Congrats to DH3 who PR-ed his squat on Sunday at 375#! 

• Happy birthday, Rebecca GC and Betsy S.!

All The Good Reps, and Only the Good Reps

By Chris Fox 
Originally published on 1.12.2015 

We’ve almost all been there before. You’re tired, it’s your 50th pull up, handstand push up, power snatch, or whatever. You sort of, kind of, maybe executed full range-of-motion—but then again, maybe you didn’t. Then, you maybe even tried to squeeze in another (no) rep! Coaches see this, your fellow athletes see this, and you see this.

With a judge in front of you—whether it’s a regular group class, during the Open, or at a local throwdown—you’ll have a harder time getting away with garbage reps. I’d suggest that you shouldn’t let yourself off the hook in your daily training either. Your continued progress over the long haul is the ultimate goal. You want your movements to be truly quantifiable. If you count reps where sometimes your chin gets over the bar and sometimes it doesn’t, then you’re left comparing apples to durian fruit.

At CFSBK, we strive for virtuosity—the principle that you should aim to perform even the simplest movements exceedingly well. With effort and practice, your 300th squat in “Murph” can and in fact should be a mirror image of your first. Be honest about your reps and if you’re not 101% sure, then don’t count them. It sucks, yeah, but don’t be that person who moves really fast but really poorly. Don’t be the person who the next class coming in looks at and says “Uh uh… that’s not a rep.” Be the person with whom you’d be impressed, even if it slows you down a bit. Consider that you may need to scale WODs sometimes. The Rx isn’t for everybody, and even if you do some or most of our WODs Rx’d, there may be some that you should scale load and/or volume. Then, even when you really, really tried to do a good rep but didn’t, resist the urge to count your effort as execution. Only count the good ones.

Crush Week began yesterday. Remember: all the good reps, and only the good reps!

Tonight at 7:30pm: Pilates with KH (a.k.a. Cage)

Have you ever been told by a coach or PT that you have a weak core? Are you not sure what “keep your ribcage down” means? Do you suffer from a tweaky lower back after lifting heavy weights? Help is on the way! The Pilates Method can be great “accessory work” for a Crossfitter, not only because it improves flexibility and strengthens the abdominal and back muscles, but mainly because it can help you figure out HOW to use these muscles properly. Come join Kristin Hoesl (KH) in CFSBK’s first ever weekly Pilates class. We’ll go over neutral pelvis, engaging the transversus abdominis (say WHAT?), stabilizing the rib cage, and finding good shoulder girdle positioning. So if any of this sounds intriguing to you, come drop in on!

Schedule: Tuesday nights at 7:30pm upstairs in the CFSBK Annex
Price: Individual classes and 5-packs can be purchased here, or you can use your regular CrossFit group class membership to attend 

Learn more about KH in our interview with her, called “‘Mad Abs, Yo!’ How Pilates Complements CrossFit, and Getting to Know Kristin H.“

Want To Improve Your Gymnastics Skillz? 

Join guest gymnastics coach Ken H. as he takes you through four weeks of gymnastics strength training. This 1.5 hour long class will incorporate different facets of body weight strength training and movement. Specifically, each class will be composed of three to four distinct areas, such as: warm-up and active mobility, rings skill work (muscle ups, levers etc), body weight strength conditioning, balance (on hands and feet), and flexibility. Students will be asked to have a goal or intention to focus on for the next six weeks. Students can then focus on that goal outside of class.

When: Sundays from 2-3:30pm, March 29, 2015 through May 3, 2015
Price: $120 for 6 Weeks
Cap: 8 Participants
Pre-Req: previously attended rings class, or 1 pull up for women, 3 for men 

REGISTER HERE!

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Fastest Star in the Galaxy Got an Unusual Start The New York Times 
How CrossFit Became a $4 Billion Brand Forbes 
An Open Letter From Your Horrible Facebook Friends The New Yorker 

NFL Combine Bench Press Test

Max Reps at:
RX – 225/125
Scaled – A) 185/95, B) 155/75, or C) 135/65

USE SPOTTERS.

Post loads to comments
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Death By Burpee

At the call of “GO”, perform 1 burpee. Every minute on the minute thereafter add 1 burpee until you can no longer keep up with the clock.

 Your score is the round that you cleared plus any burpees you completed before the start of the next minute. 

Post rounds to comments.

• Don’t forget to submit your Open scores for 15.4 by 8pm tonight!!
• CFSBK’s Hoopin’ Tacos have a game tonight at 7:45pm at John Jay. Come cheer them on!

