Everything You Need to Know About Iron Maidens 2018

We’ll be hosting the 4th-annual Iron Maidens Raw Open powerlifting meet tomorrow from 9am to 6pm. Come out to the gym to support strong women lifting for a great cause! You can find the event schedule and more info here.

All classes are cancelled on Saturday. A floater WOD is scheduled as Saturday’s programming for folks who did Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday’s workouts this week and want to get their fitness in today. See the first comment on this post.

What else? Well, as you faithful blog readers know, Iron Maidens lifters are raising funds for the Stay Strong Scholarship, which supports students at Bronx-based Grace Outreach. This year, our goal is to raise $40,000 to continue supporting these students. As of Thursday at 7:30pm, we’re at $18,105 raised. Can you help us reach our goal? Show some love by donating to your favorite CFSBK lifter(s) or directly to Grace Outreach through the 2018 Crowdrise campaign below.

DONATE HERE

Last, but certainly not least, there will be food and drink from Iron Maidens sponsors for sale, so come hungry! Check out this list of prizes and sponsors on the IM Instagram.

News and Notes

• Photos from Murph Day 2018 by Robert C., Thomas H., and the blog editor are up on Flickr!
• Register for our upcoming Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Fundamentals class with Coach Callie Brennan! Fundamentals is your jiu-jitsu starter pack. The course is geared towards anyone intrigued by BJJ but unsure where to begin, anyone who wants to become better acquainted with dynamic movement on the ground. By the end of the course, you will be at the point where you can walk into a live-sparring Jiu Jitsu class without reservation.

________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Sit-Ups, Row, Push Presses
This All-Women Powerlifting Competition Is All the Fitspiration We Need Refinery29
This Women-Only Powerlifting Competition Is Seriously Badass Salon

WOD 5.31.18

21 Minute Ascending Ladder of:
9-18-27-36-45… Sit-Ups
6-12-18-24-30… Calories Rowed
3-6-9-12-15…. Push Presses 115/65

Post work and Rx to comments.

Danae, Margie, and Francine just appeared on Mission BX with TK and Bintou from Grace Outreach to talk about Iron Maidens and the Stay Strong Scholarship. Watch it! 

Iron Maidens Fundraising Update: 2 Days to Go!

The Iron Maidens Raw Open is this Saturday! 60 women, from CFSBK and beyond, will test their strength at Back Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift in this women-only powerlifting meet. We can’t wait to see you all there!

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. This year, our goal is to raise $40,000 to continue supporting these students. Right now we’re at $17,150 raised. Can you help us get there? Show some love by donating to your favorite CFSBK lifter(s) or directly to Grace Outreach through the 2018 Crowdrise campaign below.

DONATE HERE

Watch the video above to find out what Iron Maidens is all about and why the Stay Strong Scholarship is so important right now!

News and Notes

• CFSBK raised $1,785 (including $5 from every t-shirt sold) for K9s for Warriors at Murph Day. Nice work, everyone! You can still donate here.
• All classes are cancelled this Saturday for Iron Maidens! Friday and Sunday classes will run on our regular schedule.

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Sled Work | DB Power Snatch, Double-Unders
Dwayne Johnson Does “Murph” with John Krasinski BarBend
Why Pilates and Lifting Weights Aren’t Mutually Exclusive Girls Gone Strong

Sled Work

5 Sets of a 100′ Weighted Sled Push 

If you’re beat up from “Murph,” use this as active recovery. If you’re fresh, go heavier but submax.

Post work to comments.

_____________________

AMRAP 10 Minutes:
15 Dumbbell Power Snatches 50/35
30 Double-Unders

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.

The 9am heat gets serious at Murph Day 2018. Photos by Robert C. and Thomas H. are up on Flickr, and even more are on the way! | Photo by Robert C. 

CFSBK on BTWB

The hits keep coming from our wonderful CFSBK coaching staff. We’re a little behind what with Murph Day and Iron Maidens and all, but be sure to check out these recent posts written for our friends at Beyond the Whiteboard!

