J. Bails is Focused. 

We at CFSBK owe a very special thank you to Mike M. and McDowell M. for leading the group track workout this past weekend!  Thank you guys and great work!

Kipping Pull-up Workshop This Saturday!

Are you an athlete who has strict pull-up but hasn’t learned the elusive kip?  Do you have a decent kipping swing but seem to always get stuck at the bottom of your pull-up?  Can get a few kips in but quickly fall out of rhythm and have to start over?  On Saturday, November 12th at 1:15PM Coach Noah will run an (approximately) one hour mini-workshop dedicated solely to the kipping pull-up, and iron out all of your funky kipping issues.

The Kipping Pull-up is a core gymnastic movement often utilized in high volume pull-up workouts.  While not a true strength builder like a strict pull-up, the kip allows an athlete to incorporate both the strength of their hips and their own momentum to link pull-up together with less effort and a faster cycle time than a traditional pull-up.
 
The class will involve a warmup, mobility work, a brief overview of the elements of the kipping pull-up, and partner drills and pull-up practice.  Kipping pull-up require a significant amount of integrity in the shoulder girdle and as such this class requires a buy in of  1+ Strict Pull-Up (women) or 3 Strict Pull-Ups (men).  The class will be a $10 drop-in and space is limited to 8 participants.  Email Noah(AT)crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com to sign up, make sure to mention your max number of dead hang pull-up and issues you’ve had learning/perfecting the kip so he can better prepare to get you swinging smoothly.

CrossFit Powerlifting Cert at CFSBK in March 2012

Join Laura Phelps the Women’s World-Record Holder of the Back Squat at 725lbs at 169lbs and a powerlifting Total of 1720lbs as she teaches the CF Powerlifting Certification at CFSBK.  Laura and her team will be instructing participants in the methods popularized by Louie Simmons and the Westside Barbell crew.  Come learn how to develop speed-strength, strength-speed, proper box squat technique, how to use bands and chains, and what special assistance exercises can help you achieve PRs you never dreamed possible.  The cert will Saturday, March 31st-Sunday April 1st, 2012.  You can get more info and register at the link above.

Are you a November Baby?

If you’re a November baby go ahead and let us know when your birthday is so we can help you celebrate!  Next time you’re in the gym put your name and birthday on the whiteboard in the community area. 

December’s Foundations

December AM Semi-Private Foundations
12/11/11 – 12/22/11
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00-8:00am
Sundays from 10:00-11:00am
Register Here!

December Afternoon Semi-Private Foundations
12/2/11 – 12/14/11
Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12pm
Register Here!

December PM Semi-Private Foundations
12/11/11 – 12/22/11
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:00pm
Sundays at 11am
Register Here!
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If you were to create a workout named after yourself what would it be? (Question courtesy of Stella Z.)
___________________

Laura Phelps-Shweatt CrossFit Oakland
The Push-up: Why Is This So Hard Catalyst Athletics
Re-Building a Deadlift Robertson Training Systems

As Many Rounds As Possible in 20 minutes of:
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Double Unders*
*Athletes can sub Lateral Hops for DUs. There is a mandatory 7 minutes of Double Under practice for subbing in the lateral hops.

Post rounds and RX to comments. 

John S. Hits Depth During the Total

Congratulations to all the 2011 NYC Marathon Participants!!

Yesterday Emily G, Shanna H, Jason H, Isaac W, Julia W, Steph P and Matt Katz’s father all ran the NYC Marathon.  26.2 miles is a hell of a feat and each one of you has put in many weeks and countless miles in preparation.  We hope you all had a great time were able to achieve your goals for the marathon and look forward to having you back in the gym after a little well-earned R & R! 

Still Space Available in the Upcoming Strength Cycles!

Cycle A  (Novice Program)-2 Slots left!
11/14/11 – 12/23/11
Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00-8:30pm
Fridays from 6:00-7:30pm
Learn more and Register Here!

Cycle B  (Intermediate/Advanced)
11/15/11 – 12/23/11
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00-8:30pm
and
Sunday from 10:00-11:30am
Learn more and Register Here!

Cycle C (Morning)
11/14/11 – 12/21/11
Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00am
Learn more and Register Here!

Strength Cycle Continuing Education
11/15/11 – 12/22/11
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00-7:30pm
Learn more and Register Here!

