Power Clean and Push Jerk

Every minute on the minute x 15:
2 Power Clean and Push Jerks

These will add up quickly, so start modest 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 cannot.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 7 of 8

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“Jackie”

For Time:
1000m Row
50 Thrusters, 45 lbs
30 Pull-Ups

This classic benchmark (and CFSBK Leaderboard item) should hurt a bit and is all about how much you want to push it. Baller status for doing the reps all unbroken. Try to keep the bar on your body for all 50 reps. NO BAILING THE EMPTY BARS! If you think you’ll bail, then set up a lighter bar with bumps on it. Resting the bar on your back is allowed. Standard scaling options for Pull-Ups: volume, Jumping Chest-to-Bar, DIY bands, or Ring Rows.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Short Circuit: Reprogram Your Body!™

CrossFit South Brooklyn is thrilled to announce Short Circuit, a new class utilizing some of the best training methods to give you a great total body workout in just one hour. Each class includes two circuits programmed specifically to help you shed pounds while increasing your strength, stamina, and flexibility. At Short Circuit, we want you to get sweaty, have fun, and build confidence, one workout at a time. We create an inclusive space where people can feel comfortable exactly where they are in their fitness journeys and, more importantly, challenge themselves to get better. Our instructors have worked with clients in every age group, with every body type, and across all ability levels. We want to show you that you’re capable of much more than you thought! This is our passion. This is our goal.

Each Short Circuit class consists of 4 segments:

Plug In
We start classes with a comprehensive, dynamic warm-up programmed to get your body ready for exercise while practicing skills and positions relevant to the day’s class.

1st Circuit (strength/stamina)
The 1st Circuit focuses on your strength and stamina by using 3-4 exercises done in sequence for 15-20 minutes. We use dumbbell, kettlebell, and bodyweight exercises programmed to keep your muscles strong and toned.

2nd Circuit (conditioning, intervals)
Here’s where things heat up! We’ll use a variety of high-intensity intervals to bump up your heart rate up and really make you sweat. Whether you’re on the rowing machine, swinging a kettlebell, or doing some Burpees, you’ll get your endorphins pumping with our higher intensity circuit.

Unplug
Finally, we finish with some extra core and flexibility work before sending you off to take on the rest of your day. You’ll be recharged and ready to go!

What if I can’t do something?
Every movement we teach and perform will have a variety of scaling options, so you’ll be challenged whether you’re flying through a set of 10 Push-Ups or still working on your first one. Our seasoned coaches can modify your workouts specifically for your abilities all while motivating you to do your best and to go a little further, faster, longer than you thought possible. We are here to help everyone achieve their goals, one drop of sweat at a time! No experience is required to take a Short Circuit class. Just show up and get fit!

Ok, so wait, is this CrossFit?
Not really! While we will offer CFSBK members a 15% discount on Short Circuit punchcards, this class is ideal for your friends and family who want to get fitter but perhaps aren’t quite ready to take the plunge into the world of WODs and AMRAPs and barbells. In short, please spread the word!

Schedule
Monday 9:00am
Wednesday 9:00am
Friday 9:00am

Class Cap: We will limit our class size to 15 people to ensure that every member gets individual attention and there is plenty of equipment to go around. RSVP will required to attend each class.

REGISTER HERE!

Fight Gone Bad Fundraising Update and Notes

• We far we’ve raised almost $5,000 for Brooklyn Community Foundation! Team He Man and the Masters of the Universe has surged into first place with team Bring It On Fleek! not far behind. So far, Charles S. is our top individual fundraiser. We’re off to a great start, but there’s still more work to be done. Onward, FGBers!
• A few spots have opened up! If you’d like to participate, please e-mail Coach Jess at info [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com as soon as possible!
• TEAM CAPTAINS: You should have received an e-mail from Jess about shirt sizes. The deadline for submitting your team’s shirt info is this Friday by noon.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Back Squat / Front Squat | Double Unders, Run, Burpees
Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect The New Yorker
Dan Bailey’s First “Jackie” CrossFit

Back Squat / Front Squat

Fitness
Back Squat: 2 x 12 Linear Progression
Front Squat: 2 x 8 Linear Progression

Heavier than last week

Performance
Back Squat: 70% x 2 x 2
Front Squat: 70% x 2 x 2

Every other exposure is a de-load so these should feel light.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 13 of 16

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3 Rounds for Time:
30 Double-Unders
200m Run
10 Burpees

The goal is to push the pace on this one and try and finish before the hurt kicks in. Sub 10 attempts or 75 singles for dubs as needed.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Behind the Desk: Lynsey Roddham

You all love the Underneath the Hoodie series and now we’re bringing back the Behind the Desk series, about our beloved and much appreciated Front Desk staff. These CrossFitters take care of the important duties of checking in our members, handling walk-ins, tidying up after classes, and so many other things that it would take forever to list them. They are the glue that holds this gym together.

