Press

Performance: Medium Intensity, 75-80% x 5 x 4 
Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression 
Add a few pounds to last week

Exposure 5/8
_____________________ 

Deadlift

Work up to one heavy set of 3 reps
Go heavier than last week. 

Exposure 5/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

5 Rounds Not For Time or 18 minutes:
5-10 Strict Dips
5-10 Strict Chins
5ea Side Turkish Get Up Sit Ups, as heavy as possible

Perform the dips on rings or a Matador. If you can not perform 5 strict bodyweight dips then work up to a heavy set of 5 on the Dumbbell Bench Press. Use bands or 5 negatives if you can not perform the strict chins. A TGUSU is simply the first step of the TGU. These are great for shoulder health and for training the obliques which don’t see a lot of action in CrossFit. Start with a medium load and go up each set. Let your weaker side determine how heavy it gets.

Check out this how-to video about Kettlebell “Get Up” Sit Ups.

Post time/rounds and Rx to comments.

Ben A. practicing his pistols 

Not a True Novice Anymore: Failing, Resetting, and Transitioning

By Chris Fox

Getting strong is simply and entirely about maintaining stress and recovery. Unfortunately, what most magazine articles and Internet coaches tell you (sell you?) is either hogwash, like “30 DAYS TO RIPPED ARMS/WASHBOARD ABS/BEST BOOTY!” or too advanced, creating too much stress for a novice, like ”TRAIN LIKE THE CHAMP RICH FRONING!” A novice, as defined by Wikipedia, is “a person or creature who is new to a field or activity.” If you haven’t performed systematic barbell training before or if you’ve had a significant lapse in your training, then you’re considered a novice. Let’s discuss what a novice’s training looks like at CrossFit South Brooklyn (CFSBK), and when to consider moving on to an intermediate program. 

At CFSBK we use linear progression (LP) on the slow lifts (squat, press, deadlift, and bench press) as the barbell training program with all of our novice or detrained athletes. We like the 3 sets of 5 (3×5) protocol as recommended in Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. This is generally what Fitness strength programming looks like at CFSBK. The basic idea is to start light and slowly and incrementally add weight to the movement each lifting session, which for us would be one to two times each week depending on the lift and on the training cycle. Novice lifters require relatively little training stimulus (stress) to invoke an adaptation response (recovery), and as such can lift progressively heavier weights each and every training session for quite some time. If this were to continue indefinitely however, we’d all be able to squat 1,000 pounds eventually, if only we would consistently perform the lift week-in and week-out adding weight each time we did it. While that sounds like an amazing world to live in, it doesn’t work like that and this method eventually runs out, unfortunately.

Let’s look at an example lifter below…

On Jessica’s first back squat exposure with us, she squats 3 sets of 5 reps at 65 lbs (65x5x3). It feels very light for her but since she’s never back squatted before it will be enough of a stimulus to produce a training response. Jessica eats, sleeps, and recovers and the next time she squats, she’s able to do 70 lbs for 3 sets of 5 (70x5x3), then 75, then 80, and so it goes for quite some time. Eventually after 4 months or so she’s squatted 145 for 3 sets of 5 (145x5x3). The next week she fails the 4th rep on her last set. What is Jessica to do? At this point in her training she’s still a novice (4 months in) and thus would still benefit from a novice program like the LP she’s been following. We’d probably instruct Jessica to try 150 again next week and see if she can’t make all 15 of her reps. Maybe she was out late the night before and had a few cocktails that left her hungover, or maybe she just wasn’t feeling 100% since she was coming down with a cold. Either way the best case scenario is that next week she’d squat 150, make all 15 reps, and continue along the LP for a while longer, possibly making smaller increases each week of 2.5 lbs instead of the 5 lbs she’s been using. 

Eventually though, it starts feeling very heavy and two months later she fails her 5th rep on her first set at 175 lbs, then can only do 3 on her next set and struggles on an ugly 3rd squat on her third set. At this point (6-7 months lifting experience), Jessica would probably still benefit from a novice program, but she was feeling good that day and wound up failing early on in the sets. Jessica now should back off the weight a bit (which we call “resetting”), and build back up. We’d have her go back to somewhere between 5 and 10% lighter (so between 155 and 165), which we already know she can do. She would then get back to that 175 and probably passed it before failing again. 

Eventually, after a few resets, Jessica will simply no longer be able to make strength gains on an LP since she can’t recover from this type of approach, and thus will benefit from transitioning to an intermediate type of program, aka Performance programming. This will happen to us all assuming that training and recovery are consistent for anywhere from 6-12 months in.

