Fitness: Clean Segment Deadlift + Clean + Jerk 
Spend 15 minutes working up to a moderate load on the complex. If you have a hard time organizing the pull off the floor then perform the clean from the mid-hang.

Performance: Work up to a 1RM Clean and Jerk
Try and set a new PR but take no more than 5 attempts over 90%. Misses count as attempts.
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Front Squat

80% x 3 x 3

Take 80% of your recent 1RM. If you only have a 3RM, use this calculator to figure out an appropriate number.

Post loads to comments.
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Come back, DO! Come back, Jen S! We miss your ninja skillz!

• Do your spring cleaning now so that in one week, you can join CFSBK’s Clothing and Book Swap! Bring at least five items (make sure clothing is clean and preferably on hangers) and arrive at the 2pm start. Any leftovers will be donated to the CHiPS shelter and Dress for Success. Let us know what you are bringing! 
• Hit all your mobility business today: Yoga with Whitney at 10am + Active Recovery at 11am with Coach Fox + Active Recovery at 12pm again with Coach Fox = so many opportunities for happy CrossFit campers.
• Enjoy the sunshine today, CFSBK!

Rings Strength Class: April – May

Rings Strength Class starts TODAY at 2pm and there are only TWO spots left! Jump on it, you lucky ducks! 

REGISTER HERE!

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

Saturdays from 2:00pm – 3:30pm

4/12, 4/19, 5/3, 5/10

*Please note that this class skips Saturday 4/26. 

Price: $80 for 4 Weeks 

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

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Your Inner Fish (Episode 1) PBS
Moby’s “Flower” (The “Bring Sally Up” song) YouTube

Jake L getting ready for his Oly meet in May

• Happy birthday, Noah O!
• As Matt K. noted in the comments on Thursday, some of you may have received a little bit of love from CFSBK in your email inbox. We’ve resurrected the long-dead SBK newsletter and will be sending it out at the start of every cycle. If you don’t feel like getting another one, just hit unsubscribe at the bottom of the email and we’ll never bug you again. And if you’ve got any big community news, announcements, births, weddings, whatever, email Mare [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com and we’ll include them in the next edition.

Below is a short article we ask all our new members to read when they graduate from our Foundations program. Coach DO posted it on Inside the Affiliate a few weeks ago to encourage coaches at other affiliates far and wide to share it with new members—it’s that important! Whether you’ve been riding the SBK train for years or are just fluttering your wings fresh from the warm cocoon of Foundations, read through this article again in the spirit of Back Off Week. Remember to maintain your good habits and keep longevity in mind when you walk through CFSBK’s doors (PSYCHE—THE OPEN GATE! BECAUSE SPRING IS HERE!).

Good Training Habits

By David Osorio

While it’s our responsibility as coaches to teach you movement, program intelligently, and keep you safe, it’s your responsibility as athletes to develop good training habits. Here is an overview of three great habits that will significantly enrich your training experience.

1. Be Proactive With Your Movement Prep
Everyone needs to do a little personalized maintenance on their bodies. Even 10 minutes of DIY movement prep before class can go a long way in keeping you fit and pain free. After you’ve signed in and changed, take advantage of the time you’ve got and start moving.

Warm-up
Row an easy 300-500m on the erg. Get your heart rate up a little and try to get a light sweat going. We recommend holding 20 strokes per minute and rehearsing good form. 

Stretch/Foam Roll
Many of us know where our tightest areas are—they’re the ones that make it difficult to squat below parallel or press a barbell overhead. Spend a few minutes mobilizing and doing some soft tissue work (foam roller/LAX ball, etc.) on your “problem areas.” If you don’t know where to begin, ask a coach what you should be prioritizing and we’ll help you out. We also regularly refer our members to out Active Recovery classes and MobilityWOD.com. This is great resource for folks who need simple, effective strategies to help them move better.

2. Log All of Your Workouts 
Training without logging is like driving without a road map. You don’t know where you’ve been or where you’re going. Taking notes on each training session helps you track your progress and helps us make informed decisions about how to assist you in choosing weights and scaling movements. Each day should list some quantitative and qualitative notes about your training session. Here is an example:

Warm-Up:
3 rounds NFT
5 Snatch PP (22lb bar)
5 OHS
5 Muscle Snatches
10 Push-ups on knees

Move up to yellow bar

AMRAP 15 minutes:
Row 350m
12 Overhead Squats, 45lbs

4 Rounds + 320m

Kept rows at about 2:23 splits, felt hard but doable. Don’t shift forward during overhead squats…. Mid foot!

