Jake L. considers the barbell | Photo by Thomas H.

This week at CFSBK in Review

1. Results of the LFPB Challenge are soon to come. Stay tuned to the blog Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to find out the top three winners!

2. Kelly Starrett is doing a reading and book signing at the Barnes & Nobel in Tribeca on the 26th. Don’t miss out on your chance to see your favorite Mobility Guru.

3. We caught you up on the CFSBK Classifieds. Spring cleaning time is here. Please feel free to post giveaways or for sale items!

4. Our new 8-week programming cycle started, and we gave you the whole rundown. (Coach McDowell also revealed a hidden talent for reciting long, classic American poems on command. Don’t make him do Howl during a CrossFit Kids class, please!)

5. Have you signed up for our CSA with Common Hands Farm yet? Get on it and secure your veggie supply for the Spring/Summer/Fall!

6. High Rings and ropes joined the equipment arsenal over at 608 Degraw. 

7. More importantly, Coach David asked us to think about the mileage we put on our joints outside the gym. Try not to be a Bigfoot!

8. The first Iron Maidens Lift & Learn session will take place on Saturday, May 1st. We want to keep the Iron Maidens energy and community connected between competitions, so we thought it would be fun to get together semi-regularly to train and learn about lifting (and maybe other stuff!) from women achieving great things. Here’s everything you need to know!

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Bay Area CrossFit Coach Saves Family After Crash CBS
Grace in :59 Seconds CrossFit Fond du Lac
Is Teaching Kids Empathy Just As Important As Teaching Them Math? Pacific Standard

Paused Clean and Paused Jerk

Performance
70% x 2 x 5

Fitness
5 x 2

Use a load that allows you to perform 5 technically sound doubles.

Pause the clean at the knee with the weight back towards the heels. Pause at the bottom of the dip and ensure a strong rack position with weight balanced towards the heel. OK to bail and reset between reps.

Post loads to comments.

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3 Rounds for Time:
30 Russian Kettlebell Swings 53/35
20 Hand Release Push-Ups
270m Run

The kettlebell weight should be light today, light enough to go unbroken on all sets on the top end. Scale Push-Ups with the same goal, or to complete them in no more than 3-4 quick sets.

Throwback Thursday: Charlotte and Nick (and Linus) practicing Capoiera at the Lyceum in 2009

The Inaugural Iron Maidens Lift ‘n’ Learn Session: Sunday, May 1st at 2:30pm

We want to keep the Iron Maidens energy and community connected between Competitions, so we thought it would be fun to get together semi-regularly to train and learn about lifting (and maybe other stuff!) from women achieving great things.

We’re happy to invite you all to the first Iron Maidens Lift n’ Learn session on Sunday, May 1st at 2:30pm.

What: 90 minutes of lifting, followed by a 30-45 minute talk/workshop/dialogue
When: May 1st, 2016 at 2:30pm
Where: CrossFit South Brooklyn, 597 Degraw Street (608 space)
Who: IM participants, and anyone’s who’s curious about IM
How Much: Free!

Our first session will likely feature: You! Bring your ideas for people and topics you want to us to cover in the future to help shape the program.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Squat/Deadlift | Row, Farmer’s Carry
Gamechangers: The Unsung Heroines Instagram

Back Squat

Performance
3 x 12

Leave a rep or two in the tank. 12s will be programmed again next week, so these should not be max effort sets. Use full range of motion and control.

Fitness
3 x 5 Linear Progression

Start your linear progression light enough to increase weight by 5-10 lbs each week over the next 8 weeks.

Deadlift

1 x 10

Warm up and perform one heavy (and perfect) set of 10 reps. Touch-and-go is permitted.

Post loads to comments.

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For Time:
1000m Row
Rest 4 Minutes
270m 1-Armed Farmer’s Carry

Go hard on the row. Carry 1 heavy object to 4th and back, switching arms as needed. Top end load for the farmer’s walk would be about 1/4 x body weight all the way to 4th in one hand with no rest, then all the way back in the other with no rest. Start light if you’ve never done these before. Any time the object goes down you must switch hands. Stay braced and as upright as possible.

Post times and Rx to comments.

Ropes and rings are now up at 608! There’s more to come (including a cargo net!) in the very near future

The Mileage We Put on Our Joints Outside the Gym

By David Osorio

We often focus on our positions, alignment, and mechanical efficiency inside the gym, but less often discussed is the the mileage we put on our joints and connective tissue in our everyday lives outside the gym. The deleterious effects of extended sitting are well documented, and Kelly Starrett talks a lot about basic posture and foot positioning during our everyday life. What else should we be thinking about?

My own exploration into posture started when I was in high school. At some point, I began waking up every day with back pain, and it seemed intuitive to me that a 15 year old should not have back pain. So I began researching the most ergonomic way to sleep for someone who biases overextension (not that I knew what “overextension” meant when I was 15—I figured that part out later). The research I found recommended sleeping with a pillow under your knees, which creates a slight posterior pelvic tilt and puts the lumbar spine into less extension, as well as using a contoured pillow that allows your cervical spine (neck) to remain neutral while sleeping. I also side sleep, so when I shift to my side I try to put a pillow between my legs to keep my pelvis neutral and use a slightly thicker pillow under my neck. (Have you been keeping count? Yes, I do sleep with 3 to 5 pillows at my disposal.)

Years of doing this have made it second nature. I do it throughout the night without even being aware of it. I used to nap on my stomach but eventually curbed that habit, too. It’s the worst way to sleep, because it puts your back into overextension and forces your neck into extreme rotation for hours. At first it may seem daunting to make these changes, but like anything else, with consistent practice, you can gradually develop a habit that becomes a default behavior.

