2 Warm-Up Sets
Then 3 Work Sets of:
Chinese Rows, 10 Reps
Supine Band Pull-Aparts, 15 Reps

Post loads to comments
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5 Rounds NFT of:
L-Sit Hold, Accumulate 40 or 25 seconds
100m Farmers Carry, go very heavy

Post experience to comments.

Congratulations to the CFSBK Softball Team on a Successful First Season!
See more pics from the last game here. Thanks Ellie!

Newly Weds! Congratulations to Mike and Janelle as well as Jane and Jenna on getting hitched yesteday! CrossFit Couples FOR LIFE!!!

New Equipment

CFSBK recently picked up some more new equipment. Look out for it at a Group Class near you soon!

25lb Competition Green Bumpers: 3 Pair
35lb Competition Yellow Bumpers: 3 Pair
45lb Competition Blue Bumpers: 2 Pair
New Micro Mini Orange Bands: 6 Pair
20lb Medball: 2
16lb Medball: 1
14lb Medball: 1
12lb Medball: 3 (by popular female request)
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The Man Behind The Beard: Lucas Parker CrossFit Games
The Tragic Death Of the Military Press Starting Strength
Words Of Wisdom And Training Compilation Ross Enmait

Fitness: 4 Warm-Up Sets then your second 3×5 LBBSQ exposure. Bar speed should remain quick.

Performance: 4-5 Warm-Ups sets then a heavy 3×5. Next week is a 3×3

Post loads to comments.
LBBSQ e2/6 compare 9.1.12
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Performance
For Time:
Run 1/3 mile
21 Strict Ring Dips
Run 1/3 Mile
15 Strict Ring Dips
Run 1/3 Mile
9 Strict Ring Dips

Fitness
For Time:
Run 1/3 mile
21 or 42 Push-Ups
Run 1/3 Mile
15 or 30 Push-Ups
Run 1/3 Mile
9 or 18 Push-Ups

Post time and Rx to comments.

Athlete Of The Month

Barbara Kryszko!

Wow…what a long way Barbara has come since walking in to CFSBK. Some people don’t make it through Foundations, and some people decide after a short while that Crossfit isn’t for them for whatever reason. Neither of these fitness fates was to be for her. The self professed non-athletic vegetarian was up for a challenge and saw something else in store for herself. We’re glad she did.

Fox – (whispered) Barbara, you’re Athlete of the Month…

BK – Yeah, nice joke. Isn’t there a rule that you have to eat meat or something?

Fox – Haha! Nope, tell me how you found CrossFit South Brooklyn and why you stayed.

BK – Well I had a friend who was talking about signing up and I figured “If she can do that, I can do that”. I don’t know, I think it was just the right time in my life and I was up for a challenge. To be perfectly honest I had “donated “ more money to gyms and health clubs over the years than I care to admit. CrossFit just clicked for me.

Fox – What was it that clicked?

BK – Well believe it or not I used to be about 40 lbs heavier than I am now. I cleaned up my diet a bit and started walking and was able to lose weight, which is great. The bad part is that I did that twice. I lost a bunch of weight and eventually gained it back. I decided that I needed to be healthier and felt like this was going to be a part of it. The community aspect of the gym, the non-judgemental attitude of coaches and athletes alike, the support systems in place, these are all reasons why I stayed in the beginning. Then I started seeing results and understanding that there was an intelligent process at work here. I love that there’s always room to grow.

Fox – I’m so glad we have been a part of that, and I can’t even begin to picture you 40 lbs heavier! Tell me about this “meat free” diet of yours 😉

BK – I knew you’d want to talk about that. Well, I’ve been a vegetarian since high school. My (well meaning traditional Polish) parents used to try and get me to eat meat with little success. By the time I was in high school they understood that this was my choice, or at least they (almost) gave up on trying to get me to eat meat. I gave it up for Lent under the auspice of religion. My Catholic parents couldn’t argue that one and they let me be. I’d first made the decision as a child while in Poland on vacation with family. I remember playing with the chickens that kept in the yard, and then being served chicken for a family meal, and putting it together.

