More photos from the Tough Titsday Powerlifting Meet are now up here!

Happy Belated Birthday Jim Ryan
Happy Real Birthday, Brian D

The Return of CFSBK Gymnastics: Rings and Tumbling 101

Ring Strength Class
Join guest Gymnastics Coach Ken H. as he takes you through 4 weeks of gymnastics strength training with an emphasis on developing a rudimentary ring routine.  Each class will include a proper warm-up, stretching and then use both isometric and dynamic strength exercises to develop: core strength while learning transitions on the rings, levers, muscle-ups and planches.  Students will also have strength and flexibility assignments to do on the outside of class.

Ring Strength Class Dates and Times:
Sundays from 1pm – 2pm
8/5, 8/12, 8/19 & 8/26

Price:
$60 for 4 Weeks

Cap:
8 Participants
Register Here!
 
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CFSBK Book Club

We had a ton of folks submit books for the Sci-Fi Edition of the CFSBK Book Club.  Today is the last day to cast your ballot. Please email pjeanlouis1(at)gmail.com with your selection and we’ll see which book wins out.  Please only vote if you plan on participating in the book club!

• Anathem – by Neal Stephenson
• Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
• Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 
• Reamde by Neal Stephenson
• Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
• The Age of Miracles – by Karen Thompson Walker
• Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

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CFSBK’s Next Equipment Purchase
How To Do Picture Perfect Easy Double Unders Technique WOD
How Hard Can It Be? (Gymnastics) WSJ
Supplement Recommendations TTMJ
Soak Fitness Bath Salts Rogue Fitness
How Shark Attack Survivor Got Fitter WSJ

Fitness

12-9-6-3 Reps For Time Of:
Deadlift
Burpee
Dumbbell Push Press
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Performance

12-9-6-3 Reps For Time Of:
Deadlift 12-9-6-3
Burpee
Handstand Push-up

Post time and Rx to comments.

CFSBK Double Feature Movie Night!

CFSBK will be showing a double feature at the gym on Saturday, August 18th.  For this first round, our movies will be:

“Star Wars: Episode IV” and “Pumping Iron”

This is a free event for all CFSBK members including friends and family.  We’ll start Star Wars at 7:00pm and then Pumping Iron at 9:15pm.  You’re welcome to stay for both or just come for one if you’d like.  CFSBK will provide adult beverages and everyone is welcome to bring snacks or food if they’d like however nothing is expected. Post-movie “Pose Offs” and PVC light saber battle are encouraged.

____________________
The Beauty Of CrossFit Dana Zilber
How To Watch The Olympics Online Gym Culture
64″ Standing Box Jump
Health Food Store Worker Dies of Vitamin Lung

Fitness

3×8 High Bar Back Squat
If you’re also squatting on Saturdays, add 5lbs
If you’re not squatting Saturdays, add 5-10lbs
______________

Performance

Spend 15 Minutes working up to a heavy 5 rep High Bar Back Squat. No failing, no bailing. Try to beat last weeks heavy 5.
______________

Fitness/Performance:

5 Rounds NFT of:
5 Reps: Neutral Grip Ring Pull-Ups or Assisted chin-ups
Partner Paloff Hold: :30 each side

Hold the top of each pull-up for a 2 count. Focus on a mature top position.
For the Paloff hold, alternate body positions per round. Get lat active and brace!

R1. Standing
R2. Kneeling
R3. Bottom of a Squat
R4. 1/4 Lunge (inside leg back)
R5. Shooters choice!

Post results to comments.

Liese M focused on warm-ups

Warm-Up Strategies For Developing Kipping Pull-Ups

Originally Posted 10.04.11

We’ve seen people make great progress with our standardized warm-ups over last 2 months.  Here we’ve outlined a plan to start incorporating regular kipping pull-up skill work into your warm-ups.  Like any other skill, you’ll need regular practice to develop mastery of the movement. That being said, don’t go overboard with this, I wouldn’t be swinging on the bar more than 4 times per week. The progression below is broken into 3 steps based on your skill level.  Don’t advance to the next step until you’ve mastered the previous one. This may take several weeks so be patient!