Underneath The Hoodie: Arturo Ruiz

By Kate Reece

Vital Stats
Height: 5’11’’
Weight: 185 pounds
DOB: September 19, 1975
Born and raised: Born in Puerto Rico, raised in Antigua
Place of higher learning: Alfred University

It all began in the Caribbean, on a tiny sun-drenched island called Antigua. The island stretches only 108 square-miles, the blue sky a vast dome disappearing into the kind of water that is clear as glass. Arturo Ruiz was raised in the 70s and 80s in Antigua mostly by his grandmother Rose, a strict Catholic woman, whose own parents emigrated from Lebanon at the end of the nineteenth century. He was born in Puerto Rico but when he was still a baby, his Antiguan mother divorced his half-Italian, half-Puerto-Rican father and moved Arturo back to the house where she had grown up. In 1981, when Arturo was five or six, his mother decided to move to New York. She considering taking him, but decided along with Rose that he should remain in school, at an all-boys Catholic school called St. Joseph’s Academy.

That house, where Arturo lived with just Rose and his uncle Bernard, was minutes from the beach. As he grew up, he became responsible for mowing the acre of grass that made up the backyard. He pushed the heavy mower around an old guesthouse and crumbling bandstand, where bands from around the island used to play into the late hours of the night. The government would occasionally shut water off due to shortages, and Arturo was also responsible for carrying rainwater that had collected in their underground cistern back into the house.

Rose, whom Arturo’s family called Granny, woke up early on Sunday mornings to begin cooking a large spread of Lebanese food—cabbage rolls, kibbe (crushed wheat, minced onions, and beef she’d ground herself), and stuffed grape leaves. She packaged it into containers that everyone in the family picked up after they’d had breakfast at his aunt Bernadette’s home, and they would all go the beach afterwards to windsurf or wakeboard. Arturo’s closest friends were his cousins—Yusef, Raymond, Stephen, Maurice, Toufik, Phillip, and half a dozen more—and living on an island meant that he saw them almost every day. His cousins always seemed to be running around and getting into trouble, but not Arturo. Rose was a kind woman, but she was strict: he didn’t get to play until his work was done, no questions and no exceptions.

That’s not to say he didn’t have fun. After studying and finishing his chores, Arturo passed the time dreaming about the annual Carnival, hanging out with his girlfriend Monique (she attended a neighboring all girls’ school), and riding motorcycles on Antigua’s long dirt trails with his cousins. The bikes offered them independence, a way to get around the island without their parents. Yusef and Raymond had a Yamaha Big Wheel, with fat knobby tires, three-gears, and no clutch, which was the first bike Arturo ever rode. He loved the euphoric feeling of freedom he experienced alongside the adrenaline that came from riding fast. As the boys grew older, that bike was exchanged for a CR80, then a 125, and eventually a 500. They were riding road bikes by his last couple years of secondary school (Antigua’s version of high school). Arturo also loved to draw—mainly graffiti and various figures. He drew every paper sign that needed to be made for his family or in school.  

Arturo had visited his mother in Brooklyn a number of times over his summer breaks from school. She’d had another son, named Anwar, when Arturo was eight, and the two had become fast friends during his visits. When Arturo graduated in 1993, he knew exactly where he was headed. Soon after arriving, the culture shock began and lasted for the greater part of the next couple years. Arturo doesn’t remember anything notable about the five tattoos he accumulated that summer at a shop called Kaleidoscope in lower Manhattan, but don’t ask him what they mean. He got them back when you didn’t get tattoos because they “meant something.”

He soon left the city for a design university in Alleghany County where he began his degree in graphic arts—which means upstate New York is where he first encountered snow and what people mean by the word “freezing.” He spent time hovered over the washing machines in the dorms, trying to put his mother’s crash course in doing laundry to good use. He ate more Ramen noodles than he cares to remember, and would look askance at his friends when they tried to coax him out of the library to party. How many times did he need to remind them that he was paying for his entire education? It was the mid-90s, when AOL was a big deal, and he laughs now when he talks about studying HTML and Photoshop.

It took him five years to graduate, and as soon as he did, he bought his first motorcycle, a Suzuki GSXR—the kind of bike that’s meant to be noticed. It was 1998—the year of the Jonesboro shooting, Michael Jordan’s last game as a Chicago Bull, and Monica Lewinsky’s blue dress. Arturo says he went “a little bit nuts.” He took to racing in Loudon, New Hampshire and Bridgehampton, on Long Island. One day, the guy who had painted his bike asked to use it for a photo shoot at the Sound Factory Bar. Arturo came to the photo shoot, and the club’s owner asked him to ride his bike—through the club. Arturo blinked a few times, shrugged, and hopped on. He left that night with his bike, and a job as a bartender. So at age 22, in the early hours of the morning in the city that never sleeps, he started slinging cocktails under bright lights behind the bar of one of the hottest clubs in Manhattan, music playing at decibels that made his stomach vibrate. He only worked Friday and Saturday nights, pulling in a minimum $1,000 cash. “I thought, Who’s better than me?” he says. “Nobody.”

