Rajj with a good overhead position in the American swing

• Happy birthday, Mike W.!

Fitness App Recommendations 

By David Osorio

Below are three fitness related apps that I recommend. Check out the description and see if any of these make sense for you. If there are other fitness apps you like, please let us know about them in the comments.

myWOD
This has been the best workout tracker I’ve come across yet. Often trackers have very specific formatting that doesn’t allow you the flexibility to put in the different kinds of segments typically seen in a class. myWOD is easy to use, easy to search, and you can fill in all your lifts to see long-term progress without having to go through your book looking for previous exposures. I also like that you can customize all the lifts and make up your own benchmarks. There are also built-in timers, how-to videos for common movements, and other things you can tweak. It’s two bucks, but since I started using it I don’t think I’ll ever go back to paper and pen.  

Starting Strength Warmup
This is a great app for people who are not sure how to warm up their lifts on their own. Simply put in your work weight and the app automatically calculates your warm-up weights and reps for you. It also differentiates between Squats, Bench Press, Deadlifts, Pressing, and Power Cleans, which often require different jumps even given the same work weight. If you’re often confused about how to warm up your lifts or want the machines to do the thinking for you I recommend it. The only downfall is that the lowest weight it can process is 45lbs, so if your warm-ups or work weights are at or below that, then it won’t really be useful. 

Coach’s Eye
We often use this app with our clients and use the slow motion and frame-by-frame features to show people how they’re moving. You can even draw little lines and markers on yourself to see your relative joint positions and bar path. This is a good app if you know what you’re doing already or want to have a coach look at your form from a video. Otherwise, you’re probably just as well with the new slo-mo camera standard on iPhones.

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The Origin of Life Big History Project

Rack Thruster: 1-1-1-1-1
Must be one motion from the bottom of the squat to overhead. No jerks.

Post loads to comments.
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Open Workout 12.4 and 13.3

AMRAP 12 minutes:
150 Wall Ball 20/10, 14/9
90 Double Unders
30 Muscle-ups 

Post rounds and Rx to comments.
Compare to 5.29.2014 and 3.23.2013  

It’s Captain Osorio’s Dirty 30! Happy birthday, David!

News and Notes

• Yesterday was also Inside the Affiliate’s 1st birthday! Head over there to see the latest post about collective learning and why David started ITA in the first place, and how to participate well in the CrossFit community.
• Congrats to Coach Whit who got her first muscle-up on Saturday—a year-and-a-half of hard work in the making, and she nailed it!

Zen and the Art of Crush Week

By David Osorio
Originally posted on 11.16.2011

In traditional meditative disciplines, you aim to cultivate mindfulness in a physically neutral setting. Often the practitioner sits in a comfortable position and tries to bring attention toward their breathing. In yoga, we see a more dynamic approach where rhythmic breathing becomes interwoven with a controlled flow through a series of postures. In both of these instances, the intention is for the pilot to become more tuned in to the “now.”

In CrossFit, we achieve something very similar through a very different approach. During an intimidating lift or difficult conditioning piece, you’re forced to deal with the moment at hand. The high discomfort level of what we do takes that moment and amplifies the physical inputs to the point where you can’t help but focus on what’s happening. You know this intuitively and it’s why you get nervous before a 500m erg test or 3 Rep Max back squat attempt. You know that once you start, you’ll be forced to deal with the “now” until it’s all over. Every second gets dragged out and every moment to rest or doubt yourself becomes amplified against what needs to get done.

Take this opportunity to set your intention for the approaching workouts. Whenever you find yourself deep in the agonizing “now” embrace it and stay on task. Don’t look around the room to see where everyone else is, don’t check the clock to see how much time has gone by, and don’t make excuses to try and avoid what you’re feeling. Just keep fighting the barbell up or chipping away at reps until you’ve completed the task. If you lose focus and get derailed, don’t let it mess with your head, just come back pushing harder. Remember, you’re here to get stronger, both physically AND mentally.

Enjoy Crush Week, which starts TODAY!

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Underneath the Hoodie: David Osorio by Margie Lempert
Starting CrossFit South Brooklyn CrossFit Journal, a preview

We did it a couple years ago, but let’s do it again: describe David in three words or less.

