Every minute on the minute x 16:

Snatch

Start at a medium weight and build to something heavy for the day. Don’t feel compelled to add weight after each and every successful lift. You might use the next lift to fine tune an aspect that didn’t feel 100%.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 3 of 8

Throwback Thursday: Coach Fox had fewer tattoos and a slight kettlebell problem in 2011

Friday Nights: THE GAUNTLET

Tomorrow night we’ll be hosting a battle of CFSBK’s best during a Gauntlet-Style Friday Night Lights event. There will be two heats, 7:00pm and 7:30pm, during which 2 designated competitors from each of our intramural teams will throw down against each other in an epic battle of strength and conditioning. Come for Open Gym, stay for THE GAUNTLET.

Don’t forget that we’ll be showing the announcement of Open Workout 17.3 tonight around 8. Come early or stay late to watch it with us on the big screen!

CFSBK Open Intramural Team Rankings: Week 2

It’s Week 2 of the CFSBK Open Intramural League and things are really starting to heat up! Snatch Me If You Can remains the team to beat after posting the highest team average with a score of 52. When asked for a comment, team spokeswomen Griselle O. and Steph M. simply stared at your blog editor until he slunk away in terror. They’re a scary team.

But the big story this week is that there is now a 3-way tie for 2nd place. Los Snatchos put together a team average just high enough to maintain their spot, but We Rx-Cited to Be Here put up 53 points, and Team 2 Legit 2 Quit brought the hammer (get it?) down with 52 points. You are all welcomed to trash talk in the comments.

As if the tension couldn’t get any higher, WHAMRAP! is just one point behind the 2nd-place teams. Alternative Reps put in a strong showing this week, bringing their overall average down and keeping them within striking distance. Will they start nipping at everyone’s heels? To find out, you’ll have to come out to the gym on Friday night for THE GAUNTLET.

Current Ranking – Team – Overall Average (Week 2 Score)

1. Snatch Me If You Can: 50 (52)

2. Los Snatchos: 54 (57)

2. We Rx-Cited Just To Be Here: 54 (53)

2. Team 2 Legit 2 Quit: 54 (52)

5. WHAMRAP!: 55 (53)

6. Alternative Reps: 61 (59)

Open Intramural Team Scores
CFSBK Affiliate Leaderboard

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Back Squat | Row, Dumbbell Thrusters, C2B Pull-Ups
How to Grow Old Like an Athlete World Economic Forum
A Look at Women’s Strikes Around the World Pacific Standard

Sara G. lookin’ real tough at Fight Gone Bad 2016 | Photo by Joel W.

Sara G. on the Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge

For the past few weeks, we’ve been bringing you updates on this year’s Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge participants to let you know how they’re handling the, well, challenges of major and minor lifestyle changes. Sara posted the comment below to the LFPB Facebook group over the weekend. We liked it so much that we’re reposting it here with her permission. Enjoy!

Friends! I had a helpful chat with Mo [one of the winners of last year’s Challenge] last night that I’ll call, “Managing Expectations and Celebrating Accomplishments.” I’m grateful for his insight. Maybe you, too, wonder or doubt whether you are succeeding. Perhaps my expectations are unrealistic and my definition of success is skewed… familiar burdens. I need to focus on the “B” in LFPB; it’s about getting better, not getting “perfect.”

To my dismay, that snug skirt hasn’t gotten any less snug. My eating has been healthy and clean, with occasional indulgences. I am drinking less, and that’s an achievement. Give away the skirt or significantly cut calories? Is the deprivation worth it? Warranted?

I upped my class attendance from 3 to 5 times per week in January and that has made a difference in strength and stamina. It’s not that I have made huge jumps in weight, but as Mo encouraged, I should focus on any progress as a win, whether it’s one unassisted Pull-Up or not hyperventilating after a 400m run. I am proud of myself for doing the Open to push myself and to get out of my comfort zone (not that CrossFit is remotely in my comfort zone).

Thanks to Mo, I will try to celebrate improvements and stop letting perfect be the enemy of better and hope you’ll find it encouraging to do the same.

We’re pulling for Sara and all of the other LFPB participants as they enter the homestretch! Keep up the great work, gang!