You can track your workouts in a journal or online. As coaches, we LOVE to read the details of your workout in the Comments section of CFSBK’s blog. It gives us a deeper perspective into your training and the programming in general.

3. Start Slow and Maintain Perspective
We take our training seriously at CrossFit South Brooklyn and with that comes with a good deal of responsibility. Our movement pool uses serious strength and conditioning exercises in order to develop broad, inclusive fitness. If we don’t treat these movements and workouts with respect, training plateaus and injuries are sure to follow. The best way to ensure your success and training longevity with us is by starting slowly and developing a rock-solid technical base. In fact, the first few months you start CrossFit, intensity should not be a significant concern. The movements are potent enough that just consistently performing them will create a favorable adaptation. After you feel really comfortable with most of our exercises and have a working knowledge of your weights, only then should you start ramping up the intensity. 

Training with a lifelong perspective is incredibly important. Remember that you’re here to build yourself up, not break yourself down. Scaling workouts properly, listening to your body and checking your ego at the door will allow you to work out successfully for years to come. Most importantly, have fun with this stuff and enjoy the process.

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How to Make Small Talk With Strangers Art of Manliness
What if the Moon was a Disco Ball? VSauce
The Culture of Shut Up The Atlantic
Abs/Back: What Does it All Mean? Catalyst Athletics

Fitness: 
6 RNFT
Rounds 1, 3, and 5:
400m Row
12 DB Push Press, medium heavy
Rounds 2, 4, and 6:
400m Run
8-12 Chin Ups or 12 Ring Rows

Performance: 
6 RNFT
Rounds 1, 3, and 5:
400m Row
ME UB Handstand Push Ups (No AbMats. Set ends when you come off the wall)
Rounds 2, 4, and 6:
400m Run
ME UB Kipping Pull Ups

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Caption this photo of CFSBKers getting their calf mash on

• Don’t forget, Yoga for Athletes with Coach Whitney is at 7:30pm tonight! 
• Have a magnificent Thursday!

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I Refuse to Be Busy New York Times
New Yorkers’ Contributions to a Greener, Greater City: A Behavioral Impact Study GreeNYC
CrossFit Phenom Annie Thorisdottir: The Fittest Woman on the Planet? Vogue 
The Best Exercises You Aren’t Doing for Your Back Elite FTS

Fitness: Snatch Segment Deadlift + Snatch
If you have a hard time organizing the pull off the floor then perform snatch from the mid-hang. Catch as low as your mobility allows.

Performance: Work up to a 1RM Snatch
Try and set a new PR but take no more than 5 attempts over 90%. Misses count as attempts.
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Back Squat

Fitness: 80% x 3 x 3

Performance: 80% x 3 x 3 (bias High Bar)

Take 80% of your recent 1RM. If you only have a 3RM, use this calculator to figure out an appropriate number.

Post loads to comments.

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Lauren B moves so fast you sometimes can’t even see her limbs!

• Happy Birthday, Dan H!

TODAY is the April Fish + Meat CSA Pickup

Clothing and Book Swap

Did you know that an average of 70lbs of textiles per person and 54 million tons of paper goes into landfills each year? Tread a little more lightly and get some spring cleaning done by joining the first ever CFSBK Clothing and Book Swap after group class next Saturday (4/19) from 2-4pm. Bring your gently used, in-season adult and children’s clothing and books. Let us know what you are bringing!

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What Fish Teach Us About Us New York Times
Navy SEAL Workout Series: Strength Training United States Navy
Engineering & Curiosity Kurzgesagt

Coach Nick and Co. at the San Diego Crew Classic’s Masters C event

• Happy birthday to Greg A!

