Fitness: EMOM for 8 Minutes, 2 Snatch High Pulls + 1 Power Snatch
Start at 50% and go up from there as appropriate, no slop reps. Focus on a smooth pull to the high hang and a close bar path. 

Performance: Snatch
70%x1x2
80%x1x2
85%x1x2
70%x1x2

Post loads to comments.
e4/8
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AMRAP 8 Minutes:
16 Kettlebell Swings
24 Sit-Ups

Post rounds and Rx to comments.

 

Behind the Desk: Charlie N.

You all love the Underneath the Hoodie series and now we’re bringing back the Behind the Desk series, about our beloved and much appreciated Front Desk staff. These CrossFitters take care of the important duties of checking in our members, handling walk-ins, tidying up after classes, and so many other things that it would take forever to list them. They are the glue that holds this gym together.

A couple weeks ago, it was Josh (the birthday boy!). And now (drum roll, please), introducing…

Name (and any nicknames): Charlotte Nagle (Charlie, Charles, Charlo, Chuckles, Chainsaw Charlie)  

Where were you born and where did you grow up: Born in Cork, Ireland. Grew up in Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland. 

How long have you been CrossFitting, and how did you arrive at CFSBK? Just over two years. I had seen CrossFit mentioned in the cookbook Well Fed but hadn’t really thought anything about it. I had just joined a gym for the first time ever and I just assumed it wasn’t for beginners like me. I had recently quit smoking and had started running long distance but it was already taking its toll on my body. I met Lindsay S. in a bar through mutual friends and she was telling me about CFSBK and I was intrigued. We became Facebook friends that night and I actually followed up the very next day and signed up for the teaser class. 

What are you up to when you’re not at 597 Degraw Street: This and that. I’m a bartender at 68 Jay St Bar and Olympia Wine Bar, both in DUMBO. Sometimes I work at an art studio, Creatively Wild, teaching art to children. I also volunteer for Reading Partners at PS3. Check it out. It’s an amazing program. Thanks, Lily S., for telling me about it! 

First album that you loved: Nevermind

“Ask me about that time I…” came to NYC for three months and never went home… 

Favorite restaurant or bar in Brooklyn: 68 Jay. It pays my bills, the live music is great and the regulars are a fun and really creative and interesting cast of characters. The restaurant I frequent the most is probably Mirko’s restaurant, Ideya, in Prospect Heights. Yummy food, mojitos and margaritas, and always a warm welcome. 

Favorite and least favorite lift: Favorite, deadlift. Least favorite, I would have picked the snatch or clean and jerk a few weeks ago, but since I completed my first Oly Cycle, I feel like I have a much better understanding of these and they are now fun, so I’ll go with push press, since it still kind of confuses me. 

Any Front Desk PSAs you’d like to share? Don’t forget to RSVP 🙂

News and Notes

• Dan G. wants you to know about the 4th Annual New York Hot Dog Challenge, which involves running between 3 and 5 miles through midtown and stopping at 10 hotdog carts along the way. You have to eat all 10 hot dogs and can’t yack. Entry is $20 and the hotdogs are at the expense of each runner. Registration is just emailing the group organizer at baker [at] friendsofbaker.com with 4th Annual Hotdog Challenge in the subject line. Post to the comments if you want to coordinate with other CFSBKers!
• Want to work out on Sunday at 9am and bring your kid/s? Now you can! Sign them up at the Front Desk for CFSBK Kids Club, and learn more here.
• Happy birthday, Professor Schneiderman!

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The Scale of the Universe
Our Anti-Social September Whole9 Life 
Kings of Weightlifting
Save the Bros Organic Valley

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5-10 pounds to last week’s exposure.
Performance: 97.5% x 1, 77.5% x 10 

Post loads to comments.
e4/8
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CrossFit Open WOD 11.1 and 14.1

AMRAP 10 Minutes:
30 Double Unders
15 Power Snatches 75/55

Please do not bail from overhead unnecessarily, and help save the 10- and 15-pound bumpers! 

