Join us tonight for Friday Night Lights as we get after Open Workout 18.3. There’s still time to sign up for a heat! | Photo by Thomas H. 

Open Intramural Team Rankings: Week 2

18.2 really shook things up in the CFSBK Open Intramural League this week, making competitive exercise fans within a 3 mile or so radius gasp with surprise, jump for joy, startle their pets, and other stuff we can’t mention on this family-oriented blog. The big story this week: propelled in part by high rankings of Erika M. and Morgan N., Kippin’ It Real went from 4th to 1st place. But don’t stop kippin’, guys, because Make America Blue Again is just 0.2 points behind you! The pack remains close, as our top 3 teams are separated by just 2 points.

50 Shades of Gainz scratched, whipped, handcuffed, and probably did other stuff we can’t mention on this family blog to pull into 4th place. Going into 18.3, they’re just 1 point out of the top 3. Can they dominate (get it? sorry.) the competition to make it happen? The answer will start to become clear tonight at Friday Night Lights!

Current Ranking – Team – Overall Average 

1. Kippin’ It Real: 36.3
2. Make America Blue Again: 36.5
3. Amino Disrespect: 38.3
4. 50 Shades of Gainz: 39
5. Going Dark: 40.4 
6. The Incredible Hulks: 42.6

Team CFSBK is currently ranked 36th in the North East Region. Way to go, gang! Check out our full affiliate leaderboard here!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Clean | Handstand Walking
18.2 Workout Analysis Beyond the Whiteboard
This Is Where Your Childhood Memories Went Nautilus

Power Clean and Push Jerk

3-3-3-3-3

Warm up and work up to a heavy triple.

Post loads to comments.

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Handstand Walking

Choose one of the following scaling options, and spend 15-20 minutes developing your hand balancing:

A) Hand Walking (free or 2′ from wall)
B) Wall Inverted Hip Shifts with Hand Release (from a Wall Walk or Kick Up)
C) Box Piked Hip Shifts with Hand Release
D) Floor Piked Hip Shifts with Hand Release

Rest after each set or attempt and don’t turn it into a 20-minute AMKAP (As Many Kick Ups as Possible). If you’re not spotting someone, you can use the rest periods to do some light stretching or light rowing, jogging, cycling, etc.

Post work to comments.

The crowd goes nuts as Coach Brett hits a 275 lb Clean at Friday Night Lights. Join us tomorrow night from 5:30 to 8pm as we take on 18.3! Go HERE to sign up for a heat | Photo by Thomas H. 

Open Diary 18.2

 By Brett Ferguson

18.2 and 18.2a were a nasty combination that made you feel like you lost both legs and then laughed at you while you tried to build to a max Clean. Well done, Dave Castro, well done.

I knew going into it that the first part would be a strength of mine. I have a good grasp on my ability to go dark and make it hurt in a workout that requires all-out effort for a short period of time. I had no idea, however, how this would effect my Clean. I thought I would be breathing heavy, but I had no idea how badly my legs would hurt and that I would actually feel like I was drunk when I went for the first Clean. My first attempt happened at Friday Night Lights, and the energy was insane! I went as fast as I could. During the rounds of 8-10 reps, as my legs wanted to quit, I just kept telling myself, “Move no matter what. It will hurt more if you stop moving.” My positivity helped me to push through.

My legs were so beat up that my first Clean felt like I was going for a PR even though I had about 83% on the bar. This is weight that takes effort, but I’m very confident that I’m able to hit. I barely got under this one and my midline and legs completely gave way. The mental strength that was present a few minutes earlier was now on shaky ground. I then told myself exactly what I say in group class, “Commit to getting under the bar before you even start the lift. Fast elbows, stay tight, and drive up hard.” I hit the next lift confidently. Staying calm, I failed to hit a heavier weight. Then I failed my final lift, laughing as I awkwardly tried to save a lift that was never going to be saved. Friday Night Lights ended, and I was happy with my performance. Sound like last week’s “Open Diary” entry?

Monday afternoon was my second attempt. I talked to my coach, and the plan was to make it hurt again and go for broke on the Clean. I was going to start lighter on the first Clean to get some confidence and then keep adding weight. This time during the rounds of 8-10, my legs didn’t just want to quit, they actually started shutting down. Jumping in and out on the Burpees became a max effort each time, and I could feel my pace slowing. I stopped myself from looking at the clock, knowing I just had to finish.

