Judy S., Suzanne O., Elissa M. and put on an impromptu gun show with Coach Fox and Coach Brett after a recent Fit 55+ class. More photos from that class can be found here!

This Week at CFSBK in Review

1. Murph Day 2017 is THIS MONDAY! This is one of our biggest and best community events of the year, when we perform the classic CrossFit Hero WOD “Murph” followed by some grilling, side dishes, and beers. Go here to get in on the fun.

2. For the second year in a row, we’ll be raising money to benefit K9s for Warriors, an organization that provides service dogs for veterans suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disability, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma as a result of military service post-9/11. Since there’s no charge for this workout (the class won’t be deducted from your weekly limit), we suggest that you make a $20 donation to K-9s in lieu of class payment. Go HERE to support this terrific cause.

3. On Tuesday, Coach Fox offered some scaling options for “Murph.” If you’re thinking about doing it, do it!

4. There are still some spots open in the AM cycle of Coach Arturo’s AG Strength class. Need help with your Pull-Up? This is the class for you! See Wednesday’s post for details. This class starts soon, so get on it!

5. CFSBK will provide one keg (courtesy of Threes Brewing), burgers, and sausages for Murph Day, but please feel free to BYOB and more delicious foods, especially side dishes! Leave a comment on the event page to let us know what you’re bringing!

6. Because we’ll be running heats from 8am to 1pm on Monday, all other classes are cancelled. That includes Fit 55+, Diapers & Dumbbells, Starting Strength, and Next Level Weightlifting.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Clean and Jerk | Double-Unders, Power Cleans, Muscle-Ups
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Clean and Jerk Complex

Every 90 seconds for 10 reps:
Clean High Pull + Low Hang (1″) Clean High Pull + Low-Hang (1″) Clean + Push Jerk+ Split Jerk

Work up to a medium-heavy load for the day.

Post loads to comments.

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AMRAP 12 Minutes:
30 Double-Unders
6 Power Cleans 155/105
3 Ring Muscle-Ups

Scale the jump rope to singles as needed. The Power Snatches should be medium-heavy and done touch-and-go on the fast end. The Muscle-Ups can be scaled to jumping as appropriate, or to 3 Pull-Ups + 3 Ring Dips per muscle up.

Photo by Thomas H.

Murph Day 2017: A Guide

Our Memorial Day “Murph” event is now just 4 days away! Here’s everything you need to know:

• This is one of our biggest and best community events of the year, when we perform the classic CrossFit Hero WOD “Murph” followed by some grilling, side dishes, and beers. The workout is tough—very tough—but it can, of course, be scaled to meet everyone’s capacity. What are you waiting for? Sign up here! 
  
• What is “Murph”? How should you approach it? All of the answers are in Tuesday’s post, in which Coach Fox lays out some scaling options.
• CFSBK and many other affiliates do “Murph” on Memorial Day in memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. If you’d like to learn more about Michael Murphy and where this workout comes from, this is a great place to start.
• For the second year in a row, we’ll be raising money to benefit K9s for Warriors, an organization that provides service dogs for veterans suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disability, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma as a result of military service post-9/11. Founded in 2011 by Shari Duval with the hopes of pairing 12 Warrior-Canine teams a year, the program has graduated over 263 Warrior/canine teams. 90% of the dogs in the program come from rescue shelters or are owner-surrendered. You can learn more about the program and read success stories on the K-9s for Warriors website.
• Since there’s no charge for this workout (the class won’t be deducted from your weekly limit), we suggest that you make a $20 donation to K-9s in lieu of class payment. Go HERE to support this terrific cause.
• We’ll be running heats from 8am to 1pm that day. That means everything else is cancelled, including Fit 55+, Diapers & Dumbbells, Starting Strength, and Next Level Weightlifting Club.
• CFSBK will provide one keg, burgers, and sausges, but please feel free to BYOB and more delicious foods, especially side dishes! Leave a comment on the event page to let us know what you’re bringing! 

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Back Rack Reverse Lunges | KB Swings, Thrusters, Burpees
What Made Sir Roger Moore the Best James Bond The Daily Beast
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Back Rack Reverse Lunges

(De-Load)
3 x 6e

Use the same load as Week 1’s 3 x 12. Perform 6 reps on one leg, rack the bar, then perform 6 reps on the other leg.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 5 of 8
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5 Rounds:
12 Kettlebell Swings 24/16kg
10 Thrusters 75/55
8 Burpees
Rest 2 minutes

Aim to score consistent time for each round. The Swings and the Thrusters should be light and unbroken.

Post times and Rx to comments.

Jess P. and Koji O. ran into Daniel R. and Thaisa L. at CrossFit Brick Chicago. CFSBKers are everywhere! Have you dropped into another affiliate recently? Don’t forget to post in our Travel Gym Recommendations!

• We’re just 5 days away from Murph Day, gang! There’s still time to sign up. Also, a friendly reminder that we’re now accepting donations for K9s for Warriors. Captain Osorio has already given $500! Who will be the first member to donate? Because we’re not charging for or deducting classes from memberships that day, we suggest that you donate $20 to K9s for Warriors in lieu of payment. Go HERE to support this terrific cause.
• Coach KHarpz has begun writing a fascinating series for Beyond the Whiteboard on her progress toward qualifying for the 2018 East Regional! Check out the first installment!

Sign Up for AG Strength!

Are you struggling with your Pull-Ups? Are you stuck at the bottom of your Handstand Push-Up? Check out Coach Arturo‘s critically acclaimed Anti-Gravity Strength class. Class starts next week, so act fast! Luckily, the are still some spots left in the AM cycle.

