Workout of the Day

STRENGTH

Front Squat
3-3-3

Notes
Perform 4-5 warm-up sets followed by three challenging triples. The works sets can be across or progressive.

METCON

For Time
75 Double Unders
21 Burpees
21 Toes to Bars
50 Double Unders
15 Burpees
15 Toes to Bars
25 Double Unders
9 Burpees
9 Toes to Bars

Notes
This should be a short and fast triplet, keep your foot on the gas and deal with how you feel later.

Jump Rope
Double Unders
75/50/25
50/25/12
1:00/:45/:30 AMRAP

Single Unders
1:00/:45/:30 AMRAP

KT2B
15/9/6 reps kipping or strict
21/15/9 Hanging leg raises
21-16-9 V-Ups or Tuck-Ups

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Programming Template: Week 2/6

Jeff doing Jeff things

Front Squat Vs Back Squats

Today we have Front Squats. A common question we get is “what’s the difference between front and back squats in terms of what muscles we’re working?” While there’s significant overlap in the overall squat pattern we’re training, holding the barbell in the front rack requires a more upright torso position relative to a back squat. This change in bar placement and posture shifts more of the work onto the quads, while the upper back and trunk have to work harder isometrically to keep you from folding forward. The Back squat lets the torso lean forward more, which biases the hips, glutes, and hamstrings and make the bar position more stable. This allows us to move more total weight with back squats.

This diagram below compares the Front Squat to the High Bar and Low Bar Back Squats. You can see clearly that in the front squat the torso stays much more upright and the knees track much further forward of the midline than in either back squat variation. That means the knee extensors (your quads) have to work harder to get you up out of the bottom. The front squat also demands more shoulder, wrist, and ankle flexibility than the back squat. Finally, it carries more transfer to other movements like cleans, thrusters, and anything overhead.

 

Workout of the Day

METCON

2 Rounds for time:
50 Sit-Ups
40 Kettlebell Swings 53/36
30 Calorie Row / Ski / Bike
20 CTB Pull-Ups
10 Goblet Squats 100/70

Notes
Grind through two rounds of this workout trying to hit each movement hard.

Pull-Ups
Kipping CTB or Strict
Kipping
Banded, Self Assisted or Ring Rows

ASSISTANCE

Seated Lateral Raises
3×8-12

Notes
Perform 1 warm-up followed by 3 sets that go within 1 rep or to failure.

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Programming Template: Week 2/6

We slinging them heavy Dumbbells today. Here’s a primer on how to pick one up without it feeling super cumbersome

🎂 Saturday 9/19: CFSBK’s 19th Birthday & Member appreciation night 🎂

We’re turning 19 and want to throw our community a little party. We’ll be renting out Evalyn’s Tap House located on Bulter and Nevins near the gym. There will be an open bar and food from around 7:30pm-9:30ish. We hope to see you all there!

Workout of the Day

In teams of three complete 15 Rounds for time of:
10 Bench Press 135/95/65
10 DB Step Overs 50/35/25
10 DB Bent Over Rows 50/35/25
200 Run

(+) 155/105 Bench Press or higher

Notes
Partner 1 works through the bench press, step overs and rows alone, once they get to the run, parter 2 can start in on the triplet. Continue in the same pattern for partner 3 until each person has completed 5 rounds.

Bench Press
Should be completed in 1-2 sets. If you’re hitting a wall adjust the weight down.

The step overs and rows will get very grippy but each exercise should be unbroken.

LABOR DAY SCHEDULE

Group Classes
8am CrossFit
9am Short Circuit
10am CrossFit
11am CrossFit
12pm CrossFit

Open Gym
8am-1pm

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Programming Template: Week 2/6

Check out Rebeca and Josh’s new play “Human Things” opening on 9/12

Hello Everyone!

I (Rebeca R) am producing and acting in a new play Off-Broadway called Human Things (written by our very own Josh Owen, and starring Tony Award-winner Victoria Clark). David told me to share the info so he could pass along to the CFSBK community.

I have a 15% off Promo folks can use for our early previews which run Sept 12-20:
HTPlay15

HumanThingsPlay.com
Performances begin September 12
The West End Theatre (263 W 86th Street)

I would so love to see some folks from the gym there!