One of Arturo’s co-workers began telling him about Muay Thai, a combat sport that originated in Thailand. Arturo had grown up fighting with his cousins and he was intrigued. He soon started training three to four hours a day, six days a week, at various gyms around the city. He fell in love immediately. He particularly appreciated that Muay Thai wasn’t a team sport, that it was just him against one other person, and the best person always won. All the aphorisms that summarized the lessons he soon learned through fighting aligned perfectly with the way he approached life, and with what his grandmother had taught him: The work you put in is the work you’re going to get out. You are in control of your destiny. For every action, there’s a reaction. Get out there and execute, or bad things are going to happen. No excuses. The punches that hurt the most are the ones you don’t see coming.

A kru (Muay Thai coach or teacher) he was training with soon approached him and invited him to start fighting. Arturo didn’t hesitate. His first “smoker” was at Chok Sabai Gym, a historic Muay Thai gym in Manhattan. Arturo says he was nervous as hell, his stomach aflutter with butterflies. His headgear drowned out the sound of the audience and when the bell rang, he began pacing around his opponent. He still remembers that first time getting punched in the face—all his nerves melted away. “People can look good hitting pads,” he explains, “but shit changes when you get punched in the face.” For Arturo, shit changed for the better. He was undefeated throughout his amateur career. He also participated in a few amateur MMA fights out of Club Abyss in New Jersey (the cage stuff), and won each of those.

He spent a couple years fighting at Friday Night Fights and more-or-less being paid to party like it was (wait for it…) 1999. He took trips to UltraFest in Miami that turned into staying up for a week straight, and cruised to the desert for Burning Man in a well-stocked Winnebago. But soon, he was closing in on 30, and he started to feel like maybe it was time to grow up. He’d met a lot of people from his vantage point behind the bar at the Sound Factory, and one of his regulars, a car wholesaler, invited him to put his degree to use and become the Internet Manager of Bay Ridge Automotive Group. Arturo said yes.

As he often did in new situations, he spent time quietly assessing how he could add value, and then mastered his role quickly. It was now early 2000, and Arturo knew the Internet was beyond “You’ve got mail!” and had become a more nimble tool for doing business. He started by installing a number of computers at the Lexus dealership where he was stationed, and was soon soliciting and conducting business almost entirely by email. He sent dozens of photos to his clients, facilitating the sale of around 30 cars each month. Lexus was so successful that Arturo was asked to visit dealerships in the city in order to install computers and teach their employees how to use the Internet. He stayed in this job for almost seven years but eventually left out of frustration with how much the company was making off his work, without compensating him in a way he thought was appropriate.

Arturo had been dating a bartender he’d met at a club in the city for a few years, and his whole world shifted when their daughter, Chloe, was born in 2006. But it wasn’t just Chloe’s birth that changed things—when she was 18 months old, for various reasons, Arturo suddenly became a single parent. His own father had vanished after the divorce, and Arturo was determined not to make the same mistake. He and Anwar decided to get a three-bedroom apartment together, and they both began raising Chloe. Arturo has no complaints about the fact that he had to give up his daily training regimen and nights out for the new responsibility. He’ll tell you the easy truth that she’s the best thing that ever happened to him.

Since he’d recently left his job, he made the choice not to work as a single father for a little over a year. He’d always been frugal and saved money, so the uninterrupted time became a sweet gift as he hung out with his toddler. But one day, after yet another phone call from a friend, or friend of a friend, who asked him to help them train, he decided it was time to make some money off his experience and intelligence as an athlete. Anwar and their mother helped with Chloe as Arturo began training private clients. He was soon working 160 personal training sessions a month out of a 24-Hour Fitness in Manhattan, sometimes leaving at 7am and not returning home until 10pm. It was hard work but just as he’d loved developing relationships with regulars at the Sound Factory or customers at the car dealership, he loved helping his clients change their lives through exercise.

He figured he would train people for a short time before moving on to something else. But then, in 2011, he found CrossFit, and soon after, CrossFit South Brooklyn. He earned his Level 1 shortly after finishing Foundations at a gym in Manhattan (ask him how he feels about the fact that the gym made him take the classes), and trained at a few gyms before poking around online in February 2012 to see if there was a gym closer to where he was living on Bond Street. “Get outta here—Degraw Street?” he said to himself. “Between 3rd and 4th Avenue?” As soon as he walked in, he immediately felt comfortable and welcomed. He quickly became one of the gym’s top athletes, and David approached him a few months later and told him they were looking for a new coach. Arturo easily said yes. (It’s worth mentioning that he knew he was home after the Anniversary Party in 2012.)

Of course, nothing is ever only one thing. Despite the serendipitous shift in his career, the last few years have not been easy. Two years ago, Arturo traveled back to Antigua for the first time in 20 years to join the rest of his family in saying goodbye to his grandmother. Then, last July, his life changed again, in the middle of another trip to Antigua, when a cousin called to tell him that Anwar had died in a car accident. Arturo had seen his grandmother’s death coming, but his brother’s death was one of those punches he couldn’t have anticipated, and he struggles to wrap his mind around it. He will be 40 years old this fall—still a son, and in the thick of being a father. He doesn’t fight anymore and while he continues to carry the lessons that crystallized for him in the ring, those lessons have been tempered a bit by life’s mystery, and unfairness. And yet: You get out of things what you put in. No excuses.

