“Yes, we do carry these very heavy objects wherever we go.” | Photo by Thomas H.

This Week at CFSBK in Review

1. It’s been an emotional week at the gym as we say our goodbyes to Coach Noah. Here’s his farewell letter. We’ll miss you, dude!

2. Noah and Coach Ro answered some questions about the Anti-Gravity class they created and have been coaching for the past year. Spoiler alert: Ro is taking over Noah’s Sunday AG class as of next weekend!

3. CFSBK is hosting its first-ever (unsanctioned—punk rock forever!) Spikeball tournament tomorrow at 4:00pm. Go to the event page for more details and to sign up. 

4. CFSBK put on a strong showing at the Crow Hill Open 2016: Coach JB qualified for the American Open with a 71kg Clean and Jerk and a 51kg Snatch. Coach Katie went 5 for 6 and took first in her weight class. Coach Lady Fox took 2nd place in the Masters division with a 126kg total (!), and Amanda Mc went 3 for 6 in her first meet and PRed her Clean! Over on the men’s side, Coach Fox went 6 for 6 with an 87kg Snatch and a 115kg Clean and Jerk. Coach McDowell went 5 for 6 with a 108kg Snatch and a top Clean and Jerk of 125kg. Finally, Alex B. hit a 103kg Snatch and a 130kg Clean and Jerk. Congrats, guys! We’re so proud of you!

5. Coach Nick is organizing a marathon row on July 24th. Sign up here! Space is limited. If you’ve never been hollered at (lovingly) by an Olympic rower, now’s your chance!

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Snatch | Run, Squats, Toes-to-Bars
NASA Has Discovered a Massive Hole in the Sun Atlas Obscura
Double-Under Drill for Beginners WODprep

Snatch

Halting Snatch Deadlift (to the Mid-Hang) + Mid-Hang Snatch:
1-1-1-1-1

Start light and spend 15 minutes working up to a heavy load on the complex. Pause for a 3 count at the Mid-Hang and then move directly into the Snatch. If you’re newer to the lifts, then you can complete the Deadlift and reset to the Mid-Hang for the Snatch.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 5 of 8

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3 Rounds for Time:
400m Run
30 Squats
20 Toes-to-Bars

Sub Hanging Leg or Knee Raises for Toes-to-Bars as needed.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Coach Noah gives David G. some tips. Bon voyage, Noah! You will be missed!

A Fond Farewell from Coach Noah 

By Noah Abbott

This Sunday will be my last class as a coach at CrossFit South Brooklyn before I head to LA for the CrossFit Games, where I will be helping with some media projects being put together by Beyond The Whiteboard. (A good bit of this content is for subscribers, so if you want to check it out sign up!  It’s also the best WOD tracking service out there AND is CFSBKer owned and operated.) I’ll be back in NY briefly near the end of the month before moving to Austin, but imagine I will be quite busy packing, nervous eating, and crying.

It’s been about 6 years since I started as a member at CFSBK. I joined after finding CrossFit during a government deployment to Phoenix, and in the spring of 2010 joined the gym as a newb CrossFitter with decent aerobic capacity, little strength or technique, and questionable fashion sense. At some point David realized it was hopeless to try to keep me from talking all the time, and he decided to direct my enthusiasm towards talking specifically (most of the time) about CrossFit. I started training as a coach alongside Jess Fox that summer, and despite a penchant for coming to coaching training after a too-late night, I quickly realized how much I loved the gym and my new place in it as a coach.

I was working for the government full-time back then. I had worked hard to get the job because I wanted to help people, to make them safer in a scary world, and to pay back into my larger community for an upbringing that was undeniably privileged. I had also watched Point Break a lot, the importance of which should not go unnoted. Over time I began to realize that my government job would never involve infiltrating a gang of surfer/skydiver/bank robbers, and often left me feeling like I wasn’t helping anyone and only perpetuating cycles of misunderstanding and questionable decision making.

