• SCHEDULE CHANGES: Active Recovery is CANCELLED today.

October Athlete of the Month: Kayleigh Rose

By Chris Fox 

This month’s spotlight is on one of our ladies who’s lately been quietly turning into a TFBA*. Kayleigh has been with us for a few years now, but the coaches all agree that she’s recently shifted her performance into another gear. She trains consistently before the dawn during the school year and later in the day when school is out, so many of you have surely noticed her and understand the reasons she’s on the blog today.

Fox: Hey Kayleigh, thanks for sitting down to chat, and congrats on being chosen as our next AOTM! Tell me about how and when you started CrossFit. 

Kayleigh: Thanks! It’s an honor to be included with all of the previous names on this list! Former co-worker and SBK member Matt Edwards first told me about CrossFit. He knew I was looking for more athletic opportunities—we used to kick a soccer ball around Prospect Park—and he mentioned it. He didn’t really tell me what it was, he just said that I should go and that I would like it. So, I did! I signed up for Foundations in July 2012 and never really looked back.

Fox: Over three years now and you’re still making progress! What were you doing fitness-wise before joining SBK? 

Kayleigh: I’d always gone to the gym but I was still following the same routine my field hockey coach had us doing when I was in college. I guess to go back further, I played field hockey at Ithaca College where I got my degree in Math Education.  I did Karate in high school and was a second-degree black belt. Since moving to Brooklyn, I’ve done my fair share of laps around the Prospect Park loop. So I was active but sort of bored. Luckily my college coach had us squat and bench press so I’d lifted for a while, but I’d go to the gym and do the same weights for the same reps week in and out.

Fox: That’s great that you had learned to lift in college. I remember you having a pretty solid base with lifting when you first started. What is it about CrossFit that has you still here 3+ years later making gains?

Kayleigh: I really liked that I could push myself as easy or as hard as I wanted, and realized that a lot of the responsibility was on me to push hard. Based on what I’d heard about CrossFit, I didn’t expect such a focus on precision and the amount of detail involved in moving well. You made a comment that a lot of teachers like to come because we get to give up control and just follow directions. I think it’s more that we recognize and appreciate the teaching techniques used: skilled differentiation in scaling options, laying out clear expectations—including timing, and even the QOD to engage everyone. 

The community support is obviously a huge factor both in the emotional and physical senses. I mean, you can’t really lift heavy without proper spotters and every class here has that when you need it. I could tell right away that there was support for both men and women to be strong and badass, so I guess the TFBAs keep me motivated and feeling empowered. Also, as a 15-year pescetarian, I appreciated knowing that you used to be a vegetarian, and that Coach Whitney is one. It made me feel comfortable with not being an uber paleo woman here. I used to be sort of a junk food vegetarian, now I eat much better. Also, I love the dogs of CFSBK.

Fox: Well you’ve turned into quite the TFBA yourself! What do you do when you’re not picking up heavy things and putting them down?

Kayleigh: I’m a math and computer science teacher at Sunset Park High School and taught in Canarsie before that. I love teaching math and trying to make it less intimidating. It’s a subject that teens seem to either love or hate. I try to make it more accessible to all, and maybe even enjoyable. I realized that I’ve adapted a quote that I use in my math classroom into my CrossFit experience: “Respect the struggle.” Everything is a process and it is important to respect the hard work and the mistakes you learn from along the way.

I actually taught my students to properly squat recently and have used the concept of linear progression (LP) to help teach about graphs. My other hobbies are really math and education related—I am the definition of a Mathlete. I am part of Math For America, which provides professional development, and have travelled to Utah with one of their programs. I read lots of stuff for work in addition to my “junk food” novels, and I certainly enjoy a teacher’s “book club” every now and then. And of course, watching the New York Giants.

Fox: I love that you taught your students to squat and that you used an LP to help them learn about graphs. Ithaca and the Giants? Are you a NY girl? 

Kayleigh: Sure am! I was born in Hyde Park and grew up in Pearl River. I moved to Crown Heights right after college and have been there since. My parents and one brother are still in Pearl River and I also have one brother in Boston. 