Fitness: Snatch or Power Snatch 1-1-1-1-1 
Work up to a 1RM snatch or power snatch in 5 attempts. Misses count as attempts. 

Performance: Snatch 1-1-1-1-1
Work up to a 1RM.

Post loads to comments.
e6/6
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AMRAP 10 Minutes:
15 Deadlifts 185/125
10 Box Jumps 24/20″
5 Strict Handstand Push Ups or Dumbbell Press (@45% body weight)

Post time and Rx to comments.

No pressure!

• Check out Active Recovery with Coach Fox at 11am.

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My Definition of Better Barbell Shrugged 
Haunted Radiolab

Fitness: 3 x 3 Linear Progression
Add 5 pounds to your last exposure, or if you’ve been through a few cycles of front squatting and have been grinding your reps, follow today’s Performance program and test a 1RM.

Performance: 1 – 1 – 1
Work up to a 1RM.

Post loads to comments.
e6/6
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Tabata Thrusters 45#
2 Minutes Rest
Tabata Pull Ups or Ring Rows
2 Minutes Rest
Tabata Burpees 

Score total number of reps for each movement (not each round) and grand total.
Post time and Rx to comments.

Brad during a recent muscle-up WOD

Bend, Stretch, Mobilize, and Swing on the Rings

• Yoga for Athletes with Coach Whitney at 10am.
• Active Recovery is back on at 11am and noon today with Coach David.
• If you signed up for Ken H.’s rings class, remember that you’re meeting today from 2-3:30pm!

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The Caffeine-Alcohol Effect The Atlantic 
The Best (and Worst) Positions for Sleeping Greatist

Today is a Rest Day! Take a cue from Coach Noah post-FGB and, well, consider napping on a sidewalk.

• Fitness magazine is looking for amazing transformation stories from women who have lost 80lbs or more. If that is you and you’re interested, please contact Karla.Walsh [at] meredith.com by 5pm today to be considered for their “I Did It!” section. 
• Congrats to Mel L., won the Herondale CSA meat share raffle! She takes home a 15-lb meat share, a $160 value! Congrats, Mel!
• Happy birthday, Neal P.!

Volunteer with Community Board 6

Last year, six members of the CFSBK community teamed with Community Board 6 (our local Community Board) to do an “Hour of Code” at PS/MS 282 (our local zoned school). It was a big success. Volunteers and schools are now being recruited to participate this year. If you would like to teach kids the basics of coding at one of our local schools, please take a moment and sign up to volunteer here. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Rob U at runderwood5 [at] gmail.com

Upcoming Local CrossFit Certification Courses 

CrossFit 718
11/8-11/9: CrossFit Powerlifting Trainer Course
12/20-12/21: CrossFit Kids Cert. Course

CrossFit Garden City
11/8-11/9: CrossFit Level 1 

CrossFit Morristown
12/20-12/21: CrossFit Level 1

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10 Things You Need to Know Before Starting Weightlifting Juggernaut
Lights Out: A Terrifying Horror Short The Atlantic

Fitness: Power or Squat Clean 1-1-1-1-1
5 attempts at a 1RM clean or power clean. Misses count as attempts. 

Performance: Clean 1-1-1-1-1
Work up to a 1RM for the day.

Post loads to comments.
e6/6
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5 Rounds for QUALITY (or 15 Minutes):
5-10 Strict Toes to Bar or Floor Levers
15 Russian Kettlebell Swings, as heavy as possible

Perform the T2B/FLs with a tight body and your legs as straight as possible. On the KB Swings, focus on perfect positioning in the foreswing (knees and hips extended, shoulders down and back) and back swing (chest out, back flat, arms straight, and hips loaded). 

Post what you worked on to comments.

Sam F. in a good hang position. Note his flat back and vertical shins, and how his shoulders remain out in front of the bar while the bar is still in contact with his leg. 

CFSBK Art Show: Featuring Joshua Peters 

Do you have CFSBK’s first Art Show on your calendar? Saturday, November 22, from 7:30-10:30pm, with a live mural painting from 8-10pm. Free alcohol and lots of art from some of your favorite CFSBKers!