Last time, it was Juan L. And now (drum roll, please), introducing another newish front desker…

Name (and any nicknames): Lynsey Roddam, aka Lynz, Roddam, Rodderz, or Rodney.

Where were you born and where did you grow up? I was born in a town called Middlesbrough in the North East of England where people are often referred to as “smoggies” (mainly by opposing soccer supporters) due to the pollution emitted by the industrial power stations! I was then brought up in a market town from the age of 7 in North Yorkshire called Northallerton. Think Sheep, Yorkshire tea, Yorkshire puddings, and lots and lots of gravy, as well as phrases such as “ee by gum” and “aye up.” Baffled?! You can find more examples and translations here!

How long have you been CrossFitting, and how did you arrive at CFSBK? I briefly started CrossFit in London back in June(ish) 2015. Shortly after we found out about our move to New York so I put it on hold and started again in January 2016. We live just around the corner so CFSBK is our nearest CrossFit, which incidentally we’re thrilled about because it’s clearly the best one!

Any front-desk public service announcements? Please put your kettlebells and dumbbells back in the right order! 🙂

Ask me about that time I… Texted David O. to ask him if he wanted me to dye his sheep costume!

What are you up to when you’re not at 597 Degraw Street? I’m always at 597 Degraw Street.

What are three (non essential like food and water) things you can’t live without? Good people, positive vibes, and Yorkshire tea!

You have friends or family coming to visit from out of town. What do you take them to do in NYC? Even though Rob and I have only been here for just less than a year we’ve had soooo many visitors, so I’m pretty much an established tour guide! The first thing, especially if they’ve never been here before, has to be a walk along Brooklyn Heights promenade towards Brooklyn Bridge Park, usually followed by a stroll over Brooklyn Bridge. It offers great photo opportunities and a cultural slap in the face. Especially when the biggest city your visitor has ever been to is Leeds, West Yorkshire with a population of 750,000 and where the tallest building sits at a staggering height of 370ft! We always take guests to our favourite restaurant in our neighborhood: Al Di La and an NYC trip wouldn’t be complete without a roof top view in the form of Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, or a rooftop bar hop! Finally, for those who get truly starstruck, a visit to 66 Perry Street (Carrie Bradshaw’s house!). 

Favorite and least favorite lift:  My favourite lift would have to be a Split Jerk or a Deadlift. My least favourite lift (its not a lift!) is anything involving running. Literally my most hated thing in the world.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Rest Day
Proteins Preserved on 3.8 Million-Year-Old Eggshell Are a Portal to “Deep Time” Atlas Obscura
The Kids Are All Fit CrossFit

Humans of Starting Strength Cycle: Micheline G. and Christina L.

Registration for our next round of Starting Strength Program cycles opened last week! Between now and when the cycle starts, we’ll be bringing you some Humans of New York-style interviews of our Starting Strengthers. For our next installment, Coach Margie suggested that we interview Micheline G. and Christina L. together, because “they are CFSBK BFFs and do everything together.” So that’s what we did!

Thanks, Micheline and Christina! Keep a lookout for more profiles of these wonderful humans over the next couple of weeks.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Deadlift / Handstand Push-Ups | NFT Work         
The Secret Life of Trees Brain Pickings
800 Pounds for 7 Reps BarBend

Deadlift / Handstand Push-Up Superset*

1A) Deadlift

Fitness
3 x 2

Heavier than last week.

Performance
85% x 3 x 3

1B) Handstand Push-Up

Fitness
3 x 5-10 Box Piked HSPUs

1-2 AbMats are ok. Knees are easier than toes. Sub 8-12 Seated Dumbbell Presses if you don’t have Boxed Pike HSPUs yet. 

Performance
3 x 6-12 Strict HSPUs  

1-3 AbMats are allowed as long as you’re getting some range of motion out of it. If you can do 3 sets of 12 easily, then add a deficit. DC blocks and bumpers work well for this.

*Superset means that you perform a set of exercise A (in this case the Bench Press) and then after a short rest, 30 seconds to a minute, you perform a set of exercise B (in this case the Barbell Bent-Over Row). You then rest a short period before returning to exercise A and continue in this fashion until all warm up and work sets are completed.

Post loads/work to comments.
Exposure 7 of 8

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5 RNFT or 20 Minutes:
8ea Single Leg Romanian Deadlift, contra-laterally loaded
8 Dumbbell Bench Press, as heavy as possible.
8 Chin-Ups, as heavy as possible.