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Handstand Push-Ups | Dumbbell Snatches, Burpees
The Do’s and Don’t of Assistance Training BarBend
9 of the Strangest and Loveliest Dioramas You’ll Ever See Atlas Obscura

Handstand Push-Ups

10 minutes to practice Kipping Handstand Push-Ups. 1-2 AbMats is okay. The buy-in is 1 Strict HSPU. If you can’t perform a Strict HSPU, then perform 5 x 3 HSPU Negatives (3 seconds down) or 3 x 10 DB Push Press, as heavy as possible. Add a deficit to your range-of-motion if you can perform sets of 10 easily.

Post work to comments.

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5 Rounds for Time:
10 Alternating Dumbbell Snatches
15 Burpees

Rx the dumbbells at 25% of your bodyweight. Games standard for the Dumbbell Snatch.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Here’s a fun vid of Captain Osorio doing Open Workout 17.2. How did 17.2 go for you? Tell us in the comments!

CrossFit Open Score Submissions

A reminder for Open competitors: In order for your score to be counted, you must submit your score and judge’s name to the CrossFit Games site by 8pm tonight. If you don’t submit a score, you’ll get a zero for the workout, but you’ll still be allowed to participate in the subsequent workouts. CFSBK Open Intramural Team captains: don’t forget to submit your team’s scores to the spreadsheet by tomorrow at noon!

CFSBK on Social Media

Want to stay connected to the CFSBK community when you’re not at the gym? Here are a few ways (other than the good ol’ blog) you can find out about events, see awesome photos, and more!

• Like us on Facebook, where we always post the workout of the day and tons of other cool, informative stuff.
  
• Follow us on Instagram to see what’s happening at the gym from day to day and for live streams of the Open Workouts.
  
• Subscribe to our newsletter for monthly updates on general gym happenings, blog highlights, a occasionally a special letter from the Captain himself. Look at the right side of the blog and scroll down a little. There’s a text box that says “Join Email List.”
• We don’t mean to brag, but we’re the number 1 rated Brooklyn CrossFit affiliate and in the top 10 of all Brooklyn gyms on Yelp! Yelp us out with a review!

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Why You Should Not Be Running Starting Strength
Animal Sex: How Hummingbirds Do It LiveScience

Clean and Jerk Metcon

For Time:
60 Calorie Row
30 Clean and Jerks 185/125

The Clean and Jerk should be medium-heavy for you, a weight at which you’re doing mostly (or even all) singles. Any version of a Clean and Jerk is permissible.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Coach MeLo walks a Thursday night group class through some barbell drills

TODAY: SquadWOD at CFSBK

Date: Today, 3pm – 5pm
What: A women-focused WOD led by Crossfit Solace Coach Heidi Jones

Did Iron Maidens pique your interest in female-centric fitness? Squad WOD is a female-focused workout that takes place at different gyms across the NYC area. The intention is to bring women together in an environment that is free of judgement and overflowing with empowerment, camaraderie, and support for each other.  

Squad WOD is a chance to meet, connect, make new friends, and empower one another in an environment that is all about celebrating each of our strengths and broadening our squads. 

A bit about this event’s incredible guest speaker: Nabiha Syed had already published a book, founded a legal clinic and advocated for women’s rights in Pakistan by the time she was 28. We are excited to talk to Nabiha about her journey as a Muslim woman in a predominantly white, male career. In addition, she is going to talk to all of us about diving into our passions headfirst, how to channel our Type A tendencies into successful endeavors and what ‘leaning in’ means to her.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Sadie Nash Leadership Project. Sadie Nash promotes leadership and activism among young women. The program is designed to strengthen, empower, and equip young women as change agents in their lives and in the world. 

Get ready for an inspirational chat and workout!

NO CROSSFIT EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED. So bring your friends!
RSVP HERE

This Week at CFSBK in Review

We know you missed your “Week in Review” on Friday, so we’re bringing it to you today. Let’s do it!

1. Last week, Refinery 29 published this awesome feature on Iron Maidens. It’s an inspirational slide show featuring many competitors from CFSBK and beyond. Look at every photo! Read every word!

2. Speaking of photos, in case you missed it, there are tons of great Iron Maidens photos from CFSBK photographers here and here!

3. Missing something? Maybe a bike helmet or some cool blue Asics? Our latest lost and found dump is up on the Flickr account.