Best,

Rebeca Robles

Workout of the Day

SKILL: Gymnastics Shapes

On coach’s flow
Wall Piked HS :20 x2
Hollow Body Hold :20 x2
Arch Hold :20 x2
Parallette Tuck Hold :20 x2

METCON

Row 3k

Notes
You can either go for your best time today or use this as a more aerobic effort on the rower. Regardless, try to use the strategy below, it’s just a matter of intensity on your end.

Take the first 1K at an aerobic pace, settle into things. When you get to the 2nd 1K, try to drop :05-:10 off your average splits. At the start of the final 1K, just try to stay consistent. Be patient until the last 500m, or the last 300m if you don’t have much left. Always finish strong.

You can estimate your finish time based on the 500m split you can sustain.

Time to complete 3k / Average Pace
10′ / 1:40 pace
11′ / 1:50 pace
12′ / 2:00 pace
13′ / 2:10 pace
14′ / 2:20 pace
15′ / 2:30 pace
16′ / 2:40 pace
17′ / 2:50 pace

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Programming Template: Week 1/6

Did you lose your stuff?? Honestly you probably did. Here’s this week’s batch of things from the lost and found. We post a picture of everything left on a regular basis. After a few weeks we donate everything to VOCAL NYC which has a free clothing store for people in need.

Wall Facing Piked Handstand

Today’s skill work includes a wall facing piked handstand. We’ve programmed these before and they do an excellent job developing not only handstand stamina but are very challenging on the flexibility required to hold the pike at 90 degrees.

Workout of the Day

PARTNER WORKOUT

20 Rounds for time:
9 Burpees over bar
7 Hang Power Cleans 95/65/45
5 Thrusters

(+) 115/75

Notes
Partners alternate full rounds until each person has completed 10 rounds. Your early rounds should take you somewhere around 1:00 with the later rounds spilling into around 1:30 range. There is a soft 30 minute cap on this workout but its possible closer to 20.

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Programming Template: Week 1/6

It’s not uncommon for us to test workouts before we program them into classes. The photo above is from a trial run of today’s workout. The original version had the same reps and format as above, but it was written as a 21-minute AMRAP, with the goal of holding 1:00 rounds for the full 21 minutes. Some natural fall-off in the back half meant not everyone was getting similar volume, so we changed the format to a fixed 20 rounds to keep most people finishing in the 20-25 minute range.

Age is NOT just a number

If you can, take 5 minutes to watch the whole video below from Coach Greg Everett of Catalyst Athletics. Then come to class so we can continue the pursuit of increasing life within our decreasing days and do our best with what we’ve got… today!

Workout of the Day

SKILL: Bar Muscle-Ups

3 Rounds for Quality
3:00 Row or Bike at recovery pace
8-10 Ring or Bar Muscle-Ups

Notes
Today is all about muscle-up development, the row or bike should be conversational and just help keep blood flowing while you recover between efforts. Choose one option below based on where you’re at:

Strength: 5 strict Pull-Ups + 5-10 Dips
Skill: Banded Ring Muscle-Ups or Jumping bar muscle-ups
Capacity: 8-10 Muscle-Ups

FLOATER STRENGTH

Choose one exercise
– Power clean 3-3-3
– Back Squat 8-8-8
– Bench Press 8-8-8

Notes
Tomorrow we have burpees, hang power cleans and thrusters

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Programming Template: Week 1/6

Fight Gone Bad is just 8 weeks away… Karl and Mikey say get those costume ideas flowing, people!

For better work on the rig: more core!

In the quick clip below, the coach beautifully demonstrates how actively creating the hollow shape (snapping the rib cage down) after the arch shape in the kip swing helps to propel you up and over the bar. Send force down to go up!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Gymnastics Course (@thegymnasticscourse)

Workout of the Day

STRENGTH

Back Squat
8-8
Rep out at 85-90%

Notes
Work up to a top set of 8 then perform 1 drop set AMRAP at 85-90% of your best 8. Due to fatigue, you may end up getting around 8 reps on your AMRAP but see what you got!

