Workout of the Day

STRENGTH

Bench Press
Heavy 8-12

Notes
Take 15 minutes to work up to a couple heavy sets within the 8-12 rep range.

METCON

AMRAP 8:00
2-4-6-8-10… reps of:
Burpees
Box Jumps
Kipping Toes to Bars

Notes
Work up the ladder adding 2 reps to each exercise each round. Sub hanging knee raises or sit-ups if needed.

ASSISTANCE

Dumbbell LTEs
3×10-12

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK6/9)

You can’t beat those Degraw street summer vibes

Diapers & Dumbbells / Substitute Baby Wranglers needed

Check out this video from 5 years ago when CrossFit highlighted our Diapers & Dumbbells program. Then coach (now owner of Bell City CrossFit) Melissa L discusses the origins and intent behind the program. This program still exists and is ran by Coach Lizzie, David and Sasha. We love it so much!! We also need some help on three upcoming dates with baby wrangling while Sasha is away. You will be compensated for your time and need to be very comfortable and experienced handling babies. There are often between 8-12 babies and you will have a 2nd baby wrangler with you. Please contact cfsbkcharlie@gmail.com if you’re interested!

Monday June 26 1:30-2:30pm
Wednesday June 28 1:30-2:30pm
Monday July 3 1:30-2:30pm

Workout of the Day

SKILL: Snatch Balance

STRENGTH

EMOM 15:00
Pause Snatch

Notes
Pause just below the knee cap for a 2 count before following through to the full snatch

METCON

Tabata Mash-Up
Kettlebell Swings
Double Unders

Notes
Alternate :20 of work on one exercise before taking a :10 rest and switching to the other for :20 of work until 16 total (8 each exercise) have been completed.

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK5/9)

Harry, Yu and Kris enjoying some post Murph food and conversation

The Snatch Balance

Today before snatching we’ll work an assistance lift called the snatch balance. This movement helps develop confidence dynamically receiving the barbell in an overhead squat position.

Workout of the Day

7 Rounds for time of:
Run 270m
6 Front Squats
6 Strict Chin-Ups

Notes
FSQ: Heavy and unbroken (come off the floor) +/135/115/96/75/-
Chins: 1-3 sets per round. Modify to banded if needed but keep the volume at 6 reps

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK5/9)

CFSBK is a place for families

HOW TO BE A GOOD BAR PARTNER

By Chris Fox (6/20/14)

We’re not speaking about how to help a friend get lucky by being a good wing man or woman here—we’re going to discuss seven ways you can be a solid bar mate when paired up with others during one of the lifting segments of a group class at CFSBK.

1. Be ready to lift. This seems simple enough. After all, that’s what you’re going to do in a moment. Have your lifting gear—shoes, wraps, tape, belt, sleeves, special clean and jerk PR shirt, whatever—on you by the time your coach pairs you out to lift.

2. Have your numbers planned. Obviously you need to know this so a coach can pair you on a rack, and this goes especially for the slow lifts where there shouldn’t really be any guessing. This is where good journaling comes into play. Knowing what you squatted last week, what you plan to hit this week, and what your warm up sets will look like will help you be efficient during the warm ups so you can rest between work sets. I’m always amazed when it’s 10 minutes into lifting time and a rack is still warming up. If you don’t know what you’re loading on the bar, then at best you’ll waste some of your lifting time. Even worse, you’ll waste your classmate’s time. This is by far the biggest time suck we notice during classes. Having a plan for your warm up sets will allow you to make practical decisions for your warm ups and also be flexible for the sake of keeping the flow moving. 

3. Be present, especially if you are spotting someone. I don’t think I need to explain why you should be present when spotting but I’ve seen people drift off while doing it. I once had to “ask” someone not to be on their phone when spotting the bench press. Related to this, understand how to spot a lift. We’re only talking about the bench press and the back squat here. What we expect might be different than what you learned in the high school weight room, so if you’re not sure how we spot these lifts at CFSBK, ask a coach. Even while not spotting, being present with your rack mates is a good idea. You’ll often lift with the same few people for a cycle on a lift. It’s nice to know a bit about them and enjoy the time. I don’t mean you need to force idle chitchat, but an extra pair of eyes can be helpful, as can words and cues of support. Additionally, being present ensures that you’re being mindful of things around you and your partner’s rack. Extraneous bumpers lying in the way of a potential bail can cause a bar to take an unpredictable path, as can someone walking into a heavy bar on someone’s back. Being aware of your surroundings can head off avoidable injuries. Be in control instead of wondering what’s going to happen. 

4. Keep it in bounds. While we expect people to be engaged and help their partners, remember that you are not a coach and shouldn’t take over all the cueing adjustments/programming in your platform. It’s a fine line to find for some people but when in doubt ask a coach and always defer to the advice given by staff. We’ve heard people with great intentions give bad cueing or suggestions to rack mates. Know thyself.

