CFSBKers Jackie C. and Brian S. at the front desk with Greg. Read on to learn more about Jackie and Brian’s business! | Photo via Bond Street

Around Degraw: Ample Hills Creamery

Now that summer is over and nice, crisp walking-around weather has returned, we’d like to introduce a new feature on the CFSBK blog, Around Degraw! In this feature, we’ll be telling you about nearby small businesses we like. Looking for something to do after class that’s fun and within walking distance? Look no further! For our first installment, we talked Jackie C., a dedicated CFSBKer and part of the husband-and-wife team behind Ample Hills Creamery. 

When and how did Ample Hills start?

We opened in the spring of 2011 with our first shop in Prospect Heights. We were prepared for failure but certainly not success, which was why we ended up having to close the shop after only being open for four days. We ran out of ice cream. We closed down and regrouped, hired more staff and made a lot more ice cream. We currently have two large brick and mortar shops in Brooklyn-our original shop on Vanderbilt and our shop in Gowanus where all our ice cream is being made. We have two seasonal kiosks: one on the waterfront in Brooklyn Bridge Park and another at Riis Beach in The Rockaways. In addition we have two smaller outposts in Manhattan, at Gotham West Market in Hell’s Kitchen and the other is inside Bubby’s in The Meatpacking District.

We also sell our pints in about 30 grocery stores throughout New York City and we ship nationwide.

Your Gowanus location is really close to the gym! Can you tell us a little bit about what it’s been like to be part of the Gowanus small business community?

We were super excited to have found our corner shop in Gowanus and even more psyched when we realized the potential for a roof deck and outdoor seating. Over the last several decades we’d watched Gowanus grow from abandoned warehouses and shady nighttime vibes to funky new community oriented spots, four star restaurants and great evening entertainment. When we signed the lease for Gowanus a few years ago we found out that this 17k square foot shuffle board court was going in and that was amazing. We knew then that clearly we were in good company.

What are your plans for Ample Hill in the next few years?

We are working on opening a larger production space in Red Hook so that we can open more shops in and around New York, as that’s what excites us the most.

A unique feature of Ample hills is your rotating and eclectic ice cream flavors. What is your all-time favorite flavor you guys have created and what is currently available that you’d recommend?

Pistachio Squared is most definitely my all time favorite flavor. For the longest time I’d been asking my husband Brian to make Pistachio and he felt like it was too common. I argued that sometimes common is good. He finally gave in and decided to make it but had to AMPlify it by making Pistachio brittle hence the the name Pistachio Squared. Needless to say it blew me away and continues to do so every time I have a scoop. We also offer a shop specific flavor at each of our locations that somehow pay tribute the history or neighborhood of where they are. Our Gowanus site specific flavor is called “It Came From Gowanus.” It’s a dark deep salty chocolate with lots of mix-ins such as hazelnut crack cookies, orange scented brownies, and white chocolate pearls.  he flavor is both a nod to Brian’s former life as a sci-fi writer and the notoriously polluted Gowanus canal.   

Gowanus has really rebuilt itself over the past few years. Are there other businesses or things to do around the neighborhood that you’d recommend? 

CROSSFIT!!! And then once you’re super fit I’d say go to Baba’s and eat some pierogis followed by a game of shuffle board at The Royal Palms and then if your still hungry and want to play then you should go to Insa for some karaoke followed by Threes for some great beer.  And really, I could go on.

Thanks, Jackie! It’s impossible not to love an ice cream shop named after a Walt Whitman line. Do you have a favorite small business near the gym? Send leads to Josh [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: NFT Work | Deadlift
Rack It Right CrossFit Journal
Choose to Fight Training Think Tank

5 RNFT or 20 Minutes

12 Russian Kettlebell Swings
12 (6ea) Goblet Reverse Lunges
12 (6ea) Forearm Plank Alternating Reaches
6-12 Handstand Push-Ups, or Dumbbell Presses

Use the same kettlebell for both movements and keep it relatively light. Feet wide in the plank, reach one arm away from the body and hold for a 1 count before switching sides. If you’re doing the Dumbbell Presses, then perform a Wall Walk or a Kick-Up (with a few second hold) after each set of presses.

Post work to comments.

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Deadlift

1-1-1

Max effort day. After a few warm up sets, attempt to set a new personal best on the Deadlift. As always, work to maintain a neutral spine and keep the bar over the middle of your foot. For Fitness athletes, start where you pulled a double last week and go from there. For Performance athletes, start around 90% and go from there. If you’re very new to the lift then perform 3-5 heavy singles instead of a true max-effort single.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 8 of 8

CFSBK TFBA Bethany E. grips the bar during a Deadlift | Photo by Thomas H.

