Allan E. Proud Dad!

Happy Eating to everyone attending The 6th Paleo Challenge Rest Day Dinner tonight at Casa Zellner!

Congratulations to Martina O. on completing in the Empire State Building Run

Martina O finished the 2012 Empire State Building run in 25:34.  That’s a total of 86 flights and 1,576 steps. Congratulations Martina!

Like Books?  Join the Book Club!

We all know CrossFitters love their acronyms, so we thought it was about time to throw another one in the mix – BOM (Book of the Month). 

A few members (Shaye L., Teddi M., Peggy J-L. and Martina O.) expressed an interest in forming a monthly book club that would be open to the CFSBK community.  As a start, the group will meet monthly to discuss a pre-selected work of fiction.  The first meeting will be held on Sunday, March 11^th at 5:00 PM at [location TBD].  Please feel free to bring Paleo-friendly snacks to share!

The first BOM will be Super Sad True Love Story:  A Novel by Gary Shteyngart. 

From Publisher’s Weekly: 

Shteyngart (Absurdistan) presents another profane and dizzying satire, a dystopic vision of the future as convincing—and, in its way, as frightening—as Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. It’s also a pointedly old-fashioned May-December love story, complete with references to Chekhov and Tolstoy. Mired in protracted adolescence, middle-aged Lenny Abramov is obsessed with living forever (he works for an Indefinite Life Extension company), his books (an anachronism of this indeterminate future), and Eunice Park, a 20-something Korean-American. Eunice, though reluctant and often cruel, finds in Lenny a loving but needy fellow soul and a refuge from her overbearing immigrant parents. Narrating in alternate chapters—Lenny through old-fashioned diary entries, Eunice through her online correspondence—the pair reveal a funhouse-mirror version of contemporary America: terminally indebted to China, controlled by the singular Bipartisan Party (Big Brother as played by a cartoon otter in a cowboy hat), and consumed by the superficial. Shteyngart’s earnestly struggling characters—along with a flurry of running gags—keep the nightmare tour of tomorrow grounded. A rich commentary on the obsessions and catastrophes of the information age and a heartbreaker worthy of its title, this is Shteyngart’s best yet.

And the New York Times Book Review is HERE

If you are interested in selecting a fiction book for an upcoming BOM meeting, please bring your suggestions to the first meeting where we’ll pick the books for the next three meetings by random drawing.  We figured it would also be helpful to have a discussion leader to keep the conversation flowing, so if your book is selected, you should also be prepared to be the discussion leader that month.  All this means is that you need to attend the meeting and have a few questions prepared about your book. Easy stuff!

If you have questions or want to RSVP to the first meeting on Sunday, March 11^th please email Martina O. at parisgirl30(AT)gmail.com.
___________________

Read Pat Sherwood’s “Lesson’s Learned” article.  What lessons have you learned about training and life from CrossFit? 
___________________

Lana Z.’s ‘Art Not Arrests’ Would Memorialize Crown Heights Violence Huffington Post
The Manimal is Back: Pat Barber CF Games Profile CrossFit
Arkasia, or Why You Act Against Your Own Better Judgement Mark’s Daily Apple
All 47 Sports and Fitness Activities, Ranked Gawker

75%x5
85%x3
95%x1+

Post RX and reps to comments.
Compare to 2.2.12 and 1.18.12

then,

Tabata Power Cleans
155/105

Post RX and reps to comments. 

Melissa L. Jumps Around

2012 CF Games Open Sectionals: Do You Have What it Takes?

Registration for the 2012 CF Games Open Sectionals is going on now and that means anyone across the country can register and compete!  We currently have 12 athletes signed up to compete and after last year we’re looking for another strong showing of participants!  Just like last year CF will be posting Sectional WODs each week starting on February 25th and if last year is any indication the WODs will be programmed with the idea of getting as many athletes to compete.  That means this is a competition not only for the battle-tested WOD-hardened firebreather but for any one who can participate Rx’d (No scaling is allowed)! 

