Mid-Hang Power Clean

1-1-1-1-1

Work up to a heavy single for the day.

Post loads to comments.

_____________________

AMRAP 9 Minutes:
3 Mid-Hang Power Cleans 165/115
6 Front Squats 165/115
9 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

The barbell should be challenging. Use a load that you can do an unbroken round when fresh. Scale the Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups to Chin Over or Jumping Chest-to-Bar as needed.

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.

Better Know a Member: Kris Lee

Over the last few weeks, your trusty CFSBK blog has been bringing you Better Know a Member profiles from across our community of kind, interesting, wonderful members. Last week we heard from the WWTD woman herself, Mama Buckley. This week, let’s learn more about the man pictured above…

Name (and any nicknames):

Kristofer “Kris” Lee

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

Born and raised in the Bronx, NY.

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

I have been CrossFitting since May 2014. I had finished graduating from basic combat training with the Army, and I wasn’t pleased with my overall physical conditioning. I could run and lift my body weight for the most part, but I lacked the strength I once had when I used to lift in college. I wanted to be more well-rounded. I Googled “CrossFit gyms in Brooklyn,” and CSFBK came up on top of the list.

Nightmare workout:

For Time:
100 Burpee Box Jumps.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, I DO NOT WANT TO SEE THIS PROGRAMMED.

Dream workout:

For Time:
30 Deadlifts at 225lbs
20 Front Squats at 185 lbs
15 Push Jerks at 155 lbs
10 Hang Cleans at 155 lbs
Run 1 mile

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

I’m currently getting ready to mobilize for a year long deployment in the middle east for the next 10 months. The opportunity just sprung up, and I volunteered to go. I also invest my money in the stock market and trade derivatives as well.

Favorite and least favorite lifts:

Favorite lift is the Clean and Jerk. What is there not to like about a lift that comprises the Deadlift, Squat, and Press in a dynamic movement?

Least favorite lift is the Bench Press. I suck at it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Any advice for new CFSBKers?

Those who just started may feel discouraged, sore, and unmotivated after realizing the degree of proficiency that some of the movements may require. Understand that it is a growing process, and showing up is more than half the battle. Now you just have to do it and try your best. I emphasize the word “bes”t because mediocrity should never be celebrated. I challenge everyone to be better than the person they were yesterday. The lifts will get heavy and WODs downright miserable, but you aren’t going to die. The only easy day was yesterday so get busy living, or get busy dying.

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Muscle-Up Work | Deadlifts, Muscle-Ups
Olympic Dynasties: Why Certain Countries Will Dominate the Same Events They Always Do CS Monitor
Finding Intensity in CrossFit Again Breaking Muscle

Ring Muscle-Up Work

Choose one of the following options based on skill/strength…

1) 4-5 Sets:
2-3 False Grip Ring Rows
2-3 Ring Dips with a 3 second down

Make the Ring Rows challenging. Be sure to pass through the bottom of a deep Dip. If you can’t perform a Dip, jump to support and lower down for a 3 count. Alternately, perform 6 Push-Ups with a 3 second down, followed by a 10 second Ring Support.

2) 4-5 Sets:
2-3 Low Ring Band or Leg-Assisted Muscle-Ups

Be sure to pass through the bottom of a deep Dip before pressing out.

3) DIY or:

Kip Swings, a few Dips, then…

3-5 Sets:
1 Strict Muscle-Up
1 Kipping Muscle-Up

Post work to comments.

_____________________

Performance
For Time:
12-9-6
Deadlifts 315/225
Ring Muscle-Ups

The barbell should be heavy. Scale volume on the Muscle-Ups as needed if you can’t perform sets of 2-5 reps when fresh.

Fitness
For Time:
15-12-9
Deadlifts 225/155
Ring-Dips

The barbell weight should be medium-heavy for you. Unbroken on the fast end but 2-3 sets is ok. Scale the Dips to Push-Ups as needed.

Post time and Rx to comments.

_____________________

4 Rounds Not for Time:
8e Split-Stance Static Goblet Lunges
8e 3-Point Dumbbell Rows
30-Second Hollow Hold

Post work to comments.

David presents Coach Lauren with the rare and coveted black hoodie at Saturday’s Community Potluck. Congrats, Snickers! 

Potluck Photos!