• “That’s when the little voice popped into my head that said ‘you’re going to quit your job.’ It was a relief to think about that choice, not because I hated my job or physical therapy, but because it was a major stressor that was eating away at my happiness. It was time to let go, move forward, and condense my efforts to serve the fine people of CrossFit South Brooklyn.” From Coach KHarpz‘s “Lift & Let Go”
• “Get away from working on your fitness and spend some time outside enjoying your fitness. Regularly schedule time away from a barbell or a pull up bar. You (hopefully) don’t suffer in the gym for the sake of it, but for the level of fitness that you gain from all that hard work.” From Coach Fox‘s “Older, Fitter: 3… 2… 1… REST”

News and Notes

• All classes are cancelled this Saturday for Iron Maidens! 
• A note from Trisha B.: “I will be traveling from 6/11 – 6/20 and need some coverage for my part-time babysitting job. The job is very easy. It’s basically helping a family get their 5-year-old girl off to school a few mornings a week and also, if possible, picking her up 2-3  afternoons. This lovely family lives on Garfield Place between 4th and 5th Avenues and their daughter attends PS 118 on 4th Avenue and 7th Street. I know they will take whatever help they can get, so don’t be shy about asking me about different time frames. Contact me at 917.370.0672 by text or phone or email at msbuckley189 [at] gmail.com.”

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
5 Professional Strongmen Give Advice to New Athletes BarBend
Manhattanhenge: What Is It, and How to See It Scientific American

Patrick got a hero’s welcome from Joseph and Olivia after finishing “Murph” yesterday. Thanks to everyone who came out and made it a special day!

Iron Maidens Fundraising Update: T-Minus 4 Days

The Iron Maidens Raw Open is this Saturday, June 2nd! 60 women, from CFSBK and beyond, will test their strength at Back Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift in this women-only powerlifting meet. You won’t want to miss it!

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. This year, our goal is to raise $40,000 to continue supporting these students. Right now we’re at $14,710 raised. Can you help us get there? Show some love by donating to your favorite CFSBK lifter(s) or directly to Grace Outreach through the 2018 Crowdrise campaign below.

DONATE HERE

In case you missed it, here’s some recent stuff we posted on the importance of the Stay Strong Scholarship:

• An Interview with Stay Strong Scholar SB
• An Interview with Stay Strong Scholar AS
• DACA Youth Need Help

_____________________
What Does Antartica Actually Look Like? The Outline
Fallen But Never Forgotten CrossFit Journal

“Murph”

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

In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. This workout was one of Mike’s favorites and he’d named it “Body Armor.” It is now referred to as “Murph” in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is. Partition the Pull-Ups, Push-Ups, and Squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you’ve got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Murph Day 2018 Is Here!

All regularly scheduled classes (including AM Open Gym) are cancelled today for Murph Day. Here’s all the other important stuff you need to know!

• If you’d like to learn more about Michael Murphy and the origins of “Murph,” this is a great place to start.
• 190 CFSBKers are registered to do “Murph” today, but there are still a few spots left in several heats. You can sign up here! If you decide not to do it at the last minute, please delete your name from the spreadsheet so someone else can take your place.
• Since there’s no charge for this workout (the class won’t be deducted from your weekly limit), we suggest that you make a $20 (or more!) donation to K9s for Warriors in lieu of class payment. Thanks to all who have donated! We’ll have a kiosk set up to accept donations at the gym today, or you can go HERE to support this terrific cause.
• For scaling options and game plans, see Coach Fox’s very useful post, “Murph Is For Everybody.”
• Shooting to get on the leaderboard for “Murph”?  You’ll have to do it in a weighted vest (20/14 lbs), and be sure to let a coach know that you’re going for it before your heat starts. 
• CFSBK will provide a keg, burgers, and sausages, but please bring more delicious foods, especially side dishes!

_____________________
History of Memorial Day PBS
Murph Tips Beyond the Whiteboard

Clean Complex

Every Other Minute on the Minute x 12 (6 sets):
Clean Pull + Hip Clean

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 8 of 8

_____________________

5 x 250m Row Sprints

Rest 3 minutes between efforts. Go hard on each one, but aim for relatively consistent times throughout.

Post times to comments.

Iron Maidens Fundraising Update: T-Minus 6 Days

Yes, Murph Day is tomorrow, and we can’t wait to see you all there, but Iron Maidens is also less than a week away! 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. This year, our goal is to raise $40,000 to continue supporting these students. Right now we’re at $13,427 raised. Can you help us get there? Show some love by donating to your favorite CFSBK lifter(s) through the 2018 Crowdrise campaign here.

News and Notes

• 177 of you have signed up to do “Murph” tomorrow. That’s a lot! There’s still time to get into a heat here.
• Today’s PM Open Gym is cancelled as we set up for Murph Day!

_____________________
How to Increase Your Bench Press Without Benching BarBend
Why Beans Were an Ancient Emblem of Death Atlas Obscura

Triple Metcon

At 0:00

4 Rounds for Time:
16 Alternating Dumbbell Power Snatches
3 Ring Muscle-Ups or 9 Burpees

6 Minute Cap. Choose a load that challenges you for the Dumbbell Power Snatch.

At 12:00

5 Rounds for Time:
10 Dumbbell Hang Cleans (5 left, 5 right)
5 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

6 Minute Cap. Choose a load that challenges you for the Dumbbell Hang Power Cleans. Scale to Jumping Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups as needed.