Fox – Being a successful CrossFitter on a vegetarian diet can be a challenge. How do you go about getting enough protein to recover?

BK – I eat lots of eggs, like a few dozen per week. I also eat lots of lentils which I soak and supplement with protein powder too. Unlike many vegetarians I eat no grains. Going gluten free was one of the best things I’ve ever done for my health and now I avoid all grains. To make up the difference in calories I also eat a ton of fat.

Fox – Smart choices! I love it. Tell me a bit about you outside of the gym. Where are you from? What do you do for work and fun?

BK – I’m from the Detroit suburbs. I grew up there and went to college an hour away. I was born in Detroit proper though and went to school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, so I consider myself a city girl. I had a pretty traditional Polish Catholic upbringing, which meant Polish language school and folk dancing and all. I came to New York on a family trip when I was about 13 years old, loved it, and knew I’d live here. I moved to Brooklyn when I came to New York and have been here since. I work as a public interest lawyer, i.e. the kind that doesn’t make tons of money but has a lot of meaningful and rewarding work. For fun, besides CrossFit I like to spend time with friends, eating a great meal, enjoying a good glass of wine and exploring what NYC has to offer. I also recently started meditation and am really drawn to it. I find it to be a nice parallel to CrossFit.

Fox – What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses in the gym?

BK – I’m working on getting stronger with weights, and finding it in myself to just let it rip every now and then. I think I do better on longer, chipper style workouts. I can really tune in with myself and keep moving. I find this to be somewhat similar to meditation.

Fox – Really interesting stuff. Last question. What do you think we should look for in a future AOM?

BK – Someone who is balanced and has a spirit to persevere. Someone who is enthusiastic about not only their own process but also about others. Something I really love about CFSBK is that it fosters both individuals and the community to be the best they can be.

————-

Huge congrats to Barbara. We couldn’t be prouder to have her as a member of the community, and to see the progress she’s made in sticking with the program even while the friend who prompted the challenge that brought her to us bowed out long ago. We look forward to still more progress and to seeing her ‘let it rip’ on a WOD every now and again. And, to seeing her demo some of the traditional Polish folk dance.

Matt Ufford and Fight Gone Bad 2010

Fight Gone Bad 2012

As of last night, we have a total of 56 athletes signed up for FGB!  Last year we had about 100 so we’re over halfway there.  Now we understand that some of you are new to FGB and might not be sure what you’re signing up for so we thought we’d answer a few questions here about it:

What if I can’t attend on Saturday 10/20?
Sign up anyway and select the option to be on Fight Gone Belated!  We’ll do our best to coordinate a make-up date with those athletes that can’t attend so that you can still participate in the fun!  You’ll still get to create a team name, participate in fundraising and get a FGB tshirt!

Why are we fundraising?
In the past, our annual FGB Fundraiser has been a great way to bring our community together to support great charities.  And because Brooklyn has been good to us, we want to help give back to the very community CFSBK is proud to call home.  That’s why we chose to support the Brooklyn Community Foundation.  If you haven’t already, make sure you visit their website to check them out.  Or if you’re lazy at least check out their list of Grantees and we’re sure you’ll find one or two not far from you!

Will there be a fundraising minimum? 
While we’d love everyone to make attempts to raise funds, there will be no fundraising minimum to participate.  However, as in years past, there will be prizes awarded to the top Individual and Team fundraiser! 

Ok, you keep talking about fundraising but how should I do this and when should I begin?
Once our registration deadline ends on 9/11, we’ll create teams consisting of 5 athletes.  Shortly after, athletes will get an email from us with their team assignments and all of the details to set up your fundraising page.  We’ll be using Crowdrise as our fundraising platform and participants will have individual fundraising pages that will be super easy to share with friends and family!

What is this workout again? What if I can’t do the workout Rx’d?
Here’s a description of the workout.  And don’t worry, we’ll have scaling options available! 