Parting Shots
How he likes his eggs: over medium
Favorite lift: snatch
Something he’d like CFSBK members to know: He doesn’t purposely match his outfits.  

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Five Year NFL Combine Averages ESPN
The Toxins That Threaten Our Brains The Atlantic

Fitness: Hang (Knee) Clean 1RM
Performance: Hip Clean 1RM

Establish a new 1 Rep Max. Performance: watch this video to familiarize yourself with the hip clean.

Post loads to comments.
e8/8
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Deadlift

Fitness: 3RM
Establish a new 3 Rep Max.
Performance: 1RM
Establish a new 1 Rep Max. 

Post loads to comments.
e8/8
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Tabata Row (for Meters)

Rest four minutes.

Tabata Box Jumps

Post total meters and reps to comments.

Mike B. taking a big breath before his snatch last weekend at the Mock Oly meet

News and Notes 

• CRUSH WEEK STARTS TOMORROW. Get psyched, and get Zen. 
• Kids Club is canceled today, and will resume next week. Email Janelle [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com with any questions. 
• Happy birthday, Janelle B., Doug M., and Jenna J.! 

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Head Over Heels: An Oscar-Nominated Short About the Struggles of an Upside-Down Relationship

FITNESS

Front Squat: 3-3-3-3-3
Establish a new 3 Rep Max.

Post loads to comments.
e8/8 
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AMRAP 8 Minutes:
3 Rounds of,
6 Russian Kettlebell Swings 72/53
3 Push-Ups
3 Rounds of,
12 Russian Kettlebell Swings
6 Push-Ups
3 Rounds of,
18 Russian Kettlebell Swings
9 Push-Ups
Etc., adding 6 kettlebell swings and 3 push-ups every 3 rounds.

Post reps and Rx to comments.  
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PERFORMANCE 

Open Workout 15.4 

AMRAP 8 Minutes:
3 handstand push-ups
3 cleans 185/125
6 handstand push-ups
3 cleans
9 handstand push-ups
3 cleans
12 handstand push-ups
6 cleans
15 handstand push-ups
6 cleans
18 handstand push-ups
6 cleans
21 handstand push-ups
9 cleans
Etc., adding 3 reps to the handstand push-up each round, and 3 reps to the clean every 3 rounds.

Post reps to comments.

SCALED Open Workout 15.4

AMRAP 8 Minutes: 
10 Push Press 95/65
10 Cleans 117/75

Post reps to comments.

Coach David warming up his snatch last Saturday

News and Notes

• Come watch CFSBK’s Competition Team take on 15.4! Our gym’s strongest will be tackling the latest Open WOD this afternoon. They’ll start warming up around 2:15 and the first heat is at 2:45pm. Come cheer them on!
• Feeling sore or tight from all your PRs this week? Check out Yoga for Athletes at 10am or Active Recovery at 11am or noon today!
• Kids Club is canceled tomorrow (3/22), and will resume on March 29th. Email Janelle [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com with any questions. 
• DON’T FORGET TO RSVP TO CLASS: Click on the Class Schedule and RSVP tab in the left-hand column (under General Information) and select the class for which you’d like to RSVP. 

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Pre-Teen Girls Shredding Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”  
39 People Doing Passive-Aggressive Way Better Than You Distractify 
Timber Creek High’s Savannah Braud is SI’s March H.S. Athlete of the Month Sports Illustrated   

CrossFit HQ recently released coverage of the 2014 CrossFit Games, and we love the Triple Three event. The workout: For Time, Row 3000m, 300 Double-Unders, Run 3 Miles. The video starts around 7:25. We’re still not over seeing Rich Froning walk for part of the run.

News and Notes

• CFSBK’s Movie Night, featuring Fight Club, is TONIGHT after Open Gym at 8pm. Bring your snacks (i.e., takeout from Dinosaur BBQ), drinks, lounge chairs, bean bag chairs, whatever, and come hang! 
• For the coders among us in the CFSBK community: Remember to get your team together for “Get Fit or Be Hacking” on May 2nd. Register on CrowdRise here. Questions? Send them to Rob at runderwood5+getfit [at] gmail.com.
• Happy birthday, Uzef G.!