Level 1, The Kip Swing: Add 5-8 Kip Swings before each set of pull-ups during Warm-Up 1. Otherwise you can do 1-2 sets of kip swings when you finish Warm-Up 2. Progress to Level 2 after you can consistently string these together with a nice “pop” on the back end.

Points of Performance
– Make sure you’ve got the right grip. If your palms feel like they’re being pinched you need to readjust.
– Always start from a static deadhang with a tight body and active shoulders.
– The kip should feel fluid and “springy”. Try to ride the momentum you create
– Before moving to Level 2, ask a coach to access your kip swing.

LEVEL 1 VIDEO DEMO

Level 2, The Dynamic Pull and Mature Finish: Now that you’ve mastered the kip swing and have found the weightless “pop” on the back end, try to reopen your hip and get over the bar. Make it your goal to use momentum, not pulling strength to finish the pull-up. When you get over the bar, hold the top for a 2 count. This will help you establish a mature finish position. Lower yourself down and reset.  Perform 5 reps in Warm-Up 1 instead of your normal pull-ups and do 1-2 sets of 3 reps at the end of Warm-Up 2

Points of Performance
– Don’t slow down your kip swing before you attempt to get over. This is a common mistake.  A bigger kip will make the pull-up easier
– You’ll have to reset after each rep. Kip swing > Dynamic Pull-Up > Hold over the bar for a 2 count > lower down and start over.
– You haven’t completed this step until you can consistently get over the bar in one fluid motion.  Any stalling, slowing down or extra little kicks to get over constitute a work in progress on level 2.
– Have a coach look at your progress before moving to Level 3.

LEVEL 2 DEMO VIDEO

Level 3, Stringing Them Together: Now that you can kip over the bar you need to work on linking them together. If you’ve been diligent about holding the top of the pull-up, you’ll have plenty of time to work on Pushing away back into your kip swing. Once you can link 2 together, incrementally add reps until you can link 10 together. Watch the video at the bottom of this article to see this in real time.

Points of Performance
– You don’t need to lose the momentary pause at the top of the pull-up. In fact, the ability to do this indicates that you’re all the way over the bar.  Sometimes folks develop a kipping pull-up and need to reach with their chin to get just over the bar, this is not a complete kipping pull-up. Try to get the bar to neck level.
– This step is all about timing and rhythm. If you lose your balance or develop a pendulum swing, stop and reset.
– Be patient! Developing your pull-ups is going to take some time.  The good news is that its’ MUCH harder to get from 0-2 kipping pull-ups than it is to get from 2-10 so once you find your rhythm it’s just a matter of consistent practice to pile on the reps.

LEVEL 3 DEMO VIDEO

Watch these videos (Kipping Pull-Ups Part 1 and Part 2) to see some of these progressions broken down. As always, ask a coach if you need any help with these steps!
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Kipping Pull-Ups with Jeff Tucker

Check out Matt U’s CrossFit Games piece from SB Nation

There is NO Active Recovery Today

Upcoming Strength Cycle Dates

A Cycle- Novice Cycle
July 30-Sept 21 (8 slots)
Monday, Wednesday at 7pm, Friday at 6pm
Register Here!

Register Here!

NYPD vs FDNY

On Friday, July 27th the FDNY and NYPD will compete in a baseball game against each other at MCU park.  Tickets are $10 and all proceeds go to charity.  For more information check out their Facebook page. Thanks to Danny F for the heads up!

CFSBK Book Club: Sci-Fi Edition

For this round of the book club we’re going to go with a Sci Fi theme.  If you’re interested in participating, please suggest a book to comments and email Peggy at pjeanlouis1(AT)gmail.com to get on the mailing list.  We’ll give you about a month to read the book and then people will submit questions for discussion at the meeting which usually happens at a local bar.