So the day begins at 9am but how long will it last?  When will my team go?
The length of the event will depend on how many total athletes/teams we have.  We will run 2 teams through the workout simultaneously and will have new heats starting about every 20 mins.  Unfortunately, we won’t be able to tell you exactly what time your team will be going until closer to the event.   We hope though that you plan on spending a few hours with us, not only competing but also supporting your fellow teams.  And as usual, we’ll have some tasty adult beverages to enjoy!

Ok, I’m sold.  Where do I register?
Sign me up for Fight Gone Bad 2012!

______________________
The Revolutionary Guide To Manly Short Shorts 70s Big
Gillian Mounsey Bench Presses Body Weight For 30 Reps GM
Institute for Justice takes the case of paleo blogger, files suit Hunter-Gatherer
Comparing Mortality Rates Between NFL and MLB Players Grantland

Fitness

5 Rounds of:
In 1:00, perform 10 Ring Rows
In 1:00, perform Max Reps Double Unders, Attempts or Single Unders
In 1:00, perform 10 Strict Dumbbell Presses
In 1:00, perform Max Reps KB Swings
_________________

Performance

5 Rounds of:
In 1:00, perform 7/4 Strict Pull-Ups
In 1:00, perform Max Reps Double Unders
In 1:00, perform 7/4 Handstand Push-Ups
In 1:00, perform Max Reps KB Swings

Score is highest/lowest DU/KB round
Post pull-up and DB rx to comments.

Steph P at Kilimanjaro
On Tuesday, August 28th around 10:30am local time in Tanzania, Africa, I reached the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro, 19,341 vertical ft above sea level with 9 other Team Fox members.  Together, we finished the 6 day trip (4.5 days up, 1.5 days back down) and have collectively raised over $77,000 for Parkinson’s research.  The climb was probably one of the most mentally and physically challenging things I’ve done to date, and by far one of the most rewarding.  It was a caveman’s worst nightmare – basically eating bread at every meal.  Here I’m jumping as high as I possibly could at the summit, which ended up being about 3 inches off the ground.  

I want to thank everyone who’s supported this journey – whether with great words of encouragement or with donations to Team Fox.  My brother and I have raised just over $23,000 together, surpassing our $20,000 goal!!  There is always a continued need to fund PD research, so if you’d like to see more of our story, you can check out www.teamfox.org/goto/paddocks.

Supple Leopards Unite

I talked to Kelly Starrett last night and he said based on the number of book orders we have in so far, we’re  one of the top affiliates on track to possibly win the Affiliate Gym Raffle. Anyone interested in pre-ordering “Becoming a Supple Leopard” should email David(AT)CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com with “Leopard” as the subject line. We’ve got about 80 orders in so far!  The deadline for the raffle is Sept 14th, so we’re going to extend the window the gym has to maximise our total.

AFFILIATE GYM RAFFLE
The affiliate gym that orders the most books (wholesale prices when purchasing 10 copies or more), wins a free Movement and Mobility Seminar with Kelly Starrett at their gym. To purchase wholesale books, please download and complete the Wholesale Book Order Form (11-49 books) or Wholesale Book Order Form (50+ books) and return it to juliet@sanfranciscocrossfit.com for processing. Over 10 books = 50% off the cover price and over 50 books = 55% off the cover price.  (David does all of this, just email him to confirm you want the book)

It’s a Birthday Party

CFSBK is celebrating our 5th anniversary on Friday, September 28th.  Mark your calendars for food, drinks, debachury and burpees!

Sign up for Fight Gone Bad!

Time is of the essence! Fight Gone Bad 2012 is approaching. If you participated in any of our previous Fight Gone Bad events you know how amazing this event is. The teams, the t-shirts the charity.  Each year we come together for 17 minutes of hell to give back a little to those in need. This year we’ll be supporting The Brooklyn Community Foundation! Read up on the BCF and take a moment to sign up.

Sign me up for Fight Gone Bad 2012!