__________________

5 Surefire Steps to Setting Goals by Matt Kroc T-Nation
School Lunch Proposals Set Off Dispute NY Times

There are no classes today due to the CF Gymnastics Seminar we’re hosting.  We’re excited to see what day 2 brings, yesterday we learned about hollow body positions, shoulder activation, ring and floor inversions as well as how to approach gymnastics training in CrossFit.  We’ll see everyone tomorrow!

Steph P talks about getting ready for today’s Marathon

NYC Marathon Today

Best of luck to everyone running the NYC Marathon today.  CFSBK would like to send EXTRA POSI-VIBES to Emily G, Jason H, Julia W, Shanna H, Isaac W, Steph P and Mr. Katz (Matt’s Dad, running his 69th! Marathon) who have all completed endless hours of training in preparation for today’s event.  We salute you all for having the mental and physical discipline to take on such a difficult endeavor and see it through. 

Brooklyn Paleo

Check out Lana Z’s Brooklyn Paleo blog and get the skinny on her mother-in-law’s Rubbed Rosemary Pork.  Prefer to go out and try a new restaurant?  Check out her review and paleo friendly recommendations about Chavela’s Restaurant in Crown Heights.

What are your favorite places to get Paleo-friendly grub in Brooklyn? (Question Courtesy, Stella Z)

There are no classes today or tomorrow due to the CF Gymnastics Seminar we’re hosting.  We’re excited to have Jeff Tucker and his team come to CFSBK and help develop our ability to assess, progress and instruct basic and advanced body weight movements.  We’ll see everyone Monday!

Optional Track Workout Today

For those of you not participating in the CrossFit Gymnastics Course this weekend, we’ve organized a track workout at Red Hook Track which will be led by Mike M and McDowell M.  Folks will meet at 10:30am TODAY, do some led warm-ups and then get into the following workout:

Each for time
800m x1
400m x2
200m x3
100m x4

Rest 1-3 times as long as your previous effort, as needed.

All are welcome and encouraged to come.  If you can’t make it out, you can always Mobility WOD then perform a home based workout like the one below.  A special challenge would be to get a non-CrossFitter to do it with you!

5 Rounds of:
20 Hollow Rocks
6 Wall Walks (with or without a push-up at the bottom or top)

Josh’s “Knees to Bows”!

Good luck to everyone running the NYC Marathon Tomorrow!
Emily G, Jason H, Julia W, Shann H, Isaac W, Steph P and Mr. Katz (Matt’s Dad!)

Traveling to CFSBK?

If you’re coming to CFSBK for the first time, you might consider the following:

Parking: Look for parking on Degraw street and in the avenues and side streets south of 4th avenue.  Everything above 4th ave is residential and tricker to find parking in.

Subway: The closest Subway would be taking the R  to “Union Street” or  2   3   4   5   B  or  Q  to Atlantic Ave.  Check us out on Google Maps here

Coffee: Root Hill Cafe is open at 8:30am on Saturday and Sunday. Tell them you’re from CrossFit and get 10% off your order!  Root Hill is located at 262 4th Ave at Carroll Street.

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Strong. Awesome Talk To Me Johnnie
So Tuff Everything Is Terrible

The amazing Teresa and her fearless assistant, Carlos

Happy Birthday, Leslie O

Reminder that there are no Group Classes, Teaser Class or Active Recovery this weekend due to the CrossFit Gymnastics Certification.

Park WOD Tomorrow

For those of you not participating in the CrossFit Gymnastics Course this weekend, we’ve organized a track workout at Red Hook Track which will be led by Mike M and McDowell M.  Folks will meet at 10:30am, do some led warm-ups and then get into the following workout:

Each for time
800m x1
400m x2
200m x3
100m x4

Rest 1-3 times as long as your previous effort, as needed.

All are welcome and encouraged to come.  If you can’t make it out, you can always Mobility WOD then perform a home based workout like the one below.  A special challenge would be to get a non-CrossFitter to do it with you!

5 Rounds of:
20 Hollow Rocks
6 Wall Walks (with or without a push-up at the bottom or top)

Announcing the Tough Tits Day Powerlifting Meet!