AT CFSBK, we employ a few different types of rep/set schemes for our intermediate population. Intermediate trainees need more training stimulus (stress) and hence require more time to adapt (recover). The point of this article isn’t to outline the many (many, many, many…) viable options when it comes to intermediate strength training programs. It’s to say that if you’ve been running up against a wall and keep missing at or around the same weights on a few lifts in your strength training, then it’s probably time to move on to the Performance side of things for those lifts. You may not be able to do the ring muscle-ups and handstand push-ups in the WOD portion of class, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t progress your slow lifts into new territory. It’s perfectly acceptable and expected for many of you to be doing Performance squats/presses/deadlifts and then jump into the fitness version of the WOD. Our programing and timestamps for every class make this possible.

If this is you and since many intermediate programs use percentages of a 1RM to prescribe load, then it would be prudent to test some maxes at the end of a cycle. We usually test between a 1RM and 3RM at the end of a cycle so you can use those numbers going forward. You can pretty reliably extrapolate a theoretical 1RM from a 3RM, anything much larger than that get less and less reliable. If it’s not programmed and you fit the bill of someone ending a novice LP then go ahead and tell a coach you’d like to test. 

I’d be remiss not to mention that failing lifts may be due to factors other than your training age. I’m fond of telling my Foundations groups that “fitness doesn’t happen in a vacuum.” If other stressors like work or relationship stress, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, disease, etc. are present, then you can expect to not recover as well from training as if you were eating well and sleeping 8 solid hours a night. If that’s your case then either work on being better in those lacking areas or be humble and make smaller increases in weight each week so as to ride out the novice gains a bit longer. You’d probably benefit from frequent and moderate resets as well, aiming to finish each cycle only a few pounds heavier than the previous one. 

As always, if you’re unsure of what tract you should be on then ask a coach and we’ll point you in the right direction! Three Cheers to Happy and Effective Lifting!

_____________________ 
The Benefits of Leveled Programming Inside the Affiliate
Failing, Bailing, and Training Culture at CrossFit Affiliates Inside the Affiliate 

When and why did you first decide to follow programming other than a linear progression (if you have)?

Every Minute on the Minute for 10 Minutes:
Fitness: 1 Snatch
Performance: 1 Snatch Pull + 1 Hang Snatch

For both Fitness and Performance, start at about 60% and work up to a max for the day. No arms on the snatch pull. Fully extend (hips, knees, ankles) and shrug, keeping the bar close to the body. 

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 4/8
_____________________ 

For Time:
Row 2000m

Post time to comments.
Compare to 2.18.2013. 

Come watch “Froning: The Fittest Man in History” tonight during Open Gym at 6:30pm! Free beer!

Rowing a 2000m Race

By Nick Peterson

Here are some recommendations for the 2K on the erg—what rowers call an “erg test.” Of course, there is no magic bullet. When I first started this I thought I could just write, “Go as hard as you can. That’s it.” And while that’s actually true, I think there are some important things for people who are unfamiliar with this distance to keep in mind. The goal is to remain consistent and calm throughout your piece.

CONSISTENT PACING

Why be consistent? This is a test of endurance. So going out like gangbusters at the beginning will not bring your score down. You wouldn’t start a marathon with an all-out sprint for as long as you can go; if you did, you’d hit a wall, then look up and remember that you have another 25.8 miles to go. The same is true here, even though it’s a much shorter distance.

This is not a piece that you can approach with a “just go out hard, and then hang on” mentality; to do so is called to “fly and die”—a term used in the rowing world and I’m sure in other endurance racing sports. Think of this as running as fast as you can for this distance, a mile and a quarter, while carrying a weight. Or, better yet, doing seven or eight minutes of deadlift high pulls, with 30 reps per minute—or 210-240 deadlift high pulls for time. No breaks. You can’t do 30 reps in 45 seconds, then pause for 15 seconds, than go again for 45 seconds. Just a steady 30 reps throughout each minute. If you do this, you have to be consistent and relaxed, and settle into a good breathing pattern.

Splits & Rating

All rowing pieces are broken down into 250m and 500m increments; your goal is to look back at your “splits”—our time per 500m—and see very little variation among the different 500s. (You have the option to display splits on your erg, along with calories and watts; rowers use the 500m splits.) Your first and last 500s will naturally be a little faster than the middle two 500s, but otherwise there should be no glaring differences.

