Spend 15 minutes working up to a heavy double.

Goal is to go a bit heavier than last week’s triples.

Post loads to comments.
(e3/4) compare to 5.3.12

Complete the following couplet for 5 rounds:
Within 2 minutes run 270 meters then perform as many Strict Pull-Ups as possible
Rest 2 minutes

Post total reps and Rx to comments.

“I’m in the DC area for work travel this week and spent last night at a retreat center in western VA that is a former colonial farm–lots of gorgeous old oak trees with spreading branches. So I climbed one! The lowest branch was 7+ feet off the ground so I had to pull myself up–which I totally could, thanks to pullups and knees to elbows and everything else. I got up about 30′ eventually (up past the branch you can see over my head). Here’s a picture of me (in my work clothes) with another colleague.”
-Charlotte K

Memorial Day Murph!

Mark your calendars! Memorial Day Murph is happening on Monday, May 28th. As always, we’ll be doing “Murph” and then finishing off with some Beers and BBQ! What’s “Murph” you ask?

For Time:
Run 1 Mile
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Squats
Run 1 Mile

Partition the Pull-ups, Push-Ups and Squats however you’d like. If you’ve got a 20lb vest or body armor, wear it. As always, scaling options will be provided.

Appropriate scaling

by Coach Fox
originally posted on 8.13.10

We all know that CrossFit is infinitely scalable. We have CF Kids who do scaled down versions of what our regular classes look like. You tell your Mom and your Grandma that yes; they too, can walk into their local CF affiliate and get some. In Foundations at CFSBK or at a Level 1 cert, your coach lectured you that CrossFit is constantly varied, functional movement, executed at (relatively) high intensity. Remember that adjective: relatively. After CrossFitting for a while you may feel like you should do every WOD Rx’d…not so.
 
What high intensity means for all of us is different. Sometimes the difference is scaled via time/perceived effort. For example: 2 athletes complete Fran as Rx’d. Athlete A finishes in 3:00 flat, while athlete B finishes in 6:59. One took more than 2x as long as the other. Did they both get a dose of CrossFit? For sure. Let’s assume that athlete B scaled back intensity and paced the workout more and didn’t redline because he didn’t sleep well the night before and was feeling sluggish. That sounds like smart scaling to me. Here’s another scenario. Athlete A is the same, but athlete B finishes the workout in just under 12:00. He breaks the movements up into 3 or 4 at a time from start, and his movement is a mess from the 10th thruster on, missing ROM on a few of the pull-ups along the way. He was well rested and just really wanted to do his first Rx’d Fran. Here athlete B gets a very different workout. It became more a matter of slogging through to the finish instead of sprinting to the end, and the metabolic effect of the WOD was lost. Some scaling on weight or reps may have gotten him the intended effect of the infamous 21-15-9 of thrusters and pull-ups. If his thrusters were the limiting factor using a 75lb barbell may have been appropriate. If pull-ups were the time suck then maybe going 12-9-6 on that portion would have made the difference.
 
Just this week you were challenged to find your max weight for a “4 minute Grace”.  This was a great active lesson on scaling that I hope you got. Sure, sometimes it can be good just to go at a WOD Rx’d for the sake of completing it as such. There can be some real mental/emotional benefit to that. The majority of the time though, when it comes to met-cons, especially the short/intense kind, try and find where your intensity level needs to be for the intended effect of the workout. Then focus on getting stronger and the Rx’d weight will come. A good estimate for high rep barbell work is to use around 65% of your max. So if your max clean and jerk were 150lbs, then 95-100 lbs would probably get you a good dose of Grace. If you’re not sure where or when to scale, just ask one of the coaches as CFSBK. That’s what we’re here for. Cheers to good training.

Congratulations to all the Strength Cyclers who hit PR’s yesterday.  Post results to comments!
___________________
Donny Shankle push pressing 140kg (308 lbs) youtube
Matt Chan does a 2000m Row, 50 Pistols and 30 225# Hang Cleans in 12:04 CrossFit Games

60%x2x10

Lots of speed every rep, minimal transition time between sets with your partner(s).

