2×10 Ring Row
Pull-Up 3xBW or less then 3-3-3-3

If you can’t do a chest to bar chin-up but you’re close, use a partner to gently assist you up. If you’re not so close use a combination of the smallest band possible and a partner.  Think of the band as assisting your spotter more than yourself.  If that’s too difficult you’ll be using a lower bar and self spotting.

3 Rounds of:
20 Hand to Hand Kettlebell Swings
10e Reverse Lunges
5-8e Kettlebell Push Press

Rest as needed between rounds. Hold the bottom and top of each Lunge and Push Press for a 2 count, use it as an opportunity to organize end range positions as best as possible.

Jess B knows how to prep for Squatting.

Getting Ready To Squat

By Coach Margie

When you approach a loaded bar, make the decision to be there. Develop your Set Up. This is not the time to saunter up, ease yourself into position and expect to manage maximal loads successfully. As strong as you may be, if you are not mentally prepared to own the barbell, well… the barbell will win every time.

As simple as squatting is, it takes all your guts to do it right.

There are two parts to your Set Up: getting underneath the bar, and preparing to squat it.

Getting underneath the bar:

1)     Mentally psych yourself up to lift the weight. Get mad, excited, juiced, pumped, jump around, curse at the bar, or go deep within yourself and find that quiet place of absolute certainty. Whatever. Experiment to find your intensity and focus.

2)     Now, get underneath the bar and get a good strong rack position. Make sure the bar is wedged in tight between your hands and your shoulders. Build stability by finding tension in your upper body: remember this is where the weight will sit, so you want to create a firm shelf, not some namby pamby, twiggy little thing that will snap in two. If you have a low bar rack, raise your elbows up behind you, and push the heels of your hands against the bar. If you have a high bar rack, grip the bar tightly and push up against it.

3)     Take a big breath into your belly, hold it and bear down. Your stomach should get fatter. Now squeeze your butt and stand up confidently with the weight on your back.

4)     Walk back two or three steps and set your feet.

Preparing to squat:

1)     Let the bar settle on your shoulders.

2)     Make sure your rack position is still tight.

3)     Take another big breath into your belly and bear down. Get fat!

4)     Now SQUAT!

This is your ritual; use it every time you play with a barbell.

Happy lifting!

Watch this video to see exactly what we’re talking about
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A Note From Peggy And The Next CFSBK Book Club Book!

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Nixonalia – Hunter S.Thompson discusses what Nixon represents to him

3 Rounds of:
Bench Press, Heavy 12
Row 500m

Get on the erg immedidately following your bench set and row a hard 500m. Rest as needed between rounds. Your score is total lbs moved and total time on the erg. If you miss a rep on the bench, you get zero points for that set.

Post total load and time to comments.

Where in the world is Paul B? Check out his blog to see pics of his amazing travels.

News and Notes

• We had a great turn out for our first Double Feature movie night on the big screen. Thanks to everyone who came out and brought food or drinks.  We can’t wait for the next one!
• Great work to Team CFSBK on their performance at CF LIC yesterday.  We’ve got one more event in this year’s CrossFit Subway Series!
• This IS Comp Class today at 12pm.
• Today is the last day of Crush Week. We’ll be moving into a week focused on recovery and skill development from Monday through Sunday.

Book Club Meeting Tonight

Tonight at 5pm the CFSBK Book Club will be meeting at Pacific Standard to discuss this month’s book, “Ready Player One”  Below are some proposed discussion questions to think about before coming down:

Discussion Questions:
1. The OASIS becomes a part of daily life for users around the globe. What virtual realms (Google, Facebook, iCloud) do you depend on? What is at stake in the war against IOI, the internet service provider that wants to overturn Halliday’s affordable, open-source approach? Is it dangerous to mix profit and dependence on technology?  

2. Explore the question of identity raised in the novel. What do the characters’ avatars tell us about their desires and their insecurities? In reality, does our physical appearance give false clues about who we really are? How does Parzival, transformed into a celebrity gunter, become Wade’s true self?  