One of our three featured artists is a friend of Coach David’s, Joshua Peters. His artwork, according to his bio, “explores the social, political, and cultural response to the individual heroic aspiration. By focusing on both traditional and non-traditional role models, he attempts to deconstruct the influence of masculine stereotypes by examining the conventional social rules imposed on males and females. His work is a reaction to the failure of our heroes as well as our surprise when they defy expectation.”

In additional to traditional oil paintings, Joshua also paints sneakers, which are pretty incredible. Check out more of his work on his website, at Strength to Spare. Joshua is also a fellow CrossFitter and coach. 

Introducing: Bricks Meals and Snacks

CFSBK member Michele W. and her husband have launched a new Brooklyn-based brand built around back-to-basic, on-the-go, foundational food, Bricks Meals and Snacks. Their first products, Bricks Bars, are made from grass fed lean meats, veggies, fruit, and seeds. Real food kept simple.  

Bricks Bars are currently available at Brooklyn Boulders, Brooklyn Fare, Foragers, West Side Markets, and other select grocers and specialty shops throughout Brooklyn. 

Michele will leave some samples at the gym this week, so if you happen to see one, grab it! 

Bricks is also hiring a part time Social Media Intern, check out CFSBK Classifieds for more info. You can also check out their first blog post here, and follow them on Instagram @bricksbars. 

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Don’t Choke The Atlantic
The Workout: Running While Pregnant New York Times
What a Tattoo Looks Like Up Really, Really Close Science of Us
The Paradox of Music-Evoked Sadness: An Online Survey PLOS|ONE

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5 pounds to last week.

Performance: 5/3/1 1 Week
75% x 5
85% x 3
95% x 1+

Percentages are based off your TRAINING MAX (90% of a recent 1RM). Aim to hit 3 on the rep out, but save 1 rep in the tank. 

Post loads to comments.
e6/6
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Partner WOD
In teams of 3 with one partner working at a time, complete:
AMRAP 21 minutes:
12/10 Calorie Row
7 Burpee-Box Jumps

Post rounds to comments.

What did one erg say to the other erg? 

News and Notes

• Attention C.R.A.S.H.-B.ers: If you are signing up to train with Coach Nick, please make your payments here. There are two options: A) full payment of $220 due at registration, or B) payment plan of $55 each month for four months. No refunds on any payments made!
• Curious about the Meat CSA? If you’ve been considering joining the meat CSA program, come to the gym tonight between 5-8pm to meet farmer Jerry Peele. He’ll be selling packages of his famous bacon and ground beef (at a discount), running a raffle for a 15-lb meat share, handing out shares to members, and signing up new ones on the spot. Questions? Email mignyc [at] gmail.com.
• Root Hill Cafe (on the corner of 4th Ave. and Carroll) is back open, and better than ever. They hired a Paleo pastry chef (what?!), and will be expanding their food menu soon. All CFSBKers get a 10% discount with them, so head over and say hi. 

Recent PRs (that we know about!) 

• K HarpZ hit 160# on her C&J last Saturday
• Evan R. ran the NYC Marathon on Sunday in 3:20:16 (his first time, so a PR)
• Jake L. PRed his jerk at 374# yesterday 
• T-Bone hit 88kg on his snatch and 112kg on his C&J for a 200kg total
• Dee hit 90kg x 2 on his snatch
• Coach Fox hit 260# on his bench last night

Come at us in the comments or write on the white board between the bathrooms if you’ve PRed something recently so we can celebrate with you!

Registration is Open for CrossFit Hoboken’s Winter Challenge 7.0

CFSBK sends folks to the Winter Challenge each year. Please contact Coach MeLo if you sign up or have any questions, Melissa [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. Note that this is an RX’d-only competition, so no scaling options are offered. Also, it sells out FAST, so jump on it! 

Event Registration & Pricing: 
Registration: Event registration is officially OPEN (click here to register)
Competitor Pricing: The registration fee for this event is $95.00 and includes a free competition t-shirt and complimentary admission to the after party at Village Pourhouse. 
Spectator Pricing: Spectator tickets can be purchased and provide access to the event. CLICK HERE TO GET A SPECTATOR TICKET 

Event Overview: 
Date / Time: Saturday December 6th at 9am
Location: CrossFit Hoboken located at 38 Jackson Street in Hoboken, NJ 
Divisions: Men’s RX and Women’s RX WODs
Individually Scored Workouts WOD Announcements: Workout announcements begin on November 10th 

Learn more and see which CFSBKers are already registered on our event page.