Post time and Rx to comments.
Compare to 3.1.2014, 10.3.2013, and 3.2.2013

Have you signed up yet for the 2015 CrossFit Open? There will be Rx’d and scaled versions of each workout, so you can only help CFSBK’s team by signing up. Sign up here, and after you complete your registration, make sure to join CFSBK’s team (you can see everyone who has already signed up here). We currently have 63 athletes registered (43 men and 20 women).  

• Happy birthday to TFBA Bethany E.!!

Thank You To Our Sponsors For the Iron Maidens Raw Open

A BIG thank you to our top sponsors for the Iron Maidens Raw Open, which is less than two weeks away. Check out our sponsors’ sites to learn more:

Sara June Hair Salon (mention Iron Maidens for a 20% discount on services through April 2015)
Kettlebell Kitchen
Chameleon Cold-Brew
SlantShack Jerky
Cafe Grumpy

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61 Reasons Why I CrossFit Tabata Times 
Housing Is the First Solution to Homelessness Mother Jones
“Boxing Is a Way of Life” The Atlantic 

When spotting a fellow CrossFitter, always stand back to give them enough room to spot the ceiling. Don’t hover over them or keep your hands out over their face unless they’re about to fail and might need a spot. Either way, try to stay out of their direct line of sight. For more tips on good spotting, check out this post from a few weeks ago.

Community Potluck with Saturday

Thanks to everyone who RSVP-ed for the Potluck this Saturday at 7pm. If you haven’t done so, head over to the event page and post in the comments.

Also, in the name of a little friendly competition, we will be awarding prizes to the winners of the following three categories (to be voted on after everyone has been fed):

• Best Dish
• Best Side Dish
• Best Dessert

Catching Up With CFSBK Classifieds and Travel Gym Recommendations

• Mike J. and Colleen M. both posted in the Housing thread. Mike is looking for someone to take over his apartmetn on Smith St. and Dean St., and Colleen is looking to buy an apartment. Think you can help them out? 
• Bob S. wrote about his recent experience at Reebok CrossFit Life Spark in Dubai, UAE.

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Being Mortal Frontline 
Bombas Socks 
The Man Who Brought Us the Lithium-Ion Battery At the Age Of 57 Has an Idea For a New One At 92 Quartz

If you could go back and give one piece of advice or encouragement to your 16-year-old self, what would it be?

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 2.5-5 pounds to last week’s exposure.
Performance: 97.5% x 1, 77.5% x 10 

Post loads to comments.
e4/8
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5 Rounds or 20 minutes:
5-10 Strict Knees to Elbows
5-10 Strict Ring Dips, Matador Dips, or Push Ups
20 Strokes on the Erg for max calories

Post what you worked on to comments. 

Congrats to all our Flex in the City competitors on Saturday! Coach Jess Fox, Coach MeLo, Coach Arturo, and Jason M. took 12th place overall! But the real winner might Coach Tyrannosaurus Fox (aka T-Flex).  

• Patrick S., who does Strength Cycle with Coach Jeremy, just released an iPad and iPhone alphabet game that kids (and parents) can play. Check it out here! 

Nominate Coach David’s blog Inside the Affiliate for Breaking Muscle’s Annual Top 10 Fitness Blog Contest 

We ended up in the Top 20 last year (after being live for only four months!), but this year, we’re gunning for the Top 10. To get there, we need to be nominated first for the Top 20. If you’re on Facebook, it’s super simple: 

1. Click here.
2. Scroll down to the comments. Include a link to Inside the Affiliate (www.insidetheaffiliate.com) and why you like it.
3. You can only make one nomination. Nominations will be accepted up until 8PM on Friday, Feb 27th.

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Only eight (8!) of you have RSVP-ed for the Potluck this Saturday at 7pm. Your Monday homework is to RSVP! 

Work up to a heavy load on the complex:
Fitness Hang (knee) Power Clean + Front Squat: 1-1-1-1-1
Performance Hang Clean: 1-1-1-1-1

Post loads to comments.
e3/8 
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Deadlift

Fitness and Performance: 1 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5-10 pounds to last week’s exposure. Dead starts, no touch and go. Use a hook grip if you can. 