_________________
Cleaning Up Your Chin-Up Eric Cressey
Todd Wentworth Does a Modified Cindy with Washer/Dryer Flips Language NSFW

Fitness

Every Minute, On The Minute For 12 minutes:
2-4 Hang Power Clean and Push Press or Split Jerk
Add weight after the 4th and 8th reps only if appropriate 
_____________________

Performance

Every Minute, On The Minute For 12 minutes:
2-4 Power Clean and Split Jerks
Add weight after the 4th and 8th reps only if appropriate

_____________________
Fitness/Performance:

“Annie Get Your Abs”
Alternating Rep Rounds For Time Of:

Weighted Sit Ups
15-12-9-6-3

If you don’t have Double Unders, you can do either 1/2 volume attempts or 3x volume Singles.

Post results to comments.
C+J exposure 2/4

Tough Titsday

IRONMAN Lake Placid Results

Congratulations to Jenna J and Paul B for running IRONMAN Lake Placid

Paul B
Swim 1:30:00
Bike 8:25:15

Jenna J
Swim 1:28:52
Bike 8:16:14
Run 5:30:11

Total Time: 15:34:09

TTD PL Meet Results

Congratulations to everyone who competed in yesterday’s powerlifting meet.  The gym couldn’t be more proud of it’s tough ladies, novice and veteran alike. Below are the results for top 3 women in each weight class.

Ladies:
Jess Bailey 575
Alissa Mounsey 535
Nicole Ashley 530

Sarah La Rosa 400

Most Outstanding Winner:
Melissa Loranger 657.5
(Based on  Wilkes Formula)

Click here to see the first batch of pictures from the event. More to come soon.

Competitors: What was the competition like for you psycholgically?  Did you get nervous? What kind of energy did you have? If something didn’t go as planned, how did you react? etc.
_________________
Jess Fox’s 300lb Deadlift

4 Rounds of:
Bench Press, 5 reps
Row 25 Calories
Get on the erg immedidately following your bench set and row a hard 25 calories. Rest as needed between rounds. Your score is total lbs moved and total time on the erg.  If you miss a rep on the bench, you get zero points for that set. For example:

150×5 = 750lbs
1:30

165×5 = 825lbs
1:33

Score = 2,375lbs / 6:06

Post score to comments.
Compare to 7.25.11

David and Jacinto work the speed wrap

Tough Titsday Powerlifting Meet Today!

We are hosting our second powerlifting meet and it’s for girls only!

What: 3 attempts at a 1 rep max of Backsquat, Bench Press and Deadlift
When: July 22, 2012 at 2pm
Who: SBK women who have been attending group classes for at least 3 months

The Details:
Each woman will have 3 attempts to hit a max single in Squat, Bench and Deadlift, in that order. All lifters will make their attempts in each lift before moving to the next.
First, second and third place winners will be awarded in each weight class based on total combined weight of best lifts.

There will be 3 weight classes:

• Ladies: Under 135

• Dames: 136-160

• Broads: Over 160

In the event of a tie, lowest weight wins.

Bonus: Celebrate post meet with your fellow lifters and friends. We know you’ll be hungry, so Bierkraft will be delivering piggy awesomeness; snag a meal for you and your buddies when you register. Only 40 meals, so sign up early! Drinks on us!

Competitors:

1. Stella Zawistowski
2. Bethany Benzur
3. Janelle M. Rooks
4. Kim Zhao
5. Sarah Jacobson
6. McKensey Smith
7. Charlotte Kaiser
8. Jess Bailey
9. Marian Lai
10. Liese McGrath
11. Sarah La Rosa
12. Melissa Lloyd
13. Katie Mohrhauser
14.Ellie Rahochick
15. Kristin Hoesel
16. Jess Fox
17. Nicole Ashley
18. Alissa Mounsey
19. Melissa Loranger
20. Allison Keiley
21. Jennifer Stopka
22. Rita Ryan

Good luck, ladies!
______________________
Photo Set from Last Years Tough Titsday PL Meet

