WOD 12.20.18

Performance
3 Rounds for Time:
50 Double-Unders
400m Run
10 Power Snatches 135/95

Fitness
3 Rounds for Time:
100 Single-Unders
400m Run
10 Power Snatches 95/65

Post time and Rx to comments.
Week 3 of 8

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Cash Out

Partner AMRAP 6 Minutes:
8 Dumbbell Skull Crushers
8 Dumbbell Floor Presses

Post rounds, reps, and partner to comments.

Better Know a Member: Omar Francis

As we head into 2019, blog readers can look forward to new installments of our Better Know a Member series. For the past 3 years, we’ve been bringing you these profiles from across our community of kind, interesting, wonderful members. In our first profile of this round, let’s get to know Omar F. Say “hey” next time you see him!

Name (and any nicknames):

Omar Francis

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

NYC born and raised, in The Bronx. I’ve only lived in Brooklyn for about 8 years now.

How long have you been CrossFitting, and how did you arrive at CFSBK?

Me and Inna (my wife) started working out in our friend Pearl’s garage. During that time we were introduced to various CrossFit movements like Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, and such. We even went Keto for a while (about 9 or so months), which had results, but ultimately wasn’t sustainable. Pearl then recommended CSFBK, and we took the Foundations class.  I initially started with just class cards while deciding to make the commitment, until I was in a group class workout and I was the last one to come back in after running, and all of the equipment was put away since they thought that everyone was done with the workout.  Someone then asked if I wanted to finish, and I said, “Sure.”  About 3 or 4 people took the time to get my equipment back out for me to finish the workout and cheer me on.  I made my decision then, and haven’t looked back!  I’ve been more of the regular coming to class, as Inna is baking a daughter at the moment, but I imagine she will be back soon enough.

Ask me about that time I…

Went rollerblading with my father at our local park.

What are you up to when you’re not at 597 Degraw Street?

Probably at 608 Degraw Street doing some mobility work or working on my running. But seriously, most of my time currently is spent preparing for my daughter’s arrival and the usual work/commute grind. I also play some video games when I have the time.

What are 3 things you can’t live without

1) Having a hobby to focus on. Right now that is CrossFit.
2) My cellphone
3) Goals to work towards. I’m learning Russian!

What is your hidden talent?

I can flare my nostrils. Inna gets a kick out of it. Looking forward to my daughter getting a kick out of it as well.

What are you favorite and least favorite lifts? 

Favorite: Probably Deadlift.
Least favorite: Thrusters

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Yesterday’s Results Board: 5 Minute AMRAPs
Are Marathoners Getting Faster or Is It the Shoes? Outside
The Pyramid of Athletic Development Breaking Muscle

WOD 12.19.19

Performance
AMRAP 5 Minutes:
9 Front Squats 95/65
9 Pull-Ups

Rest 7 minutes, then…

AMRAP 5 Minutes:
6 Front Squats 135/95
6 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

Rest 7 minutes, then…

AMRAP 5 Minutes:
3 Front Squats 185/125
3 Bar Muscle-Ups

Fitness
AMRAP 5 Minutes:
9 Front Squats 65/45
9 Jumping Pull-Ups

Rest 7 minutes, then…

AMRAP 5 Minutes:
6 Front Squats 95/65
6 Pull-Ups (or Jumping Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups)

Rest 7 minutes, then…

AMRAP 5 Minutes:
3 Front Squats 125/75
3 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups (or Jumping Bar Muscle-Ups)

Barbell comes off the floor. Full Cleans count as reps. The first load should begin light for you and progress to something heavy while remaining unbroken throughout.