Post loads to comments.
compare to 5.2.12

3 Rounds For Time of:
270 Meter Run
15 Thrusters 65/45
15 Kettlebell Swings Swings 53/35

Post time and Rx to comments.

Underneath the Hoodie: Jeremy Fisher

By Margie Lempert

Height: 5’7”
Weight: 185
DOB: 5/6/77
Born: Allentown, PA
Grew up: Atlantic Beach, Long Island
Place of Higher Learning: New York University, Psychology

Do me a favor. Put on your headphones. Now, click here (skip the ad) and settle into the story of Jeremy Fisher. Trust me, it’ll make the whole experience more… epic.

In third grade, Scholastic Reader had a listing for Gods, Demigods & Demons: An Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology. He forced his mom to order it, and it quickly became his essential text. It was the perfect book: no stories to wade through in order to extract facts, he could just know things.

The Encyclopedia eventually led the way to the full blown myths, as well an early fascination with World War II. He read about weaponry and equipment and personal narratives and strategy and planning. He fell in love with Alexander the Great and the Persian Wars. Myths and heroes, guns and knives – this is what decorated his interior life and occupied most of his time, not that anyone knew. His ardent reading relieved him of the need to deal with people, from whom he always felt apart. The oldest of four boys within an impressively large extended family, Jeremy was at once the one in the charge, and the one who couldn’t be persuaded to look up from his book.

When Jeremy was about 3, his grandfather ran over him with a lawnmower. The accident laid him up in the hospital for 6 weeks with a broken femur. That’s a long time to be secluded from others, especially at such a young age, and his resulting imaginary life may have its genesis in the event.

Lest you think little Jeremy was pure geek, I’ll tell you the other story of his youth: you see, at the same time he found his Encyclopedia, he also found the wrestling mat. He took to it quickly and developed a very aggressive style which relied on the unconventional use of his legs. He wanted to break his opponent’s will, and to him that was best done through pain. An angry kid, the mat presented an acceptable place for him to hurt people. It also taught him how to walk away from the anger when the match was over, perhaps saving him from a more troubled adolescence. In the wrestling room, Jeremy was on top, but he did not derive a lot of social confidence from his abilities.

High school was spent making weight, playing D&D with his buddies and working on the beach in the summers (he grew up between the bay and the ocean). He was an erratic student: a great test taker with a naturally good aptitude for school, but no real desire to excel at what didn’t interest him. Ironically, he was best at science and often got along poorly with his english teachers. In the middle of high school, he started running track to keep in shape and that’s where he met he first serious girlfriend, who he stayed with through most of college.

NYU. A partial scholarship and the lure of the City trumped his other thought of joining the Navy as a pilot. He intended to wrestle there, but at some point towards the beginning, he suddenly found he just wasn’t that interested in it anymore. He wasn’t crazy about the coach, and there was all this other college stuff to explore. It was a good thing because, at his girlfriend’s prodding, eventually he joined track and ended up meeting his most long lasting friends. As a Div III school, the team was never very good, but Jeremy was able to keep it in perspective. After all, losing a wrestling match usually meant you got hurt, whereas losing a race just meant you ran slower than the other guy.

College was a mixed bag emotionally and left him a little bewildered. After 9/11, Jeremy once again began thinking about the military, so he enrolled in Officer Cadet School on an aviator contract. Part way through training, he injured his back and was sent home. It was a hard incident to get over. He took a job in his Dad’s company doing interior construction jobs for big box stores. He was on the road, working nights and getting more and more out of shape. When he left that company to work for RSI, he finally started to find his way back to the gym.

He started with the basic Men’s Journal deal, but knew enough to recognize that it wasn’t super effective. Good intuition about bullshit programs and an impressive ability to search the web led him to Rippetoe and others like him. He decided it was time to get strong. Within one year he was pulling in the low 400s, benching around 300 and squatting in the low to mid 300s.

When he first found Crossfit.com, the workouts seemed fun, but he was dubious about its lack of consistent lifting. Nevertheless, he started figuring out how to incorporate WODs into his lifting regimen. In 2007, he decided he would follow mainsite in addition to his lifts. He was back at his Dad’s company, still working odd hours and often lifting in the middle of the night after a shift ended.  And then he heard about CFSBK. David had just moved indoors when Jeremy decided to check it out. His first class consisted of him and some hungover guy from out of town, but with a promise from David that the next class would be deadlifting, he returned. It was a little strange to be with people again, but also nice to express his competitiveness in the company of others.

