From May 15 to May 31, hundreds of CrossFit athletes from around the world competed in eight regionals, and CrossFit HQ made this cool video. The CrossFit Games start in 32 days, on July 21! The Games have been held every summer since 2007. Athletes compete in workouts they learn about only hours beforehand, and the Games are styled as a venue for determining the “Fittest on Earth,” where competitors should be ready for anything.

Community News 

• Peter M. took his last class at CFSBK this morning! He is moving to Greenwich, CT. We miss you already, Peter!
• Congrats to Noah S., who wrote a paper about cybersecurity, which won an award from the faculty at NYU Law School, where he just graduated last month! The paper is written so that one could hand it to a business leader who doesn’t know how to code and get them up to speed about overall strategies for managing cybersecurity risk at their firm—which means it might be useful to CFSBKers who are lobbying their bosses for better cybersecurity at work or calling the shots themselves. 

Catching Up With CFSBK Classifieds  

• Sam P. is on the job hunt, and wants to help you or your company! She recently worked at a start-up consulting firm in the energy industry, and is looking for work in policy, research, tech, government, law, business, etc. In the meantime, she’s also available for odd jobs. If you have questions for her, email her at s.goldman.peltz [at] gmail.com or learn more about her skillz in her Classifieds post here.
• Need a new nanny? Tom S.’s nanny of 13+ years will be available soon since his boys are almost all grown up. She’s reliable and dependable (13 years!). Please reach out to him if you or someone you know is looking for help. shpetner [at] gmail.com, with “Nanny” in the subject line. 
• Looking for tutoring or homework help for your child? Leah is currently an educator in a K-8 school with eight years experience in NYC independent schools. She lives in Park Slope, but will travel to your house. If you are interested, email her at leahwminchello [at] gmail.com.
• Some CFSBKers are looking for roommates or moving out of their apartments. Learn more in the Housing thread!

Have a service you want to share with CFSBK’s community, or a need you think one of us could meet? Or stuff you want to give away/animals in need of adoption/tickets for sale/etc.? Post in CFSBK’s Classifieds! Our members have found apartments, pets, and jobs through our forum.  

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The Secret Life of Pets 

Fitness: Halting Snatch Deadlift + Mid Hang Snatch + Overhead Squat
Work up to a medium heavy load on the complex, around where you did last week’s triples.

Performance: 2 Snatch Pulls + 1 Snatch
Work up to a medium heavy load on the complex, around 80%.

Post loads to comments.
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Behind the Neck Snatch Push Press + Overhead Squat
Work up a heavy load on the complex. This should ideally be close to or heavier than your best snatch. If you can’t fully overhead squat, perform the push press and lower to your best depth and hold for :02. Aim to add weight to last week.

Post what you worked on to comments.

THERE’S A NEW BIG ASS FAN IN 608. Here it is keeping Jeremy cool while he texts and Margie while she lifts.

News and Notes

• We have a big ass fan to keep you cool but the bathrooms and showers at 608 are still out of commission for the week. Thank you again for your patience, and we’ll keep you updated!
• Lots of new stuff up in LOST AND FOUND. Claim your gear, or we’re giving it away.
• SCHEDULE UPDATE: Active Recovery is CANCELED tonight.

The Bone Marrow Donor Registry Drive at CFSBK Is This Sunday, June 21 from 9:30am to 2:30pm!

The cure for blood cancer is in your hands.  Every four minutes, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukemia or lymphoma. For many patients a marrow transplant is the only life-saving treatment, yet 70% don’t have a matching marrow donor in their family, like little Asaya. CrossFit South Brooklyn is hosting a donor registry drive in partnership with BE THE MATCH, which over the past 25 years has managed the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world and offers support and education before, during and after transplant.

Joining the BE THE MATCH registry is easy!  A representative from BE THE MATCH will be at CFSBK on Sunday, June 21 from 9:30am-2:30pm to explain what it means to join the registry, plus help you understand the health requirements and the commitment.  After completing the necessary paperwork, all you then have to do to complete your registration is give four swabs of cheek cells, that’s it!  Your cheek cells with then be tissue-typed and become a part of the registry doctors around the world search to find matches for their patients for potential bone marrow donation. 