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.
Week 3 of 8

New Year’s Day Special Event: Yoga, Mindfulness, and Intention Setting Workshop

Join Sasha Slocombe and Coach Chris Fox from 9am to 10:30am, Tuesday, January 1st and start off 2019 with intention. By developing a connection between the body and breath, you’ll be able to come back to the breath when difficult times arise whether in yoga, CrossFit, or life. We’ll begin with a yoga flow (accessible to all levels of experience) before moving into breath work and learn a few simple ways to work with your breath to help bring you back to balance, whenever, and wherever you need it. You’ll also learn a simple full-body relaxation technique that takes only moments, and can be a very useful tool to have during times of stress or indecision.

Intention setting is more than making resolutions, more than wishing and hoping for things to change. Today you’ll set an intention for action as you move forward into the coming year. Resolutions tend to be flimsy and negative, focusing on outcomes like “lose 10 lbs,” vague notions like “get in shape,” or things you want to stop doing like “eating carbs.” Today (and everyday) is an opportunity to ask yourself, “What do I want to have happen, and what steps must I take to get there?” You’ll spend some time thinking on a time when you were successful at overcoming an obstacle, no matter how small, and what practices helped. You’ll identify a goal you have for the future, and begin to clarify for yourself not only how to get here but why it matters to you.

This community workshop is open to all members and non-members with a $10 suggested donation.

REGISTER HERE

The 2019 Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge: Register Now!

You know what would pair well with that New Year’s Day Intention Setting Workshop? The 2019 Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge! Each year at CFSBK kicks off with the Challenge, a 12-week collective kickstart toward healthier nutrition and recovery habits. You can find tons of info HERE!

How To Participate

Complete the following steps by Sunday, January 6th in order to participate and be eligible for prizes:

• Sign your name on the big list in the community area of the gym.
• Sign up at front desk or the CFSBK Online Store. This is a 3-month program, paid in 3 installments of $30. The first payment will be charged at registration, with the following 2 payments automatically charged each month thereafter. ($90 total plus NY sales tax)
• Answer a few brief questions and submit your “before” photos according to the guidelines on the Look, Feel, Perform Better website. These entries are private will not be published or seen by anyone other than us without your consent. You can access the 2019 LFPB Challenge Entry Form HERE.
• Perform the Capacity Test WOD and record your results.
• Track points earned daily on the spreadsheet based on how well you’re complying with the guidelines.
• Complete your Post-Challenge submission by March 29th, at the end of the Challenge
• Participate in bi-monthly Virtual Classroom Sessions on Facebook Live. Each session will include a brief topical lecture followed by Q&A. They’ll be Mondays from 1:10pm until about 1:40pm on the following dates (subject to change): 1/7, 1/21, 2/4, 2/18, 3/4, 3/18.

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
Pain and Marijuana in the NFL The Players’ Tribune
Mat Fraser & Sam Briggs Win Dubai CrossFit Championship BarBend

Today is a scheduled rest/recovery day, but don’t worry! We are open and running on a normal class schedule. In today’s CrossFit group classes, you’ll have the option of doing either yesterday or tomorrow’s programming, which can be found in the comments section of today and every Rest Day’s post.

REGISTER NOW FOR STARTING STRENGTH PROGRAM

Want to get a lot stronger? The Starting Strength program is an opportunity to spend 8 weeks with Coach Jeremy honing your technique and increasing your capacity at the most fundamental strength movements: Back Squat, Overhead Press, Bench Press and Deadlift. This small group format of 90 minute sessions offers one-on-one guidance, great camaraderie, and a simple roster of movements allowing you time to correct errors and challenge your limits.

Whether you are brand-new to lifting, someone with experience who has struggled to surpass a plateau, or just looking to try something different, by taking the time to focus exclusively on the lifts that support almost ever other activity you do inside (and outside) the gym, you will gain confidence and enhance your performance.