I was incredibly fortunate to stumble bass-ackwards into a part-time job that turned into a career that will now turn into a business venture, that all along has delivered what I thought I wanted from my government job. As the lens I see the world has matured, I’ve realized that every day as a coach I get to make people safer, stronger, and more resilient from things much more likely to harm them than abstract spectre of terrorism, such as chronic disease, decrepitude, and injury. I get to see the results of my work every day when people learn new skills, set PRs, get off their meds, rehabilitate, and recover. Further, I’ve spent six years giving to and being nourished by a vibrant, compelling, diverse, and loving community, a relationship more powerful than I could ever have dreamed.

Our community has a few big pieces that I’d like to acknowledge. First, I will forever be indebted to El Capitan David Osorio who saw something in a subpar CrossFitter with a big mouth. I imagine I will always be playing catch-up trying to emulate his ability to be genuine, careful with words and action, creative, visionary, and generally the glue that holds the ship together. He and Christian Michael Thomas Fox (and Shane Williams) were instrumental in teaching me the craft of coaching, which in many ways for me has been a lesson about life. They taught me to think before I speak and to strive for an economy of language (I know, I’m still working on it.) They taught me that your attention and care must stretch to every corner of the room and that nobody deserves to live outside the walls of your compassion. They taught me that in an hour you can warm up, learn about your neighbors, lift heavy things, do things you never dreamed you could, and laugh all the while. Thanks David and Chris for teaching me, and continuing to teach me.

One of the reasons I’m convinced this is the best job in the world is that your colleagues quickly become your best friends. In rough order of vintage, David, Chris, Shane, Jeremy, Margie, Laurel, Nick, Jess, McDowell, Melissa, Josh, Arturo, Whitney, Katie, and JB have all been sources of inspiration, camaraderie, levity, honesty, and patience. I’ve been so lucky to learn alongside them, to hang with them after we roll the gate down, and doubly lucky that they only occasionally eye-roll me when I dance, make hackneyed literary allusions, or sandbag a workout. I hope I can take a little bit of each of their skills, eccentricities, and passion with me and share them with a new crop of people.

Those new people will have to work insanely hard to compete with the members that I’ve had the distinct pleasure of coaching and befriending at CFSBK. Living in a city that is often celebrated for overworking its inhabitants, siphoning their precious time as they wait for the subway, emptying their wallets, and slowly turning them into the type of people that curse at slow walking tourists, the people at CFSBK are a daily refutation that New York City eats its young. Every day you guys whittle time from your already packed schedule, make the trip from near and far, and commit yourself to an experiment about what a culture of people committed to personal enrichment can look like. You do things that are inherently frightening, challenging to normative ideals of beauty, gender, health, and lifestyle, and are simply put, badass. You do it with a smile, with grace, with determination, with white-hot intensity, and its damned inspiring. You pay me to tell you how to better do things that are uncomfortable and often frustrating, and you thank me for it when you peel yourself off the floor. More than anything, I want to thank you, the members of CFSBK- you make my job easy, because coaching is about caring, and you guys are all incredibly easy to care deeply about.

If you think you’ve gotten rid of me, please think again. This is simply a fare-thee-well for now, and I fully expect to spend lots of time in NYC going forward. If any of you come to Austin and don’t drop in and say hi I will curse your names, build a simulacrum in your likeness, and make your voodoo effigy do thrusters until your arms and legs fall off.

My last class at CFSBK will be Anti-Gravity, this Sunday at 2:00pm. Afterwards I will be heading to Pig Beach on Union Street to eat, drink, and of course of course of course talk loudly and laugh loudly-er. I hope every single one of you joins me.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Front Squat | NFT Work
Who Invented the Internet? Kurzgetagt
Anna Tunnicliffe: From Olympic Gold Medalist to the CrossFit Games Fitness HQ

Front Squat

Fitness
3 x 5 Linear Progression

Add 5-10 lbs to last week’s weight.