One of my favorite CrossFit memories actually involves my parents. My mom was nervous about me once I started lifting heavy weights here. They both came to Iron Maidens and realized how great this place and the people involved in it are and they’re now very supportive. There’s a great video that I believe David took from the event where you can see my parent’s faces as I complete a lift. I’ll never forget that look.

Fox: That’s such a great story. Speaking of lifting heavy weight, you recently set a new deadlift PR. Care to share your goals and goats in the gym? 

Kayleigh: Yep! I recently deadlifted 330 for a new PR (BAM!) so I obviously love to deadlift. I’m all lower body. Since learning how to do them properly I really love cleans, they’re so dynamic. My goats are upper body movements, particularly gymnastics ones, but they’re getting better. My pull-ups, toes-to-bar, and inversions are moving in the right direction through consistent practice and I’ve also finally gotten double-unders.

Fox: Great stuff, Kayleigh! Last stock question: What should we look for in a future AOTM? 

Kayleigh: Most of the same things that everyone says, really. Being encouraging of others is important. Someone who takes pride in their performance but stays humble, who appreciates their success but then looks forward to the next objective.  

*Total Fucking Badass, of course

Want to Win Awesome Prizes? Keep Up the Fundraising for Fight Gone Bad! (T-4 Days) 

Thanks to our new Events Coordinator Danae M., we’ve lined up a ton of amazing prizes for our Fight Gone Bad fundraisers and competitors: 

• The Brooklyn Community Foundation is giving us 8 tickets for the Brooklyn Get Down party (learn more here!). The ticket is a $35 value because it includes entrance and 2 free drinks. Since the Get Down is a costume party, we’ll give 6 of these tickets to the team that wins best costume!
• Reebok is sending us a ton of swag to give out to winners in any category and they’re offering one spirit award that includes a trophy from Reebok and $250 outfitting in Crossfit Reebok Gear. This prize will go to highest fundraiser!
• There are 6 $50 gift certificates from Lululemon that will go out to top competitors and fundraisers.

We also have lots of good stuff from CrossFit gear companies and neighborhood sponsors: 

Fleishers
Reebok Spartan Race
Afro Brutality
Brooklyn Boulders
Ho’Brah Tacos
Sheep Station
PurePharma
Caffeine and Kilos
West Bank Cafe
Ideya
Bayou Brooklyn 
Clean, Snatch, Soap 
Grand Army Bar 
Olympia Wine Bar 

Danae can be reached at Events [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com, if you’d like to sponsor an event or have an idea for an event at the gym.

_____________________ 
The Evolution of Light The Atlantic 

Press

Performance: Low Intensity, 65-70% x 7 x 4
Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Start light enough to add weight throughout the cycle.

Exposure 1/8
_____________________ 

Deadlift

Work up to one heavy set of 8 reps
Consider using the weight you lifted for the first set of 5s (week 3) in the previous cycle, or about 65% of your 1RM. 

Exposure 1/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

For Time, 20-15-10-5:
Wall Ball 20/14, 14/9
Sumo Deadlift High Pull 75/55

Post time and Rx to comments.

Congrats to our fierce Beast of the East competitors! 

• Attention CFSBK Cyclists! Acme Bicycles will be hosting the first of a series of open house events TONIGHT from 6-7:30pm. You can come by for bike-fitting demos, to check out some beautiful bikes, to get your questions answered, or to just have a drink! Acme Bicycles is above CFSBK on 597 Degraw, 3rd floor. 
• Fight Gone Bad Update (T-5 Days!): We are SO CLOSE to meeting our fundraising goal for Brooklyn Community Foundation. Once we reach $15,000, BCF’s Board will start matching contributions dollar-for-dollar. You or your friend puts in $10? Their Board puts in $10, doubling your impact on Brooklyn’s communities. Also, we’ve also got crazy cool prizes for our top fundraisers. More on that tomorrow!
• CALLING ALL EXCEL WHIZZES! We need someone to run scoring for Fight Gone Bad on Saturday. If you’re interested and available, for any part of the day, please email David [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com ASAP.