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

What: 3 attempts at a 1 rep max of Backsquat, Bench Press and Deadlift
When: December 17 at 2pm
Who: SBK women who have been attending group classes for at least 3 months
How much: $20. Includes participation and a bench press/rules clinic with Margie on December 1 at 8pm.
Registration deadline is December 10, 2011

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:

• Under 135
• 136-160
• Over 160

In the event of a tie, lowest weight wins. 

Register here!

Information regarding rules and logistics of the meet will be emailed upon registration.

Questions? Contact Margie at crossfitsouthbrooklyn dot com
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The Most Important MWOD Ever: Slow Death By Text Mobility WOD
Heavy: A Response Margie Lempert
Getting Ready to Squat Margie Lempert

5-5-5 Advanced
3×5 Novice/Intermediate

Post loads to comments.

3 Rounds for time of:
15 Burpee Box Jumps, 20″
15 Dumbbell Push Presses
15 Pull-Ups

Post time and Rx to comments.

The Return of Rolando!

No Clases this weekend but…

As you well know by now, we’re not running classes this weekend for the CrossFit Gymnastics Course but McDowell and Mike M have offered to lead a workout at Red Hook Track on Saturday at 10:30am.  This is a great opportunity to benchmarck some of your run times at an official track! Post to comments if you’re interested in going.

CrossFit Total

Great work to all the big PRs we saw last night at the Total. If you participated, let us know about you experience over the last 8 weeks and last night.

Interested in getting strong like these folks? Sign up today for our November/December Cycles

Cycle A  (Novice Program)
11/14/11 – 12/23/11
Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00-8:30pm
Fridays from 6:00-7:30pm
Learn more and Register Here!

Cycle B  (Intermediate/Advanced)
11/15/11 – 12/23/11
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00-8:30pm
and
Sunday from 10:00-11:30am
Learn more and Register Here!

Cycle C (Morning)
11/14/11 – 12/21/11
Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00am
Learn more and Register Here!

Strength Cycle Continuing Education
11/15/11 – 12/22/11
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00-7:30pm
Learn more and Register Here!

___________________
“As far as training partners go, if you run with the lame, you will develop a limp. So only train with those who have the same goals as your own. Everyone can’t be a world champ, but we can all be better.”
– Louie Simmons

3×5
Start with 90% of you previous best 3rm Squat. The goal of this 6 week cycle will be to squat your previous 5×3 weight for 3×5

3 Rounds NFT of:
10 Romanian Deadlifts
10 Pallof Presses
Load the RDL about 45-50% of today’s squat. Focus on hamstring activity and spinal position moreso than load

Optional DIY Finisher
Test your 500m Row
See how you stack up on our CrossFit Levels list with this benchmark distance!

Who let a Skunk into the gym!?!

Remember there are no Group Classes, Active Recovery or Teasers this weekend due to the CrossFit Gymnastics Certification we’re hosting.

Strength Cycle Total Today!

Another series of Strength Cycles comes to an end which means another CrossFit Total graduation.  All 4 Strength cycles will be competing against themselves to find a new 1RM Back Squat, Press and Deadlift.  Good luck, Iron Warriors! All are welcome and encouraged to spectacte and cheer on these guys and gals.

The Brooklyn Paleo Blog

Brooklyn Paleo is a paleo food blog recently started by CFSBKer Lana Z. She’s hoping that a few fellow CFSBKers might be interested in getting involved and contributing to the blog to help it grow into a valuable resource for our box. Ideally, the blog will help us all stick to our diet goals as well as we stick to our gym goals, offer a place to talk about what we eat every day, and help us figure out what to make (or where to go) for dinner. This is very casual and you will not be scoffed at for occasionally featuring peas or dairy in your recipes (at least not by Lana anyway…)

Overall the blog will help us find out:

• Which neighborhoods have the best CSA’s?
• Where can we find affordable grass fed beef in Brooklyn?
• Which NYC restaurants cater best to our caveman needs?
• Where can we find a decent Paleo lunch near the office?
• What should we cook for dinner?

If you’re Interested in writing regularly, helping out occasionally, or just submitting a recipe get in touch with Lana at: lana(AT)groundupdesigners.com.

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If you had a time machine and could travel back in time, which historical event would you like to witness and why? Would you like to be a participant or a fly-on-the-wall?
(Question Courtesy, Samir C)

Christine D looking FIERCE during Competition Team Class

Reminder: There are No Classes this weekend due to the CrossFit Gymnastics Certification we’re hosting.