Post loads to comments.
e3/8
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Partner WOD
In teams of 3, with one partner working at a time, complete AMRAP in 12 minutes of:
5 Box Jumps 24/20″
20 Double Unders
5 Deadlifts 225/155

Post reps and Rx to comments.

Nicole will be a tough contender to beat at the Iron Maidens Raw Open. Her best lifts are: Squat 235 | Bench Press: 112 | Deadlift: 225. She will be lifting in the Pixie division.

News and Notes

• LFPB Challenge Participants: The last day of the Challenge was yesterday. Don’t forget to submit your post-Challenge write-up here. The deadline for submissions is tomorrow. 
• The Reebok store in Union Square is giving 25% off to our members through today. Show this coupon to your cashier and tell them your box’s name (CrossFit South Brooklyn, obvs), and get 25% off your entire purchase. 
• Want to work out TODAY at 9am and bring your kid/s? Now you can! Sign them up at the Front Desk for CFSBK Kids Club, and learn more here.
• LOTS OF NEW ITEMS UP IN LOST AND FOUND! Check the photoz in Flickr, and claim your stuff by 2/26 or we’re donating it. 

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Hang Clean Catalyst Athletics 

Fitness: 3 x 3 Linear Progression
Start a bit off where you left off last cycle. Aim to add 5-10 lbs each week.
Performance: 95% x 1, 75% x 10 

Post loads to comments.
e3/8 
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Look Feel Perform Better Capacity Test

AMRAP 10 minutes:
5 Kipping Pull-Ups
10 Push-Ups
15 Air Squats

Rest 2 minutes, then:

AMRAP 3 minutes:
Max Calories Rowed

Post rounds and Rx to comments.
Compare to 1.1.2015. 

Have a hard time front racking barbells for front squats, cleans, or thrusters? Jenna J. is doing a quick and easy front rack mobilization which you can even set up on your rack and perform between sets. Set up the band around belly height and wrap the band around your wrist and hand. Face away from the band and let your elbow be pulled up and back while keeping a braced torso. Do one side, then unrack the barbell and see if you feel a difference between the arm you’ve mobilized and the one you haven’t.

News and Notes

• LFPB Challenge Participants: The last day of the Challenge is TODAY. Don’t forget to submit your post-Challenge write-up here. The deadline for submissions is Monday (2/16). 
• The Reebok store in Union Square is giving 25% off to our members through Sunday. Show this coupon to your cashier and tell them your box’s name (CrossFit South Brooklyn, obvs), and get 25% off your entire purchase. 
• Want to work out TOMORROW at 9am and bring your kid/s? Now you can! Sign them up at the Front Desk for CFSBK Kids Club, and learn more here.

Let Our Flex in the City Competitors Be Your Valentine!

CFSBK is sending five teams to the Flex in the City event today. Come out to support them! The teams will be competing 3 events.  Workout details are outlined here. Spectator tickets can be purchased HERE or at the door with cash.

Time: Teams check-in between 8-9am, and the first WOD takes place shortly after that
Venue: 69th Regiment Armory
Address: 68 Lexington Avenue 

Teams:
+ Pierre D., Greg A., Lauren S., Marian L.
+ Steph P., Charlie N., Joe W., Chris P.
+ K HarpZ, Danielle M., Coach Fox, Rickke M.
+ Coach Jess Fox, Coach MeLo, Coach Arturo, Jason M.
+ Kristie F., Morit S., Zachariah H., Ryan F.

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Good luck, everyone!! Let us know how it goes!

Coach Fox talking to Rob about sliding the bar higher up on his thighs before “jumping” the bar to his shoulders. What’s a good cue or pointer you’ve heard recently?

