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Mauricio A. on the Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge

We’ve been plugging the 2017 Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge a lot over the past couple of weeks, and for good reason! It’s one of our most popular, successful programs of the year. But the best way to get a sense of how the Challenge helps our members establish healthier habits in the New Year is to hear from past participants. Here’s Mauricio A., one of the winners of last year’s Challenge, on how it has affected him:

I’m glad to see the LFPBC is back for 2017. For those thinking about participating – DO IT! I can honestly say you are in for a lifestyle changing experience.  

Here’s what happened to me during the 3 months:

• Weight: I went from 206Lbs to 190Lbs in those 3 months.
• Food: I went from poor eating to healthy 3 to 5 small meals per day.
• Drinking: I went from a beer a day to 1 to 2 drinks per week.
• Supplements: I went from zero to a daily vitamin and fish oil
• Sleep: I always sleep 8+ hours, so not a ton changed with sleep.  That said, chances are you will see better sleeping habits.
• Water: same as sleep. I’m pretty good at keeping hydrated. 

The challenge is 3 months, and for some it might be a long time. 3 months is the perfect time for your body and mind to get used to a new lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise. I was able to keep up with it, and today I’m currently at 183lbs and in better shape than when I was 20.

The best part of the challenge: you really don’t have to do much.  Fox programs the entire thing, provides a tracking document, and all meeting are designed and organized to help you with your goals.

Oh, and you can win stuff!

Thanks, Mo! What are you waiting for? Sign up with $30 cash at the front desk!

News and Notes

• Starting Saturday, we’ll be running on a modified schedule for the holidays. You can always find our 2016-17 holiday schedule on the Class Schedule page. 
• Speaking of the holidays, we celebrated Festivus over on our Instagram account. Want to give Coach David the greatest gift of all (other than a donation to The Human Fund)? Help us get to 4,000 followers by the end of the day!

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Push Press / T2Bs | Farmer Carries
What Does a Human Taste Like? Scientific American
These Are Essential Movements CrossFit

Push Press / Toes-to-Bar

Every minute on the minute x 20:
Even: 10 Push Presses
Odd: 10 Toes-to-Bars

The barbell comes off the floor, and the Push Press reps should be cycled unbroken. If you drop the bar, the set ends. Keep these on the medium-heavy side today. The Toes-to-Bars should also be cycled unbroken, so scale some volume as needed or scale ROM to Hanging Leg or Hanging Knee Raises.

Post work to comments.
Exposure 1 of 8

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3 sets each side:
100′ Unilateral Farmer Carry, as heavy as possible

These should be heavy enough that you need to rest in between sets.

Post work to comments.

Photo by Thomas H.

Upcoming Training Cycle Template

Training Cycle Dates: M 12/19/16 – Su 2/19/17
Crush Week: M 2/20/16 – Su 2/27/17
Transition Week: Will be the first week of the following cycle, starting February 28th.

This cycle leads us into the CrossFit Open, which starts February 13th! We’ll see some days with multiple AMRAPs, where the goal is pacing and consistent scoring, a unilateral leg-training day, and of course we’ll revisit some Open WODs from years past. There will be regular exposures to movements that regularly show up during Open WODs.

Monday – Upper Body Push + Metcon

Wednesday – Lower Body Unilateral + Upper Body Pull + Metcon

Thursday – Clean and Jerk + Metcon

Saturday – Back Squat / Front Squat + Metcon

Sunday – Snatch + Metcon

Monday

Upper Body Push days will vary in movements, sets, and reps.

Wednesday

Lower Body/Upper Body Super Set

A – Front Rack Step-Ups:

Each week will be 3 sets of 8-12 reps each leg. Start light enough to make 12 reps each rep without too much difficulty and move up in weight week to week from there. Use your non-dominant leg to set the weight and only do as much weight and as many reps as you can perform on that side. The end goal is to perform 8-12 reps on each leg with half of your back squat 1RM. Use a height that allows you to be at full depth (hip crease below knee) when the working leg is on the box. Come to full standing using the working leg before the trail leg touches down for balance. Do not use the trail leg to help you stand up. Use the trail leg as little as possible to push off from and use a tempo where the down/eccentric phase of the movement is slower than the up/concentric phase. The barbell comes off the floor. Stop the set when you’re not sure you can do another rep or two (i.e., do not bail a bar on a box).