3. With a narrator who vividly captures the human experience, Ready Player One delivers a world that is easy for us to imagine. In the novel, what was at the root of the grim downturn for Earth’s inhabitants? Could your community start looking like the stacks by the year 2044?  

4. How does love affect Wade’s rational mind? Would you have given Art3mis the tip about playing on the left side to defeat the lich (page 99, chapter ten)? Did you predict that she would turn out to be a friend or a foe?

5. How does public school in the OASIS compare to your experience in school? Has author Ernest Cline created a solution to classroom overcrowding, student apathy, and school violence?

6. In his Columbus bunker, Wade puts on so many pounds that he can no longer fit comfortably in his haptic chair. How would you fare in his weight-loss program, described in chapter nineteen, featuring a simulation gym, coaching from Max, and a lockout system that restricts his diet and forces him to exercise?  

7. Wade’s OASIS pass phrase is revealed on page 199, at the end of chapter nineteen: “No one in the world ever gets what they want and that is beautiful.” What does this philosophy mean to him at that point in his life?  

8. How is the novel shaped by the 1980s backdrop, featuring John Hughes films, suburban shows like Family Ties, a techno-beat soundtrack, and of course, a slew of early video games? Did Halliday grow up in a utopia? 

9. Discuss Bryce Lynch’s financial situation, rigged so that Wade could infiltrate IOI. When does Wade become willing to “die trying”? How did you react to the image of debtors being forced into indentured servitude?

10. Wade doesn’t depend on religion to make moral decisions or overcome life-threatening challenges. What does the novel say about humanity’s relationship to religion? What sort of god is Halliday, creator of the OASIS universe?

11. Despite their introverted nature, the book’s characters thrive on friendship. Discuss the level of trust enjoyed by Halliday and Og, and among Wade, Aech, Art3mis, Daito, and Shoto. How is true power achieved in Ready Player One?

12. In the closing scenes, Halliday’s reward proves to be greater than mere wealth. What is Halliday’s ultimate prize? How did the rules of Halliday’s game help him determine the type of  player who would likely win?  

13. In his quest for the three keys, Wade is required to inhabit many imaginary worlds, including movies, video games, and a simulation of Halliday’s childhood home. Which of these virtual realities appealed to you the most? What sort of virtual reality is provided by a novel?

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Plandomization: CrossFit, Periodization and Planning Cathletics
CrossFit South Brooklyn makes a case for structuring more periodization into the training schedule at an affiliate Affiliate Blog Comments Section 2009
John Griffith’s Home CrossFit Gym

5 Rounds for time of:
Run 400m
30 Box Jumps, 24″/20″ (Mandatory Step Down)
30 Wall Ball Shots, 20/14  10′ or 9′ Target

There is a 25 minute cap on today’s workout.

“Kelly” is a high volume, long duration conditioning workout.  Given the large number of Box Jumps coupled with running, we’re asking everyone to step down from their boxes instead of jumping down.  This will protect your lower leg from large amounts of stress associated with bounding.  Scale the Wall Ball height and weight so that you can get after the 30 rep sets in large chunks. If you’re breaking down into really small sets or losing position to heave the ball up, scale back.

Post time and Rx to comments.

CFSBK Double Feature Movie Night

CFSBK will be showing a double feature at the gym on Tonight!.  For this first round, our movies will be:

“Star Wars: Episode IV” and “Pumping Iron”

This is a free event for all CFSBK members including friends and family.  We’ll start Star Wars at 7:00pm and then Pumping Iron at 9:15pm.  You’re welcome to stay for both or just come for one if you’d like.  CFSBK will provide adult beverages and everyone is welcome to bring snacks or food if they’d like however nothing is expected. Post-movie “Pose Offs” and PVC light saber battle are encouraged.

Good Luck Team SBK on Event 2 Of The 2012 CrossFit Subway Series!
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Olympic Sailor is All About CrossFit Paleo Diet

Nicole A Gets Her 1RM Scrutinized By Coach Jeremy

Remember tomorrow is Movie Night at CFSBK! We’ll be showing Star Wars and 7pm and Pumping Iron at 9:15pm.  Stay for both of just come for one, all are welcome. Herschel will be there!

Save travels to Coach Margie as she heads off for Wisconsin today. To say she will be missed is a profund understatement!