As I jumped over the bar for the last time, I looked at the clock to see that I had actually beat my first time by 2 seconds! I landed, collapsed, and immediately felt searing pain in my quads. This pain was nothing like the first attempt. This was much, much worse. I was on my hands and knees trying to relax, and I started drooling. Literally drooling on the floor. My body was shutting down. I got up, walked around for three minutes, then went for my first “light” Clean: fail. Oh. Oh, no. I refocused and hit the weight but it was crushing. I tried with everything I had just to get back to the weight I had hit on Friday but to no avail. Three straight fails. The 12 minutes ran out and I ripped off my belt, yelled a profanity and walked away from the people who had been nice enough to cheer me on, leaving them to look at each other uncomfortably. Fun right? After a few minutes I walked back to them, thanked them for the support and threw some high fives. I was happy with my first score and was going to keep it.

I felt like I let this frustration go and accepted the outcome, but this little voice in the back of my head kept nagging at me. Looking at the scores on the Regional Leaderboard, I started to get down on myself, my potential, and my training. I was doing exactly what I said not to do a few weeks ago (and again last week): comparing myself to others rather than seeing where I had succeeded. I starting feeling overwhelmed. I was at a loss for how I would ever get to the level that these other athletes were on, or if that was even a realistic goal.

Suddenly I felt like giving up. WHOA WHAT?!? Yup, just one peek at the Leaderboard, and I wanted to stop competing in CrossFit. Dramatic. Very dramatic. I slowly started to come back to earth. My goal to start this year was to end up in the top 250 in the North East Region, and I was close to that. So, another small meltdown in week two to learn from. I recovered faster from this one but my tendency to get negative is still there. Let’s see if I can avoid this altogether next week.

Ali C. on Active Life Strength

There are just 2 spots left in Coach Keith‘s next Active Life Strength class,  which starts Monday! Still need some persuading before you smash that REGISTER button? Here’s a testimonial from Ali C., who was in the cycle that just wrapped up:

I decided to sign up for Active Life Strength because of nagging neck pain and knee pain that were preventing me from getting better at CrossFit. I had been following Active Life on Instagram and knew that they addressed deficiencies in a way that was different from physical therapy, which I’ve never had success with.

Keith started the cycle with an assessment that pinpointed everyone’s weaknesses and sources of pain. Over the next 8 weeks, we all had our own plans on how to improve and get pain-free.  For me, that meant incorporating a progression of Presses and Step-Ups. After 3 weeks, the herniated disc in my neck was totally pain free. When I retested my Step-Ups, it was clear that I had gotten stronger and the “weak leg” was no longer so. Most importantly, I don’t feel broken down and decrepit like I did 8 weeks ago! I definitely recommend anyone who feels stalled in their progress or always feeling like they’re on the verge of injury to give it a try.

So what are you waiting for? Go HERE to register!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Wall Balls, KB Swings, Double-Unders
Arsenic, Lead Found in Popular Protein Supplements Consumer Reports
Physical Health Is Mental Health Breaking Muscle

WOD 3.7.18

Performance
Every 3 minutes for 6 sets:
10 Wall Balls 20/10, 14/9
15 Russian Kettlebell Swings 24/16kg
25 Double-Unders

Fitness
Every 3 minutes for 6 sets:
10 Wall Balls 14/10, 10/8
15 Russian Kettlebell Swings 20/12kg
40 Single-Unders

Post work to comments.

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Deadlift

10-10-10

Warm up and work up to a heavy set of 10 touch-and-go Deadlifts with perfect form.

Post loads to comments.

Jay-Star is finally over Bjorn’s rejection at Fight Gone Gone Bad 2017, and he has returned to write some satire for the blog. He’s getting back out there—living his best life, really—and we hope you enjoy the results! | Photo by Thomas H. 

Jay-Star’s Guide to the Open: Bad Rep-utation

By Jay Reingold

Judging is an extremely important part of The CrossFit Open experience, and you need to go into the competition with a plan for both the giving and receiving of judgement.

Since judging people comes naturally to me, let me share some of my wisdom with you.

