Join us tonight from 5:30 to 8pm to take on Open Workout 18.2 at Friday Night Lights! You can sign up for a heat here, but even if you’re not competing, c’mon out to cheer and have some fun. BYOB!

Should I Redo an Open Workout?

By Chris Fox

Congrats! You completed 18.1, the first workout of the 2018 CrossFit Games season! Whether this is your very first Open or you’ve been in the game since 2011, you’re probably (over?) analyzing your performance and what you could have done differently to score higher. It’s natural, you’re human, and we’re all a little bit competitive in CrossFit LaLaLand. While the answer may very likely be yes, you could probably do a bit better your second time around, I’m going to recommend you not plan do just that for a few reasons.

• The few extra reps you may (or may not) get don’t really mean anything in the grand scheme of things. Sure, you probably know you could have rowed harder now that there’s video evidence of you rowing your boat ever so gently down the stream (or, sleeping while rowing?). Compared to the larger picture however, the larger picture being your long term health and fitness, those few points mean nothing. Unlace your nanos and use the info for the next workout.
• If you go in knowing that you might redo a workout, you will not give the first attempt your best effort. Of you’re treating the Open as the Sport of Fitness, then be true to that. Does Christiano Ronaldo get a practice shot on a breakaway? Does Aaron Judge get a 4th strike? (I wish, but he probably still would have struck out over 200 times.) The point is, treat the opportunity to do the workout like it matters the first time. You might be able to do it again, but that doesn’t mean you should.
• You wouldn’t redo “The Chief” or 1RM squat session a day or two after later, right? Srsly, right? One of the original tenets of CrossFit, and one reasons it works so well, is it’s Constantly Varied. Give your body a break and move on to the next workout. Your body will take less of a beating, your hands will likely thank you, and you’ll have the opportunity to redo the workout at some point in the future anyway. Dave Castro likes to repeat Open workouts every year, and so does your head programmer at CrossFit South Brooklyn.
• If your friends jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you jump too? Maybe the bridge was a different one for you growing up, but I’m pretty sure everyone had a mother figure in their life ask them some iteration of this query. It was meant as a prompt for you to think for yourself a bit before you act. Sure, you’ll hear people at your gym brag about doing it again. They’ll even make it sound “hardcore” with their broken backs and tore up hands. Don’t be swayed, make your own choices. I know Games athletes all redo the Open Workouts…but you’re not as dumb as your friends and, you are not a Games athlete.

Wait, you are a Games or Regionals athlete? Even if not, there may be times when redoing the workout wouldn’t be too bad of an idea. Let’s say…

• You had a outlying mishap. Your dumbbell fell apart, your rower collapsed, your pants fell off mid Double-Unders, whatever. If you truly had something prevent you from continuing for a significant amount of time then go for it, you have my blessing.
• You’re on the “Next Level Bubble,” meaning you actually have a shot at going to Regionals. Or, you’re fit and committed enough that competing in CrossFit is a realistic goal and you have a long term plan that involves placing higher each year. If this is you, then you probably stopped reading a few paragraphs above anyway but you can and should do the Open workouts twice. The first time as a “test” and 2nd as the “event”. Depending on the workout and the damage/soreness it’s likely to cause, you might do a shorter version for your test, and you probably have a coach already telling you this so listen to her or him.
• You have a compadre who’s going to redo it, and it would be a really good time do go again with her or him. You fell in love with CrossFit in the first place at least in part because it’s fun to workout with your friends. Don’t forget that.

Statement of Full Disclosure: Last year your author redid ALL of the 2017 Open workouts. Yep, all of ‘em. I did them with a great crew on Friday early afternoons and then again on Monday afternoons. So in my defense, I had pretty much as much time as possible in between workouts. It sort of snuck up on me, I didn’t plan it and it was the first time I’d ever redone an Open workout. But, a friend and colleague (McDowell) who was leaving Brooklyn later in the year was redoing them. I guess I wanted to squeeze in as much CrossFit fun as possible before he and the family hightailed it to Virginia, something we hadn’t really done much of recently since we were both pretty busy with work and life. Jess (the wifey aka Lady Fox) and some other gym friends/colleagues were in for it, and we all had a lot of fun. Funny thing is I thought Mcd was just doing them twice for kicks…I later learned that he had to redo them since that was what his coach programmed for him. He’s someone who is near that “bubble” mentioned above…I am not. Hence I am back to my old self in 2018, planning to give my best at FNL (which was OFF THE CHAIN) or Saturday with group classes and then be done with it.