5. Be ready for your set. When you’re not ready, you push the person behind you further back on the clock. In busier classes when there are three or even four people in a rack, someone should just about always be lifting. Don’t miss your turn or make your rack run out of time. 

6. Be clean, at least relatively. If the air around you suggests you may not have seen a bar of soap since the X-Files went off the air, it can be unpleasant and distracting to those around you. We work out together in pretty close quarters and get sweaty and sure, we all stink a bit every now and then (like me a few Thursdays ago, sorry!) but do your best to make that the exception, not the rule. Please note that some exercise apparel, especially that tech/wicking stuff, does not wash well—and all exercise gear has a shelf life.

7. Help load and unload the bar. Another pretty self-explanatory one. Share the workload on setup and breakdown—even going as far as to help another rack put stuff away if you’re done. You can’t really do too much here, but you can certainly do too little.

These are just a few things that can help your experience and that of your peers be more effective and enjoyable. Your fitness doesn’t happen in a vacuum at CrossFit South Brooklyn and the stronger we all get, the stronger we all get.

Workout of the Day

FLOATER STRENGTH

A: Hang Power Clean (optional + 2 Front Squats)
Heavy single

B: Back Squat
L2: 85% x 2 Reps x 6 Sets
L1: 5 Sets x 3 Reps Across

C: Shoulder Press
5 sets of 3-5 reps

Feel free to superset any of these with some DB Bent Over Rows, Chin-ups or lunges.

Notes
Choose one lift that best rounds out your training week thus far. Tomorrow we have Front Squats, Chin-Ups and running.

METCON

4 Rounds for time of:
:30 Tuck-Ups or Kipping Toes to Bars
:30 Rest
:30 Box Jump Overs
:30 Rest
:30 Air Bike
:30 Rest

Notes
Work hard on this 1:1 work to rest interval! Maybe not too hard on that :30 bike if you want to survive.

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK5/9)

Every Murph heat!!!

Thanks to Aaron W who captured the “before” pictures of everyone prior to Murph. Champions!!

Workout of the Day

ASSISTANCE

3-4 Rounds for Quality of:
10e 1/2 kneeling Palloff Presses
5 High Hang Muscle Snatches + 5 Pause OHS
10-15 DB Bent Over Rows

METCON

5 Rounds for time of:
15 Hang Power Snatches
15 Burpees

Notes
The hang power snatch should be on the lighter end, something you can do the early sets in 1-2 and the later rounds in no more than 3 sets.
HPS: +/75/65/45
If you’re really sore from Murph still you can remove the push-up from the burpee.

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK5/9)

Maria H doing a noir version of Murph.

Guest Pilates Instructor in July: Renee C

Our Pilates instructor Frank H will be away some of this month so on June 4th, 11th and 18th we will have special guest instructor and fellow CFSBKer Renee Chen filling in! Check out Renee’s bio and drop into a pilates class this month!!!

Renee discovered Pilates in her previous sitting-all-day-with-back-pain life. Pilates helped her manage chronic pain and improved posture, so much that she actually quit Wall Street for Pilates. She completed her 600-hour comprehensive Classical Pilates certification through Real Pilates, and has been teaching at their Tribeca location. She came to CFSBK following (or being forced by) her husband, and has enjoyed being part of the community very much. She’s excited to share her Pilates practice at CFSBK and hopes to see you on the floor!

Workout of the Day

STRENGTH

If you performed Murph on Monday and your legs are wrecked, we recommend you deadlift 3 work sets of 5 reps at a moderate load today. You’ll have an opportunity on Friday to perform the squat programming or you can skip this week and pick up next week.

LEVEL 2

Back Squat
85% x 2 Reps x 6 Sets

Notes
The weight is up 5% from last week but the reps have been cut in half. Move well and try to have some speed coming out of the bottom.

LEVEL 1

Back Squat
5 Sets x 3 Reps Across

Notes
Perform 3-5 progressive warm-up sets followed by 5 sets of 3 reps at the same weight. Try to go 5-10lbs heavier than last week.

METCON

EMOM x 5 Rounds
A: 12-15 Seated DB Presses
B: Floater exercise
C: Rest

Floater Options
A: Bike 1:00
B: Jog 270m
B: 8-12 Weighted Step-Overs

Notes
Use the first two rounds of this EMOM to warm-up and the latter three as harder work sets. If you’re recovering from Murph make this feel like an easy and consistent effort.

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK5/9)

Another heat off to the races!! 

Memorial Day Murph 2023 Photos

The amazing Aaron W just dropped 300 pictures from Murph this weekend into our Flickr!!! Check them out!!

flickr.com/photos/cfsbk/ 

The Origin of CrossFit gyms doing Murph on Memorial Day

This past weekend was our 16th annual Memorial Day Murph event and is one of CFSBK’s keystone community events. CrossFit gyms and beyond all over the world perform this tradition which happened organically. Check out the short video below for some history!