Winter’s Articles, Interviews, and Media in Review

It’s only March, but 2015 has already been filled with fresh articles from our coaches and staff. In case you missed any of them, we’ve included this list for your Friday reading pleasure (starting with the latest): 

Chasing Rx: When to Scale and When to Go Heavier Jess Fox and David Osorio 
CFSBK’s Competition Team: Open Workout 15.3 Kate Reece
Heavy Thoughts David Osorio 
Stomachs and Eyeballs: The End of the LFPB Challenge Chris Fox
How to Bring CrossFit to Work, Literally Kate Reece
Warming Up a Lift Noah Abbott
Introducing a CFSBK Poet: Jynne Dilling Martin
More Thoughts On Being an Athlete Who Doesn’t Eat Meat Whitney Hubbard
Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail: Planning Your Lifts Before and During a Cycle Noah Abbott
Taking your Gainz Outside the Box Noah Abbott
All The Good Reps, and Only the Good Reps Chris Fox
Using CrossFit for Weight Loss Chris Fox

We also met February’s Athlete of the Month, Colleen Meagher, and the following Behind the Desk-ers:

Camille C.
Janelle B.
Josh S. 
Charlie N.
Sarah M.

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We will be hosting an OutWOD again soon—a CrossFit competition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender athletes and their allies! Which LGBT organization/s do you like and think the workout should benefit?

Fitness: Hang Snatch 1RM
Performance: Hip Snatch 1RM
Watch this video to familiarize yourself with the hip snatch. The bar stays in the hips. Note the dynamic nature of the lift, that there is no pause in the hang but an aggressive and immediate extension. 

For both versions of the lift, catch as low as your mobility allows. Don’t start to catch higher as the weight gets heavier, get comfy down there! No pressing out. 

Post loads to comments.
e8/8
_____________________ 

At 0:00: Run 1 Mile (at about 85% pace)
At 10:00: Row 2,000m (at about 85% pace)
These should be challenging but not maximal efforts. You should have some rest between the run and the row. 

Post times to comments.

Sarah M. squatting heavy at Iron Maidens

Behind the Desk: Sarah M.

You all love the Underneath the Hoodie series and now we’ve brought back the Behind the Desk series, about our beloved and much appreciated Front Desk staff. These CrossFitters take care of the important duties of checking in our members, handling walk-ins, tidying up after classes, and so many other things that it would take forever to list them. They are the glue that holds this gym together.

A few weeks ago, it was Charlie. And now (drum roll, please), introducing…

Name (and any nicknames): Sarah Mount, Mount, sarahdactyl

Where were you born and where did you grow up: Born in Buffalo, NY and raised between Rochester, NY and Cleveland, OH.  

How long have you been CrossFitting, and how did you arrive at CFSBK? Did Foundations in May of 2014 and started coming regularly around August 2014. I was introduced to CFSBK by my dear, sweet friend Megan Dolce. We worked together at the lululemon in Brooklyn and she was always doing CrossFit all the time and I was intrigued/left out/wanted to know what it was all about. Needless to say, I got hooked pretty quick! I get really competitive with myself and have really enjoyed watching my body change while learning about/improving at the lifts. Even though there are a few CrossFit boxes closer to my apartment, I feel really rooted in this community and I can’t picture myself anywhere else.

What are you up to when you’re not at 597 Degraw Street: I’m a singer/songwriter so that’s what I’m doing mainly, or trying to do anyway. I’m writing/recording/rehearsing and then also nannying for two pretty cool three-year-olds in Prospect Heights! 

First album that you loved: No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom, closely followed by Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill 

“Ask me about that time I…”: moved to Spain for a year to pursue a masters, having never left the US before. And then the actual five times I was robbed while living there.

Favorite restaurant or bar in Brooklyn: Barboncino in Crown Heights is dope, but I end up drinking at Boat Bar a lot somehow also?  

Favorite and least favorite lift: My favorite is probably the back squat. Least favorite used to be the snatch but I’ve been working on it and I kind of dig it now. Can I say my least favorite is nothing? I like all the things. 

Any Front Desk PSAs you’d like to share? The Front Desk staff works really hard and likes snacks. So you can bring us snacks and any other presents if you want to. Kidddding, just keep being a rad community and don’t make a mess at the gym!  

Catching Up With CFSBK Classifieds and Travel Gym Recommendations

• Coach JB‘s other place of employment, Ithaka S+R, a non-profit research and consulting firm that focuses on higher education, is looking to fill three research positions. Check them out here.
• Don’t forget about Stella Z.‘s choir, which will be performing on Thursday, March 26 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on the Upper West Side. Tickets and full details available here.
• If you work for a business that has any documentation needs (or you currently keep all your passwords in an Excel file marked “passwords” and don’t want to become the next Sony Pictures), check out Todd C.‘s recent post about how his company can help.
• Bob S. wrote about his recent experience at Lutece CrossFit Paris, and Dave P. wrote about CrossFit Jogo in Bellingham, WA. 

Have a service you want to share with CFSBK’s community, or a need you think one of us could meet? Or stuff you want to give away/animals in need of adoption/tickets for sale/etc.? Post in CFSBK’s Classifieds! Our members have found apartments, pets, and jobs through our forum. 

Visited a new affiliate while traveling recently, or forgot to write one up from past travels? Post a recommendation (or friendly warning) now!

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This Viral GIF is Destroying Expectations About Women’s Strength
Dave Castro Q&A About the CrossFit Games on Reddit
Insane Russian Gymnastics Routine 

Fitness: 3-3-3-3-3
Establish a new 3 Rep Max. Use spotters
Performance: 1-1-1-1-1 
Establish a new 1 Rep Max. Use spotters. 

