Press / Carry Superset

A1) Press

Fitness 
3 x 5

Sets across. Add 2-5 lbs to last week. Should still be moving fast.

Performance 
5-5-Max

2 sets of 5 and a 3rd set for “max” reps (capped at around 15). Move perfect and leave a few in the tank. Add 2-5 lbs to last week.

A2) Farmer Carry
3 x 200′

Build to a heavy load on the carries. Okay to put them down at the turnaround as long as you pick ’em right back up!

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 3 of 8

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2 Rounds For Time:
1000m Row
800m Run
25 Burpees

Move at a sustainable pace today. Check your splits and aim for the second round to be consistent with the first. Scale the row/run as needed to 800/550m respectively to be able to complete them in under 5 minutes. Similarly, scale the Burpees to No-Push-Up or to 25 per round to complete them in under 3 minutes.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Carter before (left) and after (right)

THE LOOK, FEEL, PERFORM BETTER CHALLENGE WINNERS: 2nd PLACE

We’re so proud of everyone who recently completed the 2019 Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge, our collective kick-start toward healthier nutrition and recovery habits in the New Year. Among the dedicated CFSBKers who rethought their diets, counted macros, and put in quality time meditating, 3 women and 3 men stood out to us as winners, and we’ll be announcing them this week. We’ve also asked them to tell us a bit about their experience and the “secrets” to their success. Today we’re pleased to announce the 2nd place winners: Carter Gill and Cadria Hibbert.

Carter G.

During the first month I felt better than ever. Huge gains and progress in both mood, performance, and appearance. I felt overall great and that encouraged me to keep going strong. During February I upped my gym frequency from 3 times per week to 5 times per week and that adjustment proved more taxing than I thought. I was more tired and more pressed for time. The cold month of February didn’t help any. I traveled for a few days and fell back into old habits (drinking more socially and eating out/junk food). When I returned getting back on the horse took a couple of days and I definitely felt that my progress had slowed. This seemed like a plateau and I wasn’t as motivated by my own growth any more. I felt the slog, but I kept it up. During March I got a bad cold which set me back, too. Adding the Open Workouts to the Challenge was tough for me. They crushed me and the recovery took longer than I was used to. I was disappointed in my “Jackie” time, but overall knew that I was MUCH faster (14:16 before, 11:43 after!) and stronger during it. The row and the Thrusters felt like nothing compared to January.

The biggest successes for me were seeing the incremental successes and letting those count one day at a time, which added up. I was able to to eat much more consciously with more complete nutrition. I was able to give up the vape pen I used. I cut back on alcohol and coffee consumption. My goal was to give it up all together, but that proved harder than I thought, socially. And alcohol and coffee consumption directly affected my sleep and mindfulness. BUT I walked away having rediscovered the person that I love so much. I feel like my old self again. I went through a very sad break up two years ago and since then have not taken the time to care for my body, mind, or spirit. This challenge reintroduced me to the Carter Gill that I love so much. Hadn’t seen him in a while. Thank you.

Cadria H.

Cadria before (left) and after (right)

So with the food, I generally know what is good for me and what is bad, which doesn’t mean that in the past I would always follow it. I loved not counting calories or macros. I’ve used counting calories in the past to the extent that I’ve panicked if my FitBit broke as I didn’t know what I could eat. So I’ve been checking in with myself to see if I am hungry or thirsty. I’ve also cut down on snacking, thinking if I really want a snack and then taking the time to enjoy the snack. Portion sizes are now smaller for me instead of serving myself up the same amount as my husband, I’ll also break when eating to see if I want to continue. Hydration is challenging. I now have a bottle with lines on it to keep me in line.

Sleep: I have a baby. For mindfulness I would do a guided sleep meditation which I love, used to do this when I travelled for work really enjoyed doing it again. I also have a confession that I didn’t always fill in the tracker, like most of February.

Alcohol was a big thing for me, since moving to New York, when not pregnant, I would pretty much drink every day. While other people are emotional eaters I think I can be an emotional drinker! Boredom, stress, wanting to let off steam and party, reward myself for surviving the day or just thirsty. During the challenge I did cut back a lot and also thought about things like why I want a glass of wine when I’m cooking. I’ve noticed the difference. I sleep better, I go to bed earlier as I no longer have “beer power” to keep me up, and I’m sure that after this week’s long run my legs have recovered faster despite being 18 miles vs 15 miles. I’m not saying I’ll never drink again, but there is a cost associated with it that I am now more aware of.