Congratulations Avery!

Great job to Avery W on her very impressive results at the World Kettlebell Lifting Championships in Chicago this weekend!
“Despite world’s worst cold this weekend, first place in my weight division, rank one in long cycle and third woman overall in pentathlon at wkc worlds!”

December’s Foundations Dates are Live!

December AM Semi-Private Foundations
12/11/11 – 12/22/11
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00-8:00am
Sundays from 10:00-11:00am
Register Here!

December Afternoon Semi-Private Foundations
12/2/11 – 12/14/11
Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 12pm
Register Here!

December PM Semi-Private Foundations
12/11/11 – 12/22/11
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:00pm
Sundays at 11am
Register Here!

“The Professor”, Samir C had a great idea and thought we should survey you guys to see what kinds of questions you’d like us to ask on the blog.  So- What would you like to know about your fellow CrossFitters?
_________________
The Shame of College Sports The Atlantic
Manny Adams Doin Push-Ups!

Take 10 Minutes to work up to a heavy-ish Thruster taken from the deck, then:

3 Rounds for max reps of:
1:00 Thrusters, 135/95
1:00 Weighted Pull-Ups 45/25
1:00 Rest

Use a Dumbbell anchored between your feet to weight the pull-ups.

Post total reps per movemet and Rx to comments.

Chantzy says, “Happy Halloween!”

Happy Birthday, Joel W!

CFSBK Costume Contest Today!

Jim K had been training at CFSBK while in town and left before using up his punch card.  He asked us to think of a way to give it back to the community so we’re going to do a costume contest today!  Anyone who dresses up will have their photo taken by one of the staff to be submitted in the costume contest. There are 4 classes remaining on Jim’s card which can be used for Group classes or Active Recovery. Happy Halloween, Everyone!

New Strengh Cycles Announced

We’ll be running 4 abbreviated (6 Week) cycles leading up to the December holidays. Peep the deets below!

Cycle A  (Novice Program)
11/14/11 – 12/23/11
Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00-8:30pm
Fridays from 6:00-7:30pm
Learn more and Register Here!

Cycle B  (Intermediate/Advanced)
11/15/11 – 12/23/11
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00-8:30pm
and
Sunday from 10:00-11:30am
Learn more and Register Here!

Cycle C (Morning)
11/14/11 – 12/21/11
Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00am
Learn more and Register Here!

Strength Cycle Continuing Education
11/15/11 – 12/22/11
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00-7:30pm
Learn more and Register Here!

What were some Halloween Costumes you dressed in as a child? How about more recently?
____________________
The History of Halloween History
How to Create a Gaping Hole in your Gut Gizmodo
Has Halloween Become Too Comercialized? The Onion

Complete the following for time:

400m Run
35 Burpees
270m Run
25 Burpees
130m Run
15 Burpee

Post time to comments.

No Sleeves, No Shirt, No Problem

Costume Contest!

Jim K had been training at CFSBK while in town and left before using up his punch card.  He asked us to think of a way to give it back to the community so we’re going to do a costume contest tomorrow!  Anyone who dresses up will have their photo taken by one of the staff to be submitted in the costume contest. There are 4 classes remaining on Jim’s card which can be used for Group classes or Active Recovery. Happy Halloween!

The New Cycle Begins Today!

Today marks the start of our new programming cycle.  We’ll be Back Squatting on Wednesdays and Front Squatting on Saturdays.  The goal of the Wednesday squats is to get you squatting what you did for 5×3 last cycle for 3×5 by the end of this one. 

Friends of Douglass/Greene Park Silent Auction

Our next door neighboors are hosting a silent auction on Tuesday, November 1st to benefit the park on the corner of Degraw and 3rd avenue.  The event is being held at the Marriot Hotel on Douglass/3rd avenue from 7p-9p. For more information check out the event’s FB page here.  There is an online auction that is currently open and will continue until the live auction begins which you can check out here!  We’ve even donated a spot in one of our upcoming Foundations cycles so tell your friends!

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How do you approach the start of a new cycle?  Do you go all out from day 1 or do you seek to ramp up the intensity of the WODs over the course of the cycle?

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Future Games Competitor Talk to Me Johnnie
Interview with Annie Sakamoto CrossFit
An Intro To CrossFit-What is Fitness My Five Fingers
7 Billion People and You: What’s Your Number? BBC