Performance: 5/3/1 “5 Week”
65%x5, 75%x5, 85×5+

Never done a 5/3/1 progression before? Click here for the details

Fitness: 2×10
Linear Progression

Start light with adding weight each week in mind, around 80% of your best 3×5 from last cycle.

Post loads to comments.
LBBSQ e1/6
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For Time:
30 Wall Ball Shots, 20/10, 14/9
30 Double Unders
20 Wall Ball Shots
40 Double Unders
10 Wall Ball Shots
50 Double Unders

There is a 10 Minute cap on this workout

Post time and Rx to comments.

60 of these today!

Check out the CFSBK Flickr (scroll down a little) to check out what’s been left in the Lost and Found. Shirts, shoes, gloves, jackets.. everything must go!  Each week we transfer the L&F contents to a bag for another week or so before donating them to CHIPS. Please ask the Front Desk staff for assistance on claiming your lost goods.

LFPBC, Scale Weight, and Impatience

By Chris Fox

I wanted to share an email I received from one of the LFPBC participants, as I’m pretty sure a few of you may be in a similar boat. (Note – The name is removed, and the person has given permission to use the exchange in this here)

“Week one of this challenge I was down 6lbs, week 2, down 2 lbs, week 3 up 1lb, on Weds I was back down 1lb. In 4 weeks I’m down 8lbs total – I’ve stayed entirely clean and strict; no sugar, dairy, gluten or alcohol. I’ve tacked rowing work onto the end of gym sessions to try to build some endurance and stamina – but my weight is hovering around XXX lbs. Your “thriving not surviving” comment resonated. I could just not eat for 3-4 days and that might reduce the lbs – but that doesn’t seem like a particularly rigorous or sustainable approach.

Any tips or hints or am I just heavy boned! (My waist has gone down nearly 2 inches – but weight hasn’t followed)

Thanks for your time,

XXXX”

    I won’t post the entire exchange but here are a few of my thoughts on this type of situation

• This is amazing progress! Averaging a loss of 2 lbs a week is pretty fantastic, in my opinion. If this person continued in this fashion they would net a loss of over 50 lbs in a year. 50 lbs!

• The path of weight loss and body recomposition is never nice and linear. Similarly to the gains you make in the squat, some weeks you move ahead by leaps and some weeks you feel like the warm ups are crushing you.

• Adding in extra “cardio” can be helpful, but it can also be harmful. If you add extra stress to an already calorie depleted metabolism your body will do it’s best to conserve energy and you may have a harder time burning fat. A more helpful approach might be to add in some low stress extra activity on off days from the gym. Something like an easy long walk, or a quick tabata burpee workout can keep your metabolism up without much stress.

• This last part is based on a previous exchange with the above individual, but be sure to keep your protein intake consistent. Aim for no less than .8 grams per lb of lean body mass, ideally from real foods. Upward of 2 grams is common, however, your body cannot process huge amounts at a time. In other words, a huge prime rib, although satisfying on many levels, may not be fully absorbed by your body. This depends on how large a frame you have, your activity level, what else you have with the meal, and some other factors. Mark’s Daily Apple has a good write up about it here, and Precision Nutrition has another here. All of the research seems to suggest that spreading out your protein intake among multiple meals is the best way to go. Start with 20-30 grams at breakfast and go from there.

• Lastly, pay attention to markers other than a scale when measuring progress. Weighing yourself regularly can be a great way to monitor success in either losing fat, gaining muscle, or in maintaining. For some people it can make them neurotic. I’ve personally noticed weight fluctuations of 5 lbs from one day top the next. This is due to factors like carb/salt binges, resultant fluid retention, and simple volume of food consumed. Weight may go up or down a few pounds every week or so but over the long haul other markers like photos, girth measurements, and the fit of your clothing can provide great feedback as well.

CFSBK Community Potluck and LFPB Awards Ceremony on 2/22

Don’t forget that we’ll be hosting a second Gym potluck on Saturday, February 22nd where we’ll be announcing the winners of the challenge as well as talk about how to transition out of the challenge.  This event is open to the entire community, even folks who didn’t do the challenge.  We’ll also have our Farmers from Herondale and Sol Flower farm there to introducce themselves and answer any questions about the CSAs we host.  If you’d like to come, please RSVP in the event page!

