Turkish Get Up
For Quality:
100 Turkish Get Ups
Use dumbbells and/or kettlebells and switch arms as desired with the goal of doing 50 on each arm. The load should be challenging, something you could do for unbroken sets of 3-6 each arm. If you’re newer to the movement consider scaling total volume.
Post loads to comments .
Week 3 of 8
_____________________
For Time:
50 Burpee-Box Jumps 24/20
Post time and Rx to comments.
December Athlete of the Month: Sara Greenberg
This month we get to learn a bit about another one of our resident TFBAs, Sara Greenberg! Sara has been on our Athlete of the Month radar for a while now for a variety of reasons: her commitment to good training habits, consistently doing the little things on her own to improve, volunteering at and participating in CFSBK extracurriculars, and for generally being a super nice and supportive person to have around.
Fox: Hey Sara. Congrats, and thanks for doing this! When and why did you begin your journey at CrossFit South Brooklyn?
Sara: I started Foundations in January 2016, tired of doing my own gym circuit. I wanted to increase my strength and endurance. An even stronger motivation was my search for community. Even in a city packed with humans, it is hard to find.
Fox: Right? It can almost be more difficult to make meaningful connections in a city with millions of people! What were your initial impressions of the CFSBK environment?
Sara: The first members I met were exuberant and friendly. Shawn, Sasha, Andre and Allie B. and first person I was paired with for strength work was affable, good-humored, encouraging Monique. It was a fantastic welcoming committee!
I was fairly intimidated but I learned quickly that the environment is welcoming regardless of the strength or speed of any member. Even when I was (or am) the last person to finish a WOD, the coaches and classmates were and are supportive, cheering me on.
Fox: Do you have an athletic background?
Sara: I skied competitively and danced as a kid, but I wasn’t particularly good at sports and never considered myself an athlete. In high school, I was cut from the freshman soccer team… as a freshman. (Who does that to a kid?!) I’m still a little scarred by that! I’m definitely in the best shape of my life now.
I started practicing yoga about 18 years ago, and it has been a tremendously important part of my life. I don’t compare myself to other people when I’m on the mat. I am patient and accepting. Off the mat, I am still cultivating those qualities. There is no such thing as being “good” or “bad” at yoga.
I completed a yoga teacher training program during my first six months at CFSBK. I appreciate the value of good cues, which I work on refining. The right ones can keep someone out of injury, can make a pose more comfortable and can change the entire experience from frustrating to therapeutic. Too many words are unnecessary. CFSBK coaches are so skilled in instruction, observation, and cueing. A few words can make something “click.” I am picturing Whitney’s “celebrate” pose when the barbell is overhead in the Snatch.
I wanted to row in college. One of the coaches took one look at me and asked if I’d ever thought about being a coxswain, which I didn’t even know how to spell. Translation: “you’re too short.” It was empowering and exhilarating to fine-tune technique, navigate current and wind and take command of a boat of eight big guys (I’m short, not tiny; hence, I was on the men’s heavyweight team). I definitely spent more time yelling at people on ergs than sitting on one.
Fox: Where did you grow up?
Sara: I grew up in West Hartford, CT. I was born 11 weeks early weighing in at a hefty 2 pounds and 9 ounces.
Fox: How do you spend your days when you’re not at the gym?
Sara: My friends say I’ve always had the most depressing jobs. My first job after college was at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. After 9/11 my advocacy focused largely on upholding the prohibition of torture. I started practicing immigration law about a year ago, which I find fulfilling and challenging. Advocating for others compels me. Advocating for myself on the other hand? I’m still working on proficiency.
Fox: Any hobbies, odd or mundane?
Sara: The arts are crucially palliative and life-affirming. Among my favorites are music in small venues (baroque, West African and bluegrass, to name a few), modern dance performances, and photography exhibits.
Fox: If you could place an ad in the NYC subway system, or on a huge billboard in Brooklyn that people would see every day, what would it say?
Sara: DON’T HONK. Both the noise and the principle drive me insane.
Fox: What were your initial goals in the gym, if any, and what are you working on now? What did you struggle with at first or what are you most proud of for improving?
Sara: My initial goals were to make it through a workout. It was so humbling to get crushed by Step-Ups to a 16-inch box. Now, a 24-inch box is fun! It took me months to remember the difference between a Snatch and a Clean. It took me two, frustrated, curse-filled years to get Double-Unders, and they’re still a work in progress.
It’s certainly still humbling and challenging. Technique, strength, endurance, hydration and fuel all need work. I need to relax my neck, arms and grip. (I hear you, Brett! I just can’t seem to do it.) There is nothing about Olympic lifts that feels natural to me. I’d like to smooth out my Kipping Pull-Ups. I’d like to stop hating Wall Balls. A girl can dream.
I want to keep heaving my suitcase into the overhead bin by myself, running to catch the subway if I need to and carrying my laundry up four flights of stairs. For me, it’s not about the leaderboard.
Fox: What keeps you coming back to CFSBK?
Sara: The coaching is stellar. I feel completely safe and never stop learning. I have made strong friendships and look forward to continuing to do so. It’s also the littler things: philanthropic commitment, facilities, community events, and My Little Ponies.
I particularly enjoy the variety of options in addition to group classes. I’m a huge Short Circuit fan—such thoughtful, effective programing. Anti-Gravity is so helpful for building skills we don’t normally dissect in class. Pilates is the most brutal fun you can imagine.
Fox: What qualities are important to you for a future Athlete of the Month?
Sara: An AOM can balance intensity and enjoyment. She or he strives to improve while buoying up others. An AOM helps you do barbell math without judging you. She or he has a sense of humor about her or himself and is generous with their compassion, advice, recipes, and Sauvignon Blanc.
News and Notes
- Each year at CFSBK kicks off with the Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge, a 12 week challenge meant as a collective kickstart toward healthier nutrition and recovery habits. Go HERE to find out what the LFPB Challenge is all about and how you can participate!
- We’re here for all your holiday fitness needs! Head over to the Schedule page to see what changes you can expect over the next few weeks.
_____________________
Maybe I Should Quit Everything and Try CrossFit NY Mag
How Mumbai’s Dabbawalas Deliver 200,000 Homemade Meals Every Day Atlas Obscura