A post shared by CrossFit South Brooklyn (@crossfitsouthbrooklyn) on Apr 25, 2018 at 7:33pm PDT

Coach Katie grinds away on an Assault Bike. Now that we have more air bikes, what do you think about the Assault Bike versus the Rogue Echo Bike? What is your preference? Tell us in the comments!

This Week at CFSBK in Review

1. The Iron Maidens Raw Open, a women-only powerlifting meet slated for Saturday, June 2nd, is one of our most anticipated events of the year. This year, our goal is to raise $40,000 to continue supporting students at Grace Outreach. Right now we’re at $3,283 raised. Can you help us get there? Show some love by donating to your favorite lifter(s) through the 2018 Crowdrise campaign here!

2. Next Saturday, May 5th, CFSBK will host an afternoon of friendly Spikeball de Mayo competition. Haven’t played before? Don’t worry! It’s pretty simple. All are invited! Head over to the event page to learn more about Spikeball and to sign up…

3. On Wednesday we debuted a nifty new site feature: the Exercise Demo Library! This video library lists the primary exercises used in CFSBK’s CrossFit group classes and is accessible under Member Resources (to the right on a desktop computer or at the bottom if you’re on a mobile browser). If you’re new to CrossFit, it can be especially helpful to review the exercises we’ll be using in class each day before getting coached on them in class. And even veteran CrossFitters can use a refresher now and then.

4. “Earlier in my career I didn’t even know what ‘the process’ was, but I knew I didn’t like it. It means working on weaknesses.” That’s Coach Brett writing for our buds at Beyond the Whiteboard. Add “Trusting the Process” to your list of weekend reads!

5. Coach Jeremy’s Starting Strengthers will wrap up their eight-week cycle this Sunday, April 29th starting at 2:00pm. Lifters will be testing their 1RMs in the Back Squat, Press, and Deadlift. All are welcome to come by, hang out, and do some cheering.

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Snatch | Thrusters, Row, Burpees
Your Immune System Is In Charge of How Quickly You Age The Outline
Strongman Eddie Hall Sets a New 100 Meter SkiErg World Record BarBend

BACK SQUAT / THREE-POINT DUMBBELL ROW SUPERSET*

A1) Back Squat:
4 x 5-8

A2) Three-Point Dumbbell Row:
4 x 5-8

Use a heavy load for the rep range that allows you to move with perfect form. Keep rest to a minimum, 30-60 seconds between movements.

*Warm up and then perform a set of Back Squat, followed by a set of Dumbbell Rows, heavier than last week. Repeat for 4 work sets of each, resting 30 seconds to a minute between movements.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 4 of 8

_____________________

5 Rounds:
30 Seconds Max Deadlifts 225/155
30 Seconds Max Handstand Push-Ups
1 Minute Rest

Set a sustainable pace for both movements and try to stay within a rep or two on each round.

Scaling the Deadlift: The Deadlift today is Rx’d at “Diane” weight, and is intended to be a medium load at which 10+ reps can be done unbroken. That said, you can choose to use it as strength training if it’s heavy for you, as long as you can move well.

Scaling the Handstand Push-Up: Using up to 2 AbMats to reduce ROM is OK if you can kick up and perform a few reps. You may also choose to work full ROM strength by performing Push-Ups or heavy Dumbbell Push Presses.

Post work to comments.

This group of teenagers from Sandefjord, Norway spent yesterday afternoon at CFSBK. They’re traveling during their gap year and wanted to get a taste of CrossFit. They came to the right place!

Exercise Demo Library Now Live!

So here’s a cool new site feature: we’ve built an exercise demo library for all you fitness maniacs, which is accessible under Member Resources (to the right on a desktop computer or at the bottom if you’re on a mobile browser). This video library lists the primary exercises used in CFSBK’s CrossFit group classes. Click on the links to see a brief demo video with points of performance for each movement.