Fitness

Perform 3 sets of the following:
A) High Bar Back Squat x 8 reps. Add weight to last week.
Rest 30 seconds
B) 5 Lat Activations (1 count ay the top of each rep)
Rest 90-120 Seconds

As Many Rounds As Possible In 10 Minutes of:
20 Kettlebell Swings
10 Reverse Lunges, each side
10 Renegade Row Complex (1 rep = 1 Row L + 1 Row R + 1 Push Up)
__________________

Performance

Spend 15 Minutes working up to a heavy set of 10 reps. This should be lighter than last Wednesday’s 5’s (~ 85%)

As Many Rounds As Possible In 10 Minutes of:
30 KB Swings
10 *Burpee Over The Box Jumps 24/20″
Perform a burpee beside a box, lateral jump onto the box and then down to the other side.

Post results to comments.
Squat e2/8

The Thinking Ellie

Jacinto Bonilla Learns The Split Snatch CrossFit Journal Preview

TOUGH TITSDAY POWERLIFTING MEET TOMMORROW!

Come watch SBK’s strong women move big weights! Sunday, July 22nd at 2pm is our second Tough Titsday Powerlifting Meet, where the ladies will be testing their one rep maxes in the Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift. Spectators are encouraged and welcome! Post event celebrating will happen at about 5pm. For more details and to see the competiors, click here.

Next CFSBK Book Club Meeting

The next meeting for the CFSBK book club has been rescheduled. We will now be discussing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre on Sunday, July 22, 5pm at  Pacific Standard bar. If you’d like to come, please contact Peggy at pjeanlouis1(at)gmail.com
For the next book, we’ll be diving into the Sci-Fi genre.  Start thinking about what book you’d like to read/recommend. We’ll vote on it in an upcoming post.

Help Kevin M Out!

On July 29th, I’m competing in the RBC Decathlon benefiting Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. It’s a fundraiser (100% of all donations go directly to cancer research).
Please consider making a donation, here is the link to my event page:

These are the events:
400m Run
Football Throw (for distance)
Pull Ups (max reps, dead-hang)
40 yard dash
Dips (max reps)
500m Row (for time)
Vertical Jump
5 Cone Drill (for time)
Bench Press (max reps at 175lbs)
800m Run

Who is your favorite 70’s era band?
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Lets Get High(Drated) Robb Wolf
5 Ways To Successfully Reach Your Goals CrossFit Invictus
All For One, How Richie Patterson Qualified For the Olympics in Weightlifting CrossFit Journal
New evidence shows that Neanderthals understood the medicinal value of certain foods i09
Illusions That Let Your Hands Lie to Your Brain i09

Barbara K Goes To Work On Deadlifts During “JacintoStorm”

Happy Birthday to resident “Wine Guy” Brian S! Join Brian at the 3rd CFSBK Wine Wasting coming up. Only 4 Spots left!

There is No Teaser Class this weekend due to the Tough Titsday Powerlifting Meet!

New Equipment!

CFSBK Has purchased the following equipment recently:

• 55lb Rubber Hex Dumbbell, 1 Pair

• 60lb Rubber Hex Dumbbell, 1 Pair

• 65lb Rubber Hex Dumbbell, 1 Pair

• 12″ Steel Plyo Boxes, 3 Boxes

• Burgener and Rippetoe Men’s Bars, 4 Bars

• 16kg Kettlebell, 2 Bells

• 20kg Kettlebell, 2 Bells

• Rogue Steel Plate Rack Storage, 3 Racks

We purchased the DBs to help bridge the gap between our 50lb and 75lb DBs. These can be used for heavy pressing, rowing, shrugs, snatching and farmer’s carries.  The three 12″ plyo boxes were purchased for box squatting days which often uses up all available boxes and causes people to have to stack bumpers.  We also got 4 more B&R bars to replace a few barbells that are in rotation but are warped or don’t spin.  The 16kg and 20kg bells help round out the most popular bells for large classes.  Finally, the steel plate rack storage will live between the platforms and accompany the 940lbs of plate we recently purchased. Once the equipment comes we’re going to update the platform area to be more user-friendly.