Athletes interested in competing must register no later than February 26th at 5pm

Just to get an idea of what HQ programmed last year, the first WOD of last 2011 Sectionals was:

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
30 Double-unders
15 Power snatches

The Power snatch loads were as follows:
Men and Masters Men 45-49, 50-54: 75lbs/35kg
Women and Masters Women 45-54: 55lbs/25kg
Masters Men 55-59, 60+: 65lbs/30kg
Masters Women 55-59, 60+: 45lbs/20kg

We’ll be hosting one WOD from competition and sending members out to our friends at CF Virtuosity, CF LIC,  CF Queens. 

These events will be open for registration starting 2/18.  There will be prizes and all kinds of fun and we want to have a ‘Black Sea’ of supporters to cheer on our athletes!

Can’t travel?  We’ll be giving members a chance to do these workouts at CFSBK during the week! 

This is an incredible event and great way to test yourself along with tens of thousands of athletes around the world!  We hope you’ll join us in representing CFSBK!

Check out the Promo Clip for the Open and get pumped!

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Did you compete in the 2011 Sectionals?  Will your represent Team CFSBK in 2012?
___________________

What are the CrossFit Games? Youtube
Inside the Cult of Crossfit Yahoo Health
Mindful Eating as Food for Thought NY Times

75%x5
85%x3
95%x1+

Post loads and reps to comments
Compare to 1.31.12 or 1.18.12

then,

“DB Fran”
21-15-9
DB Thrusters
Pull Ups
There is a 10 minute cap on this WOD.  Rx the Thrusters and Pull Ups to a scale that allows for unbroken movement

Post RX and time to comments.

Dan H3 Calisthenic King

Happy Birthday David “D-Turn” T.!

Lana Z. Updates Us on Her Kickstarter Campaign!

Lana writes:

As of now (Tuesday morning), I’m pretty far away from my goal still — we still have about $2500 to raise by Friday, which is a little nuts, but is totally possible. Sadly, if I don’t reach the goal by Friday, I will have done hundreds of burpees for nothing other than these amazing new shoulder muscles — which isn’t too terrible really 😉

Since the last blog post about the project, I added new corporate sponsorship rewards for the project. Mostly I’ve been doing this door to door sales-woman style, but, they are also available as rewards on our Kickstarter page. If anyone at CrossFit is looking to promote their personal business, this might be a great way to get your name out to the local Brooklyn community as well as the larger design/NYC scene. I have already received a lot of press based around the project and have done lots of interviews for great blogs and magazines, I expect this to continue and grow. Feel free to contact me if you have questions: Lana@groundupdesigners.com

On a personal level, this will be my first built architectural work, which makes the project extra important to me. As an architect, it’s really hard to see your vision come to life, it requires a lot of community support and a lot of money… that’s why I’m here on begging for donations from friends. So yeah, if anyone within the CrossFit community is able to make a donation and get me a little closer to my goal, it would just make my life. Thanks so so so much for all your help so far, you guys have already blown my mind with your support and I really truly appreciate it. Of corse, the ‘1 burpee per $1’ reward is still an option for you guys, but please be patient as it may take me a day or two to recover between sets — I’ve received warnings from multiple coaches about this, so maybe I should listen 😉

MAKE A DONATION HERE 🙂

For fun: Here are the videos I made of myself doing burpees for all the awesome folks who already donated!

 

100 Burpees for Sameer

65 Burpees for Joy

50 Burpees for JR

35 Burpees for Dan H (to be completed at the box with Dan at my side, because he is extra nice and offered to do them with me)

20 Burpees for WODstack (yeah, I don’t know how I got that to happen)

20 Burpees for Coach Margie (My dog does a Burpee in this video, YESSS!)

20 Burpees for Corbett

20 Burpees for The Coaches Fox

10 Burpees for Traci

(If I missed you in the list of backers, please let me know… some people might have slipped by my attention)

THANKS SO SO MUCH!! 