Post loads to comments.
e8/8
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Partner WOD
For Time:
100 Pull-Ups
150 Thrusters 75/55
200 Kettlebell Swings 53/35
Break the work up as desired between partners. Have a plan but be flexible with it so you and your partner  don’t slow down.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Kate B. getting set to snatch at the CFSBK Oly meet last Sunday 

News and Notes

• Muscle & Fitness Hers wrote an article about Iron Maidens, called “The Iron Maidens of Brooklyn,” and interviewed Margie, Coach Jess, and Serene K. Check it out here!
• Happy birthday, Front Desk Superstar Camillionaire! (Read her Behind the Desk interview here.)
• Happy birthday to CFSBK Blog Maven, photog and managing editor, Kate R!

CFSBK Movie Night Is Back THIS FRIDAY

What: Movie Night, featuring cult favorite Fight Club
When: Friday, March 20th, after Open Gym at 8pm

Bring your snacks (i.e., ice cream sandwiches from Bierkraft), drinks, lounge chairs, bean bag chairs, whatever, and come hang! Just remember… The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club… But feel free to talk about watching Fight Club this Friday. That’s totally okay.

2015 CrossFit Open Leaderboard: Team CFSBK

The results for 15.1, 15.1a, and 15.2 are in, and here are our team’s leaders! Congrats to everyone who has been pushing themselves the last couple weeks with two tough workouts. We can’t wait to see what’s on deck this Thursday…

CFSBK MEN’S MASTERS (40+)
1. Pierre D. 
2. Peter M.
3. Bob S. 
4. Coach Fox
5. Michael R.
6. Andy M. 
7. Chris P. 
8. Carlos G.
9. Bjorn B.
10. James K.

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Diagnosis Radiolab
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of CrossFit Tim Ferriss 

Rio tackling 15.3’s muscle-ups on Saturday

• Pilates with KH is canceled tonight. Check out Active Recovery at 6:30pm instead!

Chasing Rx: When To Scale and When To Go Heavier

An interview with David Osorio and Jess Fox, edited by Kate Reece

If you don’t know why workouts are named after women, Greg Glassman, the founder and President of CrossFit, explained it like this: “I thought that anything that left you flat on your back, looking up at the sky asking ‘What just happened to me?’ deserved a female’s name. Workouts are just like storms, they wreak havoc on towns.” 

Regardless of whether you welcome or abhor that feeling of being wrecked (particularly when it doesn’t happen in your bedroom), we all know what it’s like to approach a nasty WOD from the mindset of wanting it to be over before it even starts. But sometimes, the desire to cruise through a workout can cause us to take shortcuts, maybe not go as heavy as we could, and ultimately sacrifice our long-term strength goals on the altar of feeling like a beast in the moment. Hopefully, we all do want to get stronger. In that case, it’s important to realize that the lifting segments of group classes are not your only opportunities to achieve your goal. You should aim to get stronger through the conditioning portion of class as well.

Maintaining excellent technique should always be your priority, but if you want to close in on the Rx-ed loads for a WOD, you need to gradually increase your base numbers—which might involve surrendering a bit of the metabolic stimulus of some workouts. (“Rx” refers to the prescribed, standard weights for a workout, or those scary numbers written after each weighted movement on the blog and whiteboard.) Simply put: you need to lift heavier and go slower so that you can eventually lift heavier and go faster. 

I sat down (i.e. emailed a lot) with Coach David and Coach Jess to ask them everything you wanted to know (but were too scared to ask) about chasing Rx in workouts. The bottom line: don’t be complacent about the weights you choose for any given workout. Getting stronger is a process. Here are David and Jess’s experiences with exactly that.

CFSBK: When did you start Rx-ing all the WODs? What did your journey look like to get there?

David: When I started CrossFit, I was self-teaching myself the movements, so I did what I could and then practiced the movements that I didn’t know how to do yet. It took me about a year before I was doing almost everything Rx-ed. I definitely was biasing a heavier weight and slower times in the beginning, which helped me develop the requisite strength to be able to eventually move the Rx-ed weights faster. I still occasionally scale some of the weightlifting loads in WODs when appropriate 

Jess: I’d say the first things I could Rx fairly quickly were workouts with deadlifts, double-unders, box jumps, and kettlebell swings. I knew my road to Rx-ing weights in the Olympic lifts would take some time, and honestly we weren’t doing as much of those when I started. So, I chose to target kipping pull-ups as my first big goal, since they tend to come up in so many WODs—and what girl doesn’t want to do pull-ups! My road to getting them meant practicing them EVERY time I was in the gym. I started out with thick green-band but over the course of a few months, I was able to get my rhythm down enough to get a few unassisted kipping pull-ups in spurts. They weren’t consistent enough though so I always resorted back to the band for workouts.  