Reebok CrossFit at Union Square

This upcoming Tuesday, July 24th at 11:30, 12:30 and 2:00pm Reebok will be hosting a free WOD at Union Square. All levels are welcome to attend as there will be hands-on coaching for the entire workout.  Just bring a good attitude and comfortable workout clothing.  To RSVP, please email CrossFit(AT)Paragonsports.com

DOT Looking For Help

Does anyone know anyone who might be interested in an internship at the NYC Dept of Transportation? Coach Nick is looking for independent, detail-oriented people to work with their City Bench program. It’s indoor/outdoor – a lot of fieldwork, but also office work. It’s a great opportunity for aspiring urban planners/designers and landscape architects – having public-sector experience in those fields is a major plus, and NYC DOT is one of the best public agencies in the country. Candidates can be grad or undergrad, in school or not. The internship is unpaid, but Nick’s group exposes interns to a lot and they have a great experience. He needs people who can commit to 20–40 hrs a week, for at least three months. Please forward people to him at npeterson [at] dot.nyc.gov.

Design a Workout that would take about 15 minutes and incorporate the following movements:
Rowing
Burpee Box Jumps
Power Cleans
____________________
Get Strict (Pull-Ups) CrossFit Virtuosity
Stay On Your Heels Technique WOD
New Study Finds Americans Need 6 Hours Of Sleep At Work
Bulgarians 88′ Trailer
Pat Mendes Blind Snatch

Fitness

3 Rounds for time of:
400m Run
21 Overhead Squats
12 Kipping Pull Ups or 6 Strict Pull Ups or 12 Ring Rows
If you can’t perform an Overhead Squat due to mobility, substitute a Front Squat instead

__________________

Performance

3 Rounds for time:
400m Run
21 OH Squats 75/55
12 Pull-Ups or 4 Muscle Ups

Post time and Rx to comments.

This is me standing in front of one nameless moai (mo-eye) that is part of Ahu Tongarki, which is Easter Island’s largest ceremonial platform consisting of 15 restored moai.
All of them would have had the ‘red hats’, which are known as topknots.  This ahu represents the very pinnacle of the Rapu Niu stone carving period and the sheer effort and expense involved in having created such an extravagant ceremonial altar is considered beyond belief.  It is the largest ceremonial structure anywhere in Polynesia with a length of 220 meters from the end of one wing to the other.
All of the moai on the island were at some point thrown down.  When the first Europeans landed on the island in 1721 the moai were all standing, but by 1838 none were left standing.  No one knows why. There are many theories.  This platform was restored between 1992 and 1996.
– Kevin R
(Kevin has been training with David since years before CFSBK existed!)

Happy Birthday, Sarah H

Summer Soiree

From Dom R:
On Thursday, July 26, the Prospect Park Junior Committee is hosting its annual Summer Soiree in the Prospect Park boathouse. The party features cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, music, a silent auction, and more. All proceeds support the Prospect Park Alliance, a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with the Parks Department to maintain and restore Prospect Park. Buy your tickets here and show your love for the park!

Tough Titsday Powerlifting Meet

Come watch SBK’s strong women move big weights! Sunday, July 22nd at 2pm is our second Tough Titsday Powerlifting Meet, where the ladies will be testing their one rep maxes in the Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift. Spectators are encouraged and welcome! Post event celebrating will happen at about 5pm. For more details and to see the competiors, click here.

 _____________________
Spirit Of The Games Award: Deborah Cordner Carson
Marathons are Yawn 70’s Big
The CrossFit Games Analysis 70s Big
AJ Roberts – From Strongest To Fittest ATG

Fitness

Perform 3 sets of the following:
A) High Bar Back Squat x 8 reps. Start light in anticipation of adding weight over 8 exposures.
Rest 30 seconds
B) 5 Lat Activations
Rest 90-120 Seconds

3 Rounds For Time of:
50 Double Unders or 25 attempts or 150 Single Unders
30 Sit-Ups
If 30 sit ups are no big deal for you add weight via dumbbell
_____________________

Performance

Spend 15 Minutes working up to a heavy 5 rep High Bar Back Squat. No failing, no bailing. Leave room to go up for 5 reps next week.