News and Notes

• Have you signed up yet for the 2015 CrossFit Open? We’re so close to Open Workout 15.1! There will be Rx’d and scaled versions of each workout, so you can only help CFSBK’s team by signing up. Sign up here, and after you complete your registration, make sure to join CFSBK’s team (you can see everyone who has already signed up here). 
• Want to work out on Sunday at 9am and bring your kid/s? Now you can! Sign them up at the Front Desk for CFSBK Kids Club, and learn more here.
• LOTS OF NEW ITEMS UP IN LOST AND FOUND! Check the photoz in Flickr, and claim your stuff by 2/26 or we’re donating it. 
• Coach Nick wants you to know about new job opening at Row New York, a great organization that teaches kids rowing and provides college prep. Here’s their mission: “The mission of Row New York is to transform the lives of NYC’s under-resourced teens through the discipline of rowing combined with rigorous academic and college readiness support.” Learn more here.

Stomachs and Eyeballs: The End of the LFPB Challenge

By Chris Fox

I hope you’ve had a great first few weeks of the year and have learned a thing or two about how the food and lifestyle choices you make affect you personally. Even if you didn’t participate in the Look Feel Perform Better Challenge, we hope you’ll find the following notes useful.

Many of the principles that we use to structure the Look Feel Perform Better Challenge come from the folks over at Precision Nutrition. I learned about the work John Berardi was doing years ago through Eric Cressey and have been a fan ever since. Even though nutrition, sleep, and recovery can seem like complicated subject matters (and to be sure sometimes we bring complicated feelings to the game), PN does a really good job of utilizing the K.I.S.S. method (Keep It Simple, Stupid). I found out about Barry Sears and The Zone Diet years ago as well when I became involved with CrossFit. That book taught me that quantifying foods made sense. I mean, we quantify our lifts and WOD times and journal diligently—why not food?

The fact is though that counting calories or blocks can be a nightmare for some folks. It can bring about neuroses about food and generally make some people nuts or worse, depressed when they don’t “get it right,” which brings me back to PN. I came across this chart that I think really helps with quantifying food/calories using my favorite method of K.I.S.S. You can find it here. It lays out pretty plainly how to eyeball portion sizes when eating either at home or out. If you were freaking out with the Level 2 eating or want to refine Level 1 a bit, you should really check it out to help you plan better. Which brings me back to the title of this post… 

It’s been said before that if you don’t plan to prepare, you plan to fail. If you think about the times when you are most likely to go “off plan,” they are likely times that are preceded by the statement “I’m starving!” You skipped lunch, worked late, and now it’s Happy Hour. Or you skipped breakfast and now its lunchtime and a burger with fries and a soda sounds amazing. Your eyeballs become bigger than your stomach and you go for instant gratification. Planning ahead and eating regular meals at somewhat regular times is one of the most important steps you can take toward being lean, fit, and healthy.

If you didn’t do the LFPB Challenge with everyone else, it’s never too late to jump on board and start cleaning up your eating habits. Learn more here.

For those who did participate: Don’t forget to submit your post challenge write up here. Please get it in by Monday so we’ve got enough time to go through them all. The point of this is to help you assess how you did and what your plan is moving forward. I’ve had so many people come up to me or send me emails about the progress they’re making.  The LFPB challenge was just the start of a much larger plan to continue with your progress, refine your approach and keep your momentum. At the potluck we’ll expand upon this idea and talk more about how CFSBK would like to support your progress moving forward. 

Come To the Potluck and Awards Ceremony!
On Saturday, February 21nd, at 7:00pm, we’ll be hosting our community potluck and LFPB Challenge awards ceremony. If you participated in the Challenge, this is a great opportunity to close it out with all the other folks who joined in over the last 6 weeks. We’ll be presenting awards to everyone who went above and beyond with their commitment and consistency and there will be a short presentation about what to do now that the Challenge is over with some ideas to help you keep the momentum moving in the right direction. This event is open to everyone, regardless of participation. 

Who: The entire CFSBK community is invited!
Date: Saturday, 2/21/2015
Time: 7pm-9pm or so
Kid Friendly? Yes! We’ll have the bouncy castle back. Sorry, no four-legged friends. 

RSVP Here (WHY AREN’T YOU PEOPLE RSVP-ING???)