Check Out Krishnan’s Video

Want to know more about GMOs? Want to hear some catchy jamz? Want to see Krishnan V’s awesome editing and production skillz. Click here!

Subway Series Tomorrow!

Best of luck to Team SBK as they take on Event 3 of the CrossFit 2012 Subway Series at CrossFit LIC.  Our guys and gals will be taking on the following “Diane” variant:

As Many Reps As Possible in 7 minutes:
3 Deadlifts, 225/155#
3 Handstand Push-Ups
6 Deadlifts, 225/155#
6 Handstand Push-Ups
9 Deadlifts, 225/155#
9 Handstand Push-Ups
12 Deadlifts, 225/155#
12 Handstand Push-Ups
…
adding 3 rep rounds until the clock runs out

Scoring is one point per rep.

Good luck, team!

Friday Trivia Questions:
1. During what war was the star spangled banner written?
2. Due to no particular belief in deity, which religion is often regarded as a philosophy?
3. What kind of bird can dive the deepest below sea level – about 500 meters underwater?
4. In 1783, the French brothers Montgolfier helped people go where no one had gone before, when they invented what?
5. A “perfect number” is one in which the sum of the divisors of the number add up to the number. The first “perfect number” is 6, because its divisors are 1,2,3. What is the second perfect number?
6. France borders five countries. Two of them are Germany and Switzerland. Can you name the other three?
7. Between noon and midnight, how many times do the hands of a clock form a right angle?

As always, no researching allowed. If you know the answers post to comments, even if someone else already answered and you didn’t read it yet!
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Brooklyn Is Flooding Gawker
P90X Is a Fascist Workout iOfTheTiger

Every Minute, On The Minute, For 20 Minutes, perform the following couplet:
1 Deadlift
Max Double Unders until the :30 Mark

Men’s Deadlift Weight Options:
A 305
B 275
C 225
D 185
E 155
F Other..

Women’s Deadlift Weight Options:
A 185
B 155
C 135
D 115
E 95
F Other..

You have until the :30 mark to complete your Double Unders. If you can’t consistently complete 20 by the :30 mark, scale back.  Modifications today will be single unders or double under attempts until the :30 mark.

Post Rx and lowest Double Under round to comments.

The Jess Fox Fan Club

The Sophomore Slump

by Noah Abbott

It’s inevitable. At some time during this great journey that is Crossfit, things are going to get tough.  Your strength numbers stop shooting up, and your metcon times stop plummeting down.  At a certain point what Mark Rippetoe calls the “Beginner Effect” wears off, and you are now faced with the daunting prospect that each gain, each skill mastered, and each second shaved will be done so at the cost of a considerable investment of time, focus, and will.  

Often, concurrent with this realization, you will look around and think “why isn’t this happening to anyone else!”  The guy you share a squat rack with has added 40 pounds to his squat this exposure, while you’ve risked an aneurysm to add 15!  The girl you did foundations with just hit 100 consecutive double unders, and you approach the jump rope like its an anaconda looking to wrap you up and eat you!  You thought you were great at this stuff, and all of a sudden it feels like you barely deserve to wear the ol’ skull and crossbones and call yourself a CFSBKer.

For many, this phenomenon occurs somewhere between 6 and 18 months into an athlete’s development, although it can certainly happen sooner or later, depending on your previous training history.  Often times this double edged revelation- That a) shit is gonna be hard, and b)that on the giant Crossfit spectrum your abilities rate closer to Jason Schwartzman’s than Jason Khalipa’s- results in a drop of motivation, general malaise, and sometimes a loss of CrossFaith.

Congratulations!  You are now a Crossfit Sophopmore, and experiencing your first Sophomore Slump!  At this time it may be meritorious to examine the roots of the word Sophomore.  Although commonly used to refer to the second year of high school or college instruction, it derives its name from the greek sophisma, which means “acquired skill, clever device, method” which was further derived from sophos, meaning “wise or skilled.”  Previously you made gains randomly, almost accidentally, and every lift or metcon was a PR.  Now, as a Sophomore, you must practice sophisma and train methodically and with greater perspective to ensure continued success.