News and Notes

• Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Open Mat is cancelled this Tuesday, March 6th. 
• Starting this week, Thursday night Next Level Weightlifting Club will move to Friday night from 6 to 8pm. NLWC will now meet Mondays from 7 to 9pm, Wednesdays from 7 to 9pm, and Fridays from 6 to 8pm.
• The 5th Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge Lecture and Q&A is this Sunday at 12pm in the Annex. In “What Even Is a Carb?” we’ll learn a bit more about what macronutrients are, which foods contain which, and some simple guidelines to help us choose foods that are better for us along a spectrum of Healthy to Less Healthy to Unhealthy. As always, there’s an open Q&A afterwards where you can air out whatever you like.

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Cluster | Handstand Walking
Who Should You Listen To? Catalyst Athletics
We Finally Know Who the Millennials Are The Outline

Cluster (aka Squat Clean Thruster)

1-1-1-1-1

Warm up and work up to a heavy single for the day. No Jerks.

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.

Open Diary 18.1

By Brett Ferguson

Editor’s Note: Throughout the Open, Coach Brett will be contributing these “Open Diary” entries in which he will continue to reflect on the head-game aspect of CrossFit and offer his thoughts on each workout. Enjoy this first installment!

Open Workout 18.1 is in the books. If you read my previous post about mindset, you know that it’s something that I struggle with. This struggle usually has to do with how I feel going into a workout or what happens to me mentally after a work out.

So how did 18.1 go? My mental approach before attempting it the first time was excellent! I knew that I was going to try to keep my own pace. I had a plan as to how I was going to do the Toes-to-Bars, how I was going to transition to the dumbbell, and the pace I was going to keep on the erg. Reality and my plan didn’t quite match up. The energy of Friday Nights Lights and some friendly competition got me a little excited, and I came out SUPER HOT. I looked at the clock after 3 rounds and knew I was in trouble. My Toes-to-Bar plan went well, but my transitions started to get longer because I came out to hard and needed to breathe a little. I knew I could pace better, but overall I was very happy with the workout. All good things right?

Second attempt at the workout: Because I had a previous score and thought I could do better, I picked a score that I thought was attainable for me to hit. I did the workout on my own this time (with a judge) and was able to stick with my pace right away (which felt SUPER slow). One thing that I did not anticipate, however, was the fatigue in my grip still being a factor after Friday’s workout. My Toes-to-Bar and grip on the dumbbell started falling apart way faster than I anticipated. I could see the goal I had set for myself starting to slip away.

I am proud to say that in this moment I stayed calm and didn’t give up. I pushed through steadily as my Toes-to-Bars went to singles and I dropped the DB because I couldn’t hold on. I kept a steady pace on the erg. I did what I could do in that moment. As a result, I ended up doing better in my second attempt but not as well as I wanted to do. This is where my mental game fell apart. I knew I did the best I could have on that day, but it wasn’t the best that I could do overall. Take the strength of my grip from Friday and my pacing from Monday and that would be my best effort. That’s what I focused on. I started beating myself up for coming out too hot on Friday, for warming up too many Toes-to-Bars on Monday or whatever, analyzing everything I did wrong instead of thinking about what I did well. To beat myself up even more, I found people that I am competitive with on the leaderboard and really started to tear into myself when I saw that people beat me by 1-3 reps! If only I did this or that I would’ve have climbed X amount of spots on the board!

I sat simmering in self-pity (and saying nasty things to myself) for the rest of the night. The next day I saw a post by James Fitzgerald, the founder of OPEX, on Instagram that simply said, “Measure yourself by how you deal with adversity when it comes to you, not by the scoreboard.” This shot of perspective was exactly what I needed. In the workout, I dealt with the adversity well (a reaction I can control), but I let my placement on the leaderboard (out of my control) and how other athletes performed (also out of my control) take me out mentally for a full day!

It’s too easy for me to let other things pull me away from these successes and turn my performance into a failure for no reason. It’s something for me to continue to recognize and work on as these next 4 weeks of the Open unfold. If it’s meant to be about improvement and learning, well, I’m hitting PRs every day.

Open Intramural Team Rankings: Week 1

For the 3rd year in a row, CFSBK is running the Open Intramural League throughout the CrossFit Open. It looks like this year has all the makings of another great competition. Awesome team names? Check. Evenly matched teams? Check. Friday Night Lights? Check. Jay-Star vehemently denying that he’s using massive amounts of performance enhancing drugs despite evidence to the contrary? Check.

Anchored by a bunch of top-15 performances, Amino Disrespect got off to a strong start, but Make America Blue Again (also powered by some top-15 performances and Toni’s ponytail) isn’t far behind. All 6 teams are separated by less than 4 points, so you know what that means. Everyone has to come out to Friday Night Lights this week to get in on the fun!

Go here to sign up for a FNL heat!