3 Rounds For Time of:
50 Double Unders
20 Kipping Knees to Elbows
If you can’t perform a kipping knee to elbow, scale the volume to 10

Post results to comments.

Kate B during FGB5

Athlete Of The Month
Kate Brash

This AOM has been a long time coming and I’m very proud and excited to see her under the spotlight.  Kate Brash has been an outstanding member of our community from the start and someone I’ve always wanted to feature for AOM.  Kate showed up pregnant at CrossFit with kind of a hazy idea of what she was getting herself into. Regardless, she stuck with it through and through and impressed everyone on staff with her dedication to smart training and her encouraging and approachable nature.  Lets all get to know a little more about KB..

David O: Hi Kate, congratulations on earning the title of July Athlete of the Month!

Kate B: Thanks, I’m excited.

DO: So lets start from the beginning, can you tell me a little bit about your athletic background before CrossFit?

KB: Well I grew up in the DC suburbs and loved sports but was never a “good sport”.  I was a really sore loser and would get into fights with umpires, curse at people and get kicked out of games.  It was not a pretty scene, I just really hated losing.  When I was about 14 I became exposed to Kayaking at summer camp and searched out a program with my twin sister back near our home.  I was a competitive kayaker for about 5-6 years.

DO: Getting into fights?? That seems very uncharacterisitc of the KB I know, but kind of hilarious. Also, you’re saying there’s a KB2 walking around somewhere?!

KB: Well we’re fraternal, so not exactly but I do have a “twin” sister.   I’ve gotten a lot more mature about competition since. Well, maybe I’m just better at redirecting it..

DO: So what happened with Kayaking?

KB: Well the kind that I did was really focused on racing, so when I realized that I wasn’t olympic bound it didn’t make for the best recreational activity.  It was also logistically a tough sport to keep up with, lots of long drives, early mornings and expensive equipment.

DO: I see. Any other athletic endeavors pre-CrossFit?

KB: Back before getting pregnant I ran the 2007 NYC Triathalon.  I actually really loved training for the event but was less excited about the race itself.  I got pregnant right after that Tri but still signed up for another sprint Triathatlon in Montauk before having Gus.  After having my first kid I found it really hard to keep up with exercise, especially triathalons which were really time-intensive. Beyond that I would try and take classes at commercial gyms which were okay.  I enjoyed spin classes but that’s about it.

DO: So what brought you to CrossFit?

KB: I heard about it through my friend Charlotte Kaiser, we were close in High school and kept in touch evern since.  I saw her Facebook post about Fight Gone Bad which really intrigued me.  At this point I was pregnant with my second (Sadie) and I knew Charlotte had trained with you guys while pregnant so we talked about her experience and she put my mind at ease.  I figured Charlotte is pretty level headed and wouldn’t lead me astray.  I also had been getting sick and not feeling well in general throughout this pregnancy and thought exercise would help me through it.

DO: Tell me about starting CrossFit while pregnant.

KB: Well I did 1 on 1 Foundations with Fox since I wanted to take things a little slower at first.  I was happy to see how well things could be modified for me and how supportive and encouraging everyone was.  My goal was to keep my shit together until the upcoming Fight Gone Bad, which I successfully competed in. 

DO: You’ve mentioned to me that you weren’t that clear about what CrossFit was all about when you started.  What was your initial reaction when you came to the gym?

KB: I loved it!  Back when I was training for Kayaking we would do basic calisthenics, barbell training and hard workouts in this awesome rickety clubhouse on the banks of the Potomac in DC.  When I walked into CrossFit I felt like I had found what I was looking for. It felt like the same down to earth rugged fitness I had loved as a youth.  I did feel somewhat conflicted with my training intentions as CrossFit is focused on increasing performance and I had to prioritize general health above metrics at this point.