Training Cycle Template

Our new training cycle begins TODAY. You can always find the information below in the left-hand tab under Member Resources, called Training Cycle Template. 

Training Cycle Dates: M 10/12 – Su 12/6
Crush Week: M 12/7 – S 12/13
Transition Week: Will be the first week of the following cycle, starting December 14, 2015

Cycle Goals:

• Olympic barbell cycling/volume EMOMs 
• Continue with more frequent exposures of longer (>15min) time domain WODs
• Stay awesome (!)

Monday: Press + Deadlift + WOD
Wednesday: Back Squat + WOD
Thursday: Clean and Jerk + WOD
Saturday: Front Squat + WOD
Sunday: Snatch + WOD 

Performance Press Cycle 

8 rotating exposures, 4 work sets each day
Low – 65-70%x7x4
Medium – 75-80%x5x4
High – 85-90%x3x4
Last Exposure is a 1RM Test 

Fitness Press Cycle 

3×5 Linear Progression
Last exposure is a 1-3RM test 

Fitness and Performance Deadlift Cycle 

Increasing loads through the 8-week cycle, warm up to one top set of:
1 – Heavy 8 (Start with the weight you did your first 5 in week 3 of last cycle)
2 – Heavy 5
3 – Heavy 5
4 – Heavy 3
5 – Heavy 3
6 – Heavy 3
7 – Heavy 3
8 – 1-3RM test 

Performance Back Squat Cycle

8 rotating exposures, 4 work sets each day
Low – 65-70%x7x4
Medium – 75-80%x5x4
High – 85-90%x3x4 

Fitness Back Squat Cycle

Increasing loads through the 8 week cycle, 3 work sets
1 – 3×8
2 – 3×8
3 – 3×8
4 – 3×5
5 – 3×5
6 – 3×5
7 – 3×3
8 – Test 1-3RM 

Performance Front Squat Cycle

8 rotating exposures, 4 work sets each day
Low – 65-70%x7x4
Medium – 75-80%x5x4
High – 85-90%x3x4 

Fitness Front Squat Cycle 

Increasing loads through the 8 week cycle, 3 work sets
1 – 3×8
2 – 3×8
3 – 3×8
4 – 3×5
5 – 3×5
6 – 3×5
7 – 3×3
8 – Test 1-3RM

The Olympic Lifts

The dedicated exposures to the Olympic lifts will be on Thursdays (clean and jerk) and Sundays (snatch). We’ll use Every Minute on the Minutes (complexes, multiple reps, touch-and-go reps), and on some days, just the WOD during this cycle to increase proficiency, strength, and stamina on the lifts.

_____________________
U.S. Reassesses Columbus Day, Native American Plight in Focus The New York Times 

For Time:

550m Run
then,
5 Rounds:
7 Deadlifts 275/185″
15/10 Push-Ups 

550m Run
then,
5 Rounds:
20 Double-Unders
7 Toes-to-Bar 

550m Run
then,
5 Rounds:
7 Box Jumps 30/24″
20 AbMat Sit-Ups

Coach JB going overhead

• Fight Gone Bad Update (T-6 Days!): And just like that, we are SO CLOSE to meeting our fundraising goal for Brooklyn Community Foundation. Once we $15,000, BCF’s Board will start match matching contributions dollar-for-dollar. You or your friend puts in $10? Their Board puts in $10, doubling your impact on Brooklyn’s communities. KEEP GOING, IT’S THE CFSBK WAY! (We’ve also got crazy cool prizes for our top fundraisers; more on that soon!)
• Stella Z.’s choir, the Oratorio Society of New York, is performing the Requiem of Juraj Filas, a modern Czech composer, on Monday, November 2 at 8pm, at Carnegie Hall. Filas wrote the piece in 2002 in honor of the victims of 9/11. Stella has 2 tickets in the rear balcony at $23 each (a slight discount from the single-ticket price). Email her (stellavision [at] gmail.com) for those, or visit the Carnegie Hall website to buy tickets in other locations.
• SCHEDULE CHANGES: Kids Club is CANCELLED today.