Performance
3 x 4

Heavier than last week’s 6s.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 5 of 8
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4 RNFT (or 20 Minutes):
6ea Front Rack Reverse Lunges
5-10 Strict Handstand Push-Ups or 10 Dumbbell Presses, AHAP
20 Strokes on the Erg for Max Calories

Lunge bar comes off the floor. Start at about 50% of your Front Squat weight and work up as appropriate. 1 or 2 AbMats is acceptable for the Handstand Push-Ups. Otherwise, perform the Dumbbell Presses as heavy as possible.

Post work to comments.

Are you ready for some Spikeball?!?! | Photo by Thomas H.

This Saturday, July 16th: Spikeball Tournament!

An afternoon of friendly Spikeball competition. Haven’t played before? Don’t worry! It’s pretty simple, and the video above explains everything. All are invited! Please let us know in the comments section of the event page if you plan to compete. Teams (of two) can declare beforehand, or we’ll pair you up the day of the tournament. The top three winning teams go on the leaderboard until the next tournament!

When?
Saturday, July 16th at 4:00pm. We’ll start with about 30 minutes of practice and organization. The tournament proper will begin at 4:30, but please be at 597 by 4:00 so we know how many people are participating.

Head on over to the event page to sign up and see some videos

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Rest Day
Talking with Your Hands Makes You Learn Things Faster NY Mag
5 Reasons You Should Eat More Fiber Pure Pharma

Coach Ro helping Shawn C. figure out her kip during Anti-Gravity class. Read on to learn more about this awesome program!

The Past, Present, and Future of Anti-Gravity: An Interview with Noah Abbott and Arturo Ruiz

Edited by Josh Schneiderman

CFSBK has been offering Anti-Gravity, a class focused on gymnastics and body-weight movements, for just about a year now. To celebrate this milestone, we decided to check in with Coaches Noah and Ro, the masterminds behind the program, to see how things are going. Enjoy!

When did you guys start offering AG classes, and what was your motivation?

Noah: We started AG about a year ago.  I had been offering gymnastics skills workshops covering Kipping Pull-Ups, Muscle-Ups, Handstand Push-Ups, and other of the “higher skill” movements we see in CrossFit. While the workshops were successful, they were too periodic, and often didn’t match people’s schedules or give them consistent skill practice.  Around the same time, Arturo and I had been talking about how we noticed that our membership’s gymnastic skill and capacity seemed to be lagging behind their strength and Olympic lifting technique.  We envisioned a full class that let people work gymnastic skill, strength, and capacity with better CrossFit performance as the goal (as opposed to getting better at gymnastics in a vacuum).

How has the class changed or evolved over the past year?

Ro: The program is pretty much the same as when it started. We tend to focus on movements that will help folks in group class and any of the special workouts like the Open WODs, “Murph,” and Fight Gone Bad.  I think if it isn’t broken, why should you fix it?

Noah: Yeah, we have played around with some different programming formats and tend to tailor programming a bit based on what is going on in group class and when the Open comes up, but it has largely remained the same.  It runs very much like group class: warm-up, skill and strength work, conditioning.

What have you guys learned about coaching body-weight movements?

Noah: Like most of the stuff we do at CFSBK and in CrossFit in general, sexier isn’t necessarily better. We spend a lot of time building a base of strength and making sure people have checked all the boxes in a progression before they move along.  The needle often moves slowly, but it is always inexorably rising.

Ro: It’s just as hard, sometimes harder, as coaching everything else.  Gymnastics movements require a lot of spatial awareness, balance, and strength–all while being as graceful as possible.

Who are these classes for? Do I need to be a certainly level of strength before I show up?

Noah: They are for everyone!  We will have scaling for every movement for any level of ability, and since the classes are generally smaller than group class we can get really creative with scaling if something isn’t working for someone.

What’s the best way to fit AG into your training?

Noah: We had originally envisioned AG to stand alone as its own class, meant to replace a group class, but A LOT of people take group class and then AG, so we have made sure to make our programming not overlap too bad or punish people for doing both.  There was a week or two in the beginning when people did 100 Burpees in group class and walked into AG and saw another 100 programmed!  (We had them sub something else, and then made sure to check the group programming more closely before we programmed.)