Jeremy went down the CrossFit rabbit hole full force and even took himself to the 2008 Games where he placed 32 out of over 130 male competitors. It was a different thing back then: scrappier, but with unexpected and inspiring performances of athleticism. When he returned to Regionals in 2009, he saw the writing on the wall: CrossFit was changing and the competition had already outpaced him.

In 2008, the financial crisis virtually shut down construction and his Dad’s company had to drastically reduce staff. Jeremy’s layoff was rough, but it also prompted his path to coaching and piloting his first Strength Cycle. He had originally envisioned it as a strength biased CF class, but David pushed him to make it exclusively about lifting. It brought him full circle and he was happy to be back with the bar full time.

Of course, Jeremy is still an obsessive reader and consumer of information. He’s prone to late nights of video games, comic books and internet surfing. It’s impossible to tear him away from anything with the printed word or zombies and guns. One of his most compelling subject matters is atheism. A fervent believer in the untruth of religion, Jeremy arrived at his beliefs through science and evolution. He has always been fascinated by how things work, and, for him, evolution is the most elegant explanation of animal behavior and function. He started reading Richard Dawkins in his mid-20’s and quickly picked up Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchins, Jared Diamond and others. Nature documentaries, especially those featuring predators, captivate him and he retains a shocking amount of information about what he sees.

And then there’s me. Or rather Jeremy and me. Let’s just say, he knew early, was persistent, and I’m the better for it.

So, now you know the story of the hulking guy on the platform (who is roughly 50 lbs bigger than his high school incarnation). He’s not so scary, is he? But don’t tell him you know that.

Parting Shots:
Favorite Comics: Punisher; Walking Dead; anything by Garth Ennis
Favorite Books: Gates of Fire; Blind Watchmaker; World War Z
Favorite Video Games: Assassins Creed; Shadows of the Colossus; Grand Theft Auto
Favorite Music: Johnny Cash; NIN; Nirvana
Favorite Lift: Squat

Most admires:
Mark Rippetoe for his clarity and foundation
Jim Wendler for his awesomeness
Andy Baker for his programmatic wisdom

Upcoming Strength Goals: Squat 450; Press 225; Bench 350; Deadlift 525

Secret Talents:
He’s a manny in the making. Always been great with kids and loves to be with them
He knows the meaning of all the Beatles songs
He knows about shit you don’t think anyone does (except maybe Malcolm)

Favorite way to eat eggs:
Mixed with flour, sugar, baking soda, chocolate chips and baked.

_________________________

Good Luck Strength Cyclers on your Total today!

Congratulations to Erica and Greg N on the birth of their first son, Reid Oris Nofi!

“Reid was born on Saturday morning at 4:14 am, weighing 8 lbs 12 oz and measuring 21 1/4″ long. He has giant hands and feet, which his parents hope will serve him well in his future crossfitting career. We look forward to bringing him in for a visit very soon!”
-Erica and Greg

Happy Birthday, Micheline G!

CrossFit Total Tomorrow!

Coach Jeremy’s Strength Cycle will CrossFit Total tomorrow from 6-9:30pm. Watch these strong guys and gals test their 1RM’s after 8 hard weeks of pushing and pulling steel.  Spectators are welcome and encouraged!

Ken’s Ring Strength Series Returns

Join guest Gymnastics Coach Ken H. as he takes you through 4 weeks of gymnastics strength training with an emphasis on developing a rudimentary ring routine.  Each class will include a proper warm-up, stretching and then use both isometric and dynamic strength exercises to develop: core strength while learning transitions on the rings, levers, muscle-ups and planches.  Students will also have strength and flexibility assignments to do on the outside of class. Space is limited so sign up today!

Ken’s Gymnastics Ring Series (Advanced)
Sundays from 1pm – 2pm
5/13/12 – 6/10/12
(no class Sunday 5/27/12)
$60 paid in full
By Invitation Only-Email Ken at hallerk(at)gmail(dot)com for more information.

