Melissa Lloyd’s Squat Face

• Hot Shots 19 Workout Announced!
• On Labor Day we will be hosting a slightly modified AM schedule for Group Class. We will have 7am, 8am and 9am classses INSTEAD of 6am, 7am, 8am. Otherwise we will be hosting normal group class times. 

Melissa off to Nigeria!

Today I am packing the last bits and getting the last shots before heading off to Nigeria until February.  I am heading over to consult with the Agriculture Ministry to strengthen market access for commodity crops (consultant jargon,  basically hope to get farmers better prices for crops to build food security). The project is thrilling, but I will miss Brooklyn and the CFSBK crew.

For the past two years the instruction, coaching, cheering, support and friendship from CFSBK enabled gains both in the gym and my life beyond the walls of 597 Degraw. CFSBK’s community helped me develop priceless new outlooks on health, strength and beauty. My new path to fitness at CFSBK even inspired a family challenge resulting in a combined 145 lost since foundations! The reach of motivation from Brooklyn to Texas and beyond is a testimonial to both CFSBK’s quality of coaching and strength of community. Further ramblings will not begin to cover my appreciation of how I feel when I walk under that skull clad garage door.

I googled variations of hotel+gym+squat rack+concept 2 rower and pretty much got back “Did you mean machines you can read a magazine on while working out?” So I would love to hear from the community on hotel/home workouts and motivation tips while on the road. I will be posting to the blog and signing up for Crash B’s for some added accountability!

Thank you again and I look forward to seeing you all in the winter!

Blast From the Past. Here is a pan of the gym layout in 2010. For the folks who have been around at least a year, what has been your favorite gym upgrade?
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Being Present: Valerie Voboril
Why Do We Clap? Vsauce

Part A
3 Rounds NFT of:
2 Wall Walks with a :05 hold at the top
25 Hollow Rocks

Part B
4-5 Sets of:
Perform 3 kick-ups to the wall
Perform 10 Supine Press Ups on an elevated surface between kick-ups

We’ll be focusing on a smooth kick-ups with varying levels of inversion. From partial kick-ups, to heel taps and finally full inverts against the wall.
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10 Rounds For Max Reps of:
:30 Burpees
:30 Rest

Post total reps to comments.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s CF Subway Series!

Hot Shots Workout

On June 30th 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots firefighting crew tragically lost their lives while fighting a fire in Yarnell, AZ. Recently the CrossFit Kids Foundation organized a grant that would send 100% of the donations collected to the families of the fallen. As a sign of solidarity, CFSBK will be programming the memorial workout (Still TBA) this Saturday, August 31st. If you’d like to donate to the cause, you can do so directly online here. Alternatively, CFSBK will be accepting cash donations day of which we will then match via online donation.  There is no requirement or minimums to participate in the workout and all donations will be kept anonymous.

• To learn more about what a “Hotshot Crew” is, read the wikipedia page.
• To learn more about the events that transpired on read this NPR report
• To see a video about the Hotshot crew from their gym, Captain CrossFit, click here.

CFSBK Track Workout on Saturday, Sept. 7th

CFSBK will be hosting a remote Track workout on 9/7/13 in Red Hook. This will coincide with the weekend the gym is closed for the Starting Strength Seminar with Mark Rippetoe. We will meet up at 9:30 am by the bleachers at the Red Hook Track (Hicks and Bay) for an outdoor running and body weight workout with your CrossFit buddies. Football (aka , Soccer) is usually going on down the block and the food trucks (tacos!) should still be around for post-WOD replenishment and entertainment. Show up on time and plan to spend about an hour or so warming up and WODding with us. RSVP to christian(AT)crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com so we know how many folks to plan for. If all you know about Red Hook is the Ikea, you’ve been missing out. Come explore this great part of Brooklyn!

We will also be hosting a Flag Football and CFSBK Social at Prospect Park on Sunday September 8th.
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The Tabata Delision Tony Gentlecore
The Missing Link Of The CrossFit Athlete: Chiropractic Treatment Breaking Muscle

Fitness: Work up to a heavy but perfect triple on the Hang Power or Hang Squat Clean

Performance:  Work up to a heavy but perfect triple on the Power or Squat Clean. Leave room to grow.

Take 15 minutes to work up to a moderately heavy load on today’s complexes.
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Front Squat

Fitness: 3×5 Across
Take the time to find your first weight for a linear progression in the Front Squat

Performance Heavy 3
Work  up to a heavy 3 rep set. No Failing

Post loads to comments.
Clean/FSQ e1/6
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3 Intervals of:
400m at approx 90% perceived intensity

Consistent efforts. Perform 10 Burpees for every +/- 5 seconds off your first effort. For example if you run 1:32 on your first, 1:30 on the second, and a 1:22 on your last you owe 20 burpees for the 10 second deviation between the first and last sprints.