Redefine Goals and Timeframes

At the start of your Crossfit career, goals were short-term challenges and triumphs.  Kicking up to a handstand, one (or ten, or twenty) push-ups or pull-ups, squatting to depth- these were things that you could identify, work on for a relatively short amount of time, and achieve.  For further development as a Sophomore, a redefinition of goals is necessary.  

Previously, we planned forward to achieving a goal.  “I want to squat 200 pounds by the end of the month.”  Looking forward, I challenge you to plan backwards.  Identify your goal, figure out how many training days you can allot per week or month to work on it, and set a long enough timeframe that you will be able to keep progressing slowly and steadily towards success.  Make sure to start submaximally (using weight/reps/etc lower than your current max) to make sure you have room to grow.  The more you can delay hitting the ceiling of your current ability, the more room your ability will have to grow. By starting low, aiming high, and giving themselves ample time to grow Smart Sophomores avoid Ceilings (I think I just made up a new saying!).

Perspective

Even with perfect planning, great focus, and sustained intensity, some movements,workouts, or even time/weight modalities (Grace vs Murph) will always seem to crush us.  Mobility, diet, sleep, injury history- all of these things blend into potent cocktails that besiege the fledgling (and intermediate, and expert) Crossfitter.   Instead of getting frustrated why not try and re-frame the problem:

First, embrace every exposure to them as an opportunity to practice perfectly and gather experience and insight about a difficult adversary.  Relish in attacking your weaknesses, and try your best to attend days when those weaknesses are programmed, or program them yourself during open gym days.

Second, actively try to maintain perspective about what Crossfit means in your life and your personal reasons for why you keep showing up to a funky old warehouse to get sweaty.  Aside from the infinitesimal percentage of elite, competitive Crossfit athletes, most of us come to the gym for reasons that all fall under the umbrella of “Improving Quality of Life.”  Increasing work capacity, being able to participate in new and challenging activities, looking better naked- all of these are broad, life-oriented goals that we work towards every single time we come to the gym, whether its a day when we hit a PR or where we bail on every set.  

Last, remember what a great privilege it is that you have a life that allows you to spend a nice chunk of time each week picking up heavy stuff, running, jumping, and making yourself Mas Sexy (and I mean that in the broadest sense of the Spanglish malaproprism).  There are a vast number of people out there too overworked, underpaid, untrained, ignorant or otherwise unable to do the things we take for granted.  Your worst day at the gym is better than a day sitting on the couch mainlining Pringles.

Just Show Up

Which brings me to my last point and word of advice during slumps, Sophomoric or otherwise.  JUST SHOW UP.  Every day you are in the gym working is a day you are improving, even when it doesn’t feel that way.  Tangible increases in strength or speed are important, but so are intangible gains in familiarity with movements and a greater understanding of your strengths, weaknesses, and limitations.  Broadening your knowledge and confidence is just as worthwhile an endeavor as broadening your back and thighs.  Sometimes you will surprise yourself with gains you make when you feel like you are standing still.  Plus, your friends want to see you, sweat with you, and laugh with you, and, if you don’t show up, your coaches will have nothing to do but compare deadlift scars and throw chalk at each other.

A Long Crossfit Road

Hopefully after reading this, some of you will feel rejuvenated, and apply these humble tools to break out of the funk you are currently in.  Although this article deals with the concept of a Sophomore Slump, rest assured there are Junior Slumps, Senior Slumps, and a wealth of postgraduate, doctoral, and extracurricular opportunities in Slump Science as well.  Now you have the weapons to fight back.   Redefine your goals and adjust your timeframes to allow steady progress towards said goals. Strive to maintain perspective and always reflect on what Crossfit means to you, why you do it.   Most importantly, even when it’s tough, find value in simply stepping into the ring.   So equipped, all of these Slumps will be just small road bumps on a long road.  Trust me, one day you’ll look back at this stuff, and laugh.

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Why Do It Right When I Can Do It Wrong CF One World
CrossFit Warrior/Muy Thai World Champion Miriam Nakamoto CrossFit Community
CrossFit Strength Training, By Louie Simmons