Similarly, I used to always hear my former roommate stomping up and down the stairs to our walk-up. One of our neighbors even called him “Bigfoot” because of how loud he was on the stairs. I often think of the mechanical wear we put on our bodies walking the hundreds of thousands of steps we climb up and down over the course of our lives. Whenever you walk up or down stairs, two things to consider are the orientation of your feet, which should point straight ahead (as opposed to duck-footed) and how lightly you tread. Think about the difference between smashing down hard at the top of a Box Jump and a graceful landing. Aim for a relaxed and quiet trip up or down the stairs.

Pick one new ergonomic habit you can improve and start working on it today. Simple, small changes add up over a lifetime.

What ergonomic habits have you been working to develop, or which ones would you like to work on?

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Japan’s Female Pro Wrestlers Blur the Lines Between Decorum and Beauty CBC
Not a Creampuff Workout CrossFit

Video of the Week: “The Story of Nuno Costa” is a short documentary about a top CrossFitter’s journey to find meaning in movement

Common Hands Farm CSA: Sign Up Today!

Happy Spring! Getting fit and eating well starts now. We have your direct hook-up to fresh produce grown upstate, and its time to sign up to reserve your membership today!

In its fifth year, Common Hands will deliver CSA shares right next door to 575 Degraw (Brooklyn Boulders) on Tuesdays from 6 to 8:30pm.

What is a CSA Share?

It is a membership to a farm where you get an exclusive deal on fresh organically grown vegetables delivered straight from the farm to you! Once you pay the upfront membership fee (payment plans available) you receive a weekly delivery from the farm starting in June through November.

Why Should You Join?

Beyond receiving freshly harvested and health-giving food, grown cleanly with no pesticides or herbicides, you are also putting your money where your mouth is, and supporting the local food economy. This is food from real farmers, and by buying a share you are supporting small organic farms. We grow food for you, period. We are not a distributor or large conventional farm with lots of employees, but real down to earth people. On our farm, a team of less than ten people work to grow food for upwards of 200 members each year… and we care what you eat!

We offer Full and Half Vegetable Shares that can be paired with the optional Full or Half Fruit & Egg Share. A Full Share picks up weekly, while the Half Share picks up bi-weekly. Veg shares are $615 for a weekly (“full”) share or $375 for an every-other-week (“half”) share. Fruit and eggs can be purchased in addition to Veg Shares and are bundled together: a full share is $280 and a half share is $140. Pending interest, Flower Shares may be available as well.

Remember, your pick-up location is just down the block at Brooklyn Boulders!

Go to CommonHandsCSA.com for details or click here to sign up directly!  Questions? Email the farm at commonhandsfarm [at] gmail [dot] com, or the gym’s CSA coordinator, Michele, at mignyc [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Double-Under Progression for Beginners WODPrep
Have Fun Trying to Reach the Poles of Inaccessability Atlas Obscura

Ring Dips (or Close DB Bench Press)

Performance
Tempo Ring Dips (32X1):
4  x 6-12 Strict, 1 x Max Reps

Perform 4 sets across to 2 reps shy of failure, then 1 max effort set to failure. Perform a full range of motion on all reps. Rest as needed between sets. Goal is to add total reps each week by increasing the sets across and/or the max set.

Fitness
Tempo Close Dumbbell Bench Press (32X1):
4 x 6-12, 1 x Max Reps

Perform 4 sets across to 2 reps shy of failure, then 1 max effort set to failure. Rest as needed between sets. Start with a load that feels almost easy for 12 reps. Keep elbows in close to mimic the bottom of a dip.

The tempo note (32X1) means control the eccentric (down) portion for a 3 count, pause at the bottom for a 2 count, contract concentrically (up) as fast as possible, then hold the top for a 1 count before beginning the next rep.

Post loads/work to comments.

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5 Rounds NFT or 20 Minutes:
5ea 1-Armed Dumbbell or Kettlebell Thrusters, as heavy as possible
7ea Split Squats
5-10 Strict Toes-to-Bars or Hanging Leg Raises

Focus on keeping a rigid, squared off torso for the first two movements. Only add weight to the Split Squat if you can do all reps in both legs with perfect form. The goal on the Toes-to-Bars/Hanging Leg Raises is zero swing.

Post work and Rx to comments.

Dan L., Mike C., and Mark L. listen as Coach McDowell recites Walt Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” from memory | Photo by Thomas H.

• CrossFit Kids programming returns today with a new schedule!
• Registration is now open for our seasonal vegetable/fruit/egg and fish CSAs. Don’t miss out!

Upcoming 8-Week Training Cycle Template

Training Cycle Dates: M 4/11- Su 6/5
Crush Week: M 5/29 – Su 6/5
Transition Week: Will be the first week of the following cycle, starting June 6, 2016

This cycle will bring us back to more progressive, less randomized programming with an added emphasis on developing/building intermediate gymnastics skills in warm ups. We’ll program the barbell movements on consistent days of the week and will once again squat twice a week.

Monday – Upper Body Push: Dip or Dumbbell Bench Press + Metcon
Tuesday – Rest Day
Wednesday – Back Squat + Deadlift + Metcon
Thursday – Clean and Jerk + Metcon
Friday – Rest Day
Saturday – Front Squat + Metcon
Sunday – Snatch + Metcon

We’ve laid out the Fitness and Performance rep schemes and weekly progressions for each lift, as well as the standardized warm ups we’ll be doing for the next 8 weeks, over on the Current Programming Cycle page.

New to all this? Check out Coach Fox’s article “The Underlying Philosophy Behind Programming at CFSBK.”

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Bear Complex | Run, Power Snatches, Burpees
Kettlebell Thruster Technique MaxWOD