If you’ve pulled a 2K test in the past, a good thing to do on your next 2K is to shoot for the exact same score, but to do so with consistency. For example, if you pulled an 8:20 the last time you did it, that’s 2:05 splits (2′ 5″ per 500m), on average. So the next time you pull a 2K just sit on 2:05 splits the whole time. If that feels too easy, then go for 2:04. But be conservative.

Also, your rating, or stroke rate, should be largely the same throughout. The rating is generally 28-34 per minute for the body of the piece. I always tended to be around 30-32.

2K PLAY BY PLAY

I’d like to lay out the 2K sequentially, in order, starting with the warm-up. Keep in mind, though, that throughout the test you must focus on breathing, good posture, relaxation, and LENGTH. Do not ever shorten up your stroke. Ever. This is all especially true when you are really hurting.

Warm-Up

Do a gentle warm-up, at least 10 minutes. I liked starting at 3:00 splits and knocking down the split by 10s every 300m until I got to 2:00 or 1:50. Very easy. Take a break to stretch or go to the bathroom. Then do a few harder pieces. I always liked doing a few 20s (in rowing speak, this means “20-stroke pieces”—so a 10 is a 10-stroke piece, a 30 is a 30-stroke piece; beyond that you start using meters or minutes for measuring pieces). After the 20s, I liked doing one or two minute-long pieces at race pace. If you do this, rein it in—don’t get caught up in the excitement and go harder than your target pace. After this, do one or two 10s at your sprint pace—what you will do at the beginning and end of the piece. Again, don’t go crazy.

“Paddle”—i.e., row lightly—for a few more minutes just to flush things out.

Throughout the warm-up stay long and relaxed.

You can take another break if you want. You are now ready to start.

Start

For the erg, you can do your start in two or three strokes. At the start, sit at half or three-quarters slide—not at full slide (more rowing terminology, sorry—the “slide” references have to do with how far up the rail your seat is; so “half-slide” means your seat is about halfway, and “full slide” means your seat is all the way up). Keep your back a little more vertical than you normally do when rowing. Focus on being relaxed. Take a few deep breaths, then squeeze to the finish—go hard, but don’t jump. Just lean back. Once you’re done with that first stroke, don’t waste any time getting back up to the catch for another short stroke (again, not full slide), which is much quicker—instead of a squeeze, you now want to kick it. For the third stroke, you can establish length.

Take 10 really hard strokes at a pretty high stroke rate—36-40. Then immediately settle into your rhythm. You’ll feel great at this point, but once you get to about 400m your energy systems will switch over from anaerobic to aerobic, making for the first mental obstacle of the piece. So just relax and get into your groove. Establish your breathing pattern, and make sure you are long.

Again, do not go nuts at the beginning. This is a long piece, and you have to think of each stroke as a brick; you’re building your piece, brick by brick, and you have to be patient. If you go too hard at the beginning, your time won’t be better in the long run—you’ll hit a wall and you’ll have a hard time digging yourself out later. (Sorry about the mixed metaphors.)

400m or 500m In

Take a “power 10″—literally, 10 more powerful strokes that help you get over a hump—just to kick down the split a little, and use the 10 as a chance to focus on being quick and light. Focus in on your legs doing the work during the 10, and keep your arms and shoulders relaxed at the catch and during the recovery. The 10 takes you over the first hump. (In rowing, the way to deal with difficult moments is to go a little harder.) Your rating may go up a little on its own. After the 10, settle back into your rhythm, and make sure you’re long.

The middle 600—between around 700m and 1300m in—is about the hardest part of the piece. My second 500 was always my slowest of the whole piece, when I realized, “okay, uh, this is happening”; part of my third 500 always had the worst splits, but the end of the third 500 was, for me, when I started to tighten the screws, so that segment always ended up being faster than the second 500.

1000m

This is where you kick its teeth in. Take a power 20—really aggressive, but again, not inconsistent with the rest of the piece. In other words, if you’re at a 32 throughout the piece, don’t go to a 40 here; at most, your rating will jump one or two beats. (I guess I shouldn’t stress this too much, because the reality is that you won’t be able to go crazy anyway.) The 20 at the 1000 helps you get through this. Kind of.

The third 500 is really hard for most, but some also actually like it because you’re past the halfway mark and just taking it home. In a rowing race, this segment can really determine the result.

Once you’re done with your power 20, just check in again on your length and breathing.

500m to Go

Take another power 10.

400m to Go

Squeeze your split down a bit more. This is the calm before the storm. Don’t let the splits float up—keep it down.