We’ve organized them into three categories (Bodyweight Exercises, Barbell Exercises, and General Conditioning Exercises), each with sub-categories organizing movements from basic to more advanced variations. If you’re new to CrossFit, it can be especially helpful to review the exercises we’ll be using in class each day before getting coached on them in class. And even veteran CrossFitters can use a refresher now and then. As always, if you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask a coach!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
How Much Does Happiness Weight? Breaking Muscle
Why Too Much Experience Can Backfire Scientific American

Snatch Complex

Every Minute on the Minute x 15:
1 Power Snatch + 1 Overhead Squat

Use your heaviest weight from last week’s complex. Focus on getting under every Power Snatch.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 4 of 8

_____________________

For Time:
20 Thrusters 75/55
30 Calorie Row
20 Burpees

Light and low skill, hit high intensity today.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Coach Brett on BTWB

“Earlier in my career I didn’t even know what ‘the process’ was, but I knew I didn’t like it. It means working on weaknesses. It means putting in hours of training (not exercise, but training) to improve technical skills, strength imbalances, or incorrect motor patterns. It’s the small, daily work that doesn’t seem to make any change in the short term but pays off in the long run. This is often hard for my ego because I want to be able to do things now.”

Over at Beyond the Whiteboard, Coach Brett has written an awesome post called “Trusting the Process.” It’s about, well, trusting the process—putting in the unsexy day-to-day work that all adds up to sexy results. It’s also about enjoying all the stuff that makes the gym a fun place. Listen to Brett!

Sunday: Starting Strength Total at CFSBK

Coach Jeremy’s Starting Strengthers will wrap up their eight-week cycle this Sunday, April 29th starting at 2:00pm. Lifters will be testing their 1RMs in the Back Squat, Press, and Deadlift. All are welcome to come by, hang out, and do some cheering. Get ready for some massive PRs!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Back Squat / DB Row | Deadlift, Handstand Push-Ups
Gray Cook’s Search for Sasquatch CrossFit Journal
The New World of Weed Athlete Daily

CFSBKers playing some Spikeball at Sunday’s practice session | Photo by Karina S. 

Saturday, May 5th: CFSBK Spikeball Tournament!

What?

An afternoon of friendly Spikeball de Mayo competition. Haven’t played before? Don’t worry! It’s pretty simple, and this video explains everything. You can also check out some fun photos from our last tournament. All are invited! Please sign up below if you plan to participate. Teams (of 2) can declare beforehand, or we’ll pair you up the day of the tournament. The top 3 winning teams go on the leaderboard until the next tournament!

When?

Saturday, May 5th at 4:00pm. We’ll start with about 30 minutes of practice and organization. The tournament proper will begin at 4:30, but please be at 597 by 4:00 so we know how many people are participating.

We’ll also be running another practice session this Saturday, April 28th from 4 to 5pm.

Go here to sign up for the tournament and practice sessions!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Arnold Press / RDL | Burpee Box Jump Overs, Bike Sprint
The Hook Grip: Why & How to Do It Correctly Catalyst Athletics
The Untold History of the Back Squat BarBend

Arnold Press / Romanian Deadlift Superset*

A1) Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Arnold Press:
4 x 5-8

A2) Barbell Romanian Deadlift:
4 x 5-8

Use a heavy load for the rep range that allows you to move with perfect form, heavier than last week. Keep rest to a minimum, 30-60 seconds between movements.

*Warm up and then perform a set of Arnold Presses, followed by a set of Romanian Deadlifts. Repeat for 4 work sets of each, resting 30 seconds to a minute between movements.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 4 of 8
_____________________

Every 3 Minutes for 7 Rounds:
7 Burpee Box Jump Overs
10/7 Calorie Bike Sprint

Go hard on each round, but not all-out efforts. Aim for consistent times, within a few seconds from fastest to slowest.

Post work to comments.

Margie addresses the crowd at last year’s Iron Maidens Raw Open

Iron Maidens and the Stay Strong Scholarship

You probably know that The Iron Maidens Raw Open, a women-only powerlifting meet slated for Saturday, June 2nd, is one of our most anticipated events of the year. 60 women, from CFSBK and beyond, will test their strength at Back Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift. You won’t want to miss it. Save the date!

For the 3rd year in a row, Iron Maidens lifters will raise funds for the Stay Strong Scholarship, which supports students at Bronx-based Grace Outreach.