First, if you are planning on doing your workouts at CFSBK, it’s more than likely that the coaches will pair you up with some joker, and you’ll be expected to trade off judging duties. ALWAYS VOLUNTEER TO DO THE WORKOUT FIRST!!!!! If your “partner” decides to go all Adrian Bozman on you, then you’ll be in perfect position to extract your revenge when it’s their turn to sweat.

Second, always complete the online Judges Course on crossfit.com before the start of the Open. This is absolutely critical. Supposedly there are these things called “movement standards,” and if you do not adhere to them, your judge is obligated to “no rep” you. This course purportedly teaches you how to tell the difference between a good and a not-so-good rep. Now I know that you think this sounds like a whole lotta “who cares.” But stay with me. The true value of the course is that it gives you license to be a complete @$$H*LE throughout the entire Games season. For example, if your judge decides that your Wall Ball just wasn’t quite high enough, you can turn to them and say, “Oh really? How would you know? Have you passed the online judges course? Well I have and that was a mighty fine rep. KABOOM!” In the rare instance in which you are matched up with someone who has also taken the course, ask them how well they scored on the essay portion of the test. That will usually keep them quite for the remaining 4 to 6 minutes of the workout.

Third, when you are judging someone I recommend NO REPPING your partner every fifth rep. If they catch on to the pattern, just change it up. Try 4, 6, 4, 6 or 5, 4, 5, 4. Randomly no-repping someone is a great way to keep them both off balance and well below you on the leaderboard. If they start to get lippy, just pull out that Judges Certificate from your pocket to keep them in line. Make sure you NO REP in a very loud voice and don’t be afraid to NO REP the competitors to your left and right as well. Chances are their judges will appreciate your help.

Before I leave you, let me address a question that I get a lot about tipping etiquette. Now I don’t believe in tipping, but I do believe in overtipping. Before you compete be sure to slip a Hamilton in the hand of your judge to thank them for their “generosity.” Let them know that Mr. Hamilton has some friends that might want to stop by later. It’s a nice gesture and really helps to establish a great rapport with your judge.

Court is adjourned!

News and Notes

• There are just 5 spots left in Coach Keith’s Active Life Strength class, which starts Monday! See Monday’s post for all the details on this very cool program, and go HERE to register.
• The Herondale Farm meat CSA delivery has been delayed a week because of the weather forecast. Pickup will be next Wednesday, the 14th, from 6-8:30. If you are unable to make the pickup on the 14th, try to find a friend or buddy who can pick it up for you. Feel free to post on the blog for help finding this person (hint: offer them a steak). If you absolutely cannot find someone to help, email Michele at mig [at] gmail.com.
• Inka H. will be at  CFSBK on Thursday 3/8 and Friday 3/9 offering bodywork sessions from 10am – 2 pm. 1 hour is $100 and 1.5 hours is $140.  If you’re curious about how bodywork can help increase range of motion and help you get ready to be in specific positions drop her a line!  My sessions include FRC, Myofascial Release, and Deep Tissue Sports Massage.  You can reach Inka at inka.hodes [at] gmail.com.
• Nor’easter’s a’comin’! As of the time of this post, we are open and plan to run on a normal schedule. Any updates will be posted to this section!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
Data: “You’re Changing Your Life” CrossFit Journal
Lindsey Valenzuela’s Incredible Comeback Athlete Daily

Coach David recently appeared on CFSBKer Chris Y.’s podcast Giant Korean Head. Watch the trailer above, and listen to the full episode on the GKH website! 

CFSBK & BTWB

CFSBK is excited to partner with our friends at Beyond the Whiteboard to provide digital workout tracking for our affiliate! Members are able to access each day’s workout on the app or desktop site, both of which provide tons of data, gym leaderboards, and a variety of other cool tracking parameters. BTWB is an official CrossFit® app, and it’s run by CFSBKers!

Complete the following steps to register and start tracking your workouts:

1. Create a profile by registering at btwb.com.
2. Use the gym code CFSBK101 to receive a free membership and link you into the CFSBK group class programming feed.
3. Download the app for Apple or Android and sign in!

You read that right: this premium service is completely FREE for CFSBK members. OMG, that’s you!

We’ll be adding a BTWB widget to the blog soon, but get on there now and start tracking your workouts!