Register Now for the Pelvic Floor Health Workshop!

Iron Maidens Lift n’ Learn presents:

A Pelvic Floor Health Workshop
November 13, 2016 from 2:00-4:30pm

Do your hips ever feel a little unstable at the bottom of your squat? Are you fastidious about making a trip to the bathroom before that heavy Deadlift… because you learned the hard way? Do you sometimes feel pressure in your pelvis on a max set of 5?

The health of your pelvic floor is part of the equation here! Correct pelvic floor engagement is an essential, but often overlooked component of lifting, and everyday life.

This team taught workshop aims to shed light on what exactly constitutes the pelvic floor, how to strengthen it, and engage it under load. Our goal is to provide you with the tools to cultivate healthy pelvic floor function and prevent dysfunction.

You will walk away with:

• A basic understanding of pelvic floor anatomy
• Exercises you can do at home or as part of your warm-ups to engage and strengthen the pelvic floor, including breathing and bracing techniques
• An understanding of how to apply engagement under load 

This workshop is for women only.
Limited to 25 participants
$75 registration fee

REGISTER HERE

Developed and presented by:

Katie Harper received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2016 and has been a CrossFit coach and personal trainer at CFSBK since March 2015. She is a CrossFit Level 1 trainer, CrossFit Movement and Mobility Trainer, Functional Range Conitioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms), Functional Movement Screen Provider (FMS), Graston Technique Provider, Rocktape Functional Movement Specialist I, and has attended the Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation I course offered by the Institute of Physical Arts.

Kristin Hoesl has been training clients one on one and in groups in Pilates for over a decade. She specializes in helping athletes access their pelvic floor, and find both stability and mobility through their abdominal core and spine.

For over 30 years, Debbie Parsons has been teaching and studying movement. From a professional dance career to Pilates certification (1994), and continuing through Crossfit Level one and Starting Strength programs, Debbie has been helping clients to move with economy and efficiency.

Margie Lempert has been a coach at CFSBK since 2009, always with a focus on barbell training for women. She founded Iron Maidens Raw Open, an annual all-women powerlifting competition in 2015, teaches small group barbell classes with her husband, and trains individual clients. She is a Starting Strength Coach and CrossFit Level 1 Trainer. 

Melissa Loranger received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2016 and has been a CrossFit coach and personal trainer at CFSBK since April, 2012. She is a CrossFit Level 1 trainer, a Certified Starting Strength Coach and has taken multiple continuing education courses offered by the Institute of Physical Arts, Graston Techniques, LLC and Rock Tape.

Fight Gone Bad Fundraising Update (T-13 Days!)

GUYS! We’re at $8,530—which is 57% of our fundraising goal for Brooklyn Community Foundation. We posted some great fundraising tips, and a sample email template if you haven’t started fundraising yet. KEEP GOING!

Learn more about the Brooklyn Community Foundation and all the great work they’ve done. They support a variety of artistic, agricultural, environmental, social, and educational programs helping people of all ages. No doubt there are several programs they’ve helped that you identify with.

Congrats to those teams and individually topping our leaderboards on CrowdRise! Below are our top fundraisers from both the individual and team divisions (as of 8pm Sunday 10/2):

Top Five Teams:

1. He Man and the Masters of the Universe: $2,640
2. Bring It On Fleek!: $1,205
3. The Gowanus Superfunders: $750
4. Posterior Chain Gang: $710
5. Flexual Healing: $500

Top Five Individuals: 

1. Charles S.: $2,530
2. Mike I.: $725
3. Scott M.: $710
4. Jay R.: $650
5. Erik B.: $425

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Twitter Reveals How God Created Animals Sad and Useless
Why Do We Love to Curse So Much? NY Times

Power Snatch

Every minute on the minute x 15:
2 Power Snatches

These will add up quickly, so start modestly on the load and only increase if the reps feel crisp. Do them touch-and-go if you can organize them, do quick bailed singles if you can not.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 7 of 8

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For Time:
50 Calorie Row
50 Toes-to-Bars
50 Box Jump Overs 24/20″

Sub volume or to Hanging Leg or Knee Raises or 100 Sit-Ups for the T2B as needed. For the Box Jump Overs , there is no extension requirement on top of the box but you must be facing the box, i.e. no lateral jumps. Two foot take-off is Rx’d, get down however desired.