Photos from Saturday are now up on our Flickr account! Here are just some of our favs:

• Stella gets the karaoke started with The Pretenders.
• If it’s possible for Celine Dion to get more serious, well… let’s just say that shit got serious. 
• Mike and Karina perform a duet. They’ll be taking their Tom Petty cover band to a casino near you.
• Lynsey gets the audience involved. Need a Shania Twain impersonator? Lynsey’s got ya covered.
• Coach Keith takes us on a little trip down Thunder Road. He’s a beauty and he’s alright.
• “Fitness is Carned.” (No, that’s not a typo.)
• Adele and Ariel will survive. 
• The digital lighters come out. 
• Scaramouche Scaramouche, will you do the fandango? 
• Katie, Coach Jess, and Jess B. reenact the car scene from Wayne’s World. 

Thanks again to everyone who came out to make it a great night!

News and Notes

• Our Articles & Media page has been updated and somewhat reorganized to make it more navigable! There’s a wealth of excellent resources spanning many years of blog posts, so be sure to poke around!
• Part 5 of Coach KHarpz’s excellent series she’s writing for our friends at Beyond the Whiteboard is up! As the title suggests, “WZA: Shaking the Scaries” deals with her experience at Wodapalooza 2018. You don’t wanna miss this one!
• The blog is looking for some intrepid CFSBKers who have done the CrossFit Open in the past and would like to contribute to an upcoming feature. You’ll just be asked to write 2 or 3 sentences about your experience, so it won’t take up much of your time. Please email your blog editor at Josh [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com if you’re interested!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
Have You Heard? This Guy Has a Cold. NY Times
Is the Open for Me? CrossFit Games

If you are anything like the CFSBK blog editor, you’re pretty haphazard when it comes to warming up a barbell lift. “Start at 50%? Sure whatever, that sounds good.” It doesn’t have to be that way! In this video, Coach David walks us through the proper way to warm up a lift. Watch it, absorb it, and put it into action the next time you lift! 

A Letter to New CrossFitters: Good Training Habits 

By David Osorio

Editor’s Note: The video above pairs nicely with a blog classic we haven’t reposted in a few years. The original version of this article appeared on our business blog, Inside the Affiliate.

Below is a short article we ask all our new members to read when they graduate from our Foundations program. At CFSBK, we believe it’s important to guide our members’ training perspectives early on. The sooner we can get folks thinking about how to make proactive, intelligent training decisions, the more likely they’ll optimize their time under our roof.

While it’s our responsibility as coaches to teach movement, program wisely, and generally take care of folks, it’s your job as an athlete to listen to your body, track your workouts, and maintain a mature perspective about why you’re doing CrossFit in the first place. For some athletes, this may be completely intuitive, but most folks walking through our doors will need to be taught even the most basic components of serious physical training. Many people pursue CrossFit because they want to lose some weight or a friend does it and it sounds fun—not necessarily because they’ve suddenly decided to eat, sleep, and breath CrossFit. (The obsession part happens organically, after they’ve been exposed to its benefits.)

With that in mind, the commercial fitness industry’s claims of quick fixes and supposed “secrets” to success may have influenced peoples’ perspectives and expectations when they arrive at our gym, and it behooves us to disabuse them of such false messaging. Messages such as the one below are part of a larger dialogue that CFSBK is constantly facilitating, with the aim of giving our members the most accurate and honest advice about what it takes to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Hopefully, all of you have already read this article. But a good refresher never hurt anyone…

Good Training Habits

While it’s our responsibility as coaches to teach you movement, program intelligently, and keep you safe, it’s your responsibility as athletes to develop good training habits. Here is an overview of three great habits that will significantly enrich your training experience.

1. Be Proactive With Your Movement Prep

Everyone needs to do a little personalized maintenance on their bodies. Even 10 minutes of DIY movement prep before class can go a long way in keeping you fit and pain free. After you’ve signed in and changed, take advantage of the time you’ve got and start moving.

Warm-up
Row an easy 300-500m on the erg. Get your heart rate up a little and try to get a light sweat going. We recommend holding 20 strokes per minute and rehearsing good form.

Stretch/Foam Roll
Many of us know where our tightest areas are—they’re the ones that make it difficult to squat below parallel or press a barbell overhead. Spend a few minutes mobilizing and doing some soft tissue work (foam roller/LAX ball, etc.) on your “problem areas.” If you don’t know where to begin, ask a coach what you should be prioritizing and we’ll help you out. We also regularly refer our members to out Active Recovery classes and MobilityWOD.com. This is great resource for folks who need simple, effective strategies to help them move better.