4. We brought you another interview with a 2017 Look, Feel, Perform Better participant, Adam S. Coach Fox asked Adam how things are going with about a month left in the Challenge. Watch the video to learn how much Adam’s mobility has improved and also how much it sucks to have a birthday right in the middle of the Challenge!

5. The spring membership drive for our CSA through Herondale Farm kicked off this week. The meats are good! See Wednesday’s post to find out how you can acquire the meats, delivered right to the gym, on a regular basis.

6. We annouced a new class, AG Strength with Coach Ro, on Thursday. It sold out within hours, but keep a look out for the next cycle! Here’s what Christina L. has to say about working on pull-ups with the mowhawked man himself: “Arturo’s pull-up program was amazing! I have always been very athletic, but was never able to do pull-ups. A couple of years ago, I decided that needed to change. I did Arturo’s pull-up program for about two months and did my first pull-up just shy of my 40th birthday! After that, I added volume, kipping pull-ups came easily, and I’ve now done Murph Rx twice. The key for me was the comprehensive and layered approach – there are lots of muscles involved in a strength skill like pull-ups and spending some time with a variety of movements was was critical to getting me over the bar.”

7. Finally, we recapped Week 1 of the Open Intramural League Competition. There were stunning allegations of doping, alternative repping, browbeating—all manner of skulduggery.

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Get Out of the Clean Faster Catalyst Athletics
87% of Loud Crashing Noises Are Nothing, Report Top Experts From Other Room

Open Workout 17.2

AMRAP 12 minutes:

2 rounds of:
50-ft. Weighted Walking Lunge
16 Toes-to-Bars
8 Dumbbell Power Cleans

Then, 2 rounds of:
50-ft. Weighted Walking Lunge
16 Bar Muscle-Ups
8 Dumbbell Power Cleans

Etc., alternating between Toes-to-Bars and Bar Muscle-Ups every 2 rounds.

Men’s Rx: 50lb dumbbells
Women’s Rx: 35lb dumbbells
Movement Standards

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.

Coach Ro takes on 17.2. To see more from his workout, check out Thomas H.’s Flickr album, artfully entitled Kippin’ Aint Easy; or, Thursday Night Shadows

TOMORROW: SquadWOD at CFSBK

Date: Sunday, March 5th, 3pm – 5pm
What: A women-focused WOD led by Crossfit Solace Coach Heidi Jones

Did Iron Maidens pique your interest in female-centric fitness? Squad WOD is a female-focused workout that takes place at different gyms across the NYC area. The intention is to bring women together in an environment that is free of judgement and overflowing with empowerment, camaraderie, and support for each other.  

Squad WOD is a chance to meet, connect, make new friends, and empower one another in an environment that is all about celebrating each of our strengths and broadening our squads. 

A bit about this event’s incredible guest speaker: Nabiha Syed had already published a book, founded a legal clinic and advocated for women’s rights in Pakistan by the time she was 28. We are excited to talk to Nabiha about her journey as a Muslim woman in a predominantly white, male career. In addition, she is going to talk to all of us about diving into our passions headfirst, how to channel our Type A tendencies into successful endeavors and what ‘leaning in’ means to her.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Sadie Nash Leadership Project. Sadie Nash promotes leadership and activism among young women. The program is designed to strengthen, empower, and equip young women as change agents in their lives and in the world. 

Get ready for an inspirational chat and workout!

NO CROSSFIT EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED. So bring your friends!
RSVP HERE

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Nicole Carroll’s Tips for 17.2 CrossFit
Ask a Swole Woman: When a Man Asks You Why You Lift The Hairpin

From our Instagram account: “We got this sweet sticker from @judioyama who works in the media department at @CrossFit HQ. The character of an affiliate can be found in the thousands of little touches that make each one unique and special. CrossFit affiliates do not operate like franchises. Each gym gets to create itself from the ground up. We wouldn’t have it any other way! #makefitnesspunkrockagain” | Photo by Kate R.

TONIGHT: Friday Night Lights at CFSBK!

Stop by the gym at 7pm tonight during Open Gym to watch our top 15 women and our top 15 men (based on 17.1 scores) thrown down in Open Workout 17.2. All are welcome to watch and cheer on our top athletes! We especially need volunteer judges!