<3

Lana

__________________

What’s your goal for tonight’s rep out?
___________________

They’re no purple drink but Brooklyn Paleo has two delicious drink recipes! Here and Here Brooklyn Paleo
What are the CrossFit Games? CrossFit
20 Common Grammar Mistakes that Everyone Makes LitReactor
Ad Age Names Several Small Business as Hottest Brands Huffington Post
Iranian’s Women Ninja Training CNN

Underneath his hoodie…a weighted vest!

Happy Belated Birthday to Katie Mo. & Liese Merry!  Happy Birthday to Kristin H.!

Underneath the Hoodie: David Osorio, aka El Oso

By Margie Lempert

Height: 5’6”
Weight: 145
DOB: 11/10/84
Born: Bogota, Columbia
Grew up: Roxbury, NJ
Place of Higher Learning: West Chester University, Kinesiology Major, Nutrition minor

After a long and unintended hiatus, I am pleased to present the next subject in our series.

Imagine an outline of David. Just the black borders tracing a small legged boy, a widow’s peak, and a baseball cap, filled in with the barely discernible vision of tight pants, Horror T du jour and constant stubble. This is David as a child: an approximation of himself. Nondescript, unremarkable, mediocre, even in his own estimation. He was vaguely pained by it, but unable to address it, assuming that once he left for college, he would begin to fill in his frame.

Today he stands in stark contrast to the child that floated along, generally amiable, playing video games during the summer and ice hockey in the winter, but with no real commitment to anything. It’s as though he materialized at age 18, quickly burned through his youth and became an adult, which perhaps begins to explain the precocious success this 27 year old has found already. A year for David is like 5 years for the rest of us, making his true age somewhere around 45.

As he predicted, at college david suddenly became David; 0 to 100%. Despite any real indications in his youth, he knew he wanted to major in Exercise Physiology. He was a good student, president of the Karate Club, and frequent volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. He was the guy programming workouts for his friends. He wasn’t a natural athlete, and so “primal movements” compelled him: they were special and fun and anyone could learn them. He dreamed of a system of exercise that would push regular folks to play hard. Through Karate (for which he earned a brown belt), he organized tournaments and taught classes.  As is still the case, his interest in the physical straddled sport and rehabilitation, and he helped the Exercise Phys department start a 4 year specialization in Physical Therapy.

One of his most formative moments in college happened at a YMCA: a cop who worked out there introduced him to CrossFit.com and that was it.  That was the system David had been dreaming of and knew it would have to play a major role in his future career.
 
One of his degree requirements was to complete a practical internship. He would often drive by Chuck Mound’s Performance Training which focused on power, speed and agility development for high school and collegiate athletes. That would be his spot. Suited up, he impressed at the interview and made all the students think he was a recruiter. The internship was a mixed blessing. There was no real mentor or structure to his role there, but by then David had a confidence and persistence that allowed him to take control of his experience. He worked with a range of athletes and developed his ability to systematize, lead groups and create curriculum. He taught himself how to teach.

My first day at CF South Brooklyn was preceded by a lengthy email correspondence with David. Because of the way he handled our surprisingly personal exchange, I imagined he was at least my age, if not older. I arrived at the Lyceum a CFNYC member eager to see whether the neighborhood gym could be a viable supplement. As I came down the stairs, I was immediately greeted with “Margie?” and there was David: much younger than I expected, sporting a handkerchief around his neck, possibly a hipster, but actually too nice to be that. I was one of three people in class that day (John Ciambriello and Erik Kelly were the other two, for those of you who know them). I dug it and decided to start going to the two classes per week that were on offer.

Soon I met Mike, David’s former roommate and childhood best friend. He was part of the reason David was even in New York. Back in high school, they’d decided to come here together after college. Holding true to their youthful promise, they found a place in Brooklyn and David put his resume on Craigslist. Equinox called him for an interview where he made such a good impression that they offered him a salaried job as a trainer – a very unusual position in the commercial gym industry. The job was great; as was now characteristic, he became a leader there and was given a lot of autonomy. But he was still entranced by CrossFit and new he had to start an affiliate of his own.