Another thing that I have loved is getting stronger and fueling properly, I don’t think I’ve ever had defined quads before. To put this into context, I have a friend who is a proper “runner,” with a runner’s physique, she ran track at school, back in 2017 I couldn’t beat her, I had to stop running in May 2017 because of stress fractures and then pregnancy. She continued running throughout her pregnancy. But by focusing on strength as well as cardio and fueling properly I have started to beat her on races and intervals!

I didn’t do the official capacity test. I still only do Diapers & Dummbells and need to do my Foundations, so getting to a normal class is challenging. However, at the start of January, I did a pace test for my marathon training and I repeated it on the 23rd of March. My January pace was 5:01 minutes/km, and now I’m at 4:24 minutes/km, which I’m ecstatic with.

Congrats, Carter and Cadria! Check the blog tomorrow for our 1st place winners.

New Classes Starting in April!

• Next Level Weightlifting Cycle is an Olympic lifting program focused on the development of the Snatch, the Clean, and the Jerk. Think of it as an Olympic lifting version of our popular Starting Strength Program cycles. During this 8-week morning cycle led by Coach Frank Murray, there will be a heavy focus on strength and technique. Class starts April 17th. Details are here!
• This one’s for the ladies! Our women-only Brazilian jiu jitsu class kicks off on April 14th.Same BJJ Level 1 starter pack we’ve been offering, with a stronger focus on self-defense. If you’ve been curious about BJJ but are apprehensive about rolling around on the ground with a bunch of dudes, this is your chance to get started!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Snatch | Burpees, Front Squats, Row
Working Wounded CrossFit Journal
Photographing the NYC Subway Cars That Retired as Artificial Reefs Atlas Obscura

Snatch Complex

Every 2:00 x 6:
Pull + Hang Power Snatch + Hang Snatch 

Stay patient and balanced from the floor to above the knee on the pull. Build to a medium-heavy but perfect load, same or slightly heavier than last week. 

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 3 of 8

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AMRAP 6 Minutes:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8…
Power Clean and Push Jerks 185/125
Bar Muscle-Ups

The barbell should be on the heavy side of medium today. Modify the Bar Muscle-Ups to Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups or Chin-over-Bar Pull-Ups as needed.

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.

Suzanne before (left) and after (right)

THE LOOK, FEEL, PERFORM BETTER CHALLENGE WINNERS: 3RD PLACE

We’re so proud of everyone who recently completed the 2019 Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge, our collective kick-start toward healthier nutrition and recovery habits in the New Year. Among the dedicated CFSBKers who rethought their diets, counted macros, and put in quality time meditating, 3 women and 3 men stood out to us as winners, and we’ll be announcing them this week. We’ve also asked them to tell us a bit about their experience and the “secrets” to their success. Today we’re pleased to announce the 3rd place winners: Suzanne Yong-Sellers and Jay Reingold.

Suzanne Y.

Mindfulness was a big challenge for me, in a good way. I mainly applied mindfulness to meditation, but then applied it to other parts of the challenge, like eating, and general awareness with life—tracking finances, really paying attention when chatting with people. I’ve been more aware of including vegetables with my meals and focusing on lean meats, almost eliminating red meat unless with company. Smart carbs still seem to elude me.

Food prep was another good habit I hope to continue. I planned (and prepped) 2 meals for the week and that was enough to get me through! The Facebook group is incredibly helpful! It’s good to hear how others deal with snack temptations, but also to read their achievements is inspiring!

Getting a good night sleep was a habit I started last year and was able to carry on to this year which has made a huge difference with performance during the day. Alcohol was another carry over from last year (substituting seltzer as a nightly drink, not having beer in the house), but I still need to work on the social drinking. Age has helped as a reminder to take it easy. Active recovery is still a work in progress.

I’ve noticed some decent gains in the gym, and it think it’s because of the sleep, cleaner eating, and less alcohol. I just have to keep on that track, along with some minor adjustments with smart carbs and active recovery. Muscles-Ups, here I come!

Jay R.

Jay before (left) and after (right)

The Challenge was an all-around great experience. I achieved my main goals: significantly reducing the amount of refined sugar that I was consuming, upping the vegetable intake, reducing the alcohol (in fact I remained 100% dry all 12 weeks), and dropping the holiday/sloppy eating weight.

After the first week I was able to get into a really great cadence and actually did not find it that difficult to stick to my goals. I am really happy to report that I felt awesome throughout – my sleep greatly improved, I dropped 13.5 lbs and have figured out some great strategies for eating more balanced meals (which basically involve signing my paycheck over to Whole Foods). I have been eating dinner for breakfast now (grilled salmon and veggies) and I keep an overabundance of fruit around when I need to snack. My clothes fit a lot better, I am able to get into a couple of pairs of pants that were gathering dust in my closet and may have a two-pack (or Tupac?) now.