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The Luxury Of Solitude NPR
Tunnel Vision vs. Training ADD Catalyst Athletics
Do You Know How Many Calories Are In These Alcoholic Drinks? Buzzfeed
Better All the Time: How the “performance revolution” came to athletics—and beyond The New Yorker

The second your feet hit the floor on a clean, your hands should be open, elbows up with the bar fully racked on your shoulders. Developing this timing should be one of the first things you focus on when performing cleans.

Do You Know the Difference Between Exercise and Training?

By David Osorio

In a Huffington Post article at the beginning of 2014, noted strength coach and author Mark Rippetoe discussed the differences between training and exercise. Read the full article here, but in essence, Rippetoe says:

Training involves “directed physical stress,” and is “the process of going from where you are now to where you want to be later for the purpose of meeting a specific performance goal.”
“Exercise is physical activity performed for the effect it produces today—right now. Each workout is performed for the purpose of producing a stress that satisfies the immediate needs of the exerciser: burning some calories, getting hot, sweaty, and out of breath, pumping up the biceps, stretching—basically just punching the physical clock” (Practical Programming, 3rd Edition). 

While some debate ensued regarding other specifics in the article, the real value of this discussion, in my opinion, is the standardization of semantics when discussing the effectiveness of a program. These definitions are useful because most people have no idea what the difference is between training and exercise—and as an affiliate owner or coach, I believe it’s important that you guys know why Barry’s Bootcamp or SoulCycle are not actually training.

If our goal is to get good at CrossFit—which means increasing work capacity across broad time and modal domains—then there are certainly more and less effective ways to approach programming. No one could argue that someone blasting out 30-minute metcons day-in, day-out without ever lifting heavy or practicing skills is expressing CrossFit as effectively as someone with a balanced, thoughtful program. A good CrossFit affiliate should understand the differences between exercise and training, and bias practices that lead toward training such that we can see long-term quantifiable progress among both novice and advanced members. 

Below is a list that further differentiates between the two ends of the spectrum between exercise and training. This list is valuable for easily differentiating where a program might fall on that continuum.

Characteristics of workouts that fall on the far end of the spectrum toward exercise include:

• No specific, long term performance goal(s) 
• Non-quantifiable work output
• No standardization of range-of-motion in the exercises 
• Inadequate intensity/stimulus to catalyze an adaptation
• Arbitrarily designed workouts which don’t fit into a larger plan
• No control or consideration of additional variables (recovery, nutrition, etc.)

Characteristics of workouts that fall on the far end of the spectrum toward training include:

• Pursues a specific goal or adaptation
• Quantifiable performance outputs
• Standardized range-of-motion in exercises being used
• Specifically-programmed intensities to develop or maintain physical capacities 
• Each workout is part of a larger framework organized to achieve the specific goals of the program.
• Considers additional and complementary variables (recovery, nutrition, etc.)

Yesterday, we published the full version of this article on my blog Inside the Affiliate. The article goes on to discuss all aspects of training at CFSBK—from Strength Training, Olympic Lifting, Calisthenics/Gymnastics, and Conditioning—and addresses even more of the why behind the how. Read the rest HERE, and learn more about how CFSBK biases our programming toward training. 

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This Aerobic Video Wins Everything
Why We Sleep Together The Atlantic
Get Ready to Pay More to Ride the Subway WNYC
USA is Ready CrossFit

What training goals are you currently pursuing?

Fitness: Push Press 5 x 3 Linear Progression
Add 2-5 pounds to last week’s weight.

Performance: Rack Jerk 5 x 1
Hit 5 singles between 80% and 90% of your recent 1RM. If you’re feeling good then work at the 90% end, if you’re feeling off then work at the 80% end. Your work reps must be no lighter than 80% and no heavier than 90%. 