Workout of the Day

If you did Murph yesterday, perform the following workout as an active recovery day. Keep things conversational and just move. If you did not, push the pace and weight a little harder.

ASSISTANCE

4 Sets of:
60m Single Arm Farmer’s Carry
1:00 Bent Arm Sled Push

METCON

5 Rounds for quality of:
1:30 Row or Bike
1:30 15 Sit-Ups + 15 KB Swings + AMRAP Double or Single Unders

Notes
Aim for consistency on your row/bike and feel free to switch back and forth as equipment is available.

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK5/9)

Amir during Murph yesterday!

Thank you!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who made our 16th(!) Memorial Day Murph event a success. Special shout to…

• The coaches, front desk staff and grilling crew for making the day come together.
• Everyone who came out to take on this grueling workout for the first or 10th time! It takes guts to attempt this workout and the CFSBK never dissapoints.
• Everyone who brought food, helped clean up, cheered on their fellow CFSBKers and made the day amazing!
• Everyone who donated to K9s for Warriors.

Workout of the Day

Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you’ve got a twenty or fourteen pound vest, wear it! (weighted vests at the gym are very limited)

Notes
Over 130 CFSBKers will take on our 16th annual Memorial Day Murph event benefiting K9s for Warriors. We will review some scaling options but try to perform a version that will challenge you and take you about 45-60 minutes.

At your heat start time your coach will review the workout details, answer any questions and set you off. That means you need to DIY your warm-up and movement prep. Head over to the gym early to do what you need to in order to get your body ready for the workout.

ASSISTANCE

1. Learn about Memorial Day Murph from CFSBK alumni Noah Abbott.
2. Make a donation to K9s for Warriors to help train service dogs for veterans
3. Enjoy some burgers, hot dogs and whatever sides you all bring with your fellow CFSBKers!

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK5/9)

The past 15 years of “Murph” at CFSBK

2023 is our 16th year doing our annual Memorial Day Murph event! Take a trip down memory lane with one Murph photo from each year!

2019

2008 No photos, performed in Prospect Park
2007 No Murph yet!

Workout of the Day

STRENGTH

Mid Hang Power Snatch + OHS

Notes
Try to go heavier than last week’s complex while moving with control and exceptional technique.

METCON

I’m doing Murph tomorrow!

Alternate for 5 total rounds each person:
Partner A walks 130m with a sandbag (medium heavy)
Partner B Air bikes at a recovery pace

I’m not doing Murph tomorrow

AMRAP 16:00
Run 270m
followed by 3 Rounds of:
5 Kipping pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Air Squats

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK4/9)

Yu gets in one more workout before Murph!

Over 130 CFSBKers will be doing Murph tomorrow!!!

So cool to see so many people sign up for Murph tomorrow. Read yesterday’s blog post for any pertinent details, We’ll open the gym around 7:40am for people in the first heat to start warming up. Remember to hydrate and feed yourself well before tomorrow!

Workout of the Day

STRENGTH

Hang Squat Clean
Heavy Single

Notes
Perform a complete deadlift, then lower the bar to anywhere above the knee and catch it below parallel. Work up to a heavy but technically sound single. If you’re performing murph, use today more as a skill day than a heavy day.

PARTNER METCON

AMRAP 10:00:
30/24 Calorie Row
30 DB Push Presses

Notes
With one partner working at a time, move through the couplet alternating reps as desired. Similarly, if you’re doing Murph on Monday go light on the push press.

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK4/9)

Lee and Steph working through the 2nd mile in Murph last year

The Hang Clean

ICYMI: Murph Details

Our 2023 Memorial Day Murph event is this Monday and here’s what you need to know if you’re participating:

• Members need to RSVP for a heat time on Zen Planner in order to perform the workout.
• Minors may not participate without prior approval.
• At the start time of your heat we’ll do a whiteboard review, discuss the movements, answer any questions and then start the workout. Any warm-up needs to be done DIY before your heat start time.
• We’ll have a few amazing members who will be running the grill and will be serving food from 10am until about 12:30. The gym will provide hamburgers and hot dogs (as well as vegan options) bread and condiments. We ask that members treat this event potluck style and bring some sides everyone can share (fruit, veggies, chips, etc). We will be providing free water and some beer as available but members are encouraged to BYOB.
• Weighted vests are first come first serve and we don’t have many, so unless you’re bringing your own we can not promise their availability.
• This is a free event and we ask that members make a donation to K9s for Warriors, an incredible organization that trains support dogs for veterans with PTSD. You can do that via the link or onsite on Monday.
• We recommend members take any training 2-3 days prior to Murph light or off and show up Monday well hydrated, rested and fed.
• Curious what scaling options are? Check out this article from a few days ago.
• Finally, want to learn more about this workout, Lt. Michael Murphy and some context around the holiday? Check out this great video from former CFSBK coach Noah Abbot, current owner of Lumos Fitness Collective in Austin, TX.