Current Ranking – Team – Overall Average 

1. Amino Disrespect: 38.6
2. Make America Blue Again: 39
3. Going Dark: 39.6
4. Kippin’ It Real: 39.7
5. 50 Shades of Gainz: 41.1
6. The Incredible Hulks: 42.3

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Wall Balls, Burpee Box Jump Overs | Back Squat
Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Olympian? NY Times
The Lost Art of Bending Over NPR

WOD 2.28.18

Performance
Every 3 minutes x 18 (6 sets):
12 Wall Balls 20/10, 14/9
8 Burpee Box Jump Overs 24/20

The goal is fast and unbroken on each set. The Burpee Box Jump Overs are Rx’d as a jump-out/jump-in Burpee and must be a two-foot take off on the jump. Jump or step down as desired.

Fitness
Every 3 minutes x 18 (6 sets):
12 Wall Balls 14/10, 10/8
8 Burpee Box Jump Overs 20/16

The goal is fast and unbroken on each set. TheBurpee Box Jump Overs can be a step-out/step-in Burpee, and stepping over the box is allowed.

Post work to comments.

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Back Squat

Heavy Single
90% x 1 x 3

Warm up and make a heavy-single Back Squat followed by three more singles at 90% of that load. Goal is no misses and no bailing, but use spotters on all work sets.

Post loads to comments.

Photos from our first Friday Night Lights event of the season are now up on Flickr. Join us again this Friday night from 5:30 to 8pm as we take on 18.2. Heat sign up info will be on the blog tomorrow!

Critical Mass, Part II

Introduction by Erica Dohring

“You’re gaining weight on purpose?” Looking the inquirer in the eye with a strong “yes” has yielded an interesting array of responses: surprise, confusion, amusement, and, my personal favorite, “of course you would” (said lovingly). Deliberately trying to gain weight is an unusual pursuit in the US, even among active, athletic adults. In this 2-part miniseries—Part I went up last Tuesday—you’ll read the stories of 5 women who are going against the grain, even if they are probably snacking on it right now.

Last week we heard from Erica D., Lorena F., and Coach KHarpz, all of whom are currently at work on massing programs. This week we’ll hear from Francine D. and Coach Lauren “Snickers” Snisky , both of whom have completed massing programs. Let’s rock!

Can you start by telling us a bit about your massing programs? Did you follow a coach’s template or come up with or own (or something else)?

Francine: I first started with a Renaissance Periodization cut and lost 25 lb. Then after 16 weeks of maintenance, I did a reverse diet working my way back up the RP templates to gain weight.

Lauren: I have done the fairly simple, you-gotta-eat-MORE self-made program 2 or 3 times since I started CrossFit 4 years ago. I have some experience in playing with my nutrition and a solid whole-foods foundation, so I felt confident enough to experiment on my own for this purpose. My initial attempt focused on increasing my protein and my protein options. I expanded my diet to included fish and seafood and eventually poultry and meat after about 8 years of a vegetarian diet. I made adjustments along the way based on what felt right as far as my macro nutrient ratios were concerned, and tried I to avoid the absolute forced feed feeling.

Why did you decide to do a massing cycle?

Francine: After hitting and maintaining what my original goal weight, I soon realized that I didn’t feel good at that light weight and with very little body fat. And while I had accomplished the feat of losing a good amount of body fat, I realized I needed to gain more muscle mass—not to be thin and lean.

Lauren: I wanted to get stronger, but it was also for aesthetics. I wanted more visible muscle mass, and I see that as sort of an ongoing work in progress. I will occasionally whine that I “want to get jacked,” and someone will say something like “hey crazy, you are jacked.” I have definitely made some mass gains since starting CrossFit and realizing I needed to eat more overall. It’s all relative to you and your strength and body composition goals.

But initially, a few years ago, I would say I was a bit unaware of how little I was really eating compared to my goal of getting stronger. Coach McDowell asked me one day how many calories I was taking in per day. At the time is was about 1500. He responded with no hesitation that that needed to come up… immediately. And really any increase at that point would have been just to better support my performance and recovery while maintaining current weight. So that’s where I started: eat more and feel the benefits of that, then make another increase with the goal of putting on more muscle mass.

How did it work out? What changes did you notice?

Francine: I massed for 16 weeks and gained 9 lb. I immediately felt better, more vibrant. My programming changed around this time as well. I started working with Coach Ro right before “the massing” began, and the focus was to get stronger with a little bit of hypertrophy work. I felt great immediately.

Lauren: I have noticed changes in both muscle gain and performance. I did do a cutting (fat loss) diet in 2016 and am currently maintaining the weight I’ve put on since last year. When I began Crossfitting I was about 114 lb. I’m currently about 128. 14 pounds gained. Of course this wasn’t all at once. Like I said, I’ve made intentional increases in my diet a couple of times over the past 4 years. I would say my last increase was about 7-8 lb in 2017. Generally over this longer period of gaining weight, my strength has increased significantly. I believe it has helped me push through some strength plateaus. For example, once I was in the 120s, I felt better and saw increases with my Olympic lifts. And I was able to rep out at higher percentages on my Back and Front Squats.