Each AG Strength class will be an hour-and-a-half long, focusing on the strength and skills needed to improve Pull-Ups and Handstand Push-Ups. This will include a variety of skill exercises, progressions, weighted and strict practice, and other techniques to teach, develop, and perfect your Pull-Up and Handstand Push-Up. This fundamental strength work will carry over into other CrossFit gymnastics movements, including the coveted Muscle-Up.

Schedule

Cost and Eligibility

The cost is $160 per month. This cycle is open to all CFSBK members as well as CrossFitters from other affiliates.

What Happens in a Class?

The first class will begin with an assessment of each individual’s upper body push, pull, and core strength. Once the assessment is completed, each AG Strength class will consist of skill work, strength development, and flexibility training based on your personal needs, weaknesses, and strengths. If a member chooses to do a CrossFit group class on the same day, we recommend doing the skill and strength work from the AG Strength cycle first. Arturo can advise on this on a case by case basis. Just ask!

Testimonials

“There are a lot of good specialty workout options here at CFSBK, and I am happy to say that AG Strength has earned its spot at the top with the best of them. For any good program to be effective, it needs two components: an excellent coach and coach-able participants. Coach Ro brings his meticulous approach and his dedication to the integrity of his craft. Its up to you to bring the latter. In this class, great emphasis is placed on the proper execution of movements. Suffice it to say. this class is not about building egos but rather overall strength. Rest assured, by the end of the cycle you are guaranteed to see results. I did! Apart from having loads of fun while working extremely hard (this may be paradoxical but it’s the truth), I have seen improvements in my Bench, Overhead Press, Chin-Up and Pull-Up (I couldn’t do a Pull-Up prior to this class). Love this class! Thanks, Coach Ro!”—Wendy S.

“AG Strength brought marked improvements to my upper body pull and push strength, and it was impressive how it translated into gymnastic gains/z. During AGS I got my first Handstand Push-Up, my first Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up, and went from doing a 15 lbs weighted strict Pull-Up to a 60 lbs one! It’s a great class to focus on targeted upper body strength, and Arturo’s programming helps you see constant week-after-week improvements.”—Daniel R.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Rest Day
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“Murph” Is For Everyone

By Chris Fox

Hero WODs are usually longer, harder, and heavier—more grueling than your average WOD. “Murph” is no exception. But “Murph” is also for every CFSBKer who wants to do it. As always, we have a scaling option that is appropriate for wherever you’re at on your fitness journey. Whether you’re going to do a full “Murph” or not, you can choose to perform one of the following options:

“Murph”

1 Mile Run
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run

Partition the Pull-Ups, Push-Ups, and Squats however desired. The classic and most often-chosen version is “Cindy” style: 20 rounds of 5 Pull-Ups, 10 Push-Ups, 15 Squats. Many folks choose to split the Push-Ups up and instead do 20 rounds of 5 Push-Ups, 5 Pull-Ups, 5 Push-Ups, 15 Squats. If your Pull-Ups and Push-Ups are pretty strong, you might consider doing 10 rounds of 10 Pull-Ups, 20 Push-Ups, and 30 Squats (less to count!). Of course, you can also choose to perform the reps “Angie” style and do “Murph” as a chipper… or as Rx’d and wear a 20/14lb vest for the whole shebang.

Our standard movement scaling options are…

Run: Row or Bike
Pull-Ups: Ring Rows
Push-Ups: Knee Push-Ups
Squats: Squats!

We know that many of you can perform the movements as prescribed but may need to scale the total volume a bit. To this end, here are some scaling options:

1/3 “Murph”

33 Pull-Ups
66 Push-Ups
99 Squats
11 sets of 3/6/9

1/2 “Murph”

50 Pull-Ups
100 Push-Ups
150 Squats
10 Sets of 5/10/15 or 5/5/5/15

3/4 “Murph”

75 Pull-Ups
150 Push-Ups
200 Squats
15 Sets of 5/10/15, or 5/5/5/15

We encourage everyone to complete both 1 mile runs, unless an injury precludes you from running. It’s generally the large volume of bodyweight movements that need scaling.

How have you approached “Murph” in the past, and how will you approach it this year? Tell us in the comments!

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Push Press | Single-Unders, Row, Handstand Walk
Press Handstands with Katrin Davidsdottir Power Monkey
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Push Press

(De-Load)
3 x 6

De-Load Week: use the same load as week one’s 3 x 12. Perform each rep as its own event (no cycling) and focusing on moving from a solid rack (bar on shoulders with elbows up and shoulders shrugged) to a stable overhead position. Hold each rep overhead for a 2 count before recovering.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 5 of 8

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24 Minutes Not for Rounds:
A) 100 Single Unders
B) 400m Row
C) 100′ Handstand Walk, 30 Shoulder Taps (from a kick up or Wall Walk), 10 Wall Walks, or ~2 minutes practice

Work at a moderate, maintanable pace. Focus on relaxed breathing and rythym on the jump rope. Aim to maintain an easy and consistent split and stroke rating on the row, and choose the version appropriate for you on the inversion work. It’s ok to have to break up the shoulder taps, or to scale them to elbow taps.

Post work to comments.

Support K-9s for Warriors at Murph Day 2017!

• There are 184 new cases of PTSD diagnosed every day from the ongoing wars in Iraq & Afghanistan.
• 22 veterans of these wars commit suicide each day. 
• Too often, prescription drugs are the only answer given to a veteran. The average warrior is on 10-15 medications when he begins the program. 92% will eliminate or reduce prescription medications after they graduate from K9s For Warriors.
• More than 3.5 million dogs are euthanized in animal shelters every year. Many are wonderful dogs that can be trained to be service dogs for disabled veterans. 

You can learn more about the program and read success stories on the K-9s for Warriors website.

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