New Fish Oil, Vitamin D and Magnesium now in stock at CFSBK

• Happy Birthday, Dan L!

Pure Pharma and CFSBK

We recently switched from carrying Prosource Fish Oil to Pure Pharma. While this brand is more expensive per bottle, Pure Pharma (PP) proved to be a higher quality product as well as more environmentally conscience than Prosource (PS).  Here are some of the reasons we like it:

– PP has an Omega 3 concentration of 84% per capsule compared to PS’ 60%
– PP has a natural triglyceride form while PS uses an Ethyl Ester which is less stable and can create free radicals.
– PP uses deep sea anchovies and sardines only from 5 star Friend of the Sea certified fisheries where as PS is derived from Jack Mackerels, a fish higher on the food chain (less desirable) and does not publish where their fish are caught.

The benefits of Fish Oil are that it’s been proven to reduce inflammation, support cardiovascular and cognitive health as well as improving oxygen delivery and a myriad of other positive health benefits.

On top of carrying fish oil, we also now carry Vitamin D and Magnesium. To read more about the benefits of these products and how they’re sourced, click on the links for each one above to get a comprehensive outline of the product.

While we don’t think everyone needs to take supplements, they can sometimes fill in gaps missing in your nutrition that help support your performance and health. We like Pure Pharma because of their commitment to quality and the environment as well as having one of the smallest product portfolios in the entire supplement industry. Ultimately, it’s up to you to do some research, experiment with your body and see what’s right for you.

Each product is available for purchase at the front desk for the following prices:

Fish Oil: $35
Magnesium: $25
Vitamin D: $15
Or, purchase all three for $70
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Do you take any supplements? Why or why not? What have been your experiences with them?

For Time:
Row 1500m
3 Rounds:
25 Wall Ball Shots 20lb,10′ / 14lb,9′
25 Box Jumps 24″/20″

Focus on your jumping and landing mechanics on all your box jumps.  Your coaches will be discussing what to be thinking about and how to move. Get stoked!

Post time and Rx to comments.

Coach McDowell box jumping

Good Luck CFSBK Warriors!

Tomorrow is the last event in the 2013 CF Subway Series being hosted at CrossFit Long Island City. The competition will start around noon and carry on for a few hours and be followed by an after party. All are invited to attend!
Best of luck to everyone competing tomorrow and thank you to all who participated this year representing CFSBK, we love you!!!!!

Warming Up Wisely

By Noah Abbott

Each time we walk into the gym, we are confronted with a certain amount of work for the day. For many, this is one of the greatest pluses of working out at a “non-traditional” gym- you don’t have to think about programming or planning. Upon walking in the door and looking at the white board, we are given a prescription: exercises, rep-and-set schemes, even target weights, be they relative (70% of 1RM) or absolute (225#/185#.)

Despite the seeming absolutism, each day there is as much unsaid information and room for improvisation and interpretation as there are set parameters and instructions undoubtedly scrawled illegibly and supplemented with original art from the Osorio Stick Figure collection. The way we warm up for each lift and WOD is our own time to acquaint ourselves with the given exercise, practice form and execution, and familiarize our body with the (often heavy as all get out) weight we are about to move.

In the “real world,” when give a task most people will start by hashing out a plan of attack before jumping into the deep end. If we were to fix a broken table leg, we would plan out what tools we needed, sketch a few ideas, acquire materials, set out a work space, and make sure we had enough beer to get us through our clumsy Bob Villa imitation. If given a project at work, we would brew a pot of coffee, do some internet research, sketch a few outlines, vent to coworkers about how unfair it was that we had to do this shit, call home and say we’d be home late, and then maybe get to work. I propose that before any endeavor in the gym, we should practice a similar amount of introspection, practice, and slow familiarization with our task at hand. The beer and the bitching are up to you.

Position, Balance, Tension, Focus   

Our first consideration when beginning our warm-up sets is to use lighter weight repetitions of a movement as practice for the relatively high skill movement to follow. A good rubric to follow is to begin with an emphasis on Position and Balance in our first few sets and transition to emphasizing Tension and Focus as the weight begins to increase and we near our work weight. To illustrate this concept, let’s use the squat (our most familiar and important lift) as an example.

During your first 2 or 3 warm-up sets (always starting with an EMPTY BAR), while the weight is light and manageable, try to dial in your Position. Where are your feet and hands set up? Are they too close or far? Is your rack tight and centered? Are you reaching proper depth as you squat, are your knees shoved out, is your back in a good, safe position at the bottom? Think about these concepts, and begin to fix the feeling of proper positions in your mind. Your lifting partner is an invaluable resource at this time, as they can cue you on some things you can’t see. Ask them questions, and use their feedback to inform your lifting.