ASSISTANCE

3 Progressive Sets
12-16 total Back Rack Reverse Lunges
12-16 DB Upright Rows
24-30 Hollow Rocks

Notes
Work up through three sets of the triplet. The final reps of the rows and hollow rocks should be very unpleasant. The lunges should be challenging but well organized.

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Programming Template: Week 1/6

Roy majestically logging his workout

Where are you on “The Nutrition Continuum?”

It can be tempting to see ourselves as “on track” or “off track” with our habits, swerving into an all or nothing mindset. In reality, life is a lot more nuanced than that. The image below, courtesy of Precision Nutrition, demonstrates how our eating behaviors exist on a continuum. This isn’t a perfect or exhaustive list, but it is a helpful visualization. In your journey to better health and fitness, where do you land on the nutrition continuum today? If you were ready and able to make a change, what small action would help you get a little further along the wheel? (Not that we’re all planning to run an organic farm and health spa…)

Workout of the Day

PARTNER METCON

12 Rounds Alt w/ Partner
3 Power Cleans 185/125
55 Double Unders

(+) 225/155

Notes
Alternate complete rounds with a partner until 12 total (6e) have been completed. The cleans should be heavy singles dropped from the rack. If you’re skilled with both movements each round can be completed in a minute or less.

Double Unders
Aim for :45-1:00 effort
55/44/33/22/11 Double Unders
110 Single Unders

ASSISTANCE

3 Progressive sets of:
6-12 Pendlay Rows

(+) If you didn’t come in on either Monday or Tuesday, superset with 3×10-30 Push-Ups or 3×8-12 DB Z Presses

Notes
Perform 1 warm-up followed by 3 sets that go within 1 rep or to failure.

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Programming Template: Week 1/6

Joy’s aura is unmatched

Check out our feature on CBS for our work with the Phoenix!

Workout of the Day

METCON

AMRAP 20:00
15 Calorie Row or Bike / Run 270
10 Burpees
5 WTD Pull-Ups +25/10

(+) 3-5 BMU or RMU

Notes
Grind through this 20 minute triplet aiming for about 6-9 rounds. The Run/Row should take you roughly :45-1:15

FYI we have Bar Muscle-Up focus work on Friday this week if you’re considering scaling up in today’s workout.

WTD Pull-Ups
(+) 3-5 RMU/BMU
5 WTD Pull-ups
5 BW Pull-Ups
5 Banded or Self Assisted (HARD)

ASSISTANCE

DB Z Press
3×8-12

Notes
Perform 1 warm-up followed by 3 sets that go within 1 rep or to failure.

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Programming Template: Week 1/6

September 2026 Member of the Month: Peter Andre

Peter first joined the gym in early 2020, which turned out to be less than ideal timing. When COVID shut things down, he spent some time working out at home with Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred. But he missed CrossFit enough that Caroline – his girlfriend at the time, and now his fiancée! – eventually told him to stop talking about going back and just rejoin. Thankfully, he listened.

Below, he talks about why CFSBK has become his adult homeroom, how the gym helped make his neighborhood feel like home, and why “owning” a weight can be more satisfying than a PR. He also gets into what it’s like to share a name with a certain British pop star.

Caroline, thank you for giving him the push to come back. Peter, congratulations on your upcoming wedding – and on being our September Member of the Month! We have warm, fuzzy feelings about you too, and we’re so glad you’re here.

Name (and any nicknames):
Peter Andre. No nicknames, but I do share a name with a British pop star from the 90s, which has proved handy. I once had the gate held open for me on a flight I was going to miss because they thought I was the other guy.

Where were you born, and where did you grow up?
Born and raised in Northern Virginia, went to college in southern Virginia, and then landed in NYC soon after graduating.

How long have you been CrossFitting, and how did you find your way to CFSBK?
I’ve been CrossFitting consistently for almost four years now. I actually started at CFSBK in early 2020 after getting a bit tired of HIIT classes and globo-gyms, in search of something that had more emphasis on building skills. I took Foundations with Chris Fox and then struggled my way through a month of classes before the pandemic hit. After making do with an old workout tape over COVID (shout out Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred), and repeatedly talking to my then-girlfriend-now-fiancée about my lost CrossFit month, she suggested I stop all the talk and just sign up again. I rejoined at the end of 2022, took Foundations with David, and haven’t looked back.