Why should you support the Stay Strong Scholarship? Here’s a message from CFSBK’s very own Danae McLeod, Executive Director of Grace Outreach:

Nearly four years ago, I started working at Grace Outreach, an incredible non-profit in the South Bronx that works with women to get their high school equivalency degrees, go to college, and get jobs. I met so many smart, talented, and motivated women who wanted to improve their lives through education. The problem was that a bunch of them couldn’t afford to go to college. They were DREAMers and undocumented women who had come to the U.S. as children, and they weren’t eligible for financial aid.

I started looking for ways to help financially support these women’s dreams of getting a college degree. At around that time, Margie Lempert, the Iron Maidens Meet Director, told me she wanted to add a fundraising component to the women’s powerlifting event she had been running in different iterations for a few years. We thought that the grit and determination that it took for first-generation, low-income women to get to college matched the strength and tenacity that women powerlifters demonstrate.

We created the Stay Strong Scholarship to support women at Grace Outreach. The money we raise pays for 80% of college tuition for undocumented students, DREAMers, and women who have been victims of predatory for-profit colleges.

Two years after Iron Maidens and Grace Outreach started the Stay Strong Scholarship, we have have raised over $65,000 and sent 10 women to college! Two students have graduated with Associate Degrees and moved on to Bachelors programs. We currently have five students making their way through CUNY community colleges with GPAs over 3.0.

We know that now, more than ever, the undocumented community needs our support. The Stay Strong Scholarship positively contributes to women who are determined to change their lives through education.

This year, our goal is to raise $40,000 to continue supporting these students. Right now we’re at $2,450 raised. Can you help us get there? Show some love by donating to your favorite lifter(s) through the 2018 Crowdrise campaign here!

News and Notes

• On Saturday, May 5th, CFSBK will host an afternoon of friendly Spikeball-de-Mayo competition. Haven’t played before? Don’t worry! It’s pretty simple. All are invited! Head over to the event page to learn more Spikeball and to sign up…
• Abbotsford Road Coffee (right around the corner on Sackett between 3rd and Nevins) is offering CFSBK members and employees a free upsize (e.g., a large for the price of a small) on their excellent coffee! Just show your membership scan card at the register. (You do have a scan card, don’t you?)

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Clean and Jerk | Run, Bar Muscle-Ups
Cat Snatch Fever: A CrossFit Love Story CrossFit Journal (video)
Long John Silver’s Customer Finds Deep-Fried Poseidon Head in Value Meal

Clean and Jerk

Every Other Minute on the Minute x 14 (7 reps):
Clean Deadlift + 4 Second Lower to Floor + Power Clean + Push Jerk

Heavier than last week, but focus on executing perfect positions on each movement.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 3 of 8

_____________________

Performance
For Time:
550m Run
15 Bar Muscle-Ups
400m Run
9 Bar Muscle Ups
270m Run
6 Bar Muscle-Ups

Fitness
For Time:
550m Run
15 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
15 Push-Ups
400m Run
9 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
9 Push-Ups
270m Run
6 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
6 Push-Ups

Post time and Rx to comments.

Photo by Thomas H.

Next Sunday: Starting Strength Total at CFSBK

Coach Jeremy’s Starting Strengthers will wrap up their eight-week cycle on Sunday, April 29th starting at 2:00pm. Lifters will be testing their 1RMs in the Back Squat, Press, and Deadlift. All are welcome to come by, hang out, and do some cheering. Get ready for some massive PRs!

News and Notes

• CFSBKer Nathan Englander had an opinion piece on David Buckel and climate change in Friday’s New York Times. It’s a difficult but important thing to read!
• We’ll be running practice sessions for our upcoming Spikeball Tournament today from 3:30 to 4:30pm and Saturday, April 28th from 4 to 5pm.

_____________________
The Squat: Upper Back Position Starting Strength
Iceland: Country of CrossFit Games Champions CrossFit

Our CrossFit Kids might all be stuck against the wall in Mario Kart, but in about 10 years, Coach David will have a team of eSports stallions | Photo by Ben S. (Thanks, Ben!) 