I started spinning recently and re-tested a workout that I did on January 3. I generated 270 kj the first time around and 379 kg the second so my aerobic capacity has really improved.

I decided early on not to focus on meditation or active recovery this time around because I did not want to pile on too much stuff at once. I’ll try to introduce it to my life when the time feels right. My plan now is just to keep it rolling and hope I can snare a strict Muscle-Up soon!

NEWS AND NOTES

• Check back tomorrow for our 2nd place winners! 
• Next Level Weightlifting Cycle is an Olympic lifting program focused on the development of the Snatch, the Clean, and the Jerk. Think of it as an Olympic lifting version of our popular Starting Strength Program cycles. During this 8 week cycle led by Coach Frank Murray, there will be a heavy focus on strength and technique. Details are here!
• This one’s for the ladies! Our women-only Brazilian jiu jitsu class kicks off on April 14th.Same BJJ Level 1 starter pack we’ve been offering, with a stronger focus on self-defense. If you’ve been curious about BJJ but are apprehensive about rolling around on the ground with a bunch of dudes, this is your chance to get started!
• On April 3rd, 2019, the Sunset Park Brooklyn community experienced a devastating 6-alarm fire that displaced more than 50 families including young children and elderly neighbors. Let’s help them out! Go HERE to donate and help them get back on their feet.

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Deadlift | Single-Arm High Pulls, Renegade Rows, Sled Push
Why Breaking a Streak Feels So Awful NY Mag
How Sara Sigmundsdottir Dealt with a Broken Bone on the Biggest Stage CNN

Deadlift

Fitness
Deadlift:
3 x 5

Sets across. Dead stop reps. Add 10-15 lbs to last week.

Performance 
Deficit (2″) Deadlift:
3 x 5

Sets across. Same load as last week. The “buy-in” to pull from the deficit is to pass the standing toe touch test. If you cannot touch your toes without bending your knees, you will not be able to get into a safe position to Deadlift from a deficit. In this case. perform the Fitness programming today, 3 x 5 from the floor, heavier than week 1.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 3 of 8

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20 Minutes for Quality:
8e Single-Arm High Pulls
16 Alternating No-Push-Up Renegade Rows
50′ Sled Push

Aim to keep moving, resting minimally between exercises, and build to a challenge set or two on each. The sled should NOT be a sprint, it should be “heavy but moving.”

Post work to comments.

April Athlete of the Month: Eric Arbitman

By Chris Fox and Eric Arbitman

Eric has been a member for a few years now, and while I don’t think he’s got a bravado bone in his body, you’ll no doubt have noticed the impressive amount of strength and skill he’s accumulated in that time. Quietly going about doing the work, always approachable, eager to improve, and coachable, we’re proud to honor him this month.

In a departure from the usual Q&A format, Eric (who is clearly a talented writer) has written his own Athlete of the Month article! Read on below to be swept into his introduction to CrossFit, and some of the ways it’s affected him in terms of fitness and beyond. I’m sure most of us can relate to an item or two.

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I remember the moment clearly.

Was a crisp November morning; the sun rising slowly, orange hues peaking through the buildings to my right, rays glaring off the skyscrapers to my left; cool river air filling my lungs, sweaty under my layers, the park peaceful, almost silent.

As I trekked through Brooklyn Bridge Park at a slow and steady 8:30 pace, on mile 3 of the 5 mile loop I ran mornings before work, I was aware of something off in me.

A few weeks past my 39th birthday and 40 fast approaching, I was having an existential crisis.

Despite running regularly, and exercising in some form or another throughout my life, I felt—weak. Stressed out from long, unpredictable, demanding work hours, I felt—bad. My neck and back were tense and hurting me. I was tired all the time, and despite my regular morning runs, I was out of breath after climbing the steps of the 63rd & Lex subway station on my way in to the office, and exhausted after carrying heavy packages home from the supermarket.

A loud voice in my head was telling me this was it, this was the beginning of the decline that happens when you turn 40. “This is normal, natural,” the voice said, “sorry, man, just accept it.”

But there was a second voice.

I may not have heard the barely audible murmur had the park not been so quiet, but I recognized the voice—was the same voice I listened to just prior to hitting a homerun off a pitcher twice my size in a little league baseball championship game; the same voice I listened to just prior to giving a playground bully a black eye in the sixth grade; the same voice I listened to after having enough of being broke and in debt in my 20s; the same voice I heard (but didn’t always listen to) throughout my life reminding me there is no substitute for hard work, discipline, courage, focus; that despite the obstacles and fears, the thing I needed most for myself could only come from within: the decision to make a critical change.