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The U.S. Government Is Poised To Withdraw Longstanding Warnings About Cholesterol The Washington Post

Fitness and Performance: 1-1-1-1-1 
Work up to a 1RM snatch (or power snatch) in five attempts or less. You’re only allowed to increase load if you made the previous attempt cleanly, meaning no press outs. If you miss a weight twice, you must go down.  

 Post loads to comments.
e3/8
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CrossFit Games Open WOD 11.4

 AMRAP 10 minutes:
60 Bar-Facing Burpees
30 Overhead Squats 120/90
10 Muscle-ups

Post rounds and Rx to comments.
Compare to 2.8.2014  

here. The deadline for submissions will be Monday (2/16). 

The Reebok store in Union Square is giving 25% off to our members today through Sunday. Show this coupon to your cashier and tell them your box’s name (CrossFit South Brooklyn, obvs), and get 25% off your entire purchase. 

Congrats to the CFSBK Hoopin’ Tacos on winning their games last night, which makes them 3-0! Michael C. would like to thank Moe, James, Brad, and Dan for gutting out a close overtime win in the first game, and for putting away a really chippy team in game 2. And thanks to superfan Dave F. for keeping the faith. Go Tacos!

Happy birthday, Robin C.!

Review: CFSBK’s Dogs and Kids Policies

CFSBK prides itself on being a kid and dog-friendly gym. But in the interest of keeping everyone as safe and focused on their fitness as possible, we maintain strict policies regarding our favorite tiny humans and creatures. If you have a child or dog, please review these policies.

CFSBK Kids Policy:

• No kids are allowed on the gym floor.
• Kids need to be able to sit in the lounge area unattended, which means they are not a distraction to others, and are not a danger to themselves or others.
• Kids should not be in the way of group class (i.e., when a class is running in and out of the gym).
• The Front Desk staff is not responsible for your kids.
• No kids are allowed behind the front desk.
• Please be mindful of your stroller (strollers are not allowed on the gym floor and must be out of the way of classes).

CFSBK Dogs Policy:

• Dogs that bark, whine, jump, or bite are not allowed at the gym.
• Dogs must be on leash at all times.
• We reserve the right to ask you to remove a disruptive dog.
• The Front Desk staff is not responsible for your dog.
• Dogs are not allowed behind the front desk.
• Dogs are not allowed on the gym floor. 

Please review all of CFSBK’s Membership Policies here.

REGISTER NOW FOR THE 2015 CROSSFIT OPEN

Have you signed up yet for the 2015 CrossFit Open? We’re so close to Open Workout 15.1! Register today! There will be Rx’d and scaled versions of each workout, so you can only help CFSBK’s team by signing up. Even if you do one rep for one of the WODs, it won’t bring the team down. We just want you to join us! Sign up here, and after you complete your registration, make sure to join CFSBK’s team (you can see everyone who has already signed up here). 

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The Future of CrossFit Training T-Nation
Our Pets Have Lives Beyond the One With Us The Boston Globe
In a Bandbox Gym, a Team That’s Long Had Room for Improvement The New York Times

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Start a bit below last cycle.
Performance: 95% x 1, 75% x 10 

Post loads to comments.
e3/8
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5 Rounds For Time:
30 Double Unders
5 Dumbbell Deadlifts
5 Dumbbell Hang Power Cleans
5 Dumbbell Thrusters

Post time and Rx to comments.

Sara June, who is sponsoring our inaugural Iron Maidens meet! Sara June is a new full-service salon for busy professional women on Union Street in Gowanus, just two blocks from CFSBK. Mention Iron Maidens for a 20% discount off their services through April 2015! Find photos of their work on Instagram. 

Happy birthday, Kelley L.!

Help Fundraise for Brooklyn Frontiers High School’s First Graduating Class: A Note From CFSBKer Baz (Brian Z.)

“The school I work at, Brooklyn Frontiers High School (an alternative high school where every student, in order to be eligible to attend, needs to have been held back 2x before they reach high school) has our first graduating class! On Saturday, March 7th, we are having an awesome fundraiser (see details below) to help fund their senior events. It’s at Buttermilk Bar, and there will be a raffle with great prizes (including a one-time chance to be the weatherperson on channel 11!). Come one and come all, RSVP here!” 