What’s the biggest challenge you encountered?

Francine: I consciously allowed myself to gain weight and train with that goal of strength, but the whole time I kept worrying about getting fat and losing fitness. My mindset was not right. It’s impossible to gain weight without gaining body fat, but I was constantly worried about this aspect. It was also weird at first to watch the scale go up when all my life I’ve stepped on to either see my weight go down or remain the same.

Lauren: Sometimes eating enough is actually a really difficult thing to do. And this is twofold. The first part being, it can just feel like A LOT of food. I already ate 3 servings of protein today. I need more? Yes, yes you do. The second part is more psychological. It’s about keeping the long game in mind. Some body fat will come along with your muscle gains, and that’s been a challenge for me to accept. It still is. But when I think long term, taking on a small amount of body fat and managing that later is well worth the muscle and strength gains.

How did you transition out of massing and back into a maintenance diet/training program?

Francine: This was the hardest part for me. In October, I  started maintaining my weight gain, but I was definitely out of whack and not with my calorie counts. I was just finding it a bit difficult to be a regular person. I was food obsessed during the cut and mass. I just wanted to stop thinking about food. I gained another 4 lb through the holidays, struggling to find my “correct weight.”  I decided to just give my mind and body a break and focus on my performance as I gear up for Masters Nationals Weightlifting Meet in April and am focused on a “healthy eating” approach, looking to maintain scale weight but lose a bit of body fat with some higher volume training and conditioning. The whole program was designed by Coach Ro.

Lauren: I found what I would require calorie-wise to maintain my weight, and I figured out what macro nutrient ratio should make up those calories. Then for me, it was just a matter of finding the portions I needed per meal to meet that new macro requirement. It can take a few days maybe to figure out what works so you don’t continue to gain weight.

Any advice for a women who are considering doing a massing program?

Francine: Our bodies need love, care, and respect. Eat to love your body, first and foremost. Go ahead and gain some weight if your training/fitness goals would be better achieved by adding mass (or by cutting for that matter). Otherwise, just focus on the quality of the food you eat and maintaining a healthy relationship with food and your body.

Lauren: I do think for most, you’ll want to follow an actual program or guideline to be confident you are taking in a good macro-nutrient ratio vs. just eating all the food. There are some different approaches out there, so do what feels right for your goals and training. Ask around, do a little research. Remember these changes, if done well and to last, take time. tTis is why the RP program (that some others have done here) is about 3 months long for a massing phase.

Would you do it again?

Francine: Only if my performance goals required it.

Lauren: Yes, for sure. Maybe a structured program this time to see how that works for me. I get muscle envy. And putting on muscle feels great, plus I know I’ll be stronger for it. I received a couple of compliments not that long ago on how my quads looked larger, and that’s like Christmas to me. It reassured me that the little bit of body fat I’ve put on is worth it, because that body fat can be managed later, and I’ll still have these bigger, stronger quads to show for it.

News and Notes

• There’s just one spot left in Coach Ro’s popular Anti-Gravity Strength class, which starts on March 6th. Who wants it? Go here to register!
• Starting this week, Thursday night Next Level Weightlifting Club will move to Friday night from 6 to 8pm. NLWC will now meet Mondays from 7 to 9pm, Wednesdays from 7 to 9pm, and Fridays from 6 to 8pm.

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
Inside Westside Barbell Club, Powerlifting’s Most Exclusive and Controversial Gym Vice Sports (video)
Returning to CrossFit After Pregnancy Girls Gone Strong

REGISTER NOW FOR STARTING STRENGTH PROGRAM

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, March 5th – Friday, April 27th (4 slots)
B cycle: Intermediate, 7pm Tues/Thurs and 10am Sun |Tuesday, March 6th – Sunday, April 29th (full)
C cycle: Morning Novice, 6:30am Mon/Thurs |Monday, March 5th – Thursday, February 26th (3 slots)
D cycle: Continuing Education, 6pm Mon/Wed |Monday, March 5th – Wednesday February 25th (4 slots)
E cycle: Late morning, all levels, 10am Mon/Thurs |Monday, March 5th– Thursday, February 26th  (3 slots)

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.

 Jeremy M. on Starting Strength

“One recent Monday morning, I stood on my bathroom’s scale and watched its pointer swivel, as it almost always does, slightly further than it ever has before. This time it landed on 180, a full 30 pounds gained since I began Starting Strength.” That’s CFSBK Starting Strengther Jeremy McKey reflecting on Starting Strength (the Rippetoe book) and his experience building strength in Coach Jeremy’s class. Give “The Man on the Blue Cover” a read!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Push Press | Run, C2B Pull-Ups, Pistols
Found: A Pair of Boxing Gloves from 2,000 Years Ago Atlas Obscura
Using Archival Audio to Plug You Back into Nature The Outline