Ro: Although many people take AG after group class, I recommend that you use it as a replacement class. Like I said, gymnastics movements require spatial awareness, balance, and strength. Taking it after a group class will usually make it more difficult to practice skills. I’m not saying not to come if you take group class before! I just think that if you are working on a new skill or trying to dial it in, you would benefit from being fresh.

How often should I take AG to get benefits out of it?

Noah: I think you’d benefit from dropping in randomly to get some skill practice and progressions to use on your own time, but I’d say at least 1x a week for some consistency and repeated practice.

What’s in store for AG in the future? Noah is, sadly, leaving us. Will Arturo start coaching Sunday AG? Any other changes you’re planning to make to the class structure/programming?

Ro: More of the same stuff as far as format goes, but I will be taking over Noah’s class on Sundays!   

Anti-Gravity is open to all CFSBK members and experienced visitors. It counts towards your weekly limit with recurring memberships. Check it out at 7:30pm on Tuesdays and 2:00pm on Sundays.

Crow Hill Open 2016 Results

As we mentioned yesterday, Coach JB qualified for the American Open with a 71kg Clean and Jerk and a 51kg Snatch. Coach Katie went 5 for 6 and took first in her weight class. Coach Lady Fox took 2nd place in the Masters division, and Amanda Mc went 3 for 6 in her first meet and PRed her Clean! Over on the men’s side, Coach Fox went 6 for 6 with an 87kg Snatch and a 115kg Clean and Jerk. Coach McDowell went 5 for 6 with a 108kg Snatch and a top Clean and Jerk of 125kg. Finally, Alex B. hit a 103kg Snatch and a 130kg Clean and Jerk. Congrats, guys! We’re so proud of you!

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Bench Press / Bent-Over Row | Deadlifts, Burpees
The Reflection of Light Medium
Strongman Smashes Deadlifting Record, Immediately Passes Out Huffington Post

Bench Press / Bent-Over Row Superset*

1A) Barbell Bench Press

Fitness
3 x 5 Linear Progression

Add a few pounds to last week’s weight.

Performance
3 x 8

Go heavier than last week’s 10s.

1B) Barbell Bent-Over Row

Fitness
3 x 5 Linear Progression

Add a few pounds to last week’s weight.

Performance
3 x 8

Go heavier than last week’s 10s.

In both cases, keep these light enough to perform strictly and with solid form. Don’t let these turn into an ego exercise. Really think about the movement rather than the weight moved. Keep the following notes in mind:

1) Set up like a Clean and Deadlift the bar up.
2) Hip hinge until bar is at least below the knee (try to be as horizontal as possible).
3) Maintaining a consistent back angle, pull your elbows up and back and aim to hit your stomach (not your chest) with the barbell.
4) Start with a weight that allows all the reps to be done perfect and without momentum. It should feel too light to start.

*Superset means that you perform a set of exercise A (in this case the Bench Press) and then after a short rest, 30 seconds to a minute, you perform a set of exercise B (in this case the Barbell Bent-Over Row). You then rest a short period before returning to exercise A and continue in this fashion until all warm up and work sets are completed.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 5 of 8

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21-15-9 Reps for Time:
Deadlifts 225/155
Burpees

The Deadlift should be on the medium-heavy side for you. On the fast end, they’ll be done unbroken but 2-3 sets is appropriate as well.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Here’s Coach JB qualifying for the American Open with a 71kg Clean and Jerk at 46.2kg body weight at yesterday’s Crow Hill Open! Coach KHarpz also took first in her weight class. We’ll have the full results for you tomorrow. | Video by Chainsaw Charlie

July 24th: CFSBK Marathon Row!

• Single Scull: You do the whole marathon yourself
• Double Sculls: You and one partner divvy up the marathon however you want; you could each do one 21,098m block, or do multiple shorter pieces
• Quadruple Sculls: You and three other people divvy up the marathon however you want – you could each row one 10,549m block, or do multiple shorter pieces

Coach Nick will send a DIY program to everyone who signs up; the training will consist of at least two long erg sessions a week for those of you in the Single Scull and Double Sculls to physically and mentally prepare you for the distance. Expect to devote 1–2+ hours twice a week to this.