_____________________
Ronda Rousey, the Antagonist The New York Times

“Nate” 

AMRAP 20 Minutes:
2 Muscle-Ups
4 Handstand Push-Ups
8 Kettlebell Swings 72/53# 

If you can perform the muscle ups and handstand push ups but do not have mastery of them yet then consider scaling volume and/or doing a partner version and splitting all of the work as needed.

In honor of Chief Petty Officer Nate Hardy, who was killed on February 4th, 2008 during combat operations in Iraq. Nate is survived by his wife, Mindi, and his infant son Parker.

Compare to 3.26.2015.

or 

AMRAP 20 Minutes:
12 Russian Kettlebell Swings 72/53#
8 Shoulder-to-Overhead 135/95
4 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

The Rx standard is intended to be challenging but light enough for you to go unbroken, at least early on. The bar comes off the floor and should be lighter than your heaviest jerk today, choose weights appropriately. For the pull-ups, scale as needed to regular pull-ups and/or fewer reps per round. Bands or ring rows also okay as necessary but make them challenging.

Post rounds and Rx to comments.

Previous Athlete of the Month Jay-Star attended Power Monkey Fitness Camp this week. On the first day, he can be seen praying, and on the last day, his team ran a three-mile train run. They had to haul that red car with them (“Nasty Girl” Annie Sakamoto is inside…). | Prayer/squat photo by Richwell Correa

• Did You See the Programming For Our Upcoming 8-Week Cycle? Our upcoming cycle starts on Monday, and all the details can be found HERE. You can always find this information in the left-hand tab under Member Resources, called Training Cycle Template.
• SCHEDULE CHANGES: Active Recovery is CANCELLED today.

Need a Haircut?

BLUE&BLACK Barbers and Apothecary provides men’s grooming and traditional barber services in a modern yet chill environment—and they want to offer CFSBKers a 20% discount! Located in the Carroll Garden neighborhood, BLUE&BLACK prides itself on the quality, ease, and accessibility of its staff, services, and products. AND there’s also beer from our friends at OtherHalf Brewery on tap while you wait. What better way to reward yourself for that killer workout? Just show your keycard to receive your 20% discount.

Also, our cool coaches have been enjoying their services. Do you need more of a recommendation than that?!

Check out ConBody and Help Our Fellow Fit Friends!

CFSBKer Liam M. wants you to know about ConBody, an organization that employs men and women with criminal histories who are committed to helping their clients transform their lives by achieving their fitness and wellness goals. 76% of people released from prison return within five years, the majority of whom are unemployed at the time of their rearrest. ConBody trainers are dedicated to creating a positive environment, giving back to their communities, and changing people’s perspectives on formally incarcerated individuals. 

Want to help? Back the Kickstarter, join for the class, or like them on Facebook! 

_____________________ 
Why It Was Easier to Be Skinny in the 1980s The Atlantic

6am superstar Michael A. was traveling around Europe recently and got his CrossFit on at various boxes!

• Did You See the Programming For Our Upcoming 8-Week Cycle? Our upcoming cycle starts on Monday, and all the details can be found HERE. You can always find this information in the left-hand tab under Member Resources, called Training Cycle Template.
• SCHEDULE CHANGES: Active Recovery is CANCELLED tomorrow.

Good Luck to Our Beast of the East Competitors!

This is the 4th consecutive year that CSFBK will be represented at the Beast of the East event in East Windsor, CT, and this year we’re sending 11 competitors! This event typically draws some elite level athletes. Mat Frasier won the men’s individual competition in 2013.

Competitors will complete 3 workouts on Saturday and at least 2 workouts on Sunday. Workout descriptions are posted here. Send some strong vibes to our following competitors:

CSFBK Team 1: Coach MeLo, Coach McDowell, Coach K-HarpZ, Alex B.
CSFBK Team 2: Coach Whit, Jason M., Steph M., Alex N.
Individual Competitors: Brendan N., Joe W., Andrew S.

