5×3
Add 5-10 lbs to last week as appropriate

Post loads to comments.
(e4) compare to 10.1.11

3 Rounds of:
1:00 Couch Stretch, Each Leg
10 Get Up Sit-Ups, Each Side

Justin Z (JZ1) on Push Presses

8am Group Classes

Starting this week CFSBK will be hosting 8am Group Classes every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday (our non rest days) for all you early (but not too early) birds. As always, keep tabs on the Class Schedule Page to see upcoming activity on the CFSBK Calendar

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!

Want to see how some of the best in the world get ready to squat? Watch This Video!

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Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
Breaking Bad… Habits CrossFit Invictus

Jenna M, Allison B and Coach Margie at the CrossFit Gymnastics Certification (2009)

Harvest Party at Herondale Farm this Sunday!

There’s still time to decide to head up to the farm this Sunday for Herondale and Sol Flower’s Harvest Fest. There will be good food, farm tours, bluegrass and gorgeous weather! Jeremy and Margie will leave the gym around 11:30am and plan to head back to the city around 8pm. If you are interested in joining, they have a couple of seats in the van. Contact Margie if you would like a spot, or if you have a car and can transport folks. Click here for more information!

Tough Titsday Returns!
Intermediate Cycle

Ladies, it is time to go heavy. Join Margie for a special four part series on pushing big weight. We will refine technique on Squat, Deadlift, Bench and Press and, most importantly, break down the mental aspect of moving maximal loads. Together, we will develop a solid sense of how to translate your linear gains at SBK into that triumphant 1 Rep Max. Classes will involve low volume and heavy bars, as well as an introduction to some assistance lifts and equipment. This is an opportunity to dude out in a women’s only environment.

For women who have been out of Foundations several months and attempted heavy singles.

Limited to 4 participants, please email margie@crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com if interested.

Sundays from 9-10:30am
10/16; 10/23; 10/30; 11/6
Register Here!
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Chris Spealer and Miranda Oldroyd do Tabata Double Unders CrossFit
Positive Thinking, And Other Crap Like That Catalyst Athletics
Weight Loss Plan Lacks ‘Evidence’ BBC
Steve Jobs NY Times

As Many Rounds As Possible In 20 Minutes of:
45 Double-Unders
3 Hang Power Cleans 155/95
1 Push Jerk 155/95

The barbell couplet must be completed without putting the bar down. Any bailing before finishing the jerk nullifies that entire round. “Finishing the Jerk” means that the bar must be locked out overhead and stable for a 2 count before dropping it.
For example, if you perform 45 doubles, 3 Cleans and then miss your jerk you’ll have to start over at the first double under again.

Post Rx and Rounds to comments.

Ever wonder what happens at the gym when we’re not running classes?

Kipping Pull-Up Progression Videos

Yesterday we detailed a method for you to work Kipping Pull-Up practice into the standardized warm-ups. Today you can see a video of what the mature version of each level looks like
Level 1 Mature
Level 2 Mature
Level 3 Mature*

The pull-up version seen in level 3 is probably not what you’ll do in a workout.  These are kipping pull-ups with a stalled finish.  As mentioned yesterday, the stall develops some strength at the top and gives you a moment to push away and start a new cycle.  The stall is not necessary if you can comfortably get your chin over the bar and link them together consistently.

Remember that 8am classes will start next week, they’ll be held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays only. Check the Class Schedule page for any and all upcoming schedule changes
__________________
Healthy Baby Code Talk To Me Johnnie
The Power Snatch: Uses and Cautions Catalyst Athletics
Parallette Shoot-through CrossFit
Air squats too hard? Try Guided Assistance Technology!

2 Reps On The Minute for 10 Minutes
Add 5-10lbs from last week

Post loads to comments.
(e4/6) compare to 9.28.11

3 Rounds for time of:
20 Overhead Walking Lunges, 55/35
Run 400m

Post Rx and load to comments.

Joy M Goes Overhead

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!

CFSBK Newsletter

This month’s newsletter is going out soon and will include an article by Coach Chris Fox on strategies for opening your hip and ankle to prevent knee pain (Or squat deeper).  To sign up for the newsletter, simply enter your email address below the CrossFit Journal link in the right column of this page.  Get stoked!

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Check out these Free CFJ vidoes of Greg Glassman talking to Fast Company:
The Origins of CrossFit
Community Support
What is CrossFit?

Jenna J’s “Finish” Position

8am Group Classes Announced!

You asked for them.. now you’ve got them.  Starting next week we’ll be adding three 8am classes to our schedule.  Now you’d better all show up!

New Classes:
Monday 8am
Wednesday 8am
Thursday 8am

As always, check out Class Schedule page to see updates to the calendar and holiday/event closings.

Come See Krishnan’s Film!

Our own Krishnan V made a documentary about New York’s recycling problem.  It’s screening at the Park Slope Food Coop (free, no Coop membership required) this Friday, October 7th at 7pm.  To watch the trailer, click here!

What was a recent training related highlight for you? What was a recent non-training related highlight for you?
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Legs Too Large? WTF? Talk To Me Johnnie
Roundtable: Training Through and Around Injuries Starting Strength
The Gymnastics Kipping Pull-Up CrossFit Journal Preview
Damaged by Drink: The Toll Alchohol Takes On Our Bodies BBC
Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? NY Times