Later that night, deep into an online research rabbit hole, having no idea what I was in for, I registered for Foundations at CFSBK. I knew nothing about CrossFit, or CFSBK, only that the gym was nearby and the schedule worked for me.

I showed up early to my first Foundations class, which gave me an opportunity to watch a group class. I stood in awe, intimidated by the sounds of barbells crashing to the floor, feet landing on wooden boxes, sweaty bodies grunting and moving in ways I hadn’t seen before, and foreign sounding coaching cues.

The intensity of the class I was watching made me feel silly in my running sneakers, but that was erased moments into my introduction to CrossFit with Coach Chris Fox, who got me out of my head and focused on my entire self.

I still have the journal entry:

For Time:
21-15-9
270m Run
Squat
Sit-Up
Ring Row

Finished in 10:15, Squats and Ring Rows felt good, struggled with the Sit-Ups.

I made my way through Foundations with Coach Chris, Coach Whit, and Rob, who is still a member, and was deemed ready for group class.

By the end of Foundations I saw and heard deeper layers to group class. The unknowns gave rise to a clarity, and I saw a diverse group of members pushing themselves mentally and physically and encouraging one another. I saw coaches spending time with individuals providing enthusiastic corrections and positive affirmation where needed, and I saw endorphin induced camaraderie and smiles after class was done.

Despite being barely able to hang from a bar, scraping my shin after a missed box jump, whipping myself with a jump rope, banging my chin with a barbell on a Push Jerk, and countless other early CrossFit humiliations, I knew I was in the right place. Everything was there for me. No excuses—I just needed to do the work.

The first year and a half my commitment was moderate. I attended class once or twice a week, three times on a good week, and while I made significant and noticeable improvements, it wasn’t until two years ago that I made the decision to fully commit. I felt and saw the benefits of showing up a few times a week—now I wanted to experience the full program and take things to the next level.

The additional commitment also required I commit to leaving work at a reasonable hour, and to make other compromises in terms of how I spent precious free time. I even had to commit to the small things, like packing and taking my gym bag with me to work because if I came home first to change, it wasted time and was hard to get back out to the gym.

I’ve been going strong in that routine for two years, and the results are undeniable. I’ve made significant improvements in terms of physical and mental toughness, evidenced by the weights I lift, number of reps I complete, and even the reflection in the mirror.

Progress in the gym has also been highly correlated to progress in other areas. Work, while stressful and challenging, and occasionally having me questioning what I’m doing with my life, has been rewarding. I laugh and smile more, and focus my personal time and effort on people who enjoy working and playing hard like I do—I want, need, crave, demand positive, healthy influences.

Even though gray hair is starting to show, my vision is starting to deteriorate, personal tragedies are accumulating, and countless other memorializations of life at this age are becoming impossible to outrun, as far as my sense of self is concerned, the first few years of my 40s have been the best of my life.

I’ve accepted and am proud to call myself a full blown CrossFitter, and as a CrossFitter I talk about CrossFit to an annoying degree. In addition to talking about AMRAPs, EMOMs, and other nonsensical terms to the general population, I talk about CFSBK. From the coaches, to the members, to the space, to the not having to stress about signing up for a class, or worse, not getting in to a class because it filled before I signed up, CFSBK has it all covered.

All I need to do is pay my dues, show up, and work my ass off—and the results and experiences have been transformative.

Things early on like hitting a Clean that actually feels like a Clean, stringing together a few double unders, and getting that first Pull-Up; then later—PR’ing a Snatch, completing a workout at Rx, a first Muscle-Up, a first Handstand Push-Up. Then there are the experiences with others, like training for “Murph” with Pat and then finishing it last Memorial Day, seeing Rob’s name from Foundations on the CFSBK leaderboard, and having the best judge ever for 19.5 pushing me beyond what I thought were my limits; and of course the coaches, who have been there each step of the way, from the warm welcome on the first day of Foundations, to the pat on the back after nailing a lift, and pumping a fist to acknowledge the improvement after pointing out a subtle correction or pushing me to add a few more pounds to the bar.

So yeah, my experience at CFSBK has been significant to say the least, and the recognition of Athlete of the Month will go down as one of my most prideful accomplishments. I appreciate what CFSBK has been and done for me, and I hope that my presence as a member has been a positive influence for other members and coaches, without whom, I wouldn’t be where I am—which is feeling strong, healthy, confident and looking forward to what the rest of my 40s and beyond has in store.

Maybe I’ll be walking on my hands.