The enrollment fee is $60 per person. We will donate half the fee – and anything else you can raise – to Row New York, which teaches competitive rowing to kids in under-resourced communities.

Sign up here now – space is limited!

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Clean and Jerk | Thrusters, Bar Muscle-Ups
The Great American Obstacle Race The New Yorker
5 Daily Habits to Become Your Best Self Training Think Tank

Mid-Hang Clean and Power Jerk

Every 90 seconds for 10 reps:
Clean Deadlift + Mid-Hang Clean + Power Jerk

Start at about 50% and work up across the reps as appropriate.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 4 of 8

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3 Rounds for Time:
15 Thrusters 95/65
5 Bar Muscle-Ups

The Thrusters should be medium-light today and unbroken on the fast end. Sub Jumping Bar Muscle-Ups or 2x (10) Pull-Ups as needed.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Click above to see a special video message from OUTWOD’s organizer. Thanks to all who participated in solidarity with the Orlando vitctims and the LGBT community as a whole. If you couldn’t make it, you can still donate here.

• Today’s 11:00am Active Recovery class with Coach Fox is cancelled.
  
• Wanna play Spikeball? Go to the event page and sign up for our first-ever Spikeball tournament!

CFSBK at the Crow Hill Open 2016

Coaches McDowell, Coach Chris Fox, and Alex B.  competed in the Crow Hill Open 2016 at nearby CrossFit Crow Hill yesterday. We’ll have their results up soon! Today, Coaches Jess Fox, JB, KHarpz, and Amanda Mc will be competing, too! Go here for the full schedule. Stop in and cheer them on. Good luck CFSBK TFBAs!

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Front Squat | OUTWOD
The Case for Eating Butter Just Got Stronger Time
Aleksey Torokhity: 540lbs Power Jerk YouTube

Back Squat

Fitness
3 x 5 Linear Progression

Add 5-10 lbs to last week’s weight.

Performance
3 x 6

Sets of 4 next week.

Post loads to comments
Exposure 4 of 8
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OUTWOD

In teams of 2, perform the following 20:00 AMRAP:
6 Power Clean + Jerks (Rx: 155/105, Scale One: 135/95, Scale Two: 95/65)
12 Push-Ups
16 Kettlebell Swings (Rx: 32kg/24kg, Scale One: 24kg/16kg, Scale Two: 16kg/12kg)
49 Air Squats

Alternate movements between partners. For the 49 Air Squats, partners will decide how to split the reps. Partners will alternate their starting movement each round. For example, Partner 1 does 6 Power Cleans + Jeks, then Partner 2 will do 12 Push-ups, Partner 1 will do Kettlebell Swings, the Partners will share the 49 reps and on the next round Partner 2 will begin with the Power Cleans… and so on for 20 minutes.

Post rounds, reps, Rx, and partner to comments.

OUTWOD: Everything You Need to Know

• Today we’ll be hosting OUTWOD during every group class from 8:00am to 1:00pm as part of a national benefit for victims of the Orlando shooting. CrossFit gyms from New York, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, LA, and Tennessee will be participating in this special OUTWOD event.
• Class will be “free” to any CrossFitter, but we’ll ask all participants throughout the day to donate a drop-in membership’s worth to the Orlando Victims Fund.  
• While you don’t have to register for a particular class (just come to the class of your choice), we do encourage you to “register” through the OUTWOD site in advance and make your donation here.
• If you’re a visitor, please arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the start of class so we can get you set up, and be sure to fill out our online visitor waiver.
• CFSBK rainbow tees will be available for purchase!

