Happy Birthday, Coach Laurel!

New Classes!

Effective June 1st we will be adding 4 new CrossFit Group Classes.  Afternoon CrossFitters can rejoice for Tuesday and Thursday 12pm classes and evening members now have more options with Tuesday and Thursday 8pm Group Classes.  This is part of a larger programming shift where we’ll be phasing out On Ramp and expanding the scalability of all our Group Classes.  More details on that this week…

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Unpacking the Hero WODs Blakemaster
Thin Air, Thick Bonds CrossFit

For Time:
Run 1 Mile
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Squats
Run 1 Mile

Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you’ve got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.

There will be a number of movement and scaling options available so whatever your level of fitness is we’ll find the appropriate challenge.

In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.
To read more about “Murph” click here.

Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a special holiday where we honor and remember the men and women who died while serving our military.  Today’s workout was one of Michael Murphy’s favorite WODs which he called “Body Armor”.  Each year we come together to do this workout and celebrate those who have given the ultimate sacrafice for our country as well as recognizing those still with us who continue to serve.  CFSBK would especially like to thank members from our gym who serve in the armed forces and related fields.  Your efforts are appreciated and respected, this workout is for you!

The gym will open at 9:00AM and we will be starting the first heat of folks exactly at 9:30AM.   We’ll be starting new heats of up to 20 people every 45 minutes and recommend that you arrive 15 minutes early for whichever heat you’d like so that you can warm-up and do any movement prep you’d like.   The last heat will run at 11:45AM so make sure you’re here before then if you want to complete Murph.

The BBQ itself will start by 12PM. If you can, please bring a side dish or some beverages so that everyone can eat their fill.

Happy Birthday to Carlos G., Marian L. and Avi S.!

“Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.” – John F. Kennedy
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Portraits of War NY Times
Jim Comes Home NY Times

Spend 20 minutes working up to a heavy 1 rep Jerk.

Focus on driving the bar up with the legs and driving under to lock out with the arms. Stabilize before bailing.  

Post load to comments.
compare to 12.29.11

Jenna J. keeping her elbows nice and high.

There is no free Teaser Class class today!

CFSBK Softball Team Batting Practice Today!

The CFSBK Softball team will be meeting today for batting practice. Please bring your softball bats!
Details: 2pm at Brooklyn Sports and Party Center, 800 3rd Avenue b/w 26 & 27th Street, Brooklyn. 

Memorial Day Murph is tomorrow!

The gym will open at 9:00AM and we will be starting the first heat of folks exactly at 9:30AM.   We’ll be starting new heats of up to 20 people every 45 minutes and recommend that you arrive 15 minutes early for whichever heat you’d like so that you can warm-up and do any movement prep you’d like. The last heat will run at 11:45AM so make sure you’re here before then if you want to complete Murph.  The BBQ itself will start by 12PM. The gym is providing steaks, sausages, beer and buns. If you can, please bring a side dish or some beverages so that everyone can eat their fill.

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Split Jerk Demo Catalyst Athletics
Wrist Mobility Crossfit Invictus
Annie T. Killing Diane CF Games

5 Rounds for time
2 Deadlifts 315/225
3 HSPU
4 C2B Pull Ups
5 Burpees
*10 min cap

Scaling Options will be available.  In it’s best capacity this is a ‘Fast & Furious’ 3-5 minute WOD. Cap is 10 minutes.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Marian L. (hand)walking the Red Carpet in L.A.!

There is no Active Recovery class today.  Tomorrow’s free Teaser Class is also canceled.

Memorial Day Murph is 2 days away!

As always, we’ll be doing “Murph” and then finishing off with some Beers and BBQ! The gym is providing steaks, sausages, beer and buns. 

What should you bring?  Your family, friends and a side dish or some beverages so that everyone can eat their fill. 

Please let us know you’re coming and what you’re bringing by posting to comments Here!

Book Club Reminder

This Month’s CFSBK Book Club book is…. “A Visit From The Goon Squad” by Jennifer Egan.

Jennifer Egan’s spellbinding interlocking narratives circle the lives of Bennie Salazar, an aging former punk rocker and record executive, and Sasha, the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. Although Bennie and Sasha never discover each other’s pasts, the reader does, in intimate detail, along with the secret lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs, over many years, in locales as varied as New York, San Francisco, Naples, and Africa.