Post time and Rx to comments.

The Chainsaw Roses of Love respresenting at yesterday’s Girls Gone Rxed event at CrossFit 718. We’ll have a full report on all the ass kicking soon | Photo by Thomas H.

Save the Date: Save the Date: Squad WOD at CFSBK 

Did Girls Gone Rxed pique your interest in getting involved with New York’s community of woman CrossFitters? Then save the date for Squad WOD at CFSBK!

Date: Sunday, November 6th, 3pm – 5pm
What: A women-focused WOD led by Crossfit Solace Coach Heidi Jones

Squad WOD is a female-focused workout that takes place at different gyms across the NYC area. The intention is to bring women together in an environment that is free of judgement and overflowing with empowerment, camaraderie, and support for each other.  

Squad WOD is a chance to meet, connect, make new friends, and empower one another in an environment that is all about celebrating each of our strengths and broadening our squads.  

After each workout, there will be a different speaker who tells her story of triumph over obstacles in a continued effort to inspire the group.  

The cost of the event is $20. The money raised will be donated to a local women’s charity. 

The workouts are for all levels of CrossFit athlete from beginner to advanced. We’ll have registration info for the CFSBK event soon!

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Watching Male Spiders Practice the Art of Seduction NY Mag
The Strongest Man in the World vs. The Fittest Man in the World Super Training

Back Squat / Front Squat

Fitness
Back Squat: 2 x 5 Linear Progression
Front Squat: 2 x 3 Linear Progression

Heavier than last week

Performance
Back Squat: 85% x 3 x 2
Front Squat: 85% x 3 x 2

Post Loads to comments
Exposure 14 of 16
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Team WOD
In teams of 3, complete the following for time:
1 Mile run buy in (team runs the mile together) then,
300 Wall Balls 20/10, 14/9

All three teammates must be back in the gym before the first Wall Ball shot occurs. Break the Wall Balls up however desired.

Post time, Rx, and partners to comments.

Coaches Margie and Jeremy have watched an estimated 5,529,000 Deadlifts together | Photo by Thomas H.

Girls Gone Rx at CrossFit 718

Todayour friends at CrossFit 718 will be hosting Girls Gone Rx Brooklyn. Teams of 3 ladies will compete in 4 events throughout the day to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. $30 for each team’s registration fee will be donated directly to Bright Pink. CFSBK is proud to be sending four teams to the competition:

 Chainsaw Roses of Love: Charlie N., Kayleigh R., Kelly L.
Flexual Healing: Griselle O., Val K., Tyler G.
Wall Ball Busters: Melody W., Elyssa S., Natalie R.

Kick some ass, ladies!

718 is just a quick bike or train ride away. Head on up to cheer for our athletes!

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Warm Up Routine for Gymnastics and Handstands Tykato Fitness
Less Than 1 in 10 Teens Gets Enough Exericise Harvard Medical School

CFSBK mamas Mary H. and Coach MeLo | Photo by Coach JB

This Week at CFSBK in Review

1. In another week of Humans of Starting Strength Program, we talked to Andre L. and the dynamic duo of BFFs Micheline G. and Christina L.

2. With two weeks to go until the main event, Fight Gone Bad Fundraising season is in full swing! We just passed $5000, but we still have a long way to go. On Monday, we gave you a letter you can tweak and send to your friends and family. Let’s do this!

3. FGB TEAM CAPTAINS: Your t-shirt orders are due today by noon. Please submit them to Coach Jess at info [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com.

4. In our latest installment of Behind the Desk, we learned more about another one of our beloved front desk staff members, Lynsey R. We also learned what a “smoggie” is and that Coach David’s sheep costume is still boring old white.

5. Yesterday we introduced a new class called Short Circuit! We’re very excited about this new offering and hope that you’ll spread the word to your friends and family.

Girls Gone Rx at CrossFit 718

Tomorrow, October 1st, our friends at CrossFit 718 will be hosting Girls Gone Rx Brooklyn. Teams of 3 ladies will compete in 4 events throughout the day to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. $30 for each team’s registration fee will be donated directly to Bright Pink. CFSBK is proud to be sending four teams to the competition:

Flexual Healing: Griselle O., Val K., Tyler G.
Wall Ball Busters: Melody W., Elyssa S., Natalie R.

718 is just a quick bike or train ride away. Head on up to cheer for our athletes!

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Clean and Jerk | “Jackie”
Ask a Swole Woman: 17th Century Whaler Problems The Hairpin
The Ninety-Two-Year-Old Powerlifter The Walrus