Registration deadline: 9/11

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In a Mass Knife Fight to the Death Between Every American President, Who Would Win and Why? (per JB’s Request)
Donny Shankle Talks Hand Care
Cobalt Blue’s Story
Karen Pierce Does 100 Thrusters at 95lbs

Fitness: Perform 4-5 Warm-Up sets then a reasonably heavy 3×5 across

Performance: Perform 6-7 total sets to find a heavy single. Afterwards drop back to 80% and do 1 set of 4-10 reps. Prioritize upper back integrity.

Post loads to comments.
conjugate squat e2/6
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Perform 5 Rounds for max reps of:
1:00 Max Calories Rowed
1:00 Max Wall Ball Shots
1:00 Rest

Post total reps and Rx to comments.

Dogs Are An Important Component of Fitness!

• Registration for FIGHT GONE BAD 2012 will be open through 9/11. Sign up today!!
• We currently have 55+ orders in for Kelly’s book. Remember to email David(at)CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com with “Leopard” as the subject line if you’d like to be included in the wholesale/presale promotion.

General Informed Freestyling

A common theme from Mobility WOD is the idea of “informed freestyling”.  Basically, when you’re mobilizing, instead of remaining static and settling into a singular position, you’re actively moving around trying to loosen up the tissue and hunting for other restricted areas.  I’m a huge fan of total body informed freestyling in response to or as preventative maintenance for general stiffness.  One way to approach this is extensive DROMs, but my bias is towards ground based movement. Ideally this is accompanied by a foam roller, straps and a lacrosse ball.  More often than not, a mobility rx is reactive and targeted towards tissue you know is tight and preventing you from getting into positions you want to achieve.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that and probably the way you should spend most of your time stretching out. The problem however, is that sometimes it’s at the expense of a more generalized approach to soft tissue health. 
Lets start with the mindset that general stiffness is not normal and that you can do something about it.  To make an analogy, if you walked around hungry all day, a light would go off in your head to do something about it.  We don’t often listen to our bodies in the same way when our joints feel creaky and muscles feel stiff.  This should be a huge red flag that you need to spend a little more time doing generalized restorative movement.  Here are some quick benefits of a short total body movement session:

• Increased blood flow = Increased nutrient transport and hydration to all your tissues
• Excess metabolites are pushed into the lymph (think of it like “cleaning” an area of excess junk)
• Synovial fluid is pumped into your joint capsules, lubricating them
• With dedicated a breathing strategy and a modest pace, you can increase parasympathetic nervous system activity and decrease anxiety

Okay so how do we do it? Well there’s no one right way to do this and how you’re feeling that day should dictate your session but here are some general guidelines.

1. Set aside some time and space to move.  10-15 minutes should be enough to feel a lot better, I often put on a record and go at least until one side finishes. My preference is before bed since you can attack a whole day’s worth of stiffness and it’s a great way to unwind mentally. In terms of space, I love love LOVE my square36 mat.  Yoga mats provide insufficient area to move around on and I constantly have to reposition myself or the mat. (use the discount code cfbrooklyn36 to get $10 off a S36 mat!).

2. Start low and work high (or vise versa).  Start by doing some D-Dog calve marches, manually rolling your feet around, stretching out your toes, maybe using a LAX ball on your feet. Gradually work upstream spending more time in areas that feel tight.  Use stretches you remember from Group or Active Recovery class, make stuff up, work basic splits, twists, bends and be creative. You’ll undoubtedly find positions that feel great and areas that are tight.  Keep your breathing consistent and deep.

Here are some videos from our buddies at Body Tribe that might give you some more ideas:
Quick Mobility Play
Tav’s Brutal Recess
Staying Loose

3. Pepper in some Foam Rolling, LAX work or band stretches.  You might even start here and then get into the informed freestyling.  If you’re not sure what to do, take an Active Recovery class!

4. End with some deep breathing laying flat on your back, drink some water then go to bed!

Related Videos:
Gil Hedley: Fascia and stretching: The Fuzz Speech
Always Be Mobilizing
Informed Freestyling Always