Superset with…
B – Chin-Ups or Supinated-Grip Body Row:

Performance
Perform 4 sets of max reps. Once you can no longer clear your chin over the bar, your set is over. Each rep starts from a dead hang. Initiate the movement by pulling the shoulders down away from the ears and pull the elbows as far down/back as possible. If you can touch your chest to the bar on each rep then do it. You should really be feeling these in your lats.

Fitness
Perform 3 challenging but sub-maximal sets of 2-4 reps, using bands or a small partner assist as needed to achieve full range of motion, followed by a max-rep set. These should be tough sets in a low rep range with the goal of performing around 10-15 total reps. If you can do them unassisted but only 1 at a time, then pepper in as many singles as you can in between sets of Step-Ups during the lifting segment.

Thursday

Clean and Jerk

These days will use EMOM barbell cycling in addition to using Clean and Jerks in WOD format.

Saturday

Back Squat and Front Squat

Weeks 1-8:
2 x 10 of each Back Squat and Front Squat

Move directly from the Back Squat to the Front Squat. Start at 50% for each and add weight each week throughout the cycle.

Sunday

Snatch

These days will use EMOM barbell cycling in addition to using snatches in WOD format.

What are you most looking forward to in this new cycle? What would you like to improve on? Tell us in the comments!

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CrossFit Games Move to Madison, WI CrossFit
Exploring Stress, Relaxation, and Recovery Training Think Tank

Power Clean

Take 7 minutes to warm up to work weight for the metcon.

Post work to comments.

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For Time:
10 Power Cleans 185/125
10 Double-Unders
9 Power Cleans 185/125
20 Double-Unders
8 Power Cleans 185/125
30 Double-Unders
7 Power Cleans 185/125
40 Double-Unders
6 Power Cleans 185/125
50 Double-Unders
5 Power Cleans 185/125
60 Double-Unders
4 Power Cleans 185/125
70 Double-Unders
3 Power Cleans 185/125
80 Double-Unders
2 Power Cleans 185/125
90 Double-Unders
1 Power Clean 185/125
100 Double-Unders

30 minute cap. The Power Clean should be on the heavy side. Scale half attempts or 3x Singles for dubs as needed.

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.
Compare with 8.10.16

Front Desker Lynsey R. loves numbering our new dumbbells so much

• Schedule Change: Open Gym is cancelled tonight for the staff holiday party

TODAY: The Look Feel Perform Better Challenge Info Session and Q&A

Want to learn more about our upcoming Look Feel Perform Better Challenge? You’re invited to an Info Session and Q&A today at 12pm in the Annex. Here we’ll further outline the Challenge and answer any questions you might have. The dates of the Challenge are from Saturday 1/2/17 through Saturday 3/25/17. This is when the CrossFit South Brooklyn community comes together to kickstart healthier nutrition and recovery habits in the New Year. See the LFPB Challenge event page for more details and to learn how you can participate!

Here’s what Jenny M., who participated in last year’s Challenge, had to say about her experience one year later: “The biggest change is that I’m still 10 lbs lighter than I was a year ago! I feel more confident in and out of the gym, and I’m more conscious of how weight can slowly creep on without you really noticing…until you see yourself in a photo. It’s so easy for me to chalk it up to “I’m putting on tons of muscle” (not really!) or “I’m retaining water” (try again!). I feel like I’m more accountable now. I can make small tweaks if I notice a couple pounds of weight gain.”