Post loads to comments.
e6/6
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For Time:
50 Double Unders
10 Deadlifts 275/155
40 Double Unders
8 Deadlifts
30 Double Unders
6 Deadlifts
20 Double Unders
4 Deadlifts
10 Double Unders
2 Deadlifts

Post times and Rx to comments.

LT Fisher and Camille Leblanc-Bazinet do the snatch workout from the CrossFit Team series. Camille was 2014’s Fittest Women at the CrossFit Games and a 5x Games athlete (and is finishing her degree in chemical engineering). Lauren took 9th place at the 2014 CrossFit Games and is a 2014 USAW Junior National Champion. 

• Do you know the difference between training and exercise? There’s a new post over on Inside the Affiliate, called “How to Find the Balance Between Training and Exercise at CrossFit Affiliates.” Read up, share it with your friends!
• Happy birthday to our favorite Pigeon! 

Curious about the Meat CSA? Herondale Meatfest on Wednesday!

If you’ve been considering joining the meat CSA program, come to the gym Wednesday evening (11/5) between 5-8pm to meet farmer Jerry Peele and sample his delicious wares.

He’ll be selling packages of his famous bacon and ground beef (at a discount), running a raffle for a 15-lb meat share (tickets are just $10), handing out shares to members, and signing up new ones on the spot. Questions? Email mignyc [at] gmail.com.

CFSBK Art Show: Seeking Graffiti Artist/s!

CFSBK’s first Art Show is less than three weeks away, on November 22, from 7:30-10:30pm. Save the date, it’s going to be completely awesome (and free alcohol, so, you know). All our artists and visiting feature artists are listed here (plus Alona K.!).

We are looking for one or two graffiti artists or people who are good at drawing on a large scale (especially letters) to help create decorations for the show that afternoon (between 2pm-6pm). If you’re interested in playing with lots of markers (not paint) and making some cool, temporary art in the gym, shoot Kate an email at Katharine [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com.

(One of the signs can created ahead of time, so if that time doesn’t work and you’re talented, still send an email.)

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Photos That Give Voice to the Animal Kingdom TED
Flexibility for the Overhead Squat Catalyst Athletics
Stormscapes 2: An Amazing Severe Weather Time-Lapse Colossal
Is 10,000 Hours All I Need to Run a Faster Marathon? New York Times

Fitness: Power or Squat Snatch 1-1-1-1-1
Work up to a 1RM power or squat snatch in 5 attempts. Misses count as attempts. 

Performance: Snatch 3 x 1
Hit 5 singles between 80% and 90% of your recent 1RM. If you’re feeling good then work at the 90% end, if you’re feeling off then work at the the 80% end. Your work reps must be no lighter than 80% and no heavier than 90%. 

then,

Snatch Pull
Practice movement and bar path that is consistent with your actual lift on these. 

Post loads to comments.
e5/6
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4 Rounds for Time:
400m Run
15 Overhead Squats 95/65
Rest 2 minutes between rounds.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Coach Jess talks about how to find tension and stability when setting up a dumbbell snatch

News and Notes

• GOOD LUCK to all our runners who are racing in the New York City Marathon today: Mike O., Rob U., Eric E., Aileen, and Evan!! Let us know how it goes.
• Because of the Marathon, 4th Avenue will be mostly closed off during the high-traffic morning times, and you may only be able to cross the street underground at 4th and Pacific. Please plan ahead! 
• Daylight Saving Time ended at 2am, meaning we gained an hour.

Learn How to Row From an Olympian Rower TODAY!

Whenever we have rowing in a workout, does part of you die inside? Then what could be better than slaving away at the erg for the next three and half months?! Learn to love the erg as much as you fear it: join the CFSBK Indoor Rowing Team to train for CRASH-Bs, the premier indoor rowing championship, on March 1!

If you’re interested, come to Coach Nick’s kick-off meeting today at 2:15pm. He’ll explain the program in detail and answer questions. (Best not to PR your snatch that morning–there might also be a workout.) Send Nick an email at nick [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn [dot] com if you plan to show up or if you have any questions.

Learn more here.

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Even Brutes Can Learn to Cry New York Times
Insider’s Guide to Spectating the New York City Marathon Runner’s World