CFSBK Open Intramural Team Rankings: Week 1

For the second year in a row, CFSBK is running the Open Intramural League throughout the CrossFit Open. Last year’s competitors poured (metaphorical) blood, (literal) sweat, and (maybe metaphorical?) tears into 5 weeks of battle. This year’s Open Intramural League Competition won’t be any different. Who will come out on top? That’s why they play the sport of fitness, son!

In Week 1, Snatch Me If You Can got off to a strong start thanks to the steady leadership of team captain Dan L. There are uncomfirmed reports that he has threatened to make the entire team go to 6am class if they don’t maintain their lead. Not far behind them is Los Snatchos, a team that is embroiled in scandal after revelations that Jay R. may or may not be using HGH. His head has grown about 30% in height and diameter over the past few weeks, but league officials tell us that PED test results were “lost” on the way to the lab.

The rest of the pack is very close together, with just 2 points separating the 3rd, 4th, and 5th place teams. And, damn, those are some good team names! Alternative Reps is in last place for now, perhaps because they insisted that this box was Games standard. We look forward to finding out just how much they can pervert the concept of a “rep” over the next few weeks!

Current Ranking – Team – Overall Average

1. Snatch Me If You Can: 48

2. Los Snatchos: 51

3. We Rx-Cited Just To Be Here: 55

4. Team 2 Legit 2 Quit: 56

5. WHAMRAP!: 57

6. Alternative Reps: 63

NOTE: The CrossFit Games website isn’t working so hot right now, but we promise to post our affiliate leaderboard over the weekend!

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Burpees, Box Jumps | 1RM Snatch
Open Workout 17.2 Announced BarBend
How Exercise Makes You Better at Your Job Thrive Global

From our Instagram account: “Some rad visitors stopping by CFSBK today! The one and only @dannybroflex aka @dan_bailey9 as well as @zogdogg who was visiting from @crossfitinvictus and repping a great cause called @555fitness check it out!”

This Week in Review at CFSBK

1. Diapers & Dumbbells, a postpartum fitness class designed to help new mothers safely return to exercise, connect with other parents, and develop the strength they need to support their growing babies, kicked off this week! See the program page for more details, and spread the word!

2. Registration for the 2017 CrossFit Open started a couple of weeks ago. We want you to sign up! In fact, we’re shooting to have 100 CFSBKers register for this year’s Open. On Monday, we offered a few reasons why you should do it.

3. KLove is January’s CFSBK Athlete of the Month. Congrats, Kelly!

4. Coach Fox checked in with Andrew S. and Steph M. to find out how the Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge is going. Spoiler alert: it’s going well!

5. CFSBK is looking for new talent to staff our beloved Front Desk! Responsibilities include handling inquires from walk-ins, managing basic membership issues, light cleaning/organization, and other miscellaneous duties. We will be interviewing this month and hiring a new staff member for immediate training. Perks include a comped membership and all the Nespresso you can drink. See Wednesday’s post for more details.

6. Interested in volunteering for Iron Maidens? We’d love your help on this very fun day! There are a variety of ways to be involved. Fill out this volunteer form to learn more and share your availability. Check out photos from last year’s event to get a sense of what it’s all about.

7. Finally, we bought you the first installment of this year’s Iron Maidens of CFSBK series, and Allison K. knocked this interview out of the park. This year, our goal is to raise $50,000 to pay for 70% of college tuition for students in the College Prep program at the Bronx-based Grace Outreach, and we need your help to reach that goal! You can donate to a lifter’s campaign by going here.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Clean and Jerk | Hang Cleans, Double-Unders
How To Do the Shortest Workout Possible NY Times
Hell of an Injury, Attitude of an Angel CrossFit

Mid-Hang Clean and Jerk

Every minute on the minute x 10:
Mid-Hang Clean + Jerk

Work up to a heavy load, build across the 10 reps.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 7 of 8

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Performance
5 Rounds for Time:
5 Hang Cleans 155/105
30 Double-Unders

Fitness
5 Rounds for Time:
5 Hang Cleans 115/75
60 Single-Unders 

For both Fitness and Performance, the Hang Cleans should be on the light-medium side for you and unbroken on the fast end.

Post time and Rx to comments.

The Iron Maidens of CFSBK: Allison K.