However, that changed when I visited my other “home” CrossFit in Ohio. The WOD was “Cindy” and although I knew that I could get a few rounds Rx-ed, I still set up a band. During the workout, when I started to slow down on pull-ups, I reached for the band. The coach there stopped me and just told me it was okay to move a little slower. Sure, I didn’t get a high number of rounds but it allowed me to continue to work on that skill and it gave me a baseline for “Cindy” Rx-ed. After that experience, I got rid of the band. That didn’t mean I did every pull-up workout Rx-ed right away though. Until I got better at them, scaled volume was my friend. 

CFSBK: If I’m moving fast and getting a good workout in the WODs, why should I worry about what weight I’m doing? 

David: The balancing act between performing workouts with their intended metabolic stimulus, versus going heavier or sticking to a calisthenics version that slows you down considerably, can be somewhat nuanced. Ideally, you want to be able to keep moving at a somewhat reasonable pace. If you’re shuffling your feet, looking at the pull-up bar for a minute, you’re probably not getting the most out of your time on either end. But if you’re not at the Rx-ed weights and want to start pushing toward them, you’ll just have to accept that you’re going to be slower and the workout probably won’t be as spicy. In my opinion, that’s fine. Recently, I told a member that would have rather her go with a heavier dumbbell and get capped versus going lighter and getting a good time. As long as you can perform about 3/4 of the workout before getting capped, you should be fine. If you want to get stronger in the WODs, you’re always going to have to bias a little heavier and slower, technique permitting. 

Jess: As CrossFitters, we’re all a little Type A and want to move fast through workouts. However, our training should include different stimuli and heavier weights—higher skilled movements can provide that. As I mentioned before, it took a little nudging from coaches, and a little/lot of swallowing my WOD pride to not scale those pull-ups in “Cindy.” Looking back though, I’m so grateful for that intervention. Not just because it was my first Rx-ed “Cindy,” but because I didn’t really realize that I had the strength and skill to do it. I see this a lot with push-ups in workouts as well. Though I see many of you work your strict push-ups like a boss in our warm-ups and even start a workout with strict pushups, as soon as the going gets tough, the knees drop down. Sometimes you just have to gut it out (provided your movement is technically sound), knowing that you might need to scale volume and accepting that you might be the last person to finish.   

CFSBK: How do I know when to go heavier during WODs?

David: When you feel like you “own” a weight that is below Rx-ed, then it’s time to bump it up. Don’t get complacent with certain loads. For example, if you’re a guy and you always do 65-pound thrusters, even if it still feels difficult, you need to start gradually adding five to 10 pounds to push your strength and comfort level with the movement and load. If you always swing the 16 kg kettlebell, start voyaging out to heavier territory. As long as you feel confident in your technique, which might mean going a bit slower or breaking up reps more, then the weights or your modification should feel heavy.

Jess: This is where logging your workouts comes into play. Early on in your CrossFit life, you will and should start lighter than you think. Use the warm-up time to pick a load that you know you’ll be able to move consistently well through. Then, take note of how that felt in your logbook so that you know what to aim for next time. Also, listen to the advice your coaches give you. I think we do a pretty good job of talking about the intention of the workout and providing scaling options or percentage markers to help guide you in determining an appropriate weight. If it’s ever not clear, just ask! 

CFSBK: If I want to set a goal to get to Rx or heavier weights (and I know I should!), what should my battle plan or strategy be?

David: As Jess mentioned, make sure you’re logging and writing down both qualitative and quantitative data! You’ll never remember to go heavier on that barbell if you can’t refer back to previous experiences. Focus on writing notes specific to how heavy things felt and if you think you could have gone a bit heavier and kept your technique together. You’ll have to dip into loads or movements that intimidate you a little if you want to get better.

Jess: Be consistent in your practice. If it’s barbell lifts, then aim to make each rep at lighter weights perfect and slowly increase the weights from week to week or from WOD to WOD.  If you did the past three thruster workouts at 75 pounds and flew through them, then go for 80 next time. If you’re training a skill, then lay out a specific plan to help you get there.  Also, tell a buddy and have them help keep you accountable, or better yet, have them join you! Note though, that skill is singular. Don’t be the person that has a list of 10 skillz and can never really devote enough time to any one of them. 

CFSBK: Any parting thoughts?

David: Use your coaches as a resource! We want you to improve and always will let you know how a movement looks and whether you should scale up or back down. Let us know you’re trying to get stronger and we can give you some thoughts about how to modify your workout intelligently.

Jess: Know that for most of us, this stuff doesn’t come naturally and that some of us might never hit Rx-ed weights. We’re now in the CrossFit Open season, so now you can compare your WOD scores to people around the world. But just remember that ultimately you’re competing with yourself. In the beginning, focus on establishing your baseline. Keep a good logbook, set realistic goals, set time aside to practice, and then use your training to beat yourself. 