Fight Gone Bad Update (T-8 Days!)

GUYS! We’re past $12,000—which is 80% of our fundraising goal for Brooklyn Community Foundation. We posted some great fundraising tips last week, and a sample email template if you haven’t started fundraising yet. KEEP GOING!

Learn more about the Brooklyn Community Foundation and all the great work they’ve done. They support a variety of artistic, agricultural, environmental, social, and educational programs helping people of all ages. No doubt there are several programs they’ve helped that you identify with.

Congrats to those teams and individually topping our leaderboards on CrowdRise! Below are our top fundraisers from both the individual and team divisions (as of 8pm Thursday 10/8):

Top Five Teams:

1. I’m Not a Player I Just Squat a Lot: $2,145
2. Fight of the Living Dead: $1,640
3. Hollywood Heavies: $1,156
4. The Big Meowskis: $930
5. The Buck Furpees: $738

Top Five Individuals: 

1. Jay-Star.: $1,400
2. Allie C.: $1,225
3. Steve H.: $770
4. Morit S.: $686
5. Elyssa S.: $680

_____________________ 
Froning: The Fittest Man in History [Official Trailer] CrossFit 

Training Cycle Template

Training Cycle Dates: M 10/12 – Su 12/6
Crush Week: M 12/7 – S 12/13
Transition Week: Will be the first week of the following cycle, starting December 14, 2015

Cycle Goals:

• Olympic barbell cycling/volume EMOMs
• Continue with more frequent exposures of longer (>15min) time domain WODs
• Stay awesome (!)

Monday: Press + Deadlift + WOD
Wednesday: Back Squat + WOD
Thursday: Clean and Jerk + WOD
Saturday: Front Squat + WOD
Sunday: Snatch + WOD 

Performance Press Cycle 

8 rotating exposures, 4 work sets each day
Low – 65-70%x7x4
Medium – 75-80%x5x4
High – 85-90%x3x4
Last Exposure is a 1RM Test 

Fitness Press Cycle 

3×5 Linear Progression
Last exposure is a 1-3RM test 

Fitness and Performance Deadlift Cycle 

Increasing loads through the 8-week cycle, warm up to one top set of:
1 – Heavy 8 (Start with the weight you did your first 5 in week 3 of last cycle)
2 – Heavy 5
3 – Heavy 5
4 – Heavy 3
5 – Heavy 3
6 – Heavy 3
7 – Heavy 3
8 – 1-3RM test 

Performance Back Squat Cycle

8 rotating exposures, 4 work sets each day
Low – 65-70%x7x4
Medium – 75-80%x5x4
High – 85-90%x3x4 

Fitness Back Squat Cycle

Increasing loads through the 8 week cycle, 3 work sets
1 – 3×8
2 – 3×8
3 – 3×8
4 – 3×5
5 – 3×5
6 – 3×5
7 – 3×3
8 – Test 1-3RM 

Performance Front Squat Cycle

8 rotating exposures, 4 work sets each day
Low – 65-70%x7x4
Medium – 75-80%x5x4
High – 85-90%x3x4 

Fitness Front Squat Cycle 

Increasing loads through the 8 week cycle, 3 work sets
1 – 3×8
2 – 3×8
3 – 3×8
4 – 3×5
5 – 3×5
6 – 3×5
7 – 3×3
8 – Test 1-3RM

The Olympic Lifts

The dedicated exposures to the Olympic lifts will be on Thursdays (clean and jerk) and Sundays (snatch). We’ll use Every Minute on the Minutes (complexes, multiple reps, touch-and-go reps), and on some days, just the WOD during this cycle to increase proficiency, strength, and stamina on the lifts.