250m to Go

Kitchen sink time. Just go for broke. You can put up with anything for 21-25 strokes. If you’re a fast-twitch athlete, you’ll love this. You should jack the rating as high as you need to—I always had a low rating in general, and I’d be at a 40 or higher at this point.

CONCLUSION

There are various games you can play in your head to help you get through the piece—you’re used to this from all the other training you do. I found myself counting much more than necessary, just to help me through. For instance, from 750m to go until the end, I counted pretty much every stroke. I tricked myself into thinking that each stroke would be 10m, and always felt a little better knowing that each stroke was actually a little more than 10m. (Yeah, it can get that stupid.) I think this is a personal thing, and while I’m happy to share other thoughts on little mind games you can play, I think it’s better for you to develop them on your own. But the best thing you can do throughout the piece is maintain length and make sure you’re breathing sufficiently.

Some videos to check out…

Here’s Xeno Muller (’96 gold/’00 silver in the single, the one-man event), and Rob Waddell rowing in a double. 
’00 gold in the single and apparently the best VO2 max of any athlete ever tested, according to Wikipedia.

Incidentally, Waddell is the world-record holder on the erg: 5:36.6 or something like that. That’s INSANE. My best was 5:51.8, perfectly respectable internationally. But 5:36 is phenomenal. I raced against Xeno in college.

Here’s Xeno, with Rob Waddell to his right, on ergs
They’re using RowPerfect gizmos, which keep the entire erg on tracks so as to roughly simulate the feel of a boat.

Here’s a guy that Xeno is coaching in the single
He looks really good—simple, direct drive. Don’t know who he is.

_____________________
Junk Food Isn’t to Blame for America’s Obesity Epidemic Fortune 

Performance: Low Intensity, 65-70% x 7 x 4 
Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression 
Heavier than last week’s set of 8.

Exposure 4/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

Partner WOD
In teams of 2 with one partner working at a time, complete 10 total (5 each) rounds for time of:
15 Burpee-Box Jumps 24/20
30 Russian KB Swings 53/35

Post time and Rx to comments.

Erin M. getting ready to crush some cleans

Saturday Reminders

• Kettlebell Kitchen wants to meet and feed you TODAY. They will be setting up at the gym around 11:30 am and be here till 2:30 pm to give you free food samples. 
• C.R.A.S.H.-B. World Indoor Rowing Championship registration ends TODAY at 8:30am. You have until this afternoon’s 2K test to sign up. Participants will not be allowed to join the 2K until they’re registered. Don’t miss out, get all the details HERE.
• Want to try something other than group class today? Check out Yoga for Athletes at 10am, Active Recovery at 11am, or Open Gym from 2-4pm!
• “Froning” is playing during Open Gym tomorrow. Geek out on CrossFit and watch it with all of us after Open Gym at 6:30pm. There will be free beer!

_____________________
Why We Work The Atlantic 

Brett F. doing some light dumbbell work

6 Things We Want You to Know About This Fine Friday

1. C.R.A.S.H.-B. World Indoor Rowing Championship registration ends tomorrow. You have until tomorrow’s 2K test to sign up. Participants will not be allowed to join the 2K until they’re registered. Don’t miss out, get all the details HERE.

2. “Froning” is playing during Open Gym on Sunday. Geek out on CrossFit and watch it with all of us after Open Gym at 6:30pm. Bring your lawn chairs and beer (or Paleo snacks!).

3. You have another chance to Fight Gone Bad. We’re running a Fight Gone Belated this Sunday at 8am. Anyone interested should email Jess at Info [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. 

4. Kettlebell Kitchen wants to meet and feed you tomorrow. They will be setting up at the gym around 11:30 am and be here till 2:30 pm to give you free food samples.

5. We’re really proud of CFSBK’s new virtual tour. Coach David penned a short little diddy about it on his blog Inside the Affiliate. Get inside the affiliate, like, literally.

6. You can make beef jerky this weekend. Our buddies over at Fleisher’s Craft Butchery are offering a Beef Jerky 101 class tomorrow in Red Hook 1-3pm. Learn how to slice, season and dehydrate the most delicious beef jerky to wow your friends and satiate your appetite time and time again. Get your tickets HERE!

_____________________
Everything Doesn’t Happen for a Reason The Adversity Within  
Darfur Poet Triumps in International Poetry Slam The Guardian

Every Minute on the Minute for 10 Minutes (10 working sets):
Performance: 1 Clean + 2 Jerks
Fitness: 2 Clean and Jerks (2×1+1)

Start at 60% and add weight as appropriate. Work up to a heavy but not max effort load. 