(An important caveat: Rx is not an advisable goal for all athletes. It can serve as a point of reference to make the process of choosing your weights easier, and enables our coaches to help you scale appropriately at the whiteboard.) 

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Kevin Ogar 15.3 (1 rep)
Kara Webb 15.3 (624 reps) 

Fitness: 3-3-3-3-3
Establish a new 3 Rep Max. Use spotters
Performance: 1-1-1-1-1 
Establish a new 1 Rep Max. Use spotters. 

Post loads to comments.
e8/8
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10 Rounds, AMRAP:
:30 Burpees
:30 Rest

Post highest and lowest reps to comments.

Molly and Tucker came to cheer on their dad, Coach Fox, yesterday. Congrats to all the lifters that participated in Frankie Murray’s Olympic Lifting Program Mock Oly Meet! Photos from the snatching portion of the event are up in Flickr.

News and Notes

• Pilates with KH is canceled this Tuesday. Check out Active Recovery at 6:30pm instead!
• Sunday’s Kids Club is canceled this week (3/22), and will resume on March 29th. Email Janelle [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com with any questions. 
• CFSBK’s Movie Night returns this Friday night after Open Gym with Fight Club! 
• Ever wonder why CFSBK programs rest days? Check out Coach David’s new article, “Why Your Gym Should Program Rest Days,” over on his blog Inside the Affiliate. 
• Don’t forget to submit your Open scores for 15.3 by 8pm tonight. And ICYMI, we made a video of CFSBK’s competition team crushing the workout on Saturday. 
• CFSBK’s Hoopin’ Tacos have a game tonight at 9:30pm at John Jay! Come cheer them on!

Community News

• Congrats to Samir C., who just released his new book, Eye on Cricket: Reflections on the Great Game. Check it out!
• Rachel H. is our resident handstand whiz! Check out this cool video she posted on Instagram!
• Stella Z.‘s choir, the Oratorio Society of New York, will be performing the Verdi Requiem with the Manhattan School of Music chorus and orchestra on Thursday, March 26 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on the Upper West Side. It’s an epic piece of music and a really gorgeous space, and she would love it if some SBKers showed up! Tickets and full details available here.
• Happy birthday, Lauren B.!

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The Time You Have (in JellyBeans)
The Australian Meat Pie, with CFSBKer and Owner of Sheep Station, Jason C. Tasting Table 

Fitness: 2 Position Clean (High Hang + Hang) + Front Squat

Performance: 3 Position Clean (High Hang + Hang + Deck) + Jerk

Post loads to comments.
e7/8 
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Deadlift

Fitness and Performance: 1 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5-10 pounds to last week’s exposure. Dead starts, no touch and go. Use a hook grip if you can. 

Post loads to comments.
e7/8
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For Time:
400m Run

Then,
5 Rounds For Time:
15 Box Jumps
30 Sit-Ups

Then,
400m Run

Post time and Rx to comments.

CFSBK’s competition team tackled 15.3 yesterday afternoon, and Kate made a video of the first heat. There are also photos of the 1pm class hitting the workout up in our Flickr account!

News and Notes

• Coach Frankie Murray’s Olympic Lifting Program has their Mock Oly Meet today at 2:30pm. Come check it out, and cheer on participants as they 1RM their snatch and clean and jerk!
• Coach Noah’s Kipping Pull-Up Workshops are today! The regular workshop is at 2pm and Random Kipping Skillz is at 3pm. There are still a few spaces in both. REGISTER HERE (scroll to the bottom).
• DON’T FORGET TO RSVP TO CLASS: Click on the Class Schedule and RSVP tab in the left-hand column (under General Information) and select the class for which you’d like to RSVP. 
• Want to work out today at 9am and bring your kid/s? Now you can! Sign them up at the Front Desk for CFSBK Kids Club, and learn more here.
• Don’t forget to submit your Open scores for 15.3 by 8pm tomorrow night.

Get Hella Strong with Coach Margie: Schedule Change for Strength Cycle F

We are moving the M/Th, 12pm Strength Cycle to different days/times. The cycle will begin the week of March 23rd and run for seven weeks in order to participate in the Total with the other cycles. The cost will be two payments of $175, or $350 total. Class size is capped at six.

If you are interested, please email Margie before Monday, March 16: Margie (at) CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com, and include the following:

+ Two preferred choices of 2x/week 
+ Best time of day for each choice, specifying: early morning; mid-morning; noon; mid-afternoon; or evening. 

Example:
1) Tues/Thurs; noon or mid-afternoon
2) Mon/Wed; evening

If you don’t know Margie, learn more about her awesomeness by reading Coach Noah’s Underneath the Hoodie article about her. 

CFSBK Movie Night Is Back: FIGHT CLUB

What: Movie Night, featuring cult favorite Fight Club
When: Friday, March 20th, after Open Gym at 8pm

Bring your snacks, drinks, lounge chairs, whatever, and come hang! Just remember… The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club… 

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Gratitude Louie Schwartzberg