News and Notes

• We’ll be announcing the winners of the 2019 Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge on the blog from Tuesday through Thursday this week. Stay tuned!
• Next Level Weightlifting Cycle is an Olympic lifting program focused on the development of the Snatch, the Clean, and the Jerk. Think of it as an Olympic lifting version of our popular Starting Strength Program cycles. During this 8 week cycle led by Coach Frank Murray, there will be a heavy focus on strength and technique. Details are here!
• This one’s for the ladies! Our women-only Brazilian jiu jitsu class kicks off on April 14th. Same BJJ Level 1 starter pack we’ve been offering, with a stronger focus on self-defense. If you’ve been curious about BJJ but are apprehensive about rolling around on the ground with a bunch of dudes, this is your chance to get started!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: “Whitten”
Are Sitting Patterns Related to Diabetes? Blue Zones
4 Tips for When You Love Lifting But Live with Depression BarBend

“Whitten”

5 Rounds for Time:
22 Kettlebell Swings 32/24kg
22 Box Jumps 24/20″
400 Meter Run
22 Burpees
22 Wall Balls, 20/10, 14/9

This workout first appeared on the Crossfit main site on 10/12/12. At that time the top athletes in the world were posting times of 30-35 minutes so you know this is a bruiser. We’re going to run today with a 45 minute cap. If you can, please plan to come in a little early to do some DIY warm up as classes will be jumping right into it. Even with a generous time cap, consider scaling today’s workout. In total, as Rx’d, there are 440 reps plus a mile and a quarter of running. Even 3 rounds is a heck of a workout, or scaling to 12 reps of each movement per round, and you might consider scaling load/height/distance on one or more of the movements as well.

Post time and Rx to comments.
Week 2 of 8

April 27-28: Barbell Medicine Seminar at CFSBK

Join Drs. Baraki and Feigenbaum for the Barbell Medicine seminar at CFSBK on April 27th and 28th. The Barbell Medicine seminar attempts to integrate modern medicine and legitimate strength and conditioning together to provide the background knowledge, coaching strategies, nutrition and lifestyle modifications, and personal form corrections needed to work with folks who may have common health issues.

Our lectures revolve around the most common health issues seen in both primary care by clinicians and in the gym by coaches. We’ll cover the background epidemiology, pathophysiology, and available treatments including training, nutrition, and lifestyle modification so that the attendee is armed with an arsenal of information to put into immediate practice. Lecture topics include:

• Exercise Screening and Prescription
• Obesity, Insulin Resistance, and Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• Nutrition and Supplementation Prescription
• Programming for Strength and Conditioning
• Low Back Pain
• Osteoarthiritis
• Testosterone and Endocrine Abnormalities

Practical On-the-Platform Sessions consist of real-time coaching and lifting practice by the seminar attendee with feedback from our coaching staff. The ratio of attendees to coaches is 6:1 so you’ll definitely get enough personalized attention.

The sessions include:

• Squat
• Press
• Deadlift
• Bench Press

This seminar is directed at anyone to increase their knowledge base on common health issues, available interventions, lifting technique, and core strength and conditioning practices.

Spots are limited! Sign up today!

REGISTER HERE!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Partner “Cindy”
3 Bottoms Up Kettlebell Exercises to Improve Lifting Technique BarBend
Just One Session of HIIT Might Help Cancer Cells from Growing Runner’s World

Partner Cindy

AMRAP 30 Minutes:
5 Pull-Ups
10 Push-Ups
15 Squats

Partners alternate full rounds.

Post rounds, reps, Rx, and partne to comments.
Week 2 of 8

 

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The Dead Boys, Joshy G. and WWE’s Seth Rollins, getting in a synchro partner workout in before today’s Day with the Deadboys seminar

Today’s SCHEDULE CHANGES

The following classes are cancelled today as we host the Day with the Deadboys seminar in 597: 11am AG Strength, 11am Active Recovery, 12:30 Anti-Gravity.

May 11th: Kids’ Night Out!

Do want a night off for yourself and your kids? Of course you do! So sign up for our CFSBK Kids’ Night Out on May 11th! Your kid will engage in fun movement activities and games, eat pizza, and watch a movie.

What:  We’ve organized a night of CrossFit Kids physical activities, creative stuff, and games. We’ll all share a pizza dinner and then watch a movie on our big screen.
When: Saturday, May 11th from 4pm to 8pm
Who: Kids ages 4-12
Cost: $60 per child with a 50% discount for additional siblings. Dinner will be provided.

RSVP Required. Email Coach Lynsey at cfsbkkids [at] gmail.com. Space is limited so RSVP soon!

Register Here!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Clean and Jerk | Dumbbell Snatches, Muscle-Ups
The Fourth Power Lift Starting Strength
So How Many People Participated in the 2019 Open Morning Chalk Up