Mo S.: One of a few “new” faces you might see at the whiteboard over the coming weeks!

Welcoming Guest Coaches to CFSBK

By David Osorio

As you may have heard, Coaches Whitney and Brett are heading out with Jenna J., Kristin H., Katie M., and Sean M. to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc. This is a 9 day, 110 mile hike that circumnavigates Mont Blanc while traveling through Switzerland, Italy, and France. After that Whitney and Brett will be going to San Sebastian, Spain for four days to enjoy the food, the beach, and some surfing after the long trek. Their final stop is a small fishing village in Sweden called Viken where former CFSBK members Mo A. and Kat S. moved a few months ago. They’ll be back to coaching in September!

So we want to give you all a heads up about some guest coaches you may see at CFSBK in August. To help with coverage, we’re bringing in three all-star coaches from outside of our training staff to fill in while they’re gone. Check out the short bios below and look forward to seeing them in upcoming classes!

Morit Summers

Morit has been working out in a gym since she was 14 years old. She graduated from SUNY Cortland with a BS in Exercise Science and Kinesiology and has been a personal trainer since then. It has been about 11 years now, which is hard to believe. Since than, I have been a personal trainer at Equinox and now am off running my own show. She’s very excited to be helping out at CrossFit South Brooklyn!

Lauren Borducci

Lauren has been coaching individuals of wide ranging ages and experience since 2012. She trains private clients around Brooklyn and coaches the parent-baby fitness class, Diapers & Dumbbells, at CFSBK.

Keith Van Wickler

Snatch Complex

Every 90 Seconds x 10 Reps:
Snatch High Pull + Mid-Hang Snatch

The pull from the floor on the Snatch High Pull should be purposeful and balanced, with your weight balanced over mid foot. Aim to make a few reps at/above 80%.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 5 of 8
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3 Rounds for Time: 
500m Row
20 Wall Balls 20/10, 14/9
40 Sit-Ups

Aim to do all the reps unbroken and push the pace a bit on the rows. Keep moving!

Post time and Rx to comments.

Coaches MeLo and Lauren demo the Press at yesterday’s Diapers & Dumbbells class, but Lilyanne is more interested in changing the music. Diapers & Dumbbells meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11 to noon. Tell your friends! 

SAVE THE DATE: CFSBK PROSPECT PARK POTLUCK ON SEPTEMBER 2ND

Celebrate the end of summer—don’t worry, not too soon!—with your CFSBK buds. On Saturday, September 2nd, CFSBK will be hosting a potluck at Prospect Park. Come lounge on the grass, throw some frisbee, toss the ol’ pigskin, and hang out with your gym buds. What better way to spend Labor Day weekend?

We’ll be on the hill south of the Picnic House from 2pm on. Bring a dish or drink to share. Friends, family, and dogs are, of course welcomed. We can’t wait to see you there!

News and Notes

• This Sunday’s 2:15 pm Free Intro class is cancelled. 
• We need just one more RSVP to run next Saturday’s Kids Club Night. See the event page for details!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Back Squat / Front Squat | Squats, HSPUs, Deadlifts
The Best Running Stride? The One That Comes Naturally NY Times
Ro vs Boz: O-Course CrossFit

Tempo Back Squat / Tempo Front Squat (De-load)

Tempo Back Squat (31X1):
2 x 4

Tempo Front Squat (31X1):
1 x 4

2 sets of Back Squats, followed by 1 set of Front Squats. Use the same load as in Week 1’s sets of 8. These should feel light and crisp.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 5 of 8
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Every 3 Minutes for 5 Rounds:
21 Squats
7 Handstand Push-Ups
3 Deadlifts 315/225

Score fastest and slowest times. You should be pretty warm from Squatting but don’t just jump to work weight on the Deadlift. The load on the bar should be heavy for you and require 3-4 jumps in weight to get there. Similarly, don’t kick up to a wall for the first time for your first Handstand Push-Up. Warm them up with a few kick ups, then do a few reduced ROM reps, then a few full ones. If you’re doing Box Piked Handstand Push-Ups, then warm those up similarly.

Post fastest time, slowest time, and Rx to comments.

A post shared by CrossFit South Brooklyn (@crossfitsouthbrooklyn) on Jul 31, 2017 at 2:30pm PDT

You know we love Spikeball at CFSBK. We even had a Spikeball tournament last summer. But did you know we love it this much?

The CFSBK Guide to Cues: Knees Out

By David Osorio
Originally posted on 6.29.16

Knees out! Chest up! Flat back! The verbal cue is one of the most important tools in a CrossFit coach’s repertoire. You likely have some sense of what these commands mean, but in this new blog feature, we’d like to take a look at some common cues. From time to time, we’ll be offering these short guides to explain what these mean and why they’re important. First up is one we’ve probably all heard: knees out!

When might you hear it in class, and what does it mean?