Ken’s Gymnastics Ring Series (Beginner)
Sundays from 2pm-3pm
5/13/12 – 6/10/12
(no class Sunday 5/27/12)
Register Here!

Price:
$60 for 4 Weeks

Cap:
6 Participants

Physical Requirements:
1 Strict Pull-Up, Women
3 Strict Pull-Ups, Men
5 Push-Ups, Women
10 Push-Ups, Men

Ken Haller’s Bio
Ken was a nationally competitive gymnast in Newton, MA and at the University of Michigan. After graduating, Ken coached for eight years at Capital Gymnastics in Northern Virginia where he coached regional and national champions. His students have gone on to be NCAA champions and members of Cirque du Soliel. In searching for an activity to replace gymnastics, Ken filled the void with rock climbing and yoga for the past ten years and recently found CrossFit to round out his training.

___________________
Burpee Smoked Elbows? Epicondylitis-ness? Voodoo it. Mobility WOD
Banish Your Elbow Bench, Dip, Pull Up Pain, You Don’t Really Play Golf or Tennis Do You? Mobility WOD
The Myth Of The Dumb Jock Gawker
Mixing Weight Training and Aerobics NY Times
I Want To Look Good Naked In The Cave
Mosquitoes Don’t Even Need To Bite Us, Study Shows

Work up to 80-90% of your max and then perform 1 Clean every minute, on the minute for 12 minutes.

Post loads to comments.
(e3/4)

Assistance Work
Seated Box Jumps 3×5

75 Kettlebell Swings
50 Hollow Rocks

Partition as desired

Tyler Jones

Happy Belated Birthday, PR!

CFSBK Intern!

CFSBK will be hosting Tyler Jones through is 90 hour internship for Long Island University.  Tyler will be shadowing and then assisting for the next month on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings as well as Sundays.  Tyler starts tonight, please welcome him!

As Many Rounds As Possible In 20 Minutes of:
5 Pull-Ups
10 Push-Ups
15 Squats

Post rounds and Rx to comments.
compare to 1.8.12

Happy Birthday Coach Jeremy!

New Equipment

Look forward to seeing the following items in CFSBK’s ever expaning war chest:

VooDoo Floss Bands
Rogue HG Collars (x5p)
15lb Training Bars (x2)
Dip Belts (x2)
Rumble Rollers (x2 Shortys)
Chain Kits (x2 Pairs)
Post Landmine (x1)
Farmers Carry Handles (x1p)

Ken’s Ring Strength Series Returns

Join guest Gymnastics Coach Ken H. as he takes you through 4 weeks of gymnastics strength training with an emphasis on developing a rudimentary ring routine.  Each class will include a proper warm-up, stretching and then use both isometric and dynamic strength exercises to develop: core strength while learning transitions on the rings, levers, muscle-ups and planches.  Students will also have strength and flexibility assignments to do on the outside of class. Space is limited so sign up today!

Ken’s Gymnastics Ring Series (Advanced)
Sundays from 1pm – 2pm
5/13/12 – 6/10/12
(no class Sunday 5/27/12)
$60 paid in full
By Invitation Only-Email Ken at hallerk(at)gmail(dot)com for more information.

Ken’s Gymnastics Ring Series (Beginner)
Sundays from 2pm-3pm
5/13/12 – 6/10/12
(no class Sunday 5/27/12)
Register Here!

Price:
$60 for 4 Weeks

Cap:
6 Participants

Physical Requirements:
1 Strict Pull-Up, Women
3 Strict Pull-Ups, Men
5 Push-Ups, Women
10 Push-Ups, Men

Ken Haller’s Bio
Ken was a nationally competitive gymnast in Newton, MA and at the University of Michigan. After graduating, Ken coached for eight years at Capital Gymnastics in Northern Virginia where he coached regional and national champions. His students have gone on to be NCAA champions and members of Cirque du Soliel. In searching for an activity to replace gymnastics, Ken filled the void with rock climbing and yoga for the past ten years and recently found CrossFit to round out his training.

_____________________
How Has Coach Jeremy gotten you better?