Additional Details About the Donation Process
There are no restrictions in terms of not eating/drinking prior to your cheek swab, but donors do need to be ages of 18-44 and in good general health.

If you are selected, donors will be asked to donate in one of two ways:

Peripheral blood cell (PBSC) donation involves removing a donor’s blood through a needle in one arm. The blood is passed through a machine that separates out the cells used in transplants. The remaining blood is returned through the other arm.

Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure in which liquid marrow is withdrawn from the back of the donor’s pelvic bones using needles. Anesthesia is always used for this procedure, so donors feel no pain during marrow donation. Most donors feel some pain in their lower back for a few days afterwards. Learn more here.

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Bierkraft Closes After 13 Years in Park Slope 
The First Ever European Games Are Underway in Azerbaijan The Atlantic 

Fitness and Performance: 3 x 5 Linear Progression 
Add 5-10 lbs to last week. If this is your first exposure this cycle then back off sufficient enough from last cycle and plan to hit your 5RM for 3×5 in week 8.

Post loads to comments.
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5 Rounds or 18 minutes:
5 Front Rack Reverse Lunges* Left
5 Front Rack Reverse Lunges* Right
10 Kipping Toes to Bar or Kipping Knee Tucks 

Post rounds and Rx to comments.

Is texting destroying your body? Mobility|WOD thinks that the damage caused to the body from too much texting is reaching epidemic levels. The average person is spending 2 1/2 hours a day on their phones–usually in a broken, head forward position. The result is “camel neck,” an unsightly bump on the back of your neck, not to mention a host of downstream disorganization. It’s not just a drooping head at fault here. We’re often holding our phones in compromising positions, from the shoulders down to our grip on the device itself. Learn more by watching this video, and more from K Starr. 

• Happy birthday, Jenny M.!

Introducing: Next Level Weightlifting Club at CFSBK

The Next Level Weightlifting Club offers Olympic lifting with strength training and mobility all in one. Lifts that will be performed include: 

• Snatch
• Clean
• Jerk
• Front Squat
• Back Squat (high bar)
• Press
• Push Press
• Snatch Pull
• Clean Pull
• Deadlift (Clean/Snatch style) 

Weightlifting classes will be held in two-hour windows. While there will be a start to every class, you are allowed to show up at any time during the two-hour training session to lift. Those involved will receive the week’s program which they can either do during the training session or on their own times during open gyms. If you are unable to participate in class on a regular basis, you also have access to Coach Frank via email and can submit videos to be evaluated and critiqued. Think of him as your personal coach.

While there are universal weekly workouts, they can and likely will change from person to person depending on each individual’s needs. All people are different and therefore require different things to be successful. At Next Level Weightlifting Club, we take that into account and make adjustments as needed to optimize progress. 

“Participants can expect to build a strong foundation focused around proper technique, mobility, and attention to individual weak points. Building this foundation will not only help lead to higher lifts but also set the base for continued and consistent progress. Moreover, by developing proper technique, mobility, and focusing on weak points, participants will become more confident, less prone to injury, and more consistent lifters. All of this giving you the tools for a longer, healthier, stronger career with the Olympic lifts.” —Next Level Weightlifting

Typical Sessions Include:

• Warm-up/Next Level Oly Yoga
• Heavy Lift (Snatch/Clean/Jerk)
• Light Lift (Snatch/Clean/Jerk)
• Squats
• Pulls/Presses
• Mobility 

Class Times:

Monday 7:30-9:30pm
Wednesday 7:30-9:30pm
Friday 6:30-8:30am

Program Price Options:

3x/Oly $200 (Weightlifting Club only)
2x/Oly $150 (Weightlifting Club only) 

Please note that you have the option of adding on either a 2x/week or 3x/week Crossfit membership as well:

+2x CF Add-on $100
+3x CF Add-on $150

$30 drop in (non-members), $25 drop-in (active members)

REGISTER HERE  

Your credit card will be charged immediately at a prorated rated for the rest of the current month. This membership will then automatically renew on the first of every month moving forward until cancelled.

