Thanks to Instagram’s new update that allows for one minute long videos, we get to see a host of longer training (and cat) videos from across the interwebs. Of course, we usually expect only one minute of a workout to be posted, not the whole workout from start to finish. Nick Bloch, though, seemed to take the time cap as a challenge, and recently completed the CrossFit workout “Grace” in 59 seconds. As far as we know, this is the world’s fastest Grace time.
“Grace” consists of 30 clean and jerks at 135lbs (95lbs for women), and the top guys are putting in times a little over the minute mark. Dan Bailey completed Grace in 1:02 in 2011, and Rich Froning Jr. boasts a 1:11 Grace. At 5’7″ and 5’9″ respectively, Bailey and Froning are significantly shorter than 6’0″ Bloch, and therefore likely have much shorter cycle times.
While a few seconds difference may not seem like much, shaving 4 seconds off a lighting fast workout is insane, especially for a guy who is 6’0″ and 220lbs. Bloch’s previous time was 1:03, which means he cut his time by 6.4 percent. That’s the equivalent of a 3 minute Fran turning into a 2 minute and 48 second Fran.
This is all the more impressive because Bloch is known as a strength guy, not a speed guy. Bloch was the frequent anchor in the strength based races for the Grid League’s New York Rhinos, often snatching five touch and go reps at 225 to close out the race. But based on this video, Bloch can go ahead and shove aside the “strength guy” stereotype. He’s already qualified for Regionals, and it’s going to be damn exciting to see what he can do.
Have you ever seen a faster Grace — by anyone? Let us know in the comments below.