At 24:00

5 Rounds for Time:
2 Deadlifts 365/255
6 Strict Handstand Push-Ups

6 Minute Cap. The Deadlift should be heavy for you. Scale to up to 2 AbMats (as long as you get some range of motion) or to Hand Release Push-Ups as needed.

Post times and Rx to comments.

Nothing but smiles at last year’s Murph Day! 😉

7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MURPH DAY 2018

1. Murph Day is THIS MONDAY! This is one of our biggest and best community events of the year, when we perform the classic CrossFit Hero WOD “Murph” followed by some grilling, side dishes, and beers. Because we’ll be running heats from 8am to 1pm, all other classes are cancelled. If you’ve been on the fence, there’s still time to get in on the fun. 161 CFSBKers have signed up to participate. Join us here!

2. CFSBK and many other affiliates do “Murph” on Memorial Day in memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. If you’d like to learn more about Michael Murphy and where this workout comes from, this is a great place to start.

3. What is “Murph”? How should you approach it? All of the answers are in a recent post, in which Coach Fox lays out some scaling options.

4. Since there’s no charge for this workout (the class won’t be deducted from your weekly limit), we suggest that you make a donation to K9s for Warriors in lieu of class payment. Go HERE to support this terrific cause, or donate at the gym on Monday.

5. Additionally, CFSBK will donate $5 of each Murph Day t-shirt we sell to K9s for Warriors! We’re offering a brand new design this year!

6. CFSBK will provide one keg, burgers, and sausages, but please feel free to BYOB and more delicious foods, especially side dishes! 

7. Shooting to get on the leaderboard for “Murph”? You’ll have to do it in a weighted vest (20/14 lbs), and be sure to let a coach know that you’re going for it before your heat goes off.

NEWS AND NOTES

Sunday Evening Open Gym (5/27) will be cancelled tomorrow!!

_____________________
“Make Failure Your Fuel”: Abby Wambach’s Bard Commencement Address Time
Squat Because Your Brain Needs Strong Legs Breaking Muscle

This Week at CFSBK in Review

1. Murph Day 2018 is THIS MONDAY! So far, 143 CFSBKers have registered to participate in one of our biggest and best community events of the year. Can we get to 160 by the end of the day? Go HERE to sign up for a heat!

2. For the 3rd year in a row, we’ll be raising money to benefit K9s for Warriors, an organization that provides service dogs for veterans suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disability, traumatic brain injury, and/or military sexual trauma as a result of military service post-9/11. The program has graduated over 300 Warrior/canine teams like Edna and Sarge, who are pictured above. 90% of the dogs in the program come from rescue shelters or are owner-surrendered. Because there is no charge for no charge for the workout, nor will it be deducted from your weekly class limit, though we do recommend donating what you would have paid for the class to K9s for Warriors. You can donate here or at the gym on the day of the event!

3. Still on the fence about doing “Murph”? Don’t forget that you can scale it! On Monday, Coach Fox walked us through all the options.

4. So many good things happening at the gym next week! On Saturday, June 2nd, we will host the Iron Maidens Raw Open. 60 women, from CFSBK and beyond, will test their strength at Back Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift. 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. On Tuesday, CFSBKer and Executive director of Grace Outreach Danae Mcleod talked about why the Stay Strong Scholarship is especially important in helping DACA youth achieve their dreams. This year, our goal is to raise $40,000 to continue supporting these students. Right now we’re at $11,747 raised. Can you help us get there? Help DACA youth by donating to your favorite CFSBK lifter(s) or directly to Grace Outreach through the 2018 Crowdrise campaign here.

5. Register for our upcoming Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Fundamentals class with Coach Callie Brennan! Fundamentals is your jiu-jitsu starter pack. The course is geared towards anyone intrigued by BJJ but unsure where to begin, anyone who wants to become better acquainted with dynamic movement on the ground. By the end of the course, you will be at the point where you can walk into a live-sparring Jiu Jitsu class without reservation.

6. “Powerlifting for me has been about doing something for my body that is not about losing weight, getting smaller, or changing an aesthetic. Those things are fine for some people but for me the fact that most if not all fitness is about those goals has been damaging and discouraging to me in my pursuit of health and a strong, capable body. The biggest thing I have taken from Starting Strength (besides several PR’s haha) is that strength is for everyone.” That’s Anise in the most recent installment of our continuing series Humans of Starting Starting Strength. Give it a read!