Want to learn more about CFSBK’s programming? Check out these articles:

• The Underlying Philosophy Behind Programming at CFSBK Chris Fox
• A New Dawn for CFSBK Programming: Fitness and Performance David Osorio
• Low Bar and High Bar Back Squats David Osorio  

_____________________

Partner Snatch Off

In teams of 2, partners alternate in sets of 5 to complete AMRAP in 15 minutes of 30 Snatches at ascending loads

Men’s Rx: 95, 115, 135, 165, 185, 205
Women’s Rx: 65, 75, 85, 95, 105, 115 

Scaling Option A
75, 95, 105, 115, 125, 135 

Scaling Option B
55, 65, 75, 85, 95, 105

Scaling Option C
45, 55, 65, 75, 80, 85

Scaling Option D

35, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65

At the call of 3, 2, 1, GO… bar starts at opening weight. Have necessary plates nearby to make increases. Increase load every 30 reps. Any snatch variant (full, power, split, hang) is acceptable. Partners must “tag” to handoff.

Dr. Fidler took some time off from CrossFitting and chiropractic work to check out the surf scene in Hossegor, France. He says burpees and squats were definitely transferrable skills when paddling into a wave, but the hours of paddling were hard to train for. | We love seeing and sharing photos of your adventures! Send your pictures and stories to Kate, our Managing Editor, at Katharine [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com so we can give you some blog love. 

Catching Up With CFSBK Classifieds

The Classifieds section still isn’t working. If you have something to post, email it to our Managing Editor, Kate R. at Katharine [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. 

Josi S. is a postpartum doula, and is available to provide support for new and expanding families in the comfort of your home. Postpartum doula services include assisting with newborn care, family/sibling adjustment, meal preparation, and light household tidying. Josi offers education, companionship, and nonjudgmental support while helping families create their own space and time to promote rest and bonding during the postpartum period. She encourages parents to trust their instincts and allows their confidence to grow. An extra set of caring, supportive hands is also a great new baby gift! 

An experienced mother, and new doula, Josi is offering a special rate of $25/hr for the first three families to book. Now taking clients for Oct.-Dec. Contact Josi with any questions, or to set up an interview: josi.doula [at] gmail.com, 818-599-4412 (call or text)

Save the Date for CFSBK’s Second Art Show, on November 21, 2015!

Ever wonder what CFSBK would look like if it transformed into an art gallery? Well, those of us that participated in or attended CFSBK’s first Art Show last year know it looks pretty awesome. Our second Art Show will be Saturday, November 21st, so save the date!

The aim of the evening isn’t to sell the work of our artists (though if that happens, great), but to showcase the often hidden talents of our members, bring our community together in a novel way, and to continue being the coolest CrossFit gym on the planet.

Want to Participate?
We’re so excited about everyone who has reached out so far, but we want to hear from more of you! If you are an artist (even if your art is just a hobby!) and are a member at CFSBK, reach out to Kate R. at Katharine [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com by October 16, 2015 to get on the roster of artists. Your email MUST INCLUDE 2-3 images of pieces you would consider showing or pieces that are similar to what you would create for the show. The volume of responses we receive will determine how many of your pieces we can include.

The more diversity of mediums the better—painting, photography, film, collage, printmaking, design, textiles, installations, or something we haven’t heard of yet. (We have a 180” projector that can be used for video-based art, and we can set up booths in the changing rooms for audio-based art.) If you participated last year, please DO NOT repeat work you included for that show.

_____________________ 
The Flight From Conversation The Atlantic 

For Time:
550m Run
21 Back Squats
21 Ring Dips
400m Run
15 Back Squats
15 Ring Dips
270m Run
9 Back Squats
9 Ring Dips

Rx for the back squat is bodyweight with no rack. Scale load as needed. Sub for Ring Dips is Bench Dips.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Congrats to Linda H. and Steph M. for competing in Hail to the Queen at CrossFit Queens this past weekend! Check out Steve H.’s awesome photos of our badass ladies in our Flickr account.

Become a Frozen Taco: Join the CFSBK Curlers!

