Moritz Fiebig: Proving that “A German Kid from Hamburg” Can Hang with the Best in the World
One year ago, German athlete Moritz Fiebig was doing his own programming and coaching himself to prepare for Semifinals.
Knowing he could use some guidance, he reached out to John Singleton, the founder of The Progrm, asking for help. Singleton answered the call and told Fiebig to come train with the crew in Mallorca, Spain.
It paid off: A few short weeks later, Fiebig qualified for his first CrossFit Games.
Fiebig placed 36th in his rookie season in Madison, WI last summer and has been rising through the ranks since, including winning the German Throwdown, placing second overall at the Dubai Fitness Championships, and most recently finishing 26th worldwide in Quarterfinals.
Most impressive of all might just be that 27-year-old Fiebig has become the force he has all the while continuing to own and operate two gyms in Germany, CrossFit Sankt Pauli and Sankt Pauli Athletik, both in Hamburg.
Needless to say, Fiebig has his heart set on returning to Madison this summer and on improving upon his rookie finish, his ultimate goal being to finish in the top 15. And he’s committed to doing anything that is required to get there.
- “It doesn’t matter where I am, I am always thinking about my goal to go to the Games,” Fiebig said.
The Progrm Difference: For the last year, Fiebig has been splitting his time between Hamburg—where between training and gym ownership, he puts in 11 hour days at the gym—and Mallorca, Spain. He credits the time he spends in Mallorca for helping him be where he is today.
Prior to working with Singleton and The Progrm, Fiebig said his training lacked structure and balance and led him to, not only train and work, but also compete too much.
- “I programmed for myself prior to The Progrm, and I had no weeks off,” he said. “It was unhealthy (what I was doing). I didn’t feel mentally healthy anymore…I knew I had to work less than I did before.”
But it was difficult to convince himself to actually do it. But now, when Singleton tells him to take Sunday off and take a nap and spend some time relaxing in the sauna, he listens.
And even though Fiebig is still training five or six hours a day—and eating 6,000 calories a day, including seven eggs for breakfast, to fuel his training—he said he’s both training and working less than he used to, which has helped him stay fresher this season.
- “The Progrm gives me more balance…and has helped me structure my season and not do every competition, and to figure out what I have to work on (physically),” he said.
For Fiebig, this has led to a heavy focus on his conditioning, especially his running, something he saw pay off on the first event in Dubai in December—the 160-floor stair climb at the Burj Khalifa Challenge. Fiebig placed a respectable seventh overall.
Further, Fiebig is adamant that his trips to Mallorca are invaluable because he gets the chance to push himself against some of the best athletes in the world.
- “Training with Jacqueline (Dahlstrom), we push each other in a perfect way,” Fiebig said. “It helps a lot…surrounding myself with people who are better than me, because at home in Germany, it’s hard to surround myself with people who are better than me.”
Staying Humble, but Hopeful for 2023: Fiebig said that while his success in recent months has helped build his confidence heading into Semifinals, he knows every competition is its own beast, so he isn’t getting ahead of himself.
- “It gives me confidence that I have done well…but Dubai is over, the Games are over, last season is over, and I have to prove myself again,” he said.
That being said, having been to the Games once lets him know he can, not only do it again, but also hang with the best this summer. It’s something he doubted in the past, but now Fiebig knows “it’s possible to go to the Games as a German kid from Hamburg.”
- “I know that nobody there is a God like I used to think. Noah Ohlsen, Mat Fraser, Rich Froning: They’re all like real humans, and I think anybody is beatable,” Fiebig added.
And his secret weapon might just be that this year’s NOBULL CrossFit Games Europe Semifinal is happening at home in Berlin, Germany, where his mother will have the chance to watch him live for the first time.
For a long time, his mother didn’t understand what her son was up to, Fiebig explained, but she has a better idea now that she is on Instagram. Often, her reaction to his videos is, “Moritz, that’s a lot of weight. Let someone help you,’” he said, laughing.
Ultimately, Fiebig is hoping his mother’s presence in Berlin, as well as the entire German crowd getting behind him, will help him punch his second ticket to Madison.
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