Established 2007
Don’t just track your gainz. Track your gainz in style
In addition to our new and (much) improved log books (shown above and available at the front desk for $20), we also have CFSBK 3D logo shirts for sale ($25). They come in both a men’s t-shirt (modeled here by Coach Ro) and a women’s crop top (modeled by Coach JB). CFSBK rainbow tees are coming soon!
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How Exercise Shapes You, Far Beyond The Gym NY Mag
Learning How To Snatch Barbell Brigade
1A) Barbell Bench Press
Fitness
3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add a few pounds to last week’s weight.
Performance
3 x 10
Go heavier than last week.
1B) Barbell Bent-Over Row
Fitness
3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add a few pounds to last week’s weight.
Performance
3 x 10
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 4 of 8
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5 Rounds for Time:
3 Muscle-Ups
5 Hang Power Snatches 115/75
270m Run
The Snatches should be light and unbroken today, so scale accordingly. Sub 3 Jumping Muscle-Ups (buy-in is a mature ring support + 5 strict Ring Dips) or 10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups if you don’t have Muscle-Ups on the high rings. Sub Jumping Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups as needed.
Post time and Rx to comments.
CFSBK photographer extraordinaire Thomas H. just goofin’ around
We here at CFSBK wish you a happy Independence Day. All classes and CrossFit Kids programming are cancelled today. We’ll be open for Open Gym hours from 8:00am to 12:00pm. Regular programming will resume tomorrow. Have fun and be safe!
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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Clean and Jerk | Deadlifts, Double-Unders
Glide Blissfully Across The Entire Rockaway Beach Boardwalk Gothamist
Fitness
Clean Deadlift + Mid-Hang Clean + 2 Power Jerks:
5x (1+1+2)
Warm up to a medium-heavy load and perform 5 sets across of the complex.
Performance
Clean Pull + Hang Clean + Power Jerk + Jerk
Work up to a heavy load on the complex.
Post loads to comments.
Exposure 3 of 8
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For Time:
5 Deadlifts 365/255
50 Double-Unders
5 Deadlifts
40 Double-Unders
3 Deadlifts
30 Double-Unders
2 Deadlifts
20 Double-Unders
1 Deadlift
10 Double-Unders
Today’s Deadlift in the metcon is meant to be a heavy stimulus, so scale accordingly and use upward of 80% of your 1RM. These will be done unbroken on the fast end, but breaking them up quickly is appropriate if you have trouble organizing touch-and-go reps at high loads. In either case, be sure to keep a neutral spine and load the hips on the decent if performing touch-and-go reps. The scaling option for dubs is 2x singles or 20-16-12-8-4 attempts.
Post time and Rx to comments.
Meredith R. and Matt E. high five in the final frame of the CFSBK sitcom pilot | Photo by Thomas H.
Did you know that we offer a classifieds section of the website for our members? Well, we do! Here are a few examples of goods and services up for grabs at the moment:
We hope you’ll take advantage of this fun feature. Many people have found roommates there. Why deal with Craigslist when you can live with your workout partner?
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The Ambiguous Cylinder Optical Illusion Kottke
Beatriz Piron: 108kg Clean and Jerk Hookgrip
Fitness
3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5-10 lbs to last week.
Performance
3 x 6
Heavier than last week.
Post loads to comments.
Exposure 3 of 8
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5 Rounds or 20 Minutes:
6ea Lateral Dumbbell Step-Ups
6 Strict Pull-Ups
270m Run
Choose a medium-heavy load on the step ups but not so heavy that you need to use a bunch of momentum off the trail leg. Keep the knee of the working leg tracking over the middle toes of the foot and control the descent on of the movement. The Pull-Ups can be banded or weighted as needed.
Post time and Rx to comments.
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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Rest Day
Why Female Praying Mantises Devour Their Partners During Sex Gizmodo
Pistol Squat Progression WODprep
CFSBK has seen accomplishments galore lately! Let’s see… Grace D. hit a 100kg Back Squat. Kayleigh Cleaned 158lbs and Snatched 110lbs. Coach Jess did “Grace” in 237. Matt C. Snatched 85kg. Tom S. Cleaned 175lbs. Keep up the great work, all!
1. Weekend schedule changes: Tomorrow’s 10:00am Yoga for Athletes is ON with guest instructor Sasha S. All CrossFit Kids programming is cancelled from today through Monday for 4th of July weekend.
2. On Monday, July 4th, we’ll offer Open Gym hours from 8:00am to 12:00pm.
3. SAVE THE DATE: On July 9th CFSBK will be hosting an OUTWOD workout for every class 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. Go here to register and make your donation.
4. We learned more about Malachy M. in our latest installment of Better Know a Member.
5. We bid a fond farewell to Yoshi and Josi Stone and Rich and Meghan Armstrong. Good luck, guys. Visit us soon!
6. In a new blog feature, we took a closer look at the “knees out” (!) cue. Let us know what other cues you’d like to see featured.
7. The Subway Series is fast approaching, and registration is still open! A series of local competitions is just a subway ride away. That’s why they call it the Subway Series.