News and Notes

• Coaches McDowell, Coach Chris Fox, and Alex B. will be competing in the Crow Hill Open 2016 at nearby CrossFit Crow Hill today. On Sunday, Coaches Jess Fox, JB, KHarpz, and Amanda Mc will be competing, too! Go here for the full schedule. Stop in and cheer them on!
• Wanna play Spikeball? Go to the event page and sign up for our first-ever Spikeball tournament!
• Tomorrow’s 11:00am Active Recovery class with Coach Fox is cancelled.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Rest Day
In Depth with Rory Zambard She Thrives

Video of the Week: CrossFit Games athlete and former Junior Olympic weightlifter Kenneth Leverich went to the famed Muscle Beach disguised as an elderly gentleman and put the regulars to shame. Super funny!

This Week at CFSBK in Review

1. Tomorrow we’ll be hosting OUTWOD during every group class from 8:00am to 1:00pm. Class will be “free” to any CrossFitter, but we’ll ask all participants throughout the day to donate a drop in membership’s worth to the Orlando Victims Fund. We encourage everyone to register through the OUTWOD site and make their donatation in advance. All classes will be running on our regular schedule.

2. Sunday’s 11:00am Active Recovery class with Coach Fox is cancelled.

3. Tomorrow’s 10:00am Yoga for Athletes class is ON with guest instructor Sasha S.

4. We caught you up on the CFSBK Classifieds. Don’t forget to use this fun feature of the site!

5. Next Saturday, July 16th, we’ll be hosting our first-ever Spikeball tournament! Head over to the event page for more details and to let us know if you’re planning to compete. Spikeball!

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Hang Snatch | Wall Balls, Farmer Carry
Milk and Other Surprising Ways to Stay Hydrated NY Times
Why Do So Many Artists Have Synesthesia? NY Mag

Hang Snatch

Every 90 seconds for 10 reps:
1 Mid-Hang Snatch

Start at about 50% and work up as appropriate. If you’re newer or less flexible, then perform a Mid-Hang Power Snatch plus your best Overhead Squat.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 4 of 8

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5 Rounds for Time:
15 Wall Ball Shots 20/10, 14/9
50m 1-Arm Farmer Carry, Left
50m 1-Arm Farmer Carry, Right

The carries should be heavy. Use last week’s carries to inform you of a weight to use today.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Saturday, July 16th: Spikeball Tournament!

An afternoon of friendly Spikeball competition. Haven’t played before? Don’t worry! It’s pretty simple, and the video above explains everything. All are invited! Please let us know in the comments section of the event page if you plan to compete. Teams (of two) can declare beforehand, or we’ll pair you up the day of the tournament. The top three winning teams go on the leaderboard until the next tournament!

When?
Saturday, July 16th at 4:00pm. We’ll start with about 30 minutes of practice and organization. The tournament proper will begin at 4:30, but please be at 597 by 4:00 so we know how many people are participating.

Head on over to the event page to sign up and see more videos!

News and Notes

• Today’s 9:00am Yoga class with Jaclyn K. is cancelled.
• This Saturday we’ll be hosting OUTWOD during every group class from 8:00am to 1:00pm. Class will be “free” to any CrossFitter, but we’ll ask all participants throughout the day to donate a drop in membership’s worth to the Orlando Victims Fund. Participants can donate money in advance, but we’ll also set up a computer at our front desk for donations throughout the day. All classes will be running on our regular schedule.  
• Sunday’s 11:00am Active Recovery class with Coach Fox is cancelled.
  

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Front Squat | Row, Burpees, KB Swings, Box Jumps
Slushies vs. Frozen Underwear for Hot Weather Workouts NY Times
Dad’s Eyes Well Up At Sight Of Perfectly Packed Cooler

Front Squat

Fitness
3 x 5 Linear Progression

Add 5-10 lbs to last week’s weight.

Performance
3 x 6

Heavier than last week

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 4 of 8
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5 Rounds for Time:
200m Row
15 Burpees
20 Russian Kettlebell Swings 53/35
15 Box Jumps 24/20″

Post time and Rx to comments.

KLove showing off her handstand skills  in the Azores. We are not jealous, not jealous at all 

• Tomorrow’s 9:00am Yoga class with Jaclyn K. is cancelled.
  

This Saturday, July 9th: OUTWOD at CFSBK