Mike W. is trying to get together a group of CFSBKers to form a curling team at Prospect Park’s LeFrak Center. There is a six-week “beginners” clinic from November 2 to December 20 where you learn all the ins-and-out of curling before being able to join a league. There are leagues that run from January 4 to February 7 and from February 8 to March 20. Details below: 

• The beginners clinic meets weekly on Sundays at 7pm and lasts 90 minutes
• The cost of the clinic is $297 and includes an annual membership in the Grand National Curling Club (yes!)
• League play is also on Sundays at 7pm and lasts 90 minutes 
• The cost of league play is $200 
• Teams are co-ed
• Curling may or may not involve screaming a lot and wearing brightly colored pants. 

More information can be found on the LeFrak Center’s curling page. 

Email Mike by next Wednesday (10/14) at 5pm if you’re interested: mike.west [at] nyu.edu.

Fight Gone Bad Fundraising Updates (T-10 Days!)

Comrades! We’re almost at $11,000—which is 68% of our fundraising goal for Brooklyn Community Foundation. Can we beat our goal before the deadline? That would be the CFSBK thing to do.

It’s not too late to send an email to your friends and family! Rip off a version of this one below, and select, replace, or delete adjectives as you feel led. One of our members used this email last year (with almost all of the adjectives) and quickly raised over $500. Jump on it!

Dear/Salutations/Greetings/Hola/Aloha/Beloved [insert name], 

As you probably know, I’m really into CrossFit. It’s helped me/I love it because _______. Every year at my gym, CrossFit South Brooklyn, we have an event called Fight Gone Bad, where we do this crazy/hard/weird/incredible/soul-crushing/soul-enhancing workout (which you can see here). 

What makes the event even more cool/inspiring/sweet/meaningful is that it’s not just a competition for highest reps, but also a competition to raise money for a local organization called Brooklyn Community Foundation. BCF supports a variety of artistic, agricultural, environmental, social, and educational programs in Brooklyn, helping people of all ages. 

So, why am I telling you all of this? Because I need your help! [Insert any crazy story or incentives for hitting certain fundraising markers, i.e., If you donate $XX, I will do X, Y, and/or Z.] Donate here [insert link to your page]! 

I will be sure to let you know how the event goes, and probably send along a sweaty/hot/sexy/revolting photo of myself post-workout.

Sincerely/With love/Gratefully/Be well/Shalom,
[Your name]

AND REMEMBER TO SAY THANK YOU WHEN PEOPLE DONATE! It’s the right thing to do. 

You’ve got 10 days left! Who’s going to knock Jay-Star off the top of the individuals? Hollywood, where you at?

_____________________
The Price We Pay For Sitting Too Much The Wall Street Journal
My Attempt To Become A Better Person Through CrossFit Vice
Orphaned Raccoon Rescued by Family With Dogs Thinks She’s a Dog, Too Bored Panda 

How many emails do you have in your inbox? 

Throwback to TFBA Hayley G. beasting out at Iron Maidens

• Don’t forget to check out our new Yoga Class on Tuesdays at 7:00am!
• Want to improve your gymnastics/rings skillz? There’s still space left in Ken H.’s upcoming 4-week class on Saturdays from 2-3:30pm. You will not regret signing up for this, and it usually sells out within 24 hours. Don’t miss your chance!
• Want to get hella strong? Strength Cycle starts this week and still have a few slots available:
  • A cycle: Beginners, 7pm Mon/Wed and 6pm Fri | Wednesday Oct 7th – Friday Dec 4th  
  • C cycle: Morning beginners, 6:30am Mon/Wed | Wednesday Oct 7th – Wednesday Dec 2nd
  • F cycle: Noon with Margie, 12pm Mon/Thurs | Thursday Oct 8th – Thursday Dec 3rd

Fight Gone Bad Update (T-11 Days!)

GUYS! We’re at $9,500—which is 63% of our fundraising goal for Brooklyn Community Foundation. We posted some great fundraising tips last week, and a sample email template if you haven’t started fundraising yet. KEEP GOING!

Learn more about the Brooklyn Community Foundation and all the great work they’ve done. They support a variety of artistic, agricultural, environmental, social, and educational programs helping people of all ages. No doubt there are several programs they’ve helped that you identify with.