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Please Explain: Insomnia and Other Sleep Disturbances WNYC
Lauren Fisher at Junior Pan-American Weightlifting Championships CrossFit Invictus
The F-Word The CrossFit Journal 

Ring Inversion/Skin the Cat 101

30min NFRs:
2 Skin The Cat or Inversions
3 Bar Muscle Ups or 10 C2B Kipping Pull Ups or 10 Kip Swings
20 Calories Rowed
30 Second L-Sit
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CFSBKers reinventing the wheel 

• Thanks to everyone who came out for our Bike Maintenance Class yesterday! Mare reports that they learned to change a flat and adjust their own brakes (by finding the barrel adjuster and twisting it in quarter turns). If anyone is interested in a future class, email mare [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com. Please wear a helmet out there, we love your brains.
• Back in December, David reviewed our programming cycles and offered advice about how to maximize Back Off Week, which started yesterday. Check it out, so you too can be all you can be.
• There’s a new post on Inside the Affiliate sharing even more of your favorite Questions of the Day. Check it out to relive some old favorites. Consider stealing a few to ask your coworkers, friends, and family in the interest of spicing up their mornings in the way only CFSBKers can. 
• Happy, happy Monday!

Rings Strength Class-April/May

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

Saturdays from 2:00pm – 3:30pm

4/12, 4/19, 5/3, 5/10
*Please note that this class skips Saturday 4/26.

Price:
$80 for 4 Weeks

Hurry, only eight spaces remaining!

REGISTER HERE, YOUNG (and old) GRASSHOPPERS!

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

Can you remember where you were and what you were doing 10 years ago today? 
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The World’s Biggest Tetris Game New York Times 
Women Are Not Small Men: Essential Info for Female Athletes Breaking Muscle

Farmers Carry: 100m x 5 Trips. Go Heavy
Push-Up or HSPS Capacity Test: Warm-Up and go for a max effort set.
Sled Push: 50m x6
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Upcoming Programmings Notes:
Back off/Transition Week: 4/6-4/12
New Cycle Starts: 4/13

• Monday:  Bench Press + WOD
• Tuesday
• Wednesday:  Snatch + Back Squat
• Thursday:  WOD gymnastics based
• Friday
• Saturday: Clean & Jerk + FSQ
• Sunday: Deadlift (Fitness) or Power Snatch (Performance) + WOD

Joey B doing beach handstands in South Africa
“There is a funny story behind the one from Boulder Bay. My fiancé was trying get to the other side of the beach to take pics of the penguins, and once she got me doing this, she ran over to the other side of the beach. However, four French people saw me doing this and came over, and started trying to do these handstands. Other people noticed, and by the end, there were ten of us, none of whom spoke the same language, all doing handstands on the beach in South Africa. It truly was a trip of a life time, but I did not work out at all while there, and all I did was eat and drink, and Im excited to be back.”

Time to Sign Up for the Vegetable CSA!

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This is a Generic Brand Video Dissolve
Poop Transplants Minute earth

50-40-30-20 and 10 Rep Rounds Of:
Wall Ball Shots, 20/14 10′
Box Jumps, 24″/20″
Kettlebell Swings 1.5p/1p

B Scale: 40-30-20-10 reps for time
C Scale: Partner Morrison

There is a 40 minute cap on this workout

U.S. Army Specialist Scott Morrison, 23, of Blue Ash, Ohio, assigned to 584th Mobility Augmentation Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, died on September 26, 2010, from injuries suffered on September 25 when insurgents in Kandahar, Afghanistan attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He is survived by his father Donald, mother Susan, brother Gary, and sister Katie.

Post time and Rx to comments.
compare to 5.23.12

Justin on 24″ Box Jumps

• Thanks to everyone who signed up for the Bike Maintenence Class today from 2:30-4:00pm. There is still room left so if you’d like to drop in today, just bring your $10 and show up!
• Want to switch gears a little? Don’t forget that we’ve got Yoga for Athletes with Coach Whitney today at 10:00am

Opportunities

Today’s workout is a basic triplet of three movements. The advanced version which is posted above contains 450 repetitions in total.  That’s 450 opportunities to ingrain and develop the motor skills and strength required to successfully perform these seemingly simple movements.  Will your first kettlebell swing look like your 96th?  Will your 100th wall ball shot include planted heels, full depth and a neutral spinal position?  Range of motion is only one component of functional movement.  When you initiate a movement, what happens between the start and finish dictate the adaptation you’re pursuing.  Soft technique builds soft athletes.  Lazy attention to details builds laziness inside and outside the gym. Virtuosity is defined in Gymnastics as “performing the common uncommonly well”.  Will you settle for mediocrity today, or will you pursue virtuosity? No opportunity is too small!
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Rack Jerks with Eva T
Nicole Carroll Goes for 15 bodyweight overhead squats

Coach Whitney’s furry companion, Penny Lane

• Check out the current lost and found inventory on our Flickr page
• New merch is in!! CFSBK is now carrying hats, board shorts and ladies training shorts all availble at the Front Desk. Get stoked!