Exposure 4/8
Post loads to comments
_____________________

For Time:
50 Squats
550m Run

then,

5 Rounds:
5 Push Presses 135/95
10 Toes-to-Bar

then,

50 Squats
550m Run

The squats are air squats. The push press load should be medium heavy. Sub hanging knee raises for toes-to-bar as necessary.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Take a virtual tour of CFSBK! We recently worked with Google to create a 3-D tour of our gym so prospective members could walk around our gym from the comfort of their homes! Being one of the largest and most well-equipped CrossFit gyms in the city, we figured we’d show off what we have. If you “walk around” 597 and 608, you’ll see coaches and members working out and doing fun stuff in each room. The future is now, people!!!

• Still want to sign up for the C.R.A.S.H.-B. World Indoor Rowing Championship? You have until Saturday’s 2K test to do so. Participants will not be allowed to join the 2k until they’re registered with the program. After Saturday, we will be removing registration links. Don’t miss out, get all the details HERE!
• Get your yoga on with Jaclyn THIS MORNING at the new time of 9am! Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or brand new to a yoga mat, Jaclyn will offer plenty of options so everyone feels challenged yet still comfortable in this Vinyasa flow class. Or check out Active Recovery at 7:30pm.

Go Beyond the Whiteboard!

CFSBK member Moe N. works at popular digital workout log Beyond the Whiteboard. BTWB is one of the most well-known and well used CrossFit workout trackers out there. As a courtesy for our community Moe made BTWB free for CFSBK members! Here is more info:

Cost: Free!
Sign Up: Via this link. After you sign up, you’ll be able to sign into the site or apps (Android or iOS).

Benefits

• Log results and find previous results.
• When your WOD is something like 80% of 1 rep max, we’ll tell you what that is. Because Math is bad.
• We also help you figure out how good your result was. 
• Also other cool stuff. Moe’s favorite feature is Fitness Level, which helps tell you how fit you are. Here is a really bad video overview (the info is cool though).

Geek Out Links 

• Fitness Level
• How Does Age Affect Improvement in CrossFit?
• How Long Does It Take To Improve in CrossFit?
• Working Out More: Is It Worth It?

_____________________ 
Meet Mira Rai, Nepal’s first female sports star is a trailblazing global hero Slate 

Back Squat

Performance: Low Intensity, 65-70% x 7 x 4 
Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression 
Heavier than last week’s set of 8.

Exposure 4/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

For Time:
50 Double-Unders
25/20 Push-Ups
40 Double-Unders
20/16 Push-Ups
30 Double-Unders
15/12 Push-Ups
20 Double-Unders
10/8 Push-Ups
10 Double-Unders
5/4 Push-Ups

Ladies, feel free to perform the men’s Rx on the push ups if they’re a strength of yours. Scale double-unders to 1/2 attempts, or 1/2 KB Russian kettlebell swings (53/35) if your doubles are shite. This is meant to be a fast and mostly unbroken WOD. 

Post time and Rx to comments.

• Still want to sign up for the C.R.A.S.H.-B. World Indoor Rowing Championship? You have until Saturday’s 2K test to do so. Participants will not be allowed to join the 2k until they’re registered with the program. After Saturday, we will be removing registration links. Don’t miss out, get all the details HERE!
• Have you seen “Froning” yet? Come geek out on CrossFit and watch it with all of us after Open Gym this Sunday at 8pm. Bring your lawn chairs and beer (or Paleo snacks!)!
• Missed Fight Gone Bad, and feeling sad? We’re running a Fight Gone Belated this Sunday at 8am. Anyone interested should email Jess at Info [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. 

Want to Learn How to Make Beef Jerky?! 

Fleisher’s Craft Butchery is offering a Beef Jerky 101 class this Saturday at Fleisher’s in Red Hook 1-3pm. Learn how to slice, season and dehydrate the most delicious beef jerky to wow your friends and satiate your appetite time and time again. Here’s what you can expect:

1. Our jerky expert will review the cuts most ideal for beef jerky and how to best slice them for the best texture
2. Hands-on slicing, seasoning and handling of beef jerky through all its stages
3. Each participant receives the Fleishers DIY Jerky Kit, complete with everything needed to make delicious jerky at home
4. Discussions on sourcing, sustainability, and labeling in our local food system
5. Then we’ll sample the newest line of Fleisher’s beef jerky over beers and recipe brainstorming

We ask that all attendees wear a hat, closed toe shoes, and clothes they don’t mind getting meaty. A long-sleeve shirt or light sweat shirt is recommended. Get your tickets HERE!