7. All classes are cancelled next Saturday, June 2nd for Iron Maidens. Come out to the gym to cheer our lifters on!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Snatch | NFR Work
Are You a “Type D” Athlete? Relax and Ask for Help NY Times
Here’s What Competing in the CrossFit Games Teaches You About Real Life Self

Snatch Complex

Every Other Minute on the Minute  x 16 (8 Reps):
Snatch Pull + Hip Snatch

Build to a heavy but perfect load on the complex. No misses, no press outs. The “Hip” or “Power” position is one in which both the knees and hips flex. While the torso may lean forward a small amount, the barbell remains in the crease of the hip and does NOT travel down the thigh into a Mid-Hang position. The limited travel off the bar into the hang doesn’t allow for maximal loads to be used, and instead forces the lifter to focus on SPEED and an active arm pull under the bar.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 8 of 8

_____________________

20 Minutes Not for Rounds:
270m Jog/300m Row/Half-Mile Bike
7 Box Jumps (jump up, step down, use a high-for-you box)
3-5 Wall Walks

Post work to comments.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at CFSBK

Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ) is a full-contact grappling style that prioritizes strategy over brute force. Literally translating to the “soft” or “pliable” (jiu) “style” (jitsu), it is often thought of as the chess of martial arts. BJJ is, at its core, a self-defense system that employs positional advantages, joint locks, and chokes to defend against an opponent or attacker in an assertive and elegant manner. You needn’t be stronger than your opponent to subdue them, which makes BJJ one of the most practical and effective martial arts for all ages and sizes. There is no striking in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This is a submission grappling art based on efficiency of movement, leverage, and timing.

Fundamentals is your jiu-jitsu starter pack. The course is geared towards anyone intrigued by BJJ but unsure where to begin, anyone who wants to become better acquainted with dynamic movement on the ground, and anyone who could use a review to jump back into it. This will be an 8 week course with 1 class per week. Classes will cover the basic body mechanics and techniques used in Jiu jitsu. Come dressed in standard work out garb (leggings, spats, shorts that won’t fall off) and be advised that the sweat you leave with may not be your own. No zippers, no claws, no jewelry! By the end of the course, you will be at the point where you can walk into a live-sparring Jiu Jitsu class without reservation.

Days & Times

June 3rd to July 22nd
Sundays from 1:30 to 3:00pm

Pricing

$200 ($100 will be charged when you register and then again at the 4-week mark of the cycle)

About the Coach

Callie Brennan is a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Team Fabio Clemente. Callie has been training and competing for the past 7 years. She began teaching beginner and intermediate students under the guidance of Pan American champion Babs Olusanmokun and multiple time World and Pan American champion Dominyka Obelenyte. Callie has competed locally and internationally winning gold at American Nationals as a white belt, the Montreal IBJJF Open at blue belt, and New York IBJJF Open at purple belt in her weight. She also medaled in the Abu Dhabi Pro Trials at blue belt.

Callie recently founded Rag Doll Camps with her training partner and coach, Dominyka Obelenyte, with a mission to close the gender gap in the sport. She also teaches privately. Callie initially began CrossFit to supplement her jiu-jitsu practice, and she is looking forward to sharing it with the CFSBK community!

Feel free to contact Callie directly with any questions!

REGISTER HERE!

News and Notes

• A note from CFSBKer MK: “I’m selling my Liv Envie Tri Advanced 2016. I used the bike for 2 seasons, pretty light mileage. Size Large. Shimano Ultegra components. Aero clip-on bars (easy to adjust). Super light. Super fast. Super fun. Turns out that it’s just a little too small for my build . Purchased in May 2016 from Ride Brooklyn for $3400.  Looking to sell for $2800 or best offer!  Definitely prefer to sell to someone in the BK community!  Call/text MK Flynn at 415-306-4572 if you are interested.”
• Got news you want to share with the community, something for sale, or an event coming up? Always feel free to send anything you’d like to share with the community to Josh [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com!
• Due to a mix-up at our laundry service, towels may be in short supply or unavailable throughout today’s AM classes. If you plan to shower after class, it might be a good idea to bring your own towel. We apologize for any inconvenience!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Front Squat / Ring Row | Power Clean, Push Jerk
Elijah Muhammad: 12 Things You Didn’t Know About Me Athlete Daily
Your Unreasonable Assumption of Comfort in Weightlifting Catalyst Athletics

For anyone using the gym in the morning 5/24: We ran into a problem with our cleaners, so we are temporarily out of towels in the shower rooms. We should have the problem resolved by late morning. Sorry for the inconvenience, thank you for your patience. -CFSBK