David’s POV video at the 2013 North East Regionals

CFSBK at the North East Regionals

The CrossFit Games Regionals dates and venues were just announced and the NE Regionals at Reebok Headquarters in Canton, MA will be May 30-June 1.  Even though spectator tickets do not go on sale until April, because hotels rooms in the area are booked solid well before, we’ve gone ahead and reserved a room block (at a special $139/night rate) for CFSBKers who want to watch the action.  These rooms are held for us only until February 7, so even if you are not sure if you can go but are the slightest bit interested in this 2-night field trip, we suggest you go ahead and CLICK HERE to reserve a room by this February 7 deadline.  Each reservation made through this link does not require a deposit and there is no penalty to cancel as long as it is cancelled by 2p at least one day prior to check-in on May 30.  Cruise Director Mare L. will then coordinate with anybody who has expressed interest in going for room shares and transportation to/from Canton AND, most importantly, make sure we have a SBK home in Tent City and our coolers are filled!  Questions?  Contact Mare at mare(at)crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com
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Klokov as a kid
This 130lb 13 year old can Snatch 246lbs and Clean and Jerk 300lbs
Sugar: The Bitter Truth

Performance
In 10 Minutes perform:
15 Shoulder to Overhead 115/75
30 Burpee
15 Toes to Bar
30 Shoulder to Overhead
15 Burpee
15 Toes to Bar

AMRAP Shoulder to Overhead for the remainder of time.
Score is total reps completed.

Fitness
As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
20 Deadlift 95/65
10 Push Press 95/65
10 Burpee

Post rounds/reps completed and Rx to comments.

Bench Press warm-ups

Inside the Affiliate

There’s a new post over on Inside the Affiliate, about how and why we label dumbbells and racks. Check it out!

A Weightlifting Shoe Guide

By Noah Abbott

The Quest for Pedi-formance

Now that you’ve been at the gym for a few months, you may have noticed two things.  One, the “coat room” seems to be waging a losing battle against an encroaching armada of shoes, and boasts the fetid bouquet to prove it.  Second, for certain workouts, there is an agreed upon time when a bunch of the class defects, runs hither and yon, and comes back sporting footwear that look like a marriage between a bowling shoe and those “make you taller!” heel lifts that short men are supposed to slip in their dress shoes.

These are weightlifting shoes kiddo, specifically designed to improve positioning, control, and thus, performance, in most barbell lifts.  Weightlifting shoes (notice me NOT using the term “oly’s,” which is something that Tony Hawk does) provide a number of benefits.  First, due to their elevated heel (usually .75” to 1.25”) they decrease the demands on an athlete’s ankle dorsiflexion.  Some of us, especially people who spend lots of time pounding their feet into the ground (distance runners) lack this ability, and a pair of weightlifting shoes can help them squat to depth, as if by black magick!  Second, they are hard and non-compressible, traditionally having been made of wood (SUPER PALEO) but nowadays often made of super hard plastic of some sort.  This lends stability and control when moving weight about.  In short, weightlifting shoes will make your life easier.  They are one of the best bang-for-buck investments you can make for your gym life.

Choices abound when choosing a weightlifting shoe, so I’ve endeavoured to break them into some easy to understand categories based upon price and quality.  I’ll even add some little “hacks” to get the best prices on them.  Enjoy!

Cadillac Division

The Contenders: Nike Romaleo II, Adidas Adipower Weightlifting, Reebok Crossfit Lifter Plus

The Scoop: The field is dominated by two titans at the upper echelon of both price and quality.  The Nike Romaleo II and Adidas Adipower Weightlifting are worn by competitive weightlifters worldwide, from local comps to the Olympics.  They are both incredibly high quality, feel rock solid under weight, and are among the better looking shoes out there.  The big differences are that the Adipowers run a little narrow (sorry fatfeet folks) and only come in REDREDRED (roughly the color of the Corvette that Clifford the Big Red Dog would drive if he was real and imaginary dogs could drive.)  The Romaleos have a more diverse color lineup and have a forefoot strap, which may or may not do anything.  The Reeboks are fairly new, and while I would normally be a little skeptical, superstars of the sport from David Osorio to Dmitry Klokov swear by them (although I think Klokov might just be epically trolling by wearing them.)  They also come in lots of colorz.

Dollaz: Both the Nike and Adidas cost roughly $200, the Reebok $175  Pretty expensive.  My pro tip is to watch Eastbay.com (I just outed myself as a former middle school G), a sportswear site that frequently runs 15-30% discount codes, and then pull the trigger, saving yourself $20-60.