_____________________ 
Billions in Change 

One of Leah S.’s second-grade students wrote a super cute story about climbing the rope at CFSBK, and Leah shared the story with us. Sophia is Charmaine E.’s daughter. We’ve also written the text of the story below, with a few minor edits…

The First Time I Climbed a 30-Foot Knotted Rope

By Sophia Hopkins

Me and my mom were walking to CrossFit where my mom works out. When we got there, I felt embarrassed. Everyone was staring at me. I bet they were curious to see what I can do.

My mom’s trainer asked, “Can you climb that knotted 30-foot rope?”

I said, “Yes, but I’m nervous!”

“It’s okay, maybe you need some time to stretch,” said Jess.

I thought, “Hmmmm, maybe I will climb the knotted rope.”

I asked, “Can a lot of adults climb that rope to the top?”

She said, “Not a lot.”

I said, “I will climb the knotted rope.”

But I was scared. I didn’t know what to do.

“What if I fall off?” I asked.

“Trust me, you won’t, ” said Jess. “I’ll put a mat under it.”

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 8, 9, 10 knots I clmibed. It was not scary, personally. I climbed it multiple times!

But the seventh time, it was time to go. I did not want to go. So I had to climb down the rope. We got our coats on and said bye.

The End!

News and Notes

• Want to try something other than group class today? Check out Active Recovery at 6:30pm, Pilates with KH at 7:30pm, or AntiGravity at 7:30pm.
• Get your yoga on with Jaclyn, at the new time of 9am on Thursday mornings! Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or brand new to a yoga mat, Jaclyn will offer plenty of options so everyone feels challenged yet still comfortable in this Vinyasa flow class. 
• Still want to sign up for the C.R.A.S.H.-B. World Indoor Rowing Championship? You have until FRIDAY to do so. Get all the details HERE.

_____________________ 
Farewell, Grantland Slate 

Press

Performance: Low Intensity, 65-70% x 7 x 4 
Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression 
Add a few pounds to last week

Exposure 4/8
_____________________ 

Deadlift

Work up to one heavy set of 3 reps
Go heavier than last week’s set of 5. 

Exposure 4/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

4 Rounds:

In 2 Minutes:
Row 250/200 Meters

then,

Max Thrusters 95/65

Rest 2 Minutes between rounds.

The rows are meant to be fast and the thruster weight should be on the light to medium side. 

Post total reps of thrusters and Rx to comments.
Compare to 2.23.2015. 

60 minute CrossFit group class in 60 seconds!

Hand Care for CrossFitters, Part 2 

In Part 1, Coach Noah explained the why behind tearing, and offered some great tips for how to prevent tears and deal with them when they do happen. This week, we’re back with Part 2 in our Hand Care for CrossFitters series. Coach Fox sat down with (i.e. emailed) CFSBK’s coaching staff recently about the topic. Here’s what the gals on staff had to say about how to keep your hands from opening up and what to do about it if they do.

Fox: How often do you tear your hands or blister while doing CrossFit, and when is the last time you tore? 

Jess:  Sadly, I’ve torn fairly recently. Normally, I tear during high volume pull-ups WODs. I’ve also historically used a lot of chalk so I’m trying to cut back on that. 

Whit: I used to tear quite a lot, maybe once a month? Now, I rarely do. I was sure I would tear during “Murph” with high volume this year, but I have built up a bit of a tolerance by doing higher volume pull-ups more regularly and more Olympic lifting. Yay! Also… I got a weird blood blister thing recently, like a callous that wanted to tear/pop but didn’t quite, and luckily when that eventually came off there was a good layer of skin underneath. 

K Harpz: If I were to put a number on it, I would say about once every two months or less. Generally mine heal up pretty quickly too, unless that sucker is in the palm/crease of my hand. Those are the worst.

JB: I tear about two to three times per year, typically during high volume pull-up WODs. The last time I tore was during “Cindy.” 

MeLo: I honestly can’t recall the last time I tore. I think I’ve gotten good at 1) maintaining my leathery hands and taking care of them regularly and 2) recognizing when my calluses are on the verge of tearing during a workout and changing grip, slowing down, or stopping. The disruption a bad tear causes to training consistency isn’t worth it.

Fox: Have you stopped or modified a workout in order to not tear? 

Jess: Yes, recently I had to modify a 30-minute AMRAP with toes-to-bar because I knew that my hands couldn’t handle it. 