CFSBK + Your Kids = A Good Time

As you know, we’re rolling out two programs, CrossFit Kids and Kids Club. Learn more below!

CrossFit Kids is not just a scaled down version of adult classes! It combines gymnastics, body-weight movements, and weightlifting elements that encourage bone density and vestibular system development. Children have a great opportunity to maximize their physical skills when exposed to this stimulus during years of peak physical development. Classes are designed to be engaging, fast-paced, and most importantly FUN! Kids will learn proper mechanics and gain a lifelong love of health and fitness.

Spaces are limited. Sign up now to guarantee your spot. 3-2-1-GO! 

Preschool (3 – 5): Monday, Feb 16th at 8am
FULL

Kids (6 – 8): Monday, Feb 16th at 10am
REGISTER HERE (3 SPACES LEFT)

Kids Club is on Sundays at 9am. This one hour drop-off program is designed for children ages 3 to 8, and will keep them engaged with hands-on activities. While you’re working out, your child(ren) will have the opportunity to explore arts & crafts, science experiments, games, and movement activities. You’ll get peace of mind and they get an hour jam packed with FUN!   

When: Sundays at 9am
Cost: 1st child – $10/child (take 20% off for the older child when siblings are registered together)
5 Pack – $40/child (1 child), $55/siblings (2 children) 
RSVP at the Front Desk

Questions about either program? Email Janelle [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com

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The Power of Vulnerability Brene Brown
Shut Up, Flexibility Catalyst Athletics

We are considering adding a new time slot on Sundays for Kids Club. Please post in the comments if you’re interested in 8am or 10am.

Iron Maidens Raw Open on February 28th? Five spots just opened up! Please contact Margie [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com as soon as possible to reserve your spot.

How to Bring CrossFit to Work, Literally 

By Kate Reece 

For CrossFitters with 9-5 office jobs, the list of reasons why sitting all day is bad for you is just as long as the list of ways to creatively incorporate movement in an otherwise inactive day. Business Insider interviewed coach Chris Fox about a four-minute workout you can do in the office, involving squats and push-ups. You can bring a lacrosse ball to tack-and-stretch your muscles against a wall. You can build or buy a standing desk. Or you can Google “workouts you can do at your desk” and a glut of articles with catchy titles will flood your browser.  

Todd Cavallo was in college when he got his first job in NYU’s computer lab. As a college student, he was mostly into Star Trek and Cheetos, and golf was the extent of his forays into athletic activity. After graduating, he worked in IT—meaning he’s been sitting in front of a computer for work more-or-less since 1998. He says he took the mostly sedentary lifestyle of programmers and the IT world as a given, until he found CrossFit in 2011. Todd now co-owns a tech company, and over the last year, he’s found ways to shake up the familiar scenery of sitting, all day, every day, with shitty posture in front of a screen. He’s extended that change of scenery to his employees, by literally bringing CrossFit into his company’s offices in both Manhattan and Manila.

When Todd wasn’t traveling to the Philippines or some other far-flung locale, we chatted with him about that process. When we read his well-received post on the CrossFit Message Boards last year, we decided his story was cool enough that we needed to share it with everyone at CFSBK. Enjoy, and feel free to ask any follow up questions in the comments, as Todd has agreed to follow along and answer them.

CFSBK: Tell us about your company. How did you get started? What do you do?

TC: We are CLINIC, a technology services company with specialties in Infrastructure Management and Web Development. We started out as an IT services company about eight years ago, and I have been managing the development arm of the company for the past five years. 

CFSBK: When did you get into CrossFit? What compelled you about it?

TC: I have been doing CrossFit for almost three years now. I had been lifting and running on my own and a friend told me I had to check it out. I started doing some of the workouts on my own before first training at CFMNL (CrossFit Manila Philippines) while working out of our Manila offices. Shortly thereafter, I signed up for Foundations at CFSBK when I was back in the States. It’s the same story you’ve heard a million times: I thought I was in shape until my first real WODs left me in a sweaty sobbing heap on the floor, and after I could stand up again I wanted more.