Honda Accord Division

The Contenders: Rogue/Pendlay Do-Win, Ristos

The Scoop: These are all solid, tested, affordable shoes.  Do-Wins are made in China and licensed/sold by Rogue and Pendlay.  They do everything you want them to do, and don’t break the bank.  Rogue uses black or red suede (because black and red are the Official Colors of Fitness.)  I’d advise against the red ones, which have a ½” heel, which is on the low side. Pendlay used to use weird colored patent leather that harkened back to 80’s prom pumps, but in their new 2013 models opts for mostly white with black, red, or purple (bonus unicorn power) highlights.  Ristos are made by a small company, and have had some QC issues in the past, which have apparently cleared up as they changed manufacturing facilities.  They come in lots of colorz and are a solid option with bonus indie street cred (bonus smug points!)

Dollaz: Ristos vary widely, and they seem to go on sale based on quantity at hand, but generally run around $150.  Pendlay Do-Wins are 130, Rogues are $120.

Toyota Prius Division

The Contenders: Reebok Crossfit Lifter, Inov8 Fastlift 335, Adidas Powerlift

The Scoop: Both of these “hybrid” shoes are meant to bridge the gap between pure barbell training and Crossfit general physical preparedness.  They are meant to be shoes that will let you hit some overhead squats and transition to double unders or box jumps without discomfort.  They are more flexible, especially in the forefoot, and lighter, than classic weightlifting shoes.  I love my Reeboks for workouts with light-medium barbell work combined with box jumps, double unders, and especially wall balls (good positioning makes them suck WAY less) and oddly burpees (helps you land with flat, secure foot placement on the way up.)  They show their limitations when max effort squatting or Olympic lifting at near maxes, where stiffness and weight in your shoe is a big plus.  They both come in a bunch of colors, the Inov8s particularly hewing the British company’s “Dance Club MDMA binge” coloring model.  The Adidas Powerlifts are damned cheap, solid, and you can get them in NYC Taxi yellow!  

Dollaz:$150 for the Reeboks and Inov8s, $90 for Adidas.  Adidas and Reeboks are on Eastbay.

Final Thoughts

Weightlifting shoes should fit tight- you aren’t going to be running in them, and want as much “feel” as you can get.  Sizing is usually weird, so my suggestion, especially if the shop has a good return policy (or you’re balling out of control) is to order 2 or 3 pair (your normal size and one up/down), see which fits best, and send the rest back.  

Lastly, if you buy a pair and eventually upgrade, find a fellow gym member (preferably with shitty dorsiflexion!) and gift them your old shoes (provided your feet aren’t super gross.)  I think that adds a nice legacy component to this silly endeavor.

So concludes another episode of Noah overanalyzing something and writing 1,000 words when 300 would suffice. I’m off to the cemetery to roll Strunk and White around in their graves a bit.  Ta ta!

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Every Kilo Counts

Take 15 Minutes to work up to a a heavy single. You’ll be using this number to base some % work off of for the upcoming cycle.

Post loads to comments.
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8 Minute, NFRs of:
2 Wall Walks
Accumulate a :20 L-Sit on the Parallettes

8 Minutes NFRs of:
1:00 weighted Plank
25 H2H Kettlebell Swings

While these are NFRs, don’t drag your feet on the transitions.

From the Vault: Herschel gets ready for “Fran”

Training Template

Here is the general training template for the upcoming Cycle. Monday and Thursdays lifts will vary between direct barbell training and being incorporated into mixed modal workouts.  Enjoy!

• Monday: Push Press
• Tuesday: Rest Day
• Wednesday: Low Bar Back Squats
• Thursday: Clean and Jerks
• Friday: Rest Day
• Saturday: Open Style WOD
• Sunday: Deadlifts

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Drawing Lines Between Risks Dan Gardner
The Abmat is Awesome, Here’s Why Breaking Muscle

5 Rounds for max reps of:
1:00 Wall Balls
1:00 Burpees to Bumper plate
1:00 Rest

Post total reps completed to comments.
Note how many “No reps” (if any) you got on Wall Ball

Barbell Warm-Ups

• Happy shooting to everyone getting some professional pictures by Bekka P done today!

UFC at CFSBK

When world-renowned Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter B.J. Penn went to CrossFit founder Greg Glassman looking for a workout that would mimic the trials of a bout in the Octagon,  Glassman devised a devastating test that ultimately became known as “Fight Gone Bad”.  Many of you have fought through Fight Gone Bad so we’re thinking of putting UFC’s Fight Night live bouts on the CFSBK big screen on Saturday afternoon March 8.  Are you interested in pulling up a mat and grabbing a beer to watch?  Email mare(at)CrossFitSouthBrooklyn so we can guage interest. This would be a free event that would start directly after the 1pm Group class.

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Rich Froning does “Isabel” at 225lbs in 6:09
Screw your standing desk, how about Squatting?