You’ll usually hear it during some sort of squatting activity, but it can apply to any movement that requires you to bend your knees (e.g., the take-off in a Box Jump or the Olympic lifts). The intention is to keep your knee over your midfoot by shoving your knees out, rather than letting them cave in. In the photos below, note how Lauren’s knee is aligned over her midfoot (left) rather than drifting inward (right).

Why is it important?

When you align your knee over the middle of your foot and maintain that position throughout the movement, you are aligning the muscles of your leg to most effectively produce force, as well as minimizing soft tissue stress. Put simply, if your knees are over the middle of your feet during a Back Squat, you’ll be moving the weight upwards in a straight line. If your knees cave in or splay out, the force you exert won’t be used efficiently to move the weight back up. Instead, it will be absorbed by your soft tissue in a counterproductive way. Pushing your knees out reduces wear and tear on your joints, and who doesn’t want that?

What can I do to fix it?

As far as Squats and the Olympic lifts are concerned, the first and easiest thing you can do is buy weightlifting shoes. An elevated heel allows you to maintain more dorsiflexion of your foot, which is especially useful if you have tight ankles. Lifting shoes provide a stable platform on which you can more effectively engage your feet and give you a better tacticle sense of what your feet are doing, creating a better connection to the floor.

Second, simply being aware of the issue and mentally cueing yourself will go a long way. Many newer CrossFitters simply lack this awareness and aren’t quite sure how to fire some external rotators or activate their glutes. If you’re an experienced CrossFitter and your knees tend to cave in at heavier weights, be your own manager and take some weight off the bar if you can’t maintain good positions. In any case, make sure your set up is correct: your stance is the right width (for you), your feet are active and creating external rotation, and your belly is braced.

Finally, if you’re struggling with keeping your knees out because of mobility issues or muscle weakness, don’t hesitate to ask a coach to watch you Squat and suggest some accessory work. One possibility is the Banded Squat, which will “feed the weakness” and reinforce better positioning.

What cues would you like to see next? Let us know in the comments!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
Alex Parker Demos Strongman’s Fear CrossFit
The Enduring Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles Atlas Obscura

Check out more of these awesome multiple-exposure photos by Robert C. on our Flickr account! 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12th: CFSBK KIDS CLUB NIGHT!

Want a night off for yourself and your kids? Sign up for CFSBK’s Kids Club Night! Your kid will engage in fun movement activities and games, eat pizza, and watch a movie. We’ll need at least 5 kids to run the event. So far, we have just 1 kid registered. Make plans to treat yourself and leave the rest to us!

What:  
We’ve organized a night of CrossFit kids physical activities and games. We’ll all share a pizza dinner and then watch The NeverEnding Story on the CFSBK big screen.

When: 
Saturday, August 12th from 6 to 9 PM

Who: 
Kids ages 3-12. Parents can hang out if they want or go out on the town!

Cost: 
$50 per child with a 40% discount for additional siblings. Dinner will be provided. Late pickups will result in a $25 fee.

REGISTER HERE!

Kids Club Night is capped at 15 children, so RSVP soon!
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Yesterday’s Results Board: Bench Press / Split Squat | Double-Unders, KB Swings
Surgery Is One Hell of a Placebo FiveThirtyEight
Cyclocross Announced as CrossFit Games Event Instagram

BENCH PRESS / SPLIT SQUAT SUPERSET*

A1) Tempo (31×1) Bench Press: 
3 x 8

Heavier than last week.

A2) Tempo (31×1) Split Squat:
3 x 8e

Set back foot on a 16-20 inch box and load as appropriate with dumbbells or kettlebells held goblet-style. Heavier/better than last week. If last week was tough, then use the same load and try to perform the reps better.

*Warm up and then perform a set of Bench Presses, followed by a set of Split Squats on each leg. Repeat for 3 work sets of each, resting about a minute between movements. Use a 31×1 tempo for both movements. The last few reps of each set should be tough, but the goal is no misses.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 5 of 8

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AMRAP 10 Minutes:
40 Double-Unders
15 Russian Kettlebell Swings

Scale to Singles or 15 attempts on the Dubs. Use a kettlebell that challenges you for unbroken sets.

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.

A post shared by Erica Dohring (@edohring) on Jul 27, 2017 at 5:31am PDT

Here’s Erica D. doing a Meathook Straddle variation at AM OG. Watch Erica doing more cool, gymnasty stuff here and here. Open Gym: it’s not just for for CrossFit!

#CFSBK #FITNESS # SWOLE

We love it when you take photos at the gym and when you rep CFSBK  out there in the wider world. Did your buds catch that big PR on video? Or did you maybe take a selfie wearing your CFSBK tee at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro? (You should be wearing more clothes!) If you post it to Instagram, don’t forget to geotag us and use the #CFSBK hashtag. Who knows, you might end up on one of these member mashups we’ve been doing! 😉

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Road to the Games 17.07 CrossFit
Dear CrossFit… Practically Salad