2. Log All of Your Workouts

Training without logging is like driving without a road map. You don’t know where you’ve been or where you’re going. Taking notes on each training session helps you track your progress and helps us make informed decisions about how to assist you in choosing weights and scaling movements. Each day should list some quantitative and qualitative notes about your training session. Here is an example:

Warm-Up:
3 rounds NFT
5 Snatch PP (22lb bar)
5 OHS
5 Muscle Snatches
10 Push-ups on knees

Move up to yellow bar

AMRAP 15 minutes:
Row 350m
12 Overhead Squats, 45lbs
4 Rounds + 320m

Kept rows at about 2:23 splits, felt hard but doable. Don’t shift forward during overhead squats…. Mid foot!

You can track your workouts in a journal or online. As coaches, we LOVE to read the details of your workout in the Comments section of CFSBK’s blog. It gives us a deeper perspective into your training and the programming in general.

3. Start Slow and Maintain Perspective

We take our training seriously at CrossFit South Brooklyn and with that comes with a good deal of responsibility. Our movement pool uses serious strength and conditioning exercises in order to develop broad, inclusive fitness. If we don’t treat these movements and workouts with respect, training plateaus and injuries are sure to follow. The best way to ensure your success and training longevity with us is by starting slowly and developing a rock-solid technical base. In fact, the first few months you start CrossFit, intensity should not be a significant concern. The movements are potent enough that just consistently performing them will create a favorable adaptation. After you feel really comfortable with most of our exercises and have a working knowledge of your weights, only then should you start ramping up the intensity.

Training with a lifelong perspective is incredibly important. Remember that you’re here to build yourself up, not break yourself down. Scaling workouts properly, listening to your body and checking your ego at the door will allow you to work out successfully for years to come. Most importantly, have fun with this stuff and enjoy the process.

News and Notes

• Tonight’s Jiu Jitsu Open Mat is cancelled. Callie is out of town!
• We’re always trying to get better at what we do. If you have a minute, head over to the Feedback page and tell us about your experience at the gym!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Barbell Overhead and Gymnastics Work
The First Pull of the Snatch & Clean: Slow or Fast? Catalyst Athletics
Making Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Into Super Bowl MVPs NY Times

Barbell Overhead and Bar Gymnastics Work

With a running clock…

EMOM x 10

Even Minutes: 5 Strict Presses
Odd Minutes: 5 Strict Toes-to-Bars

Rest 2 minutes, then…

EMOM x 10

Even Minutes: 5 Push Presses
Odd Minutes: 5 Kipping Toes-to-Bars

Rest 2 minutes, then…

EMOM x 10

Even Minutes: 5 Push Jerks
Odd Minutes: 5 Bar Muscle-Ups

The barbell comes off the floor and all sets should be heavy but unbroken. You may go up in weight each set as appropriate, or choose to perform sets across. Scale the Toes-to-Bars as needed to Hanging Knee Raises, and the Bar Muscle-Ups to either Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups (jumping if needed) or Jumping Bar Muscle-Ups. Scaling volume by cutting a rep or two on the gymnastics movements is also an option.

Post work to comments.

Meredith and Keith get ready to compete at one of last year’s Friday Night Lights events

The CrossFit Open: Where Grassroots Meet Greatness

By the time this post goes up, we’ll be just 16 days away from the announcement of Open Workout 18.1. So far 91 of you have signed for the Open. That’s awesome. We’re almost halfway to our goal of 200 CFSBKers registered. Can we make it to 100 by the end of the day? We can! Go here to register!

There are so many good reasons to register, and we’ve tried to convey some of those reasons on the blog over the past couple of weeks. But today we thought we’d throw it over to you guys to help us recruit more competitors. So…

Have you participated in the Open in the past, or do you plan to this year? Tell everyone about your experience! Why did you do it, and what did you learn? Why did you sign up this year?

News and Notes

• Schedule Change: Tuesday’s Jiu Jitsu Open Mat is cancelled. Callie is out of town this week.
• Don’t forget that we’re offering a new Strong Fit class on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm. Check it out tomorrow!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Overhead Squat | Burpees, Overhead Squats
Is Butter a Carb? Popular Science
4 Benefits of Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups BarBend

Overhead Squat

10-10-10

Bar is taken off the floor. Work up to a heavy set of 10. If you can’t overhead squat to full depth under load, then spend today’s lifting time working on flexibility in the position.

Post loads to comments.

_____________________

Toni and Katie got the karaoke off to a very Celine start. Thanks to everyone who came out to the Community Potluck last night!

TODAY: LFPB Challenge Lecture and Q&A, “Trigger Foods”