The discussion meet up will be on Sunday, June 3 at 5pm. 
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How Do Astronauts Lift Weights in Space? Outside Mag
You Thought You Did Well During Your Wendler Rep-Outs? YouTube
Earn Your Carbs Talk to Me Johnnie

Joy showing us that there’s no rest for the Injured.

Happy Birthday Asta F.!
Happy Belated Birthday Levi!

Due to the Holiday Weekend, Saturday’s Active Recovery and Sunday’s Teaser Class have been canceled!

Memorial Day Murph is 3 days away…..

2012 CrossFit North East Regionals start today!

Good luck to our Captain David O. this weekend who is at Reebok Headquarters in Canton, MA acting as Competition Director for the North East Regionals!  Check out this week’s Regional Preview Video to see who to watch out for. 

The Wrong Bin Free Screening

In The Wrong Bin, Emmy nominated filmmaker (and fellow CFSBKer!) Krishnan Vasudevan, exposes the ever-increasing environmental and economical costs New York City incurs when its residents recycle poorly. Since 2002, when the city closed the Fresh Kills landfill and began sending all of its trash out of state, the city’s annual land filling bill has doubled from $600 million to $1.3 billion a year. This amount could be drastically decreased, however, because nearly 36% of the 2 million tons NYC sends to land fills each year is recyclable.

Featuring interviews with experts in the field, The Wrong Bin reveals many issues revolving around the poor recycling habits of NYC residents, the people those bad recycling habits really affect, and why it is necessary for NYC to get better at recycling as a whole.

When: Tonight, Friday at 7pm.
Where: Two Moon Art House and Cafe in Park Slope
For more info and to RSVP click HERE!

How many cups of coffee or tea do you drink a day?  How does too much/too little of it affect you?
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Guts, What’s Going on Inside Us Radiolab.org
Everything You Need to Know About Coffee Precision Nutrition
I’ll Have My Coffee Facts with a Splash of Pictures Please The Oatmeal

As Many Rounds As Possible In 20 Minutes Of:
Run 400 meters
12 Hang Squat Cleans, 135/95#
12 Burpees

When coming off the ground, the Hang Squat Clean must come to a fully extended position before coming back down to start the clean. If your legs are fried from “Hammer” and “Morrison” you can sub Hang Power Cleans instead
Burpees are strict, loss of midline will be no repped.

Post rounds and Rx to comments.

Two thumbs up for Running!

How Does it Feel To Have Succeeded?

Murph is 4 days away!

Mark your calendars! Memorial Day Murph is happening this Monday, May 28th. As always, we’ll be doing “Murph” and then finishing off with some Beers and BBQ! The gym is providing steaks, sausages, beer and buns. 

What should you bring?  Your family, friends and a side dish or some beverages so that everyone can eat their fill. 

Please let us know you’re coming and what you’re bringing by posting to comments Here!

Dr. Jason Fidler

Biography
Dr. Jason Fidler has been serving members of Crossfit South Brooklyn as well as other members of the Crossfit community for over 3 years. He was trained at New York Chiropractic College not just in the art of medicine but also by Crossfit Level 1 trainers, who eventually opened up Crossfit Asheville in N.C. (http://www.crossfitasheville.com/coaches/)  He is schooled in the functional movements that crossfitters routinely perform, their commonly associated training injuries ( (shoulders, hip flexors and wrists) and the most effective forms of treatment. He has gained critical insight into practice management by working at two highly regarded boutique rehab clinics in NYC.
 
Dr. Fidler has held full spine Active Release and Kinesio taping certifications, two very effective sought-after treatment protocols, since 2006. As a former collegiate athlete and personal trainer himself, Dr. Fidler is a regular physician at all of the NYC endurance races and Crossfit competitions. Additionally, Dr. Fidler has undergone training in Elite Sports Science at the Lake Placid Olympic Facility. This has helped add to his skill set further instruction for athletes in neuromuscular re-education to prevent future injury. Consider MobilityWOD with a manual therapy edge. For patients with serious disc herniations looking for relief while avoiding surgery, Dr. Fidler is also trained in non-invasive spinal decompression therapy. Perhaps, most importantly, is Dr. Fidler’s ergonomic experience in which he provides a high quality workstation consult for the purpose of making the repetitive motions of work and daily living activities less traumatic to your body.