David’s parents were pleasantly befuddled by all this. After all, their picture of young David didn’t really look like this hard working, goal oriented person passionate about health and fitness. But suddenly their son was aiming to be a business owner. At that time, one could affiliate before being Level 1 certified, so David paid his dues and started pedaling his wares.

Each class, David would gather up his kettlebells, jump ropes, a sandbag and walk himself over to St Mary’s park underneath the BQE to sit and wait for people to show up. He’d hang around, and then after no one came, he’d gather up his equipment and walk himself home. This happened for a while until one day Jaime (now a long time client) showed up! But they were locked out of the park and couldn’t train. Finally, someone called.  And then another person. And then another. At last, he was training 4 or 5 people on a semi-consistent basis in the park, all the while continuing to earn a living at Equinox.

At some point, it started to get cold. He would have to find a place indoors. David hit up every physical establishment he could find, but no one would rent him space. And then he stumbled across the Lyceum. It didn’t really seem appropriate, but he figured why not. The Lyceum being the Lyceum, they said sure and David was in business!

Intuition and personality have been David’s guiding business principles. He doesn’t see himself as a talented entrepreneur, but rather a persistent person able to use his vision of the ideal training facility to affect everyday decisions. In other words, he can translate his dream into something functional. I distinctly remember David coming over to me in one of the early classes to whisper in my ear about cheering someone on. It made me feel special that he thought my support would matter to someone, and I was happy to be empowered to give it. Inclusiveness has always been a strong theme at CFSBK. Likewise, pursuing excellence. David believes that everyone can recognize excellence and chasing it, rather than money, has been key to the gym’s success.

David still considers himself a student, though now he is learning how to be a manager and business owner, rather than trainer. The humbled and earnest position of learner is pervasive throughout the gym. As he says, a business is a reflection of the person who owns it. He is learning that his vision must become more specific, quantifiable and systematic in order to take CFSBK to the next level, which will hopefully entrench it as a highly respected health and fitness facility irrespective of CrossFit.

Certainly his preoccupation with cleanliness is a major boon. Mama Osorio rubbed off on him hard. For David, cleanliness means order and order means you can manipulate and predict your environment to get what you want. This is the physicalization of David’s life philosophy which draws heavily on quantum psychology. Ayn Rand’s Fountainhead and The Illuminatus! Trilogy were formative books. Ask him about his tattoos sometime.

It is hard to capture David in just a few pages. There is something unbelievably uncomplicated about him which makes him eminently approachable, yet he is not as forthcoming about himself as his manner invites. His maturity and wisdom often belie is age, until he admits to something like his obsession with watching dachshund videos on YouTube. But these charming idiosyncracies have positioned him well and allowed him to build a unique, welcoming and successful community that we’re all proud to be part of.

Parting Shots:
Horror Movie fanatic. Favs incude Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Night of the Living Dead.
Loves soulful girl music.
Played bass in high school ska band.

3 Top Movements: Midhang powerclean, Inversions, Kipping pullups

Favorite Way to Eat Eggs: Fried, whites burnt and crunchy OR 4 egg omelette with tomato, onion and bacon

Corbett M Needs Our Help with his Latest Project!

_______________
What Are the CrossFit Games? CrossFit
How Massage Heals Sore Muscles NY Times
Yale Discovers a Fungus that Eats Plastic PC World
Mobile Phone Data Reveals Human Reproductive Strategies Technology Review

Max rounds in 3 minutes of:
135 pound Power cleans, 3 reps
6 Push-ups
9 Squats

Rest 1 minute. Repeat for a total of 5 cycles.

Each year in the United States Navy, a highly qualified and elite cadre of Sailors are selected and promoted to the join the ranks of Chief Petty Officer. Since 1893, “The Chiefs” have been relied upon by subordinates and superiors alike for their personal example, technical expertise and above all, their unique leadership capabilities. As the induction process for newly selected Chief Petty Officers is now underway throughout the US Navy, we thought it appropriate to inaugurate “The Chief” in honor and recognition of all past and present CPOs. Thanks to them and their families for their self-sacrifice, ability to adapt, tireless dedication to mission and devotion to country.