Congrats to those teams and individually topping our leaderboards on CrowdRise! Below are our top fundraisers from both the individual and team divisions (as of 8pm Monday 10/5):

Top Five Teams:

1. I’m Not a Player I Just Squat a Lot: $2,095
2. Fight of the Living Dead: $1,095
3. Hollywood Heavies: $816
4. The Team With the Golden Guns: $690
5. The Big Meowskis: $620

Top Five Individuals: 

1. Allie C.: $1,175
2. Jay-Star.: $900
3. Steve H.: $620
4. Michael A.: $525
5. Elyssa S.: $505

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Bolere flytter til Lilleputthammer for å virke større TVNorge

For Time:
1000m Row
75 Burpees
50 Pull Ups
75 Burpees
1000m Row

Sub for pull-ups is banded pull-ups or ring rows.

Post time and Rx to comments.

We wrapped up a week of PRs in the eighth week of our eight-week programming cycle, which means Crush Week begins today! Check out Coach Fox’s latest article below about encouraging each other in the gym, and keep that in mind as the going gets tough this week!

Encourage Your Mates!

By Chris Fox

Part of what makes CrossFit so effective is the camaraderie that we get to experience in the gym. Catching up with friends on the mat, light banter during DROMs and warm ups, the encouragement you give and receive during the lifting segments—these things all conspire to make training at a gym like CFSBK more fun and engaging than your local globo. At least that’s what we’d like think, and based on the hundreds of you that train with us each week, I’d say I’m right. We’ve all experienced a time when a little cheering and positive vibes from someone in class other than a coach helped us move a little more weight, get another rep or two, or shave a few seconds off a WOD. Despite how good we often are at encouraging others at CFSBK, I still see missed chances to pay that feeling forward. I see people gathering up their equipment, going up to make a recovery shake, and generally disengaging once their own part is over. 

I’d encourage you to take on another small task. Even if, or really especially if, you’re one of the first people done during the metcon, you still have a great opportunity to help someone else out by feeding them some encouragement. It’s rare that you’ll be so WOD-drunk that you can’t sit up and cheer your fellow classmates on. A simple “Come on girl, you’ve got this!” or “Stay on the bar man, last set!” can go a long way.

Of course, there’s a line between being encouraging and straight-up annoying or embarrassing someone—so be mindful of your presence. Few people (in my experience) thrive off of their coaches and peers yelling at them. Most people, myself included, will however move a little better and try a little harder if they know someone else is watching them and providing some supportive words of encouragement followed by a few claps or a high five. Be the person who stays present with a class after they’ve called time and see the favor repaid to you in a future class. You’ll be surprised how much of an impact you can have with just a few words. Remember that CFSBK is a team and when one of us gets better, we all get better!

Want To Improve Your Gymnastics/Rings Skillz? 

Join guest gymnastics coach Ken H. as he takes you through four weeks of gymnastics strength training. This 1.5 hour long class will incorporate different facets of body weight strength training and movement. Specifically, each class will be composed of three to four distinct areas, such as: warm-up and active mobility, rings skill work (muscle ups, levers etc), body weight strength conditioning, balance (on hands and feet), and flexibility. Students will be asked to have a goal or intention to focus on for the next six weeks. Students can then focus on that goal outside of class.

When: Saturdays from 2-3:30pm, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14
Price: $80 for 4 Weeks
Cap: 8 Participants 

REGISTER HERE!

Ken’s Bio
Ken was a nationally competitive gymnast in Newton, MA and at the University of Michigan. After graduating, Ken coached for eight years at Capital Gymnastics in Northern Virginia where he coached regional and national champions. His students have gone on to be NCAA champions and members of Cirque du Soliel. In searching for an activity to replace gymnastics, Ken filled the void with rock climbing and yoga for the past ten years and recently found CrossFit to round out his training.

To learn more about Ken, check out our interview with him: “All the Planches: How Gymnastics Can Make You a Better CrossFitter, and Getting to Know Ken H.”

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The Decline of ‘Big Soda’ The New York Times

What’s the most encouraging/helpful thing someone else has said to you during a tough WOD?