Rates and availability:
Dr. Fidler is now seeing treating athletes during open gym hours Friday 5:30 to 8pm and Saturday mornings 9am to 1pm.  Dr. Fidler will be renting space out of CFSBK, these services are considered seperate from the gym’s training programs.
 
Initial consult and treatment = $100
Follow-ups = $40 (cheaper than most co-pays)
 
Get the most out of your workouts and achieve peak performance and optimal health.

To learn more about these services and book an appointment, click here.

Why would we consider the Burpees in the link below a no rep?
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How to do an (Im)Proper Burpee YouTube
Hang Squat Clean Demo Catalyst Athletics
78th Precinct Pushes to Enforce the Illegal Use of Electric Bicycles, Coaches Fox and Noah Rejoice Park Slope Patch

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: 30-20-10 reps for time or NFT

There is a 30 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 rounds and Rx to comments.
compare to 7.13.11

Sameer P. is ready for KB swings!

Happy Birthday, Julie B. (aka Jules)!

Due to the Holiday Weekend, Saturday’s Active Recovery and Sunday’s Teaser Class has been canceled!

Murph Day is 5 days away…..

The CFSBK Softball Team!

What’s your favorite Summertime sport?
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How to Get Sh!t Done Working From Home Greatist.com
45 places to go in 2012 NY Times
 

Michael B (Turtle Monster) and Noah B (Silver Jumpsuit) Battle it Out For the Fate Of The Earth at Kaiju Big Battle 

Fundamentals, Virtuosity and Mastery

An Open Letter To CrossFit Trainers
By Greg Glassman, CrossFit Journal, August 2005

In gymnastics, completing a routine without error will not get you a perfect score, the 10.0—only a 9.7. To get the last three tenths of a point, you must demonstrate “risk, originality, and virtuosity” as well as make no mistakes in execution of the routine.

Risk is simply executing a movement that is likely to be missed or botched; originality is a movement or combination of movements unique to the athlete—a move or sequence not seen before. Understandably, novice gymnasts love to demonstrate risk and originality, for both are dramatic, fun, and awe inspiring— especially among the athletes themselves, although audiences are less likely to be aware when either is demonstrated.

Virtuosity, though, is a different beast altogether. Virtuosity is defined in gymnastics as “performing the common uncommonly well.” Unlike risk and originality, virtuosity is elusive, supremely elusive. It is, however, readily recognized by audience as well as coach and athlete. But more importantly, more to my point, virtuosity is more than the requirement for that last tenth of a point; it is always the mark of true mastery (and of genius and beauty).

There is a compelling tendency among novices developing any skill or art, whether learning to play the violin, write poetry, or compete in gymnastics, to quickly move past the fundamentals and on to more elaborate, more sophisticated movements, skills, or techniques. This compulsion is the novice’s curse—the rush to originality and risk.

The novice’s curse is manifested as excessive adornment, silly creativity, weak fundamentals and, ultimately, a marked lack of virtuosity and delayed mastery. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to be taught by the very best in any field you’ve likely been surprised at how simple, how fundamental, how basic the instruction was. The novice’s curse afflicts learner and teacher alike. Physical training is no different.

What will inevitably doom a physical training program and dilute a coach’s efficacy is a lack of commitment to fundamentals. We see this increasingly in both programming and supervising execution. Rarely now do we see prescribed the short, intense couplets or triplets that epitomize CrossFit programming. Rarely do trainers really nitpick the mechanics of fundamental movements.I understand how this occurs. It is natural to want to teach people advanced and fancy movements. The urge to quickly move away from the basics and toward advanced movements arises out of the natural desire to entertain your client and impress him with your skills and knowledge. But make no mistake: it is a sucker’s move. Teaching a snatch where there is not yet an overhead squat, teaching an overhead squat where there is not yet an air squat, is a colossal mistake. This rush to advancement increases the chance of injury, delays advancement and progress, and blunts the client’s rate of return on his efforts. In short, it retards his fitness.