Post rounds completed for each of the 5 cycles.
compare to 7.3.10
Bionic and Heinz WOD Demo
Bionic clears 29 rounds total. How do you stack up?

Andrew M’s 250m Sprint Game Face

Beyond the Blog

Did you know we’ve got an active Flikr account? Check it out here!
Did you know we’re also totes on Facebook.  Proof Here!
Got something (hopefully) nice to say about us?  Yelp us out!

Warm-Up Strategies For Developing Kipping Pull-Ups

We’ve seen people make great progress with our standardized warm-ups over last 2 months.  Here we’ve outlined a plan to start incorporating regular kipping pull-up skill work into your warm-ups.  Like any other skill, you’ll need regular practice to develop mastery of the movement. That being said, don’t go overboard with this, I wouldn’t be swinging on the bar more than 4 times per week. The progression below is broken into 3 steps based on your skill level.  Don’t advance to the next step until you’ve mastered the previous one. This may take several weeks so be patient!

Level 1, The Kip Swing: Add 5-8 Kip Swings before each set of pull-ups during Warm-Up 1. Otherwise you can do 1-2 sets of kip swings when you finish Warm-Up 2. Progress to Level 2 after you can consistently string these together with a nice “pop” on the back end.

Points of Performance
– Make sure you’ve got the right grip. If your palms feel like they’re being pinched you need to readjust.
– Always start from a static deadhang with a tight body and active shoulders.
– The kip should feel fluid and “springy”. Try to ride the momentum you create
– Before moving to Level 2, ask a coach to access your kip swing.

LEVEL 1 VIDEO DEMO

Level 2, The Dynamic Pull and Mature Finish: Now that you’ve mastered the kip swing and have found the weightless “pop” on the back end, try to reopen your hip and get over the bar. Make it your goal to use momentum, not pulling strength to finish the pull-up. When you get over the bar, hold the top for a 2 count. This will help you establish a mature finish position. Lower yourself down and reset.  Perform 5 reps in Warm-Up 1 instead of your normal pull-ups and do 1-2 sets of 3 reps at the end of Warm-Up 2

Points of Performance
– Don’t slow down your kip swing before you attempt to get over. This is a common mistake.  A bigger kip will make the pull-up easier
– You’ll have to reset after each rep. Kip swing > Dynamic Pull-Up > Hold over the bar for a 2 count > lower down and start over.
– You haven’t completed this step until you can consistently get over the bar in one fluid motion.  Any stalling, slowing down or extra little kicks to get over constitute a work in progress on level 2.
– Have a coach look at your progress before moving to Level 3.

LEVEL 2 DEMO VIDEO

Level 3, Stringing Them Together: Now that you can kip over the bar you need to work on linking them together. If you’ve been diligent about holding the top of the pull-up, you’ll have plenty of time to work on Pushing away back into your kip swing. Once you can link 2 together, incrementally add reps until you can link 10 together. Watch the video at the bottom of this article to see this in real time.

Points of Performance
– You don’t need to lose the momentary pause at the top of the pull-up. In fact, the ability to do this indicates that you’re all the way over the bar.  Sometimes folks develop a kipping pull-up and need to reach with their chin to get just over the bar, this is not a complete kipping pull-up. Try to get the bar to neck level.
– This step is all about timing and rhythm. If you lose your balance or develop a pendulum swing, stop and reset.
– Be patient! Developing your pull-ups is going to take some time.  The good news is that its’ MUCH harder to get from 0-2 kipping pull-ups than it is to get from 2-10 so once you find your rhythm it’s just a matter of consistent practice to pile on the reps.

LEVEL 3 DEMO VIDEO

Watch these videos (Kipping Pull-Ups Part 1 and Part 2) to see some of these progressions broken down. As always, ask a coach if you need any help with these steps!

_______________
What is a Brand? CrossFit
Is Twitter More Addictive Than Booze? Gawker
Just why exercise is so good for people is, at last, being understood The Economist
Coach! I Totally Get It Now!  Cathletics
Dirt Is Mainly Good For You – Especially Children The Missing Human Manual