News and Notes

• The Herondale Farm meat CSA delivery has been delayed a week because of the weather forecast. Pickup will be next Wednesday, the 14th, from 6-8:30. If you are unable to make the pickup on the 14th, try to find a friend or buddy who can pick it up for you. Feel free to post on the blog for help finding this person (hint: offer them a steak). If you absolutely cannot find someone to help, email Michele at mig [at] gmail.com.
• Today’s Jiu Jitsu Open Mat hours are cancelled. 
• Intramural team captains: don’t forget to submit your athlete’s 18.2 scores to the spreadsheet today!
• Inka H. will be at  CFSBK on Thursday 3/8 and Friday 3/9 offering bodywork sessions from 10am – 2 pm. 1 hour is $100 and 1.5 hours is $140.  If you’re curious about how bodywork can help increase range of motion and help you get ready to be in specific positions drop her a line!  My sessions include FRC, Myofascial Release and Deep Tissue Sports Massage.  You can reach Inka at inka.hodes [at] gmail.com.

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Bench Press | Thrusters, Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
“She Is Not the Product of Her Circumstances” CrossFit Journal
Controlling Emotion for Weightlifting Catalyst Athletics

Bench Press

5-5-5

Warm up and work up to three heavy set of 5 reps. You can build to a top set or perform sets across at the same weight, but all three sets should be “work.” The goal is no misses. Use spotters on all work sets.

Post loads to comments.

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For Time:
9 Thrusters 155/105
15 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
6 Thrusters 155/105
12 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
3 Thrusters 155/105
9 Chest to Bar Pull-Ups

Post time and Rx to comments.

Check out that Lady Fox bar bend, and check out more of Thomas H.’s photos from 18.1 and 18.2! 

Register for Active Life Strength

Get out of pain, stay out of pain, strengthen your weaknesses, and improve mobility and movement patterns, all while getting stronger! This is a predominantly strength-based class very specifically programmed to strengthen movements and improve positions based on your individual needs.

The Active Life methods help athletes of all levels identify the root causes of their pain, injuries, and plateaus, and provide solutions for alleviating and eliminating those limitations through strength training, hands on treatment, corrective movements, and program modification. As the Head Coach at Active Life Athletics, Coach Keith worked closely with the Active Life doctors as they developed the system and led the charge to incorporate it into a gym model. Using those principles, this program will help you identify your individual weaknesses and limitations, guide you through the necessary strength and mobility exercises, and get you moving and lifting more efficiently, with less pain. A pain-free athlete is a confident athlete, and a confident athlete is a dangerous athlete. If your goal is to look better, feel better, and go hard into your 80s, this program will help you set and maintain the foundation.

For more information on The Active Life, check out:

• @activeliferx on Instagram
• www.performancecarerx.com
• The Active Life on YouTube

Schedule

March 12th, 2018 – May 3rd, 2018
Monday and Thursdays from 6:30pm to 7:30pm
2x per week for 8 weeks
Cap: 12 athletes

Cost

The cost is $160 per month ($320 total plus NY state sales tax). The first charge will occur at the time of registration and the second payment of $160 will occur automatically 1 month later. This cycle is open to all CFSBK members as well as CrossFitters from other affiliates.

(Please note that you are committing to specific days and times and there be no refunds for any missed classes or late cancellations.)

What happens in class?

We will start with testing your single leg strength relative to your Back Squat, your Deadlift stamina relative to your absolute strength, your 1-arm carry ability, and your upper body pressing and pulling. You will then receive progressive strength work during each class to address your weaknesses based off of your test results.

In addition, we will identify your general movement limitations through mobility and flexibility assessments. Each athlete will receive an individualized “Not for Time” piece to complete as a warm up/cool down for CrossFit group class or during standardized warm-ups to address these limitations through corrective movements, stretches, and holds.

Register Here!

News and Notes

• Don’t forget to submit your 18.2 scores to the CrossFit Open site by 8pm tonight!
• Tomorrow’s Jiu Jitsu Open Mat hours are cancelled. 
• How did 18.2 go? Let us know in the comments!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Snatch, Plank, Burpees, Toes-to-Bar
Cold Showers Lead to Fewer Sick Days Harvard Business Review
Winning, Losing, and Learning to Be a Better Member of a Team Scientific American