Once your positioning feels OK, quickly check in on your Balance. What part of your foot is bearing your weight at the start of your squat, does it shift at the bottom or remain constant? Is your bar path straight and balanced, or is it wavering or shifting? Your partner is helpful here as well, although some elements of balance, especially in your feet, can be so subtle that they are tough to perceive. If you can’t sense your balance due to your shoes, consider removing them – going barefoot is Tre Paleo.

Now that we are Properly Positioned and Badassedly Balanced, lets work on Tension and Focus. As the weight begins to increase, shift your inner gaze to getting TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT. Are you making sure to get a full, deep breath before you lift? Are you staying tight at the bottom of the lift? Are you holding that breath at the top and staying tight and controlled at the top of the lift before your next rep? Check in with your partner, and don’t get offended if they say you’ve gone soft, this isn’t Menace II Society, G.

Finally, its time to get Focused. Are you often suprised when your warm-up sets feel really heavy and slow, and then your heavier work sets feel faster and relatively light? If so, you are probably not truly focusing until your work sets, which can be both dangerous and prevent you from reaching full potential. Treat your last few warm-up sets exactly like a work set. If you have a ritual during your work sets- stamping feet, Monica Seles grunts, weeping uncontrollably- perform it during your last few warm-up sets. Prime your central nervous system for the task at hand, and your work sets will feel even easier and more controlled when you get there. Also, as you near your work sets, cut the chatter and jokes (what my grandpa called “grab-assin”) and go to your Squatty Place. Find your Power Animal, Chi, or Inner Ronnie Coleman, get centered, and then attack the bar.

Weight Go Up, Reps Go Down, or “The Two Trains Passing In The Night Theory of Warm-ups”

Numerous times I have had an athlete come to me and complain that their first work set of, say, 100 pounds for 5 reps felt incredibly heavy and slow. I walk over to their rack to watch their next set, and before they even begin, I spot a whiteboard where this dutiful soul has recorded their warm-up sets. It reads: 45×5, 55×5, 65×5, 75×5, 85×5, 95×5. As this point I begin sounding like Foghorn Leghorn as I stammer and sputter (I say, I, I, I say, boy!) and explain that a warm-up scheme like this means that before their very first “live” squat they have already moved over ¾ of a ton of weight!

Our first few warm-up sets, while the weight is light, should mimic the repetitions we plan to use when we work, or can even be slightly more. We can use these sets to get more mobile and comfortable in the positions we will need to hit when we work. As we begin to increase weight, we should drop the repetitions. We have already achieved Supple Leopard/Panther/Aardvark status due to our dedicated mobility work, standardized warm-up, and our first few light warm-up sets. Now we just need to accustom our body to the feeling of moving heavy weight. As we get close to work sets we should drop the repetitions to singles or doubles in an effort to not fatigue ourselves before we really get started. A warm-up set for the same reps at 95% of our work weight is just a neglected work set, sitting alone and unloved in our log book and condemned to a lifetime of second class Squatizen status.

Other Considerations

If we warm up with intention (Position, Balance, Tension, Focus) and with a plan (dropping the repetitions as we increase weight), we are most of the way there, but there are still a few ideas to consider. First, as Fox likes to say, “you are your own Peyton Manning.” I assume he means 2010 Peyton Manning (a cool and introspective leader who is confident changing playcalls on the fly and makes funny commercials) and not 2011 Peyton Manning (a spinally-fused ghost who haunts the sidelines of the NFL’s worst team looking like he wants to stab his teammates, yet still makes funny commercials). Listen to your body, and be prepared to add in some extra warm-up sets if you feel cold, wonky, or want to practice something. If something feels sticky or sore, do some mobility work or foam roll a bit between warm-up or work sets. You are P
eyton Manning! (Minus the peanut shaped head.)

Also, keep in mind that lifts using smaller muscle groups (think: Beach Muscles) will fatigue faster than those using your larger muscle groups (think: Yo’ Butt) Don’t go overboard warming up the Little Guys, they are generally simpler lifts anyway, and you’ll find yourself fatigued when you work. You can linger a little bit on the Big Mommas, which have higher muscular endurance and can be trickier to nail down.

Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

Hopefully, now that you’ve suffered through some decent information wrapped in a bunch of bad jokes, you’ve got a better understanding of the general concepts that drive a good warm-up. If nothing else, when warming up make sure you have a plan. Think about what you want to accomplish with your warm-up, and use that time to get yourself ready to succeed. A lackadaisical warm-up inevitably leads to spotty and uneven results. Make your warm-up a dress rehearsal for your lifts and then break a leg. On second thought, don’t.

Raise your hands if you love Wall Ball but hate T-Shirts!

• Check out the amazing photos CFSBK photog Asta F took at this past weekend’s Subway Series event 4 hosted at CFSBK.  Pictures are on view at our Flickr Page

Flag Football in Prospect Park