What keeps you coming back to CFSBK? Every aspect of it!
I get such warm fuzzy feelings from this community, have learned so much from every coach, and love the group energy when we’re all taking on a hard workout together. I also can’t deny the vanity of it all — I’ve been able to build more muscle and get healthier with this program than anything else I’ve tried.

What does CFSBK mean to you?
I think of it like the best version of “adult homeroom” — I last had homeroom in middle school, where the first period every day would be a level-set with the same group of kids before the school day started. CFSBK is that same kind of level-set for me — I roll out of bed and head straight here for 8 am classes, and it prepares me for the rest of the day, physically and mentally.

How has the gym changed your life?
I’ve lived and worked all over NYC, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt as close to my neighbors since joining this gym. Joining a gym that is so tied to its community has made me more connected too — it makes this neighborhood feel more like home and less like a place where I happen to live.

Can you share a memorable experience or achievement from your time at CFSBK?
Murph Day is always a blast — it’s great to see in person how huge the gym community actually is and how much it means to all of us.

What are your current fitness goals?
I have goal weights I’d like to hit for some movements, but consistency is the biggest goal. When I played sports when I was younger, I had a lot of trouble maintaining technique and not losing my cool (many golf clubs were flung into sand traps). PRs feel amazing, but sometimes I get even more satisfaction when I feel like I “own” a weight for that movement.

Program your dream workout:
Cindy, but instead of air squats, it’s double unders.

Program your nightmare workout:
Fran, but instead of pull ups, it’s thrusters and hamstring sliders.

Favorite and least favorite lift:
Favorite is clean and jerk, least favorite is thrusters.

How do you spend your time outside of CFSBK? Do you have any hobbies?
Currently the big one is planning for my wedding next year in Dublin. My wonderful fiancée Caroline has been getting into Hyrox (we both really enjoyed Toni’s class), so it’ll be a real close call to see if CrossFit or Hyrox gets brought up more in conversation during the reception.

Outside of work and the gym, I produce music for bands and singers, everything from writing, playing on recordings, and mixing for release. I have a lil’ solo project (Zipped Lips) where I lean into all my 1980s synth pop obsessions. My hope is that one day the other Peter Andre’s star will fall so far that we can collaborate on a song with myself featuring myself.

What are you currently recommending (books, shows, food, etc.)?
Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird — a fantastic book on writing, but also chock-a-block with good life advice. I try to reread it each time I start a new creative project.

Any advice for new CFSBKers?
Keep showing up! It’s easy to get discouraged in the early days by not having the strength you think you should, or having a lift that terrifies you, but trusting the programming, listening to the coaches’ advice, and keeping notes will take you most of the way.

Workout of the Day

STRENGTH

Bench Press
8-8
Rep out at 85-90%

Notes
Work up through two top sets of 8, then drop to 85-90% of your best 8 for the final AMRAP set

METCON

AMRAP 8:00
8 SA OH Reverse Lunges
8 Kipping toes to Bars
8 SA OH Reverse Lunges
8 Kipping toes to Bars

Notes
Go HEAVY on the overhead lunges and stay unbroken. Goal is 4 rounds or more.

T2B
8/5 KT2B
8 HLR
8 Sit-Ups or Tuck-Ups

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Programming Template: Week 1/6

Always great to see Jacinto at CFSBK! Jacinto has been around since the Lyceum days back in 2008 and was one of our first coaches.

Programming Cycle Details

This 6 week cycle will run from Monday, August 31st through Sunday, October 11th. It’ll run a bit differently than previous cycles in that we will not have dedicated lifts on particular days. Each week will be well rounded with multiple opportunities to get strong and fit. Come in, work hard, rinse and repeat.

Fridays will continue to be floater day and reflect some of the lifts seen in the prior 5 days.

Sunday’s will have a bias towards monostructural work (run, row, bike, ski) and hit both short intervals and longer aerobic efforts.

On top of hitting all the major lifts through the cycle at a variety of rep ranges, we’ll also be seeing the following benchmarks:

“Flight Simulator”
A 19th birthday WOD for CFSBK
“The Chief”
“Helen”
5k Row or Run
“Isabel”
“AMRAP Annie”
and
“Lady Fox” to close out the cycle.