If you insist on basics, really insist on them, your clients will immediately recognize that you are a master trainer. They will not be bored; they will be awed. I promise this. They will quickly come to recognize the potency of fundamentals. They will also advance in every measurable way past those not blessed to have a teacher so grounded and committed to basics.

Training will improve, clients will advance faster, and you will appear more experienced and professional and garner more respect, if you simply recommit to the basics.

There is plenty of time within an hour session to warm up, practice a basic movement or skill or pursue a new PR or max lift, discuss and critique the athletes’ efforts, and then pound out a tight little couplet or triplet utilizing these skills or just play. Play is important. Tire flipping, basketball, relay races, tag, Hooverball, and the like are essential to good programming, but they are seasoning—like salt, pepper, and oregano. They are not main courses.

CrossFit trainers have the tools to be the best trainers on earth. I really believe that. But good enough never is, and we want that last tenth of a point, the whole 10.0. We want virtuosity!!

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How To Make The Perfect Hardboiled Egg 
Why Your 20’s Will Define You Greatist
Fleet Of Ambulances On Hand For 41-Year-Olds’ Touch Football Game

Five rounds, each for time, of:
135/95 pound Power clean, 5 reps
135/95 pound Front squat, 10 reps
135/95 pound Jerk, 5 reps
20 Pull-ups
Rest 90 seconds

If you’re a beginner and havent developed a solid technical foundation with the Power Clean, substitute 10 deadlifts each round.  The 20 pull-ups in this workout presume a mature kipping pull-up, any sort of assisted or strict version should have the volume cut in half to 10 per round.

Post rounds and Rx to comments.
compare to 4.25.11

The Voice Of The People, Mobina H!

Congratulations to CFSBK team “Supple Leopard” who WON the Trivia Challenge at Pacific Standard last night!!!

Happy Birthday, Justin Z!

Murph Day is 1 week away…..

The CFSBK Softball Team!

Interested in putting that functional fitness to use?  Dan H. is in the process of recruiting a few more members for a CFSBK softballteam as part of the YMCA Adult Co-ed League. Games are usually held once a week around 7pm at the Red Hook fields.  A small league fee of $40-50pp will be expected to participate for the season. ALL levels are welcome.  If you’re interested or have any other questions, please contact Jess at Jessica (at) CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. We’ve already got about 22 people signed up!

Zen and the Art of Crush Week!

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 into the “now”.  At 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 your 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! 

“I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.”
– Kurt Vonnegut
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Scaling the Pull-Up with Ring Rows CrossFit
How Do You Choose Your Accessory Lifts? CrossFit Invictus
How To Be Diplomatic wikiHow

For time, Row 2000 meters

Please read Coach Nick’s article on “How to Row a 2000m Race” before coming in today.

Post time to comments.
compare to 12.11.10

Terrified or Excited about Running?

Good Luck CFSBK Pub Quiz Team

Taking Antibiotics?

We recently stumbled upon this gem of information from the Paleo Solution Podcast with Robb Wolf and Greg Everett. A question came up about taking Cipro and the related side effects the person was experiencing.  During their answer, Robb mentions that people taking antibiotics are at a higher risk for soft tissue injury.  If you’re on an antibiotic or ever find yourself taking one, please let us know so we can best help you modify the workout.  Thanks!

“One deal with Cipro and related antibiotics is that you are at extremely high risk for tendon and ligament rupture, particularly tendon rupture. It can destabilize the integrity of the tendon. So if you go on Cipro and related antibiotics, you need to really ramp up your exercise very, very incrementally after you come off of it, and this is for like six or eight weeks afterwards. You can pull the Achilles tendon off of the calcaneus. You can pop your quadricep tendon off of the patella, a host of things like that. So that’s one thing that is not on the radar for folks. You need to really ramp up your activity level very slowly and carefully after that.” – Robb Wolf

Trivia Question: Of the chemical elements between #95 and 100, three are named for humans. Name the three.
(The answer has to come straight from your brain piece. No searching allowed!)
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Mark Rippetoe Interview About the CrossFit Total Elite FTS
All About Mercury Precision Nutrition
Securing My Mask Before Helping Others Paleo Periodical