This Week at CFSBK in Review

1. We’ve added another Short Circuit class on Saturdays at 10am. Check it out tomorrow!

2. For the 3rd year in a row, Iron Maidens lifters will raise funds for the Stay Strong Scholarship, which supports students at the Bronx-based nonprofit Grace Outreach. On Monday, we told you all about this awesome scholarship. Show some love by donating to your favorite lifter(s) through the 2018 Crowdrise campaign here.

3. The big highlight of this week on the blog was definitely “The Long Haul,” a 2-part series on Coach Whit’s reflections on her 6th year of competing in the Open. In case you missed them, read Part I andPart II!

4. Missing something? It might be in our most recent lost and found dump! You can also now see photos of our lost and found clear outs via the link under Member Resources. Be sure to claim your stuff at the front desk before we donate it to CHIPS!

5. On Saturday, May 5th, CFSBK will host an afternoon of friendly Spikeball-de-Mayo competition. Haven’t played before? Don’t worry! It’s pretty simple. All are invited! Head over to the event page to learn more Spikeball and to sign up…

6. Abbotsford Road Coffee (right around the corner on Sackett between 3rd and Nevins) is offering CFSBK members and employees a free upsize (e.g., a large for the price of a small) on their excellent coffee! Just show your membership scan card at the register. (You do have a scan card, don’t you?)

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Snatch | Front Squats, Double-Unders
To Slash Your Risk of Heard Disease, Keep Moving NY Times
3 Situations When You Shouldn’t Push Through Pain Girls Gone Strong

Snatch Complex

Every Other Minute on the Minute x 7:
1 Snatch Deadlift + 4 Second Lower to the Floor + 1 Power Snatch + 1 Overhead Squat

Keep this complex relatively light today (70-80% of Power Snatch 1RM) and focus on executing perfect positions on each movement.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 3 of 8

_____________________

5 Rounds for Time:
10 Front Squats 115/75
30 Double-Unders

The barbell comes off the floor and should be light for you, unbroken on the fast end. Scale the Dubs to 3x Singles or 1/2 attempts as needed.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Saturday, May 5th: CFSBK Spikeball Tournament!

What?

An afternoon of friendly Spikeball de Mayo competition. Haven’t played before? Don’t worry! It’s pretty simple, and this video explains everything. All are invited! Please sign up below if you plan to participate. Teams (of 2) can declare beforehand, or we’ll pair you up the day of the tournament. The top 3 winning teams go on the leaderboard until the next tournament!

When?

Saturday, May 5th at 4:00pm. We’ll start with about 30 minutes of practice and organization. The tournament proper will begin at 4:30, but please be at 597 by 4:00 so we know how many people are participating.

We’ll also be running practice sessions on Sunday, April 22nd from 3:30 to 4:30pm and Saturday, April 28th from 4 to 5pm.

Go here to sign up for the tournament and practice sessions!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Back Squat / DB Row | Handstand Walking
Getting the Bar Past the Knees in the Snatch and Clean Catalyst Athletics
Your New Diet in the Real World CrossFit Journal

BACK SQUAT / THREE-POINT DUMBBELL ROW SUPERSET*

A1) Back Squat:
4 x 8-10

A2) Three-Point Dumbbell Row:
4 x 8-10

Use a heavy load for the rep range that allows you to move with perfect form. Keep rest to a minimum, 30-60 seconds between movements.

*Warm up and then perform a set of Back Squat, followed by a set of Dumbbell Rows. Repeat for 4 work sets of each, resting 30 seconds to a minute between movements.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 3 of 8

_____________________

Handstand Walking/Balancing

Choose one of the following scaling options, and spend 15-20 minutes developing your hand balancing:

A) Hand Walking (free or 2′ from wall)
B) Wall Inverted Hip Shifts with Hand Release (from a Wall Walk or Kick Up)
C) Box Piked Hip Shifts with Hand Release
D) Floor Piked Hip Shifts with Hand Release

Rest after each set or attempt and don’t turn it into a 20-minute AMKAP (As Many Kick Ups as Possible). If you’re not spotting someone, you can use the rest periods to do some light stretching or light rowing, jogging, cycling, etc.