*All new members must reach out with their relevant experience in Olympic lifting before purchasing a membership. Any questions regarding this program can be sent to info [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com and olympiclifter88 [at] gmail.com.

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11 Signs of a Great CrossFit Gym Breaking Muscle 

Strong CFSBK women and men represented our gym well this past weekend. A bunch of ladies (Lauren B., Lauren S., Coach Whit, Ellie M., and Coach Jess) + Pierre D. hit up an Outlaw Barbell Training Camp and Andrew M., Dave F., and Ben W. did the Wall Street Decathalon at St. Johns University. Great work, everyone!

608 Plumbing/Showers Update

Since we know you always yearn to know the intimate details of CFSBK’s bowels, we’ve confirmed that the sewage line leaving the building has collapsed or been damaged. This most likely happened because of the construction work that’s taken place recently in Gowanus. In the next week, contractors will come in and dig up the sidewalk and street, and once that happens, the showers and bathrooms will be up and running again over at 608.

This means you still cannot use the bathrooms or showers, but you can use the water fountain—not to bathe, just to hydrate. Thank you again for your patience, and we’ll keep you updated!

Should I Be Sore After My Workouts?

By Chris Fox 

This is a topic that comes up a lot, especially from members who are newer to training. Let’s look at this important question from a few angles.

Is muscle soreness okay?
Yes, sometimes. Normal training will lead to mild muscle soreness from time to time. Muscle soreness—especially DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) that comes on 24-72 hours post-exercise—is a normal part of adapting to a new training stimulus. If you’ve never trained squats, deadlifts, presses, and the variety of conditioning movements we use in CrossFit, then you’re more than likely going to be a bit sore until your body adapts. You should not be sore all the time, however. Being sore doesn’t always mean you had a good workout, and if you’re not sore it doesn’t mean you didn’t work out hard enough.

What creates muscle soreness?
Muscle soreness is created by inflammation in response to micro tears in your muscle fibers themselves (not lactic acid build up as was once thought). Inflammation is a natural part of the adaptation process to a new stress in training. Your muscles perform work that they are not used to, they are damaged slightly by the effort, and in response, new, stronger tissues are formed.

Why am I sorer after certain workouts than others?
The greater the disruption to the system, the more soreness will result. This is why you may be pretty sore when you first start CrossFit and then not so much after a while. If your intensity and volume go up slowly over time, then you will suffer far less muscle soreness. Until, that is, you do a workout that includes a lot of volume of a movement(s) that you haven’t seen in a while. Think “Murph”—that type of volume isn’t part of the regular programming at CFSBK (1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push0ups, 300 squats, 1-mile run)—so you might be sore for a few days after doing it.

Furthermore, eccentric (lengthening) contractions are known to create more soreness than concentric (shortening) or isometric (static) contractions. A deadlift performed at normal speed on the up and the down portions will lead to less soreness that one where you pick the bar up (a concentric contraction) at normal speed but lower it (an eccentric contraction) much slower than normal. The same principal applies to any movement. Though it’s been long touted that pre- and post-exercise stretching leads to less soreness, the science shows it to have a negligible effect. If it makes you feel good then by all means continue to do it, but there are a few other factors that can make more of a difference.

What factors can mitigate post-workout soreness?
Recovery methods that bring blood flow to the sore muscles can help reduce soreness. Foam rolling, hot baths, sauna, contrast baths, massage, and low-intensity movement can all help reduce muscle soreness.

Somewhat counter intuitively, high intensity workouts have also been shown to reduce muscle soreness. To be clear, I mean high intensity in terms of percentage of a 1RM, not “Damn, that wall ball WOD was INTENSE!” Experts disagree as to why this appears to work, but it is thought to have something to do with exercise-induced analgesia. This is where your body increases pain tolerance thresholds as a response to exercise. For years now I personally have made sure to do a heavy squat session the day after any endurance event. For me that means half-marathons, adventure races, “Murph,” and the like. It’s sometimes tough to get started but I’ve always found it to work.

Eat more protein, especially around the time you train. Protein is of course necessary to build muscles, but eating some soon after the workout period has also been shown to reduce muscle soreness. 