The Iron Maidens Raw Open is less than 3 weeks away! Leading up to the event, we’ll be posting brief interviews with CFSBK lifters to help you get to know our team and give you a sense of what these women are doing to prepare. This year, through competitors’ fundraising efforts, Iron Maidens will once again fund the Iron Maidens Stay Strong Scholarship. Last year, Iron Maidens participants raised $30,000, far surpassing the $20,000 goal. This year, our goal is to raise $50,000 to pay for 70% of college tuition for students in the College Prep program at the Bronx-based Grace Outreach, and we need your help to reach that goal! You can donate to a lifter’s campaign by going here.

First up: Allison K. (a.k.a, AJK, Alkat, Al-Babe, Gal Pal Al, AK-47)

Allison, thanks for being the first Iron Maidens of CFSBK interviewee this year. Is this your first time participating in Iron Maidens (or its predecessor)? If not, any advice or thoughts to offer to new folks? If yes, anything you are particularly looking forward to or nervous about?

I participated in the predecessor to Iron Maidens three times, but it’s been a while. The last time I participated was July of 2013. Yikes, I’m rusty, so I’m a little nervous about that.

I think the best advice I might offer to new folks is borrowed from my runner pals: run your own race. I have a reputation among family, friends, and colleagues as a rather competitive person. My loved ones have avoided playing board games with me for many years now. All joking aside, it’s easy for my competitive spirit to wander into the territory of comparing myself to others to the detriment of my training, confidence, and you know… overall enjoyment of life. Sure, at the end of the competition winners will emerge after we’re all measured against one another, but what is unique about barbell training is that the ultimate measurement is only against our individual goals.

I’d also encourage new folks to find even just a moment to really engage with the organizers and volunteers, the crowd, and your fellow competitors. While lifting can often feel very solitary and personal, the spirit of the competition is one of a big ol’ team and community.

How has lifting impacted you athletically? Personally?

Lifting is the first athletic endeavor I’ve experienced that feels like if I work hard and train, I’m building skills that my body feels innately suited for. I’ve always been active and outdoorsy, but I shied away from organized team sports as a kid because I have terrible natural endurance for running and comical hand-eye coordination (in fact, some friends gave me a trophy for being “Consistently Inconsistent” after years of playing social sports with me like wiffle ball, tennis, and volleyball). I am tall, with big bones and big muscles; when it came to the team sports that were popular for girls in my hometown—field hockey, soccer, gymnastics—I always felt like I was punishing my body, or somehow trying to fight its natural size, shape, and inclinations for movement. Lifting has helped me to identify as “athletic,” to feel grateful for this strong, healthy body, and to care for it by staying strong and trying new athletic pursuits, even as I trudge through my mid-thirties.

On a much more personal and perhaps political note: as a woman and a feminist, I am keenly aware of how many folks and institutions within our society place value on a woman’s body—on my body—more for how it looks than for what it can do. I believe that tendency inherently leads to devaluing women’s abilities and limits our potential, which is a bummer for our society. The barbell is the ultimate honorer of strength over shape. So! For me, Iron Maidens has the added bonus of being an occasion where our bodies are celebrated for their strength and function and not their form.

What is your motivation for competing in Iron Maidens?

I’ve got a couple of motivations—one purely physical, and the other a bit more mental.

Last year, I finally recovered from almost two years of painful foot injuries that culminated in me tearing the plantar fascia in my right foot. I’ve been so happy to be back in the gym and under the bar consistently since last spring. So, Iron Maidens is a target date to test my lifts after working hard all summer and fall to basically re-train, and to motivate myself to come into the gym consistently during a time of year when typically I just want to be cozy (i.e., nap and drink wine while wearing my slippers).

My foot injury recovery also coincided with me co-founding a business. I’ve been running a design and technology studio with three partners since last year, and it would be very easy for me to either work or think about work for most hours of the day. When I started this new phase of my career, I made a rule that I have to do something physical every day that forces me just get out of my damn overly analytical head. While some days I can only afford to shut off my brain during my short bike ride to work, re-focusing on lifting and group class here at the gym has, I think, made me a more sane business owner (and probably a more tolerable girlfriend and partner to be around, too).

Last but certainly not least, I give major credit to Margie for building a community—and to David and the CFSBK staff for supporting this community—that makes competing with all of these talented women such a pleasure.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Front Rack Step-Ups / Chin-Ups | Wall Balls, Box Jumps
Powerlifting with Casey Johnston The Awlcast
Hook Grip Tip from Diane Fu Free+Style