Post work to comments.

The Long Haul: What I Learned from My 6th Year in the CrossFit Open, Part II

By Whitney Hubbard

Editor’s Note: This is the 2nd part of a 2-parter on Coach Whit’s 6th (!) year of competing in the CrossFit Open. Part I was posted yesterday.

As I mentioned at the end of yesterday’s post, focusing on getting stronger in certain areas for the 2018 Open meant a few other things temporarily fell by the wayside. The Open has a way of reminding you of what you’ve been neglecting. Let me show you what I mean:

2017 Best Regional Placement: 350 (17.2, the one with Bar Muscle-Ups)
2017 Worst: 824 (17.5, the one with Thrusters)

2018 Best: 194 (18.2, the one where you go as fast as possible)
2018 Worst: 1629! (18.2a, the one where you try not to die lifting heavy weights after going as fast as possible)

So, obviously I have some questions about my strategy on 18.2a, but it certainly shows a weakness—lifting heavy under fatigue. That one score took me way down. And the Deadlift/Handstand Push-Ups workout, which also featured picking up heavy things after a whole bunch of other work (Diane!), was my second lowest placement.

But this year I also had two more scores under 350 on the leaderboard: 18.1 (aerobic capacity at it’s finest) and 18.3 (ALL of the skillz). And the Thruster workout was not the thing that destroyed me! Not to mention that I made it pain-free through 45 Handstand Push-Ups without having done a single kipping rep in the past year. So the areas that I specifically trained this season markedly improved. And that’s something I really need to pause and acknowledge. My plan worked! I got better! And the best part is that I stayed healthy—sleep, nutrition, and not repeating workouts went a long way for me there. The tradeoff is that I wasn’t ready for the heavy Deadlifts and max Clean under fatigue, and it showed in the scores.

The challenge is how to blend it all together now, to keep my strengths and start to fill in the holes. This is where the fun and magic are for me. I’ve said it many times, but one of the big reasons that I’m still doing CrossFit after 8 years is because there’s always more to learn, skills to refine, strength to gain, and greater virtuosity to chase. “Working out” always sounded like a really boring thing to do, but engaging in this multi-faceted process of improvement keeps me interested. It’s a never-ending opportunity to learn about myself (not to mention the athletes around me and the awesome humans I get to coach). It’s daily self-discovery and self-reflection. It’s approaching those larger, daunting dreams we might dare to consider and asking, “How could I get just one step closer to that, today?”

So it’s possible that all those numbers up there just bored the hell out of you. That’s okay. I don’t need you to care about my scores and results. But I encourage you to dive into your own. To acknowledge where you’ve put in the work and made improvements, no matter how small they may seem. To reflect on what you might have been avoiding this past year, and what you’ll set out to do with what’s left of 2018.

Maybe you’ve been coming to CFSBK for years already. Maybe you’re just a few weeks or months in. When I walked through these doors for the first time, I certainly never thought I’d still be coming to classes 8 years later, much less making my living here. In a lot of ways, I think the process is the goal. I’m grateful to have found a place that makes room for a long journey. And I’m so happy that I’ve created a lifestyle I can sustain, and that will sustain me.

Every year The Open reminds me of how I’m not just in it for the competition, I’m in it for the long haul. I’m in it for hours and hours of practicing a more efficient kip swing and fixing my bar path. I’m in it for those many conversations in my head where something says, “I can’t,” and I respond with, “I will.” I’m in it for the many years of a healthy, happy life ahead. I hope you are, too.

News and Notes

• Great news! We’ve added another Short Circuit class on Saturdays at 10am. Another great chance to reprogram your body in the spring! (It is spring, isn’t it?)
• Missing something? It might be in our most recent lost and found dump! You can also now see photos of our lost and found clear outs via the link under Member Resources. Be sure to claim your stuff at the front desk before we donate it to CHIPS!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
The “Pedestrian” Who Became One of America’s First Black Sports Starts Atlas Obscura
Scaling Back & Saving Dogs: Why This Games Athlete Cut Her Training in Half Athlete Daily