Upcoming Program Times and Dates

A cycle: Novice, 7pm Mon/Wed and 6pm Fri |Monday, Jan. 7th – Friday, March 1st
B cycle: Intermediate, 7pm Tues/Thurs and 10am Sun | Tuesday, Jan. 8th – Sunday, March 3rd
C cycle: Morning Novice, 6:30am Mon/Thurs | Monday, Jan. 7th- Thursday, Feb. 28th
D cycle: Continuing Education, 6pm Mon/Wed | Monday, Jan. 7th – Wednesday, Feb. 27th (FULL)
E cycle: Late morning, all levels, 10am Mon/Thurs | Monday, Jan. 7th – Thursday, Feb. 28th

A CrossFit Total testing one-rep maxes in the Back Squat, Press, and Deadlift will take place on Sunday, March 3rd at 2pm to cap off all cycles.

Class Sizes: Space is limited to 4-10 participants
Class Length: 90 minutes

Pricing

3x Per Week Cycles: $300 paid upon registration and then another $300 at the halfway point
2x Per Week Cycles: $200 paid upon registration and then another $200 at the halfway point

Group Class/Open Gym/Active Recovery/Yoga/Pilates Add-On Option!

This add-on membership allows our 2x/week Starting Strength Program to attend two additional classes per week, outside of the regularly scheduled strength cycle classes. This includes group classes, Open Gym, and Active Recovery/Yoga/Pilates/Short Circuit.

Price is $100 per four weeks, first bill due at sign-up and second bill ($100) charged automatically to the card on-file four weeks later. Register here!

If anyone is confused as to which cycle they belong in or has any questions, they can contact Jeremy directly at Jeremy [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com to discuss placement.

News and Notes

• Join Sasha Slocombe and Coach Chris Fox from 9am to 10:30am, Tuesday, January 1st and start off 2019 with intention. By developing a connection between the body and breath, you’ll be able to come back to the breath when difficult times arise whether in yoga, CrossFit, or life. Check out the event page for more info and to register.
• Next Level Weightlifting Club with Coach Frank is cancelled all of next week, but he’s offering a make-up session this Sunday from 12pm to 2pm. Hop over to our Schedule page to find out what’s happening over the holidays.
• CFSBKer Andy Lalman’s restaurant (The Islands in Crown Heights) was featured in the New York Times‘s 10 of the Best New NYC Restaurants. Congrats, Andy!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Turkish Get Ups | Burpee Box Jumps
Mindfulness: The Science Behind the Practice Scientific American
Productive Application of Force CrossFit Journal (video)

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

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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.

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Maybe I Should Quit Everything and Try CrossFit NY Mag
How Mumbai’s Dabbawalas Deliver 200,000 Homemade Meals Every Day Atlas Obscura

WOD 12.16.18

A) Every Other Minute x 10: 
7 Hang Power Cleans 115/75
7 Push Presses 115/75

The load should be light-medium for you and cycled unbroken.

Rest 5 minutes, then…

B) 2 x 8 Minute Row @ 16 s/m

Rest 3 minutes between pieces.

Row a moderate split holding a stroke rating of 16 strokes per minute. The handle should keep moving; don’t pause at any point to hold 16 s/m. “Moderate” means a conversational pace where you can breathe through your nose only. Focus on coming to a tall relaxed catch and pushing the hips back on the drive before returning again in a smooth recovery to the catch.

Post work to comments.
Week 2 of 8

TODAY: Starting Strength Program Total

Coach Jeremy’s Starting Strengthers will wrap up their eight-week cycle TODAY starting at 2:00pm. Lifters will be testing their 1RMs in the Back Squat, Press, and Deadlift. All are welcome to come by, hang out, and do some cheering. Get ready for some massive PRs!

News and Notes

• Today’s 12pm Pilates class with Karina is cancelled. 
• Join Sasha Slocombe and Coach Chris Fox from 9am to 10:30am, Tuesday, January 1st and start off 2019 with intention. By developing a connection between the body and breath, you’ll be able to come back to the breath when difficult times arise whether in yoga, CrossFit, or life. Check out the event page for more info and to register.

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Monster Team Metcon
Her CrossFit PR is Walking Without a Cane Morning Chalk Up
Body Composition and Barbell Training Starting Strength