Use a modest weight on the SDRDLs and focus on staying engaged with the movement. Kettlebells work well for these. Work up to a challenging set of 8 on the other two movements, using bands or adding weight as appropriate on the Chins.

Post work to comments.

Coach MeLo stopped by the gym with Lilyanne yesterday. They’re doing great! | Photo by Rob U.

Fight Gone Bad Fundraising Update

Comrades! We’re almost at $3,000—which is 20% of our fundraising goal for Brooklyn Community Foundation. Team Posterior Chaingang is in the lead with team Bring It On Fleek not far behind. We’re off to a great start!

Now’s a good time to start e-mailing your friends and family. Rip off a version of this one below, and select, replace, or delete adjectives as you feel led. One of our members used this email a couple of years ago (with almost all of the adjectives) and quickly raised over $500. Jump on it!

Dear/Salutations/Greetings/Hola/Aloha/Beloved [insert name], 

As you probably know, I’m really into CrossFit. It’s helped me/I love it because _______. Every year at my gym, CrossFit South Brooklyn, we have an event called Fight Gone Bad, where we do this crazy/hard/weird/incredible/soul-crushing/soul-enhancing workout (which you can see here). 

What makes the event even more cool/inspiring/sweet/meaningful is that it’s not just a competition for highest reps, but also a competition to raise money for a local organization called Brooklyn Community Foundation. BCF supports a variety of artistic, agricultural, environmental, social, and educational programs in Brooklyn, helping people of all ages. 

So, why am I telling you all of this? Because I need your help! [Insert any crazy story or incentives for hitting certain fundraising markers, i.e., If you donate $XX, I will do X, Y, and/or Z.] Donate here [insert link to your page]! 

I will be sure to let you know how the event goes, and probably send along a sweaty/hot/sexy/revolting photo of myself post-workout.

Sincerely/With love/Gratefully/Be well/Shalom,
[Your name]

AND REMEMBER TO SAY THANK YOU WHEN PEOPLE DONATE! It’s what our moms taught us to do.

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Maybe There’s Some Hope for Political Fact Checking After All NY Mag
Sticky Catch Position CrossFit

Power Snatch

Every minute on the minute x 15:
3 Power Snatches

These will add up quickly so start modest 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 cannot.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 6 of 8

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Partner WOD
In teams of 2, with one partner working at a time, complete the following for time:
2000 Meter Row
100 Russian Kettlebell Swings 32/24kg
50 Overhead Squats 135/95

Break up the work however desired (though relatively even is the goal) and get through the reps chipper style. The barbell should be a medium-heavy load for you.

Humans of Starting Strength Program: Andre Lawrence

Registration for our next round of Starting Strength Program cycles opened yesterday! Between now and when the cycle starts, we’ll be bringing you some Humans of New York-style interviews of our Starting Strengthers. Who are these intrepid powerlifters? What brings them together? What is Starting Strength Program like? Let’s find out! For our next installment, we talked to a relatively new CFSBKer, Andre L.

What are some differences between SS and group class? Were any a surprise to you? 

The two main differences between SS and group class are 1) The amount of time between work sets. This was shocking and greatly appreciated. For a set of 3 x 5 Back Squats, we would spend 30 to 40 minutes vs. 15-17 minutes in group class. This rest period is key to recovery and allowing you to hit your target weight and continuously progress. This leads me to number 2) Individualized programming and tracking. SS starts everyone out on a linear progression, and the first couple of weeks feel easy, leaving you with a “That’s it?” feeling. That changes later on and you will feel drained after heavy work sets. Eventually most people hit a failure point on linear progression during the cycle, and that’s where Coaches Jeremy and Margie come in. They then adjust your programming by either dialing back a little and working back up, or by substituting a movement (i.e., pause squats vs. regular squats) to help you continue on and overcome the roadblock

What are a few of the biggest things you took from SS?

Some of the things I took from SS are belief in my capabilities. There will be times where you see the programming set for you by the coaches and wonder how you will get it done. Trust the programming and the knowledge and experience of the coaches. They won’t steer you wrong. The other thing I took from SS is that strength is the foundation of life. The stronger you are, the easier things become. No, it wont make everything easier, but there is nothing that being stronger will make harder.

If you typically take CF classes, how did the SS cycle impact your capacity in group class? If not, did SS impact your life in other ways?

This was the biggest impact I saw from taking SS. My main reason for taking SS was to be able to Rx more group class workouts, and that is exactly what happened. I did lose some conditioning from only focusing on strength, but that came back in due time and the ability to Rx workouts was all worth it. I feel everyone should take SS at least once and I plan on taking one cycle per year.