is some of his from home and there were in kilograms. The last time I did a 1RM push press was so long ago, but it was a 190. Today 186 for three was no problem.

Olympic Lifting

7 Sets

High Hang Snatch
Hang Snatch
Snatch

Working the squat on all of them. I used 95#, 100#, 105#, 110#, and then the last 3 sets with 115#. Legs are feeling a bit fatigued from Super Squats and wanted to keep trying to get in quality reps.

WOD

2 Rounds

500m Row
4 MU
10 Hang Power Snatches (95#)

Did all of the muscle-ups as singles, but did both rounds of snatches without putting the bar down. Finished in 8:41. It was fun to get in some muscle-ups after not having done them since the Open workout back in March. With the 1 rep I did when we got to the gym and then 8 in the WOD it was 9 total for the day, which is the most I’ve done. Before it was 7 from the Open workout. I finally started to feel the turnover of my hands and wrists better on my 2nd round, since I don’t use the false grip. Didn’t miss any reps today either.

Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that I got a couple pain of the Reebok CrossFit Nano 3.0 shoes. Wore them last night and today and love them. They are a nice improvement over the 2.0.

nano3-0

Great Lakes Bay Regional Throwdown – 1st Place

Competed at the 3rd Great Lakes Bay Regional Throwdown, held at CrossFit Worthy in Mount Pleasant today. Teamed up with Michelle, Casey, and Breanne. We brought home first place!

Tons of fun!

Event 1: Clean & Jerk Ladder

Each team had a bar and enough weight to total 250#. You started with the 45# bar and each person had to lift each weight, increasing by 5 or 10# each lift. Team order stayed the same, but once you missed a lift, you were done.

Michelle set a PR with 135#, then Breanne was out after making a 155# PR. Casey and I had hoped to finish and our timing couldn’t have gone any better. We both finished off the ladder by making 250# PRs, the only team to have 2 guys finish. We took first place in the event!

Event 2: WOD Relay

Each team member completed:
2 Rounds

10 Plate Burpees
8 Pull-ups
6 Clusters (65/95#)

We rocked this one too, taking 3rd place.

Event 3: Run, Row, DU

Run 800m as a team
Each team member must complete a 300m row, while 2 other members hold a plank, and one rests
One attempt at a max unbroken set of DU in a 1:00 time window. Each rep, subtracts a second from overall time

We took 2nd place on this event, only getting beat out by a team that had 4 people just kill the DU. I hit a set of 55 and was pretty happy with that.

We ended up with 6 total points, second had 11, and two other teams tied with 12 points. Long day, with a lot of time out in the sun, but it was a blast.

More Super Squats

I went golfing this morning and then went in to open gym at about 5:30pm.

Warm-up

5-10 minutes of DU work. I got a streak of 65 and some others over 40.

Strength

Back Squats

Warmed up with 45#, 135#, and 185# for 5 reps each. Last week I did 225# for a set of 20 and originally was just going to try 230# this week, but figured I might as well make it tough so went for 235#. It actually felt easier than last week and I didn’t get that pass-out feeling. Maybe I can try 245# next week!

Pullovers

I did 3 sets of 20 with a 60# DB and they were tough.

WOD

Row 5k

Kept a consistent pace at 20s/m and right around 2:05-2:10 per 500m. Finished in 21:13.8 by upping the pace a bit in the last 1,000m. Good aerobic work heading into the weekend and the competition on Sunday.