Whit: Yes, not recently, but after my first few tears, I realized it really wasn’t worth it to keep going if I knew I was about to tear. I would be in a lot of pain and end up having to modify my training for a week or so afterward, which is stupid and a potential loss of GAINZ!

K Harpz: Yes. In my opinion, a gnarly tear is not worth ruining your training week.

JB: Yes, but sometimes I get a little too gung-ho and ignore a tear (hence the two to three tears per year). Like Whit and HarpZ said, it’s never worth messing up a week of training.

MeLo: Yes, agree with the ladies above and refer to my answer to #1.

Fox: What is your routine to maintain your hands/calluses? Include stuff like home care as well as how you choose to grip a bar, chalk use, etc…

Jess: I use a pumice stone and foot file combo in the shower, but not as diligently as I should.

Whit: I use a pumice stone in the shower or right afterward, maybe two to three times a  week. I know it’s not ideal, but on high volume pull-up or toes-to-bar work, I use a thumbs-on-top monkey grip most of the time, and then alternate using thumbs-around grip here and there. I don’t use nearly as much chalk for that stuff as I used to… but I still use a decent amount, esp. for Olympic lifting. When gripping a bar for pulling (deadlift, clean, snatch), I try to line up the bar in the crease of my first knuckles, not in the middle of the palm of my hand. 

K Harpz: I like to grip the bar with my thumbs around, as close to the underbelly of my knuckles as possible. The less skin I bunch up in the palm of my hand, the less likely I am to tear. Once I start to notice callus buildup, I shave it down with a pumice stone after allowing my hand to soak in water/applying hand balm. I also have the tendency to chalk up as an excuse to rest, and am trying my best to kick that habit.

JB: I don’t do much hand care, unless picking at my calluses when I am bored or anxious counts. In workouts, I try to be diligent about grabbing the bar right under my knuckles and avoiding bunching up the skin in the middle of my hand (that’s where my worst tears always happen). For the most part, I wrap my thumbs underneath the bar. 

MeLo: I use a pumice stone in the shower regularly plus a callus remover/razor to shave down my calluses two times a month, then smooth them out with a pumice stone. For pull-ups, I tend to use a thumb-over grip to get better purchase on the bar, but that comes at the cost of skin bunching up and making you more susceptible to tears. If I haven’t been diligent about hand care, or if my hands feel at risk, I’ll use a thumb around grip with conscious effort to flatten out the skin on the bar so it doesn’t bunch (that sounds really gross). For barbells, I’ve only had a problem with my thumb using a hook grip, so I tape around my proximal phalange (aka, thumb).

Fox: How do you care for a torn callus or blister when it does happen?

Jess: I immediately wash my hands and cut off any loose skin. I apply an ointment like Aquaphor on the tear to keep it from drying out and then cover with a Band-Aid. I tend to keep it moist so that it doesn’t dry out and crack. Antibiotic ointments tend to dry the wound out so I reserve them for when a tear actually becomes infected, which shouldn’t happen if you keep it clean with soap and water. 

Whit: Wash hands immediately, cut away loose skin with clippers. I use a bit of bacitracin and cover with a Band-Aid for the first couple nights/days. Either keep using a little bacitracin or Aquaphor as it heals so it doesn’t keep splitting. 

K Harpz: Immediately disinfect/wash the area, take sterile manicure scissors, and cut back all of the dead skin. Apply Neosporin and leave the wound open as often as possible, generally I’ve found healing is optimal if it is moist and uncontained. (Unless I’m going on the subway and need to grab onto them slimy poles, of course.) I have Burt’s Bees Hand Balm but also have this stuff for rock climbers that I occasionally use. 

JB: I immediately wash my hands (so painful!) and cut away the loose skin. I’ll apply Neosporin and a Band-Aid. I generally keep a Band-Aid on until it heals.

MeLo: Same as the gals above.

Fox: Any other advice or thoughts you think would be helpful?

Jess:  Don’t have sissy hands like mine! But really, apply less chalk during WODs and try to grip the bar a little higher in the hand (fingers) instead of the palm. Don’t let calluses get big and out of control.

Whit: Gymnastics grips!!! These have made a huge difference for me in high volume workouts and training. I have torn so much less since I started using them.

K Harpz: I know how to make a cheap/reusable hand-wrap made of elastic self-adhering first aid tape. I find it doesn’t really mess up my grip and it adds a nice protective layer for a higher volume pull-up WOD. If anyone would like me to show them how it’s done, I’m happy to help anytime!