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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Snatch | Wall Balls, Power Cleans, Push-Ups
Zone vs. Macros: Accounting for Fat in Protein CrossFit Journal
The Beginning of Everything Kurzgesagt
Performance
Hang Snatch:
2-2-2-2-2
Work up to a heavy double Mid-Hang Snatch
Fitness
Hang Snatch + 2 Overhead Squats:
5x (1+2)
Take a few jumps to warm up to a medium-heavy load on the complex and perform 5 reps there. Prioritize perfect positions over a heavier load.
Post loads to comments.
Exposure 3 of 8
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AMRAP 15 Minutes:
15 Wall Balls 20/10, 14/9
9 Power Cleans 135/95
6 Ring Muscle-Ups
The Power Cleans should be on the light side for you and ideally done unbroken touch-and-go. Scale volume on Muscle-Ups so as to be able to move through them in a few short sets if not unbroken, or use today’s WOD as an opportunity to work on them. Sub for them is either Jumping Muscle-Ups on the low rings or 15 Push-Ups.
Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.
It’s summer, and Jay-Star is feeling the heat | Photo by Thomas H.
Another year has gone by, and it’s time once again for an NYC affiliate throwdown: the sixth annual Subway Series! All NYC affiliates are invited to participate—the affiliate with the best overall score at the end of four events wins the Subway Series Trophy and bragging rights for a whole year!
Event Schedule
Sunday, August 7th: CrossFit Virtuosity
Sunday, August 14th: CrossFit Gantry
Sunday, August 21st: CFSBK
Sunday, August 28th: CrossFit Queens
Scoring
Scoring will work “Open-style”: top 3 male and top 3 female athletes from each affiliate will score based on their place finish in each event. Athletes may score in any event regardless of attendance at other events.
The ultimate series winner will be the affiliate with the least points after all 4 events have been completed. In the event of a tie, a 5th tie-breaking event will be held.
As last year, an Rx division and Scaled division trophy will be awarded.
Registration
All athletes MUST register for each individual event in advance via the Subway Series website in order to participate. Each event will be capped at 100 total participants, so we strongly advise you to register ASAP. These events sell out quickly.
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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Front Squat | DB/KB Carries, Burpees
Improving Your Jump for the Snatch and Clean Catalyst Athletics
How Not To Be Disappointed With Your Friends Art of Manliness
Fitness
3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5-10 lbs to last week’s weight.
Performance
3 x 6
Sixes again next week.
Post loads to comments.
Exposure 3 of 8
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5 Rounds for Time:
200m Dumbbell/Kettlebell Carry (as heavy as possible)
20 Burpees
Choose a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell and carry it goblet style 100m out and 100m back. It should be challenging but not so heavy that you need to rest more than twice per trip.
Post time and Rx to comments.
Coach Lady Fox and Beignet C., the smallest (and arguably most adorable) CFSBKer. More cute photos by Thomas H. can be found here
By David Osorio
Knees out! Chest up! Flat back! The verbal cue is one of the most important tools in a CrossFit coach’s repertoire. You likely have some sense of what these commands mean, but in this new blog feature, we’d like to take a look at some common cues. From time to time, we’ll be offering these short guides to explain what these mean and why they’re important. First up is one we’ve probably all heard: knees out!
When might you hear it in class, and what does it mean?
You’ll usually hear it during some sort of squatting activity, but it can apply to any movement that requires you to bend your knees (e.g., the take-off in a Box Jump or the Olympic lifts). The intention is to keep your knee over your midfoot by shoving your knees out, rather than letting them cave in. In the photos below, note how Lauren’s knee is aligned over her midfoot (left) rather than drifting inward (right).
Why is it important?
When you align your knee over the middle of your foot and maintain that position throughout the movement, you are aligning the muscles of your leg to most effectively produce force, as well as minimizing soft tissue stress. Put simply, if your knees are over the middle of your feet during a Back Squat, you’ll be moving the weight upwards in a straight line. If your knees cave in or splay out, the force you exert won’t be used efficiently to move the weight back up. Instead, it will be absorbed by your soft tissue in a counterproductive way. Pushing your knees out reduces wear and tear on your joints, and who doesn’t want that?
What can I do to fix it?
As far as Squats and the Olympic lifts are concerned, the first and easiest thing you can do is buy weightlifting shoes. An elevated heel allows you to maintain more dorsiflexion of your foot, which is especially useful if you have tight ankles. Lifting shoes provide a stable platform on which you can more effectively engage your feet and give you a better tacticle sense of what your feet are doing, creating a better connection to the floor.
Second, simply being aware of the issue and mentally cueing yourself will go a long way. Many newer CrossFitters simply lack this awareness and aren’t quite sure how to fire some external rotators or activate their glutes. If you’re an experienced CrossFitter and your knees tend to cave in at heavier weights, be your own manager and take some weight off the bar if you can’t maintain good positions. In any case, make sure your set up is correct: your stance is the right width (for you), your feet are active and creating external rotation, and your belly is braced.