DO: I remember people using you as a rallying point for not having any excuses to not train.  It was a really fun experience for the staff and community to see you CrossFit as you kept getting bigger and bigger.  Very inspirational!  So why have you stuck with CrossFit?

KB: Well it’s a more substantive experience than any other gym.  It’s not just sets and reps at a place that has weights available for me to use.  Theres more context to the experience, if I stopped coming, I feel like I would be missing out on seeing friends I’ve made, being pushed hard and feel like I was letting people down.

DO: You’ve also had some knee issues you’ve worked around, right?

KB: UGH, yes.  I’ve had knee issues for seemingly no apparent reason since college.  I had orthoscopic surgery in my early 20’s but didn’t do PT afterwards which I think really hurt me. I could barely bend my knee for about a year after surgery.  I also tore my ACL in 2005 while skiing in Switzerland.  It was horrible, I was with my husband (Benet) and I was really hesitant about skiing in the first place.  On our first run he took off and I fell and hurt myself at the top of the mountain.  No one spoke English and I was in agony.  Eventually Bennett came back when I didn’t turn up at the bottom of the mountain and I had to go to the hospital. I had it reconstructed and did a bunch of PT after that.

DO: You also re-aggravated it while doing lateral jumps at the gym.  I remember that we had been scaling for you as a pregnant special population which included avoiding plyometics and running. Post partum, we overlooked that you had significant knee issues and were rolling you back into regular training.

KB: Yeah I was really mad at myself for that, I knew I shouldn’t have done it. It didn’t feel so bad right afterwards but got worse and worse as time went on. I ended up doing some personal training with Shane but when it wasn’t getting better I decided to get surgery in June of 2011. I did PT for about 6 weeks and then came back to CrossFit.  It’s been good since then and I’ve recent been adding some modest running to see how it feels.

DO: A cautionary tale no doubt.  What else should we know about KB outside of your fitness life?

KB: Well I went to Haverford and studied anthropology.  It seemed like the least focused major that I could really do whatever I wanted with. After college I moved to San Francisco for a while and then back to NY to go to Grad school at NYU to study environmental policy.

DO: Why environmental policy?

KB: In college I spent about 4 months on an Alaska trail crew. We would Kayak around Alaska in the national parks and clear trails and upkeep the facilities.  Since you’re in protected land no motors were allowed so everything we did was manual labor.  It was a really significant experience for me and one of the most beautiful and rewarding things I’ve ever done.  The following summer I did the same thing in Payette, Idaho, except we were hiking, not kaying, obviously.
  I really fell in love with he outdoors and wanted to help protect it.  I’ve worked for the last 8 years on climate change policy, trying to help educate the public.

DO: That sounds amazing. So just a few more questions.  First, what advice would you give a new CrossFitter?

KB: Don’t worry about ramping up the weights or intensity too soon. Just developing proper technique is plenty of stimulus in the beginning.  I sometimes see people wanting to get aggressive with their numbers too soon.  It takes a really long time to get good at this stuff, take your time and enjoy the process.

DO: Kate B for president!  Great advice.  Next, what should we look for in a future AOM?

KB: I really think anyone could be an AOM.  I think it’s really informative and interesting to learn about people and their backgrounds. I’d want to know about everyone we train with.

DO: Okay, but what qualities do you think make someone stand out to you?

KB: I think it’s important for people to be thoughtful about their training. To know why they’re here, what their current strengths and weaknesses are and how they’re trying to gradually improve.

DO: Spoken like a true champion.  Finally, where is your head at training wise right now?

KB: I just finished the Tough Titsday classes with Coach Margie which I would Highly recommend to anyone. It was great to really learn more about the lifts and how to approach them.  I feel like I learned how to plan my weights and not be so intimidated by heavy loads.  I’m considering doing an upcoming Strength Cycle.

DO: Kate picks things up and she puts them down.  Thanks so much for spilling your guts, Kate and congratulations again.

_______________________
Women’s Obstacle Course