MeLo: Consistent hand care. Don’t let your calluses get so big that they get in the way of your training, file them down regularly and keep them smooth. If you feel a tear coming on in a workout, modify your grip, take the time to tape, or sub a different movement. 

Thanks, ladies! Next time we’ll hear from the guys and see what they have to say to help out with out mitts. 

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For Michael Sam and Gay Athletes, What Comes After Coming Out ESPN 

What’s your experience with tearing? Share your tips in the comments!

Every 90 Seconds for 12 Minutes (8 total sets):
Fitness: 1 Snatch
Performance: 1 Hang (full) Snatch
Start at 60% and add weight every 90 seconds. The goals is to finish heavier than last week.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 3/8
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3 Rounds For Time:
3 Rounds of “Cindy” 
7 Hang Power Cleans 155/105
7 Jerks

One round of “Cindy” is: 5 Pull-Ups, 10 Push-Ups, and 15 Squats. Bands or Ring Rows are okay for the pull ups. The power cleans must start from the hang, and the jerks can be shoulder-to-overhead anyhow (push press, push jerk, split jerk). This should be done unbroken on the fast end, but the bar weight should be medium heavy for most athletes. If breaking up the barbell reps, consider breaking up the hang power cleans at 6, then taking the 7th rep right into your first jerk. TRY NOT TO PUT THE BAR BACK ON THE FLOOR UNTIL YOU COMPLETE ALL 7 JERKS.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Mega congrats to our CrossFit Gantry Spooky Halloween Fest competitors! They CRUSHED it. Team PB & Jacked (Brett F., Bryan B., and Coach Whit) took first, and the Modern Marvels (Matt K., Lauren S., and Brendan N.) took third!

• DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDED AT 2AM. Fall back an hour!
• The New York City Marathon is TODAY. Please allow for extra time crossing Fourth Avenue, and read yesterday’s comments to get some pro tips!
• Kids Club is cancelled today! Join us for CrossFit Preschool at 9am or 10am. 

Check Out Anti-Gravity at 2pm Today! (or Tuesdays at 7:30pm)

Is your kip krap? Are you muscle-ups more like muscle downs? Are your pistols mere pop guns? Coaches Noah and Arturo have designed Anti-Gravity: an hour-long gymnastics strength, skill, and conditioning class.

The class will focus on the gymnastics skill and strength components that are most commonly demanded in CrossFit workouts, using a variety of skill exercises, progressions, weighted and strict practice, and other techniques to teach, develop, and perfect your bodyweight movements. Our goal is to improve not only skill, but gymnastic work capacity and muscular endurance. 

When: Tuesdays at 7:30PM and Sundays at 2PM 
Cost: This counts as a regular group class

Each class will consist of skill work, strength development, conditioning, and flexibility training. Every class will include dedicated strength work and a WOD, so its intention is to be a complete workout of the day on its own.

Email Noah [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com or Arturo [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.comwith any questions!

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Marathon The New York Times 

Good luck to all SBKers running the marathon today! Be sure to let us know how it goes!

Performance: High Intensity, 85-90% x 3 x 4 
Fitness: 3 x 8 Linear Progression 
Heavier than last week.

Exposure 3/8
Post loads to comments.
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AMRAP 10 Minutes:
20 Wall Balls 20/10, 14/9
20 Burpees

Post rounds and Rx to comments.

Coach Fox’s long-time client, Jess—Neal G.‘s daughter—made Coach Fox this cool shirt… featuring Neal and Coach Fox!

• SCHEDULE UPDATES: Yoga for Athletes is CANCELLED this morning.
• DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS TOMORROW. Fall back an hour!
• The New York City Marathon is tomorrow. Please allow for extra time crossing Fourth Avenue!
• Don’t forget to attend Coach Nick’s kick-off meeting and technique clinic for the C.R.A.S.H.-B. World Indoor Rowing Championships! He will prepare members in the months leading up to race day, which is Feb. 28th. Get the training schedule/more details HERE, and come learn more (and workout!) at 8:30 AM TODAY.

Good Luck to our CrossFit Gantry Spooky Halloween Fest Competitors!

The following competitors will rep CFSBK tomorrow at CrossFit Gantry. Wish them lots of tricks and treats as they compete!

Muscle Marvels:
Matt K.
Brendan N.
Lauren S. 

PB & Jacked:
Bryan B.
Brett F.
Coach Whitney

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The Fastest American Woman in the NYC Marathon Is a College Freshman The Wall Street Journal
Daylight Saving Time 101 National Geographic