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: “Fran”
How Much Can Rudolph Snatch? BarBend
How Your Brain Controls the Speed of Time NY Mag

“Fran”

For Time:
21-15-9
Thrusters 95/65
Pull-Ups

This is THE classic CrossFit couplet that has inspired and hooked so many CrossFitters over the years. So simple, yet so potent. The intention is for this to be brutally fast. The fastest times world-wide are completed unbroken and under 2 minutes. Scale accordingly. However, as always, there’s is room to gut out Rx’ing a benchmark such as this at a load or degree of difficulty that’s at the edge of your ability so you might also consider that when deciding what your “Fran” will look like today. Top athletes complete the reps unbroken and with minimal rest but your (and my) Fran might be very different. If you can do the 21 thrusters unbroken but then you wind up in a world of shit for the 21 Pull-Ups, then you should probably break those Thrusters up! Do you rest too much during the 15s? Have a strategy to minimize rest like: 3-5 breaths between sets or a controlled 3-5 count in your head. In any case, have a plan that is honest to your level of ability. Let your judge know your plan and ask them to help keep you to it. And as always, have fun!

Sub Jumping Pull-Ups or scale volume as needed. Use lighter bars and larger bumps as available to save the 10s and 15s!

Post time and Rx to comments.
Compare with 8.8.16

Nikhil B. was in Austin this past week and was fortunate enough to drop in at Coach Noah’s new gym, Crossfit Lumos. He had just opened doors over the weekend! Nikhil is pictured here with Noah and Coach Anna

• Schedule Change: Open Gym is cancelled tomorrow for the CFSBK staff holiday party.

TOMORROW: The Look Feel Perform Better Challenge Info Session and Q&A

Want to learn more about our upcoming Look Feel Perform Better Challenge? You’re invited to an Info Session and Q&A on Sunday, December 18th at 12pm in the Annex. Here we’ll further outline the Challenge and answer any questions you might have. The dates of the Challenge are from Saturday 1/2/17 through Saturday 3/25/17. This is when the CrossFit South Brooklyn community comes together to kickstart healthier nutrition and recovery habits in the New Year. See the LFPB Challenge event page for more details and to learn how you can participate!

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First CrossFit Workout? CrossFit
The First Time “Fran” Was Posted to the CF Main Site

Coach David and CFSBKer Elyssa S. were asked to help Refinery29 vlogger Lucie Fink with her 5 Days of Paleo video. Check it out! (Also, we don’t recommend eating only one Rx Bar for breakfast…)

This Week at CFSBK in Review

1. The Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge is upon us! See that widget to the right of this post? All LFPB Challenge info can be found there. Signing up is easy! Buy in with $30 cash at the front desk and write your name on the big poster near the couches. On the fence? Here’s what one of last year’s participants, Evan H., had to say about the Challenge: “The reason I sought out Crossfit in the first place is because I wanted to live a healthier life overall & I was looking for something that would assist me in building functional strength (i.e. lifting heavy things, going up stairs without breathing hard, etc). The Challenge really helped me take the goal of living a healthier lifestyle to the next level.”

2. Still not convinced, or just looking for more info? Come to the LFPB Challenge Info Session and Q&A this Sunday at 12pm (right after Active Recovery). Coach Fox will talk about the Challenge and answer all of your questions!

3. On Tuesday, we posted our 2016-17 holiday schedule. You can always find this over on the Class Schedule page.

4. Just in time for the holidays, our new Skyline Hoodie is available in both pullover and zip-up styles. Pick one up for your favorite CrossFit fiend or, you know, yourself. Check out all of our awesome merch at the front desk or in our online store.

5. We love dogs at CFSBK, which is why we’re doing another Dogs of CFSBK calendar for 2017! 100% of the proceeds go to PupStarz Rescue, a foster rescue started by our own Robyn O. Both the desk calendar and wall calendar are available for a cash donation of $30-$60. You can place your order by filling out this online form, http://bit.ly/cfsbkdogs.  Pre-paying at the front desk will guarantee your copy. Orders will be taken until Christmas day.  E-mail Bree P. at breebree [at] mindspring.com for any questions.

6. Schedule Change: Sunday OG is cancelled due to the CFSBK staff holiday party.

7. Finally, yesterday we told you about one of our newest pieces of equipment, a Y-2 Rogue Yoke, and how to use it. Enjoy!

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: “Isabel” and “Grace”
Adam Machin: Sweat It Vice Video
4 Lessons Learned from Waking Up at 4:45 To Do CrossFit WOD University