Feedback Form Feedback

I’m (David) about to head off on a nine day trip to Europe with some friends to get tattooed in Berlin, see some doom metal in Tilburg, and appreciate some art in Amsterdam. I feel like it can’t be coming at a better time for me and am very excited to get out of the city and break my weekly routine for a bit. Trips like this are great for regaining some perspective on how and why we do things at the gym and taking time to consider the alternatives. Recently, I put out a feedback form soliciting member perspectives on how they’re experiencing the gym and I was so pleased to read through over 120 candid responses, some from people who chose to remain anonymous and others who volunteered their identities. It’s no secret that the gym has grown considerably over the last 18 months or so and with that have come some growing pains. As someone truly passionate about trying to provide a safe and inclusive atmosphere for people to train, I’m excited about our growth and all the peoples’ lives we’ve been able to affect in the process. As a business owner I’m also aware that growth can be tricky enterprise to manage and the quality, not quantity of what we do will always be the most important feature of a successful business.

Happily, the overwhelming majority of feedback was generally positive, but as one would expect there are always going to be significant ways to improve the atmosphere, logistics, and coaching quality as well as considering the diversifying training needs of our members. So what are we doing with all this feedback? Well, first off, every coach is going to read every single entry, which we will then use as a team to inform our discussions on how we can better serve you. We’ve already been talking in staff meetings about new ways of maximising training time within a class and considering the needs of veteran versus novice athletes. One example being how we’re going to modify barbell warm-ups and fitness versus performance programming as well as time management in the upcoming cycle. Gross changes will be gradual and no doubt with varying levels of success, but it’s our honest commitment to try and do the best possible job we can, attempting to maintain what has brought us so much success in the first place while staying humble and realizing there will always be areas that need work. The search for additional space also continues–not exactly an easy enterprise given New York City real estate and the very significant requirements of a gym interested in serious barbell and fitness training. That being said, we are always open to suggestions should you be aware of additional industrial space in Gowanus. The more options we have coming in on top of our own search the better. (Please send possible ideas to David AT CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com.)

Again, thank you to everyone who took a moment to fill out the form. We hear you and want you to know that your opinions are important and are being factored into the decisions we make as we continue to evolve this experiement that started almost seven years ago outside in a park under the subway.

Bike Maintenence Class Tomorrow at CFSBK

Springtime weather is around the corner and CFSBK wants to help you prepare for bike riding season! Bicycle Habitat will be bringing their basic bike maintenance class from their 5th Avenue shop to 597 DeGraw specially for CFSBK, 2:30p-4p on Saturday, April 5. Course will include:

You’ll be able to roll in your own bike to use as an example during the class!  The class will be more instructional in nature, but bring any bike tools you already have in case there is time for tinkering!  $10 per person, class is capped at 25.  Sign up and pay in advance at the Front Desk or just show up and pay day of!

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CrossFit and Autism: Walking out With a Smile Coach Brian C has been to CFSBK several times and is a friend of the program. Check out his awesome program at CrossFit Long Island
Got Kipping Pull-Ups? Scale up with the Salmon Ladder
Big Sugar’s Sweet Little Lies Mother Jones

Fitness

For time:
400m Run
15-9-6 reps of:
Power Snatches
Lateral Over the Bar Burpee
then finish with another 400m Run

Performance

“Amanda”
9-7-5 Reps for time of:
Squat Snatch 135/95
Muscle-Ups

Post time and Rx to comments.

Val’s Post 14.5 “recovery” position

Spring Cleaning with CFSBK

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How Kendra Bailey does CrossFit with one arm
Do you want a speciality wine shop in Park Slope? Sign this petition
Mom’s Story