Finally, if you’re struggling with keeping your knees out because of mobility issues or muscle weakness, don’t hesitate to ask a coach to watch you Squat and suggest some accessory work. One possibility is the Banded Squat, which will “feed the weakness” and reinforce better positioning.
What cues would you like to see next? Let us know in the comments!
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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Rest Day
Lifts vs. Assistance Exercises Starting Strength
What To Do When a Wild Animal Attacks New York Times
1A) Barbell Bench Press
Fitness
3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add a few pounds to last week’s weight.
Performance
3 x 10
Go heavier than last week.
1B) Barbell Bent-Over Row
Fitness
3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add a few pounds to last week’s weight.
Performance
3 x 10
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 3 of 8
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21-15-9 Rounds for Time:
Dumbbell Thrusters
Box Jumps 24/20
Toes-to-Bars
Rx for the Dumbbell Thrusters is 45% of body weight. These should be challenging. Sub Hanging Leg Raises or Hanging Knee Raises for the Toes-to-Bars as needed.
Post time and Rx to comments.
Malachy M. does a trippy Box Jump. Read on to learn more about Mal!
Welcome back to a fun feature on the CFSBK blog, Better Know a Member! You all love Underneath the Hoodie and Behind the Desk, and now, in a similar vein, we’ll be profiling members from across the CFSBK community. In our previous installment, we introduced you to Pigeon K. Now it’s time to meet Mal M. Let’s go!
Name (and any nicknames): Malachy McPartland
Where were you born and where did you grow up? I was born in Teaneck, NJ. When I was 4 years old, our family moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I started school on a Dutch and English compound. After 3 years, we returned to the states and put down roots in a small town called Grandview, NY in Rockland County.
How long have you been CrossFitting, and how did you arrive at CFSBK? I’ve been CrossFitting for a little over a year. I have some good friends who had convinced my wife to try a teaser class at Crossfit 718. I wasn’t into the idea at the time and almost let my wife do it by herself. She really wanted me to do it with her, so I did. It was in the middle of winter and their heat was broken for some reason. The WOD was simple, but it put me into a realm of pain I had not experienced since my track and field days of high school. My lungs hurt and I felt incredibly out of shape, but I actually enjoyed the whole experience. It made us both want to sign up for Foundations at CFSBK since it was only two blocks away from our apartment. The rest is history.
What’s your hidden talent? I inherited some artistic ability in the form of drawing from my mother. I’ve always drawn since I was a little kid, probably because she was doing it and she was so good.
If you had to switch careers today, what would you choose to do? If money wasn’t a concern, back to working as a carpenter. It allows you to focus on the present.
You have friends or family coming to visit from out of town. What do you take them to do in NYC? I would take them to the Brooklyn Bridge waterfront area to show them how much Brooklyn has changed over the last 15 years.
Favorite and least favorite lift: Favorite is Back Squat. I wouldn’t say it’s my least favorite, but one that gives me the most difficulty is Overhead Squat. Need to work on that.
Any advice for new CFSBKers? Ask the coaches questions about your training and your form. Try not to let ego affect your movements and cheer for your partners and classmates. Be excellent to each other and party on dudes!
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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Clean and Jerk | Run, Deadlifts, Pull-Ups
Seeking Answers, Michael Phelps Finds Himself New York Times
Longevity Versus Performance Training Think Tank
Fitness
Every 90 seconds x 10:
Clean Deadlift + Mid-Hang Power Clean + Front Squat + Power Jerk
Performance
Every 90 seconds x 10:
Clean Deadlift + Mid-Hang Clean Pull + Mid-Hang Clean + Power Jerk
For both complexes, start light and work up to a medium-heavy load for the day. The goal is no misses and fast reps.
Post loads to comments.
Exposure 2 of 8
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5 Rounds for Time:
400m Run
20 Deadlifts 135/95
10 Pull-Ups
The load should be light on the Deadlifts and done unbroken on the fast end. Substitute the same volume of Jumping Pull-Ups or half strict as needed.
Another great one from Kate R. and Coach Katie’s photoshoot
Yoshi and Josi S. and Rich and Meghan A. are leaving Brooklyn for new adventures. They had nice things to say about the CFSBK community, so we decided to post their farewell notes (with permission). Good luck, guys!
CFSBK peeps!
I just wanted to drop a quick note to say thanks for everything over the last 5+ years. When I first arrived I was woefully out of shape, obese, plagued by bad habits and poor nutrition. CFSBK was a huge part of reversing all of those trends and setting me on a healthy, sustainable path. Eventually Josi joined me, a few years later Felix started CrossFit Kids, and I think Ramona even got in a class or two after her third birthday. The gym really became a big part of our family, and we’ll always be grateful for the positive influence. I know it has been said countless times, but you have built a unique and wonderful community. We are proud to have been a part of it. As we make our move out the ‘burbs, we will always consider ourselves SBKers at heart. We wish you more growth and success, and hope that you have a positive effect on more families like ours. Thanks for working so hard to do what you do.