CFSBK: What does your training look like now?

TC: Over the last year or so I have been focused primarily on weightlifting and my training centers around the lifts with squats and auxiliary work. I do try to get some conditioning in occasionally, usually when David makes me, but it’s hard for me to stay at a competitive weight if I “move around” too much. This isn’t the best example for my team but some of them are also getting into weightlifting so its another thing besides “the WOD” that we can geek out about in the office, which I feel is great for team building.

CFSBK: How did you decide to bring CrossFit into CLINIC?

TC: We were looking for a way to combat the sedentary lifestyle that accompanies most tech work, and because I was into CrossFit, I thought, Hey, let’s bring that into the office. We want to support a lifestyle that we believe is healthy. My business partner, Karl, had brought an old shitty bench press setup into our office after moving apartments, and I noticed the guys starting to use it. I said, “Let’s do this right,” and a few large (and heavy) orders from Rogue later, we basically had a fully outfitted CrossFit box in the corner of our office. On my next trip to our Manila office, I found some local equipment manufacturers to outfit the office there with most of the same equipment. Things started off with me doing some Foundations-style classes for the teams and putting together some basic strength and conditioning workouts that could be done within the confines of the office environment and with the shared equipment. 

CFSBK: Describe the logistics of what you offer your employees in terms of membership reimbursements and what’s available in your offices.

TC: We eventually decided that the employees were better off getting some regular coaching, so we now offer full reimbursement for any box memberships in New York as long as the employee goes at least three times a week. I obviously find CrossFit valuable because of everything that goes along with it—it’s not only a better workout than if you went to some random exercise class or globo-gym, but if you go to a good box, it’s safer and the overall lifestyle is healthier. Yes, it’s more expensive but the results that you get from it are well worth that expense.

The economics and available space in the Manila office actually allows us to bring in a coach from the local affiliate twice a week to lead a coached class right in the office gym. There’s usually one or two strength movements followed by a varied conditioning piece. They all sweat together and lay on the floor after the WOD, and then talk about it for the next few days until the next session. So they’re really into it. They also have strength work they do on their own for the rest of the week.

In the New York office, at first, I programmed some WODs that we did as a group. Now most people go to various boxes in the city, but Kenny and I sometimes still lift together in the office, and some of the other guys do too—squatting, benching, deadlifting. It’s worth mentioning that everyone has a convertible standing desk in the offices, too.

CFSBK: What kinds of benefits have you seen from implementing this program and bringing all that gear into your offices?

TC: We’re a small company, so I’m not really looking at how this impacts our bottom line. Given our size, we don’t have the capabilities to process the data on the effect of the initiative on sick days or general health, but the fact that so many of the team members are taking advantage of the program and really getting into the training is all the feedback I need to know that we made the right call. The team building is the most obvious benefit, but the employee wellness factor was what really drove the process from the beginning. 

A great example is CFSBKer Roosevelt, one of my employees who works in our New York office. He started going to CFSBK, and he took it further and went Paleo and did last year’s LFPB Challenge. Since he began CrossFit, he’s lost 73 pounds. He still makes and brings his own lunches, usually steamed vegetables and grilled chicken.

We’re willing to go the extra mile and pay $100 to $200/month in reimbursements, instead of $15/month for a membership at a place like Planet Fitness, because we reap the benefits of better health and wellness in our employees. But—we also have a ping-pong table in both offices, just because it’s fun, and we go out drinking, too. Those things are also important. 

CFSBK: What advice would you offer to someone who wants to do the same thing with their company or in their workplace?

TC: Just do it. If you are in a position where you can afford to invest in employee wellness, do it a bit at a time until the program can grow into itself. Listen to your employees, and find out what would help them achieve their fitness goals. We now offer reimbursements for martial arts classes and globo-gym memberships as well for employees that haven’t fully embraced the CrossFit lifestyle. We do have some “fully committed” CrossFitters too—one of our office managers in Manila is gung ho about joining the local box there so he can start competing, and he has plans to get his Level 1 Certification as soon as there’s another one in the area.

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My Dad, the Pornographer The New York Times 
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