To sum up…

• You’ll probably be a bit sore when you first start CrossFit, and also from time to time even after years of training.
• Being sore or not does not mean you had a good or bad workout.
• New movements, higher volume, or much higher loads are more likely to make you sore.
• Slow negatives are also more likely to make you sore.
• Recovery techniques like self myo-fascial release, massage, contrast therapy, and very low intensity training can help reduce soreness.
• A heavy strength training session may also reduce soreness.
• Sufficient protein consumption is necessary to build muscle and when eaten around the training period, can reduce muscle soreness.

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Why Is U.S. Women’s Soccer Still Fighting to Exist? The New York Times Magazine 
‘Queen Bee Syndrome’ Among Women at Work Is a Myth, Study Finds The Guardian 

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression 
Start light enough to add weight for 7 weeks.

Performance: 5/3/1, 3 Week, 70%/80%/90%
Use training max. Need a Wendler refresher? Check out these resources:

5/3/1: How to Build Pure Strength T Nation
Better Than Before: A Review of 5/3/1 Jim Wendler 

Post loads to comments.
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Performance
12-9-6-3 Reps for Time
Deadlifts 315/205
Strict Handstand Push-Ups

Fitness
5 Rounds, For Time:
6 Deadlifts 225/155
4 Wall Handstand Kick Ups with a :02 or 2 Wall Walks with a :02 hold

Post time and Rx to comments.

Lindstar’s final class at CFSBK last week before she left Brooklyn

A Parting Love Letter From Lindstar

When I thought about writing my goodbye love letter to CFSBK, I immediately wanted to copy and paste Gina’s letter and just change the names of the cats. Her letter was that good. But alas, instead of reliving that glory, you’re going to have to suffer through my rambling. 

I found CFSBK when I was struggling with a lot of demons and in a very dark place. And it saved my life. I have no doubt of that. I bribed a friend of mine to come to the teaser class with me after a drunken bar conversation with a nice gentleman who used to work there, Shane. I had no idea what I was walking into. My first thought walking through the door in February 2012 was, “Oh shit, this place is way too cool for me. And these guys and gals are way too intense and good-looking. I can’t do this.” I’m happy to say that though I was convinced I might, I did not die during that teaser. I’ve never been “athletic” and it never occurred to me that I might be able to change this. You know, I grew up hearing stuff like “Oh, you’re think not good at math? Just work harder.” The fact that this could be applied to athletic endeavors somehow never crossed my mind until spending that hour plus with Captain DO, which convinced me (I might have been high on endorphins or something) that I *could* do Crossfit and it was for me. I signed up for Foundations that night. 

I’d like to say that the transformation was instantaneous, but it was a process that is still ongoing. I emerged from the warm comforting womb of the double Foxes Foundations, still full of trepidation although much less so than before. But at that time, there was this wonderful option for those of us still scared of *CROSSFIT*, called On Ramp… kinda like a slower paced version of classes… I dunno. I went to those classes, until I was unceremoniously told to GTFO and get into group class. Whatever, jerks. I did. And I haven’t looked back. 

I expected to like CFSBK. What I didn’t expect was exactly how much. I immediately enjoyed the awesome people I was meeting, the friendly, welcoming, and supportive environment, and the stellar coaches, who for some unbelievable reason, never mocked my (lack of) skillz. I kid. Mocking is just not the CFSBK way. What also surprised me was that every small victory in the gym translated into increased confidence, a gift I got to take home with me. Now my head was all, “You didn’t think you could lift that. But you did. BOSS. Don’t think you can write your thesis? You can. MOAR BOSS!” And I did. Which is why I have to write this letter, because I’m a doctor now and have to join the real working world.

Final thoughts: At CFSBK I found friends that became family. I found a safe place. I found a home that sustained me when I was not able to create a home for myself. Home, in this sense, being more than the physical place where you sleep at night. There aren’t words strong enough to describe the physical and emotional impact that CFSBK has had on me, but suffice to say you saved me. Thank you. I will always love you, but please stop making me cry. I promise I will be back to visit sooner than you think. And you know, stalking the blog, like ya do.

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Groundskeepers Turn Into Acrobats Improv Everywhere