Search Results for: subway

Coach MeLo’s clean catch position | Photo by Thomas H.

• PILATES LOVERS: Coach KH has come down with something and can’t teach her class tonight. We’re sorry for the late notice! Check out Active Recovery with Coach Fox at 6:30pm instead.
• Lots of CFSBKers were born on this day! HBD to Erik B., Isaac G., Jack L., Mary S., and Mel L.! 

REGISTER NOW FOR THE 2015 SUBWAY SERIES!

Another year has gone by, and it’s time once again for an NYC affiliate throwdown: the fifth annual Subway Series! All NYC affiliates are invited to participate—the affiliate with the best overall score at the end of four events wins the Subway Series Trophy and bragging rights for a whole year!

Event Schedule
Sunday, August 2nd, 9am: CrossFit Queens
Sunday, August 9th, 12pm: CrossFit Virtuosity
Sunday, August 16th, 12pm: CrossFit Long Island City
Sunday, August 23th, 12pm: CrossFit South Brooklyn 

Scoring
Scoring will work “Open-style”: top 3 male and top 3 female athletes from each affiliate will score based on their place finish in each event. Athletes may score in any event regardless of attendance at other events. 

The ultimate series winner will be the affiliate with the least points after all 4 events have been completed. In the event of a tie, a 5th tie-breaking event will be held. 

As last year, an Rx division and Scaled division trophy will be awarded. 

Registration
All athletes MUST register for each individual event in advance via EventBrite in order to participate. Each event will be capped at 100 total participants, so we strongly advise you to register ASAP. These events sell out quickly. 

REGISTER HERE

Other Upcoming Competitions

Crow Hill USAW-Sanctioned Olympic Lifting Meet on July 12, 2015
When: Sunday, July 12 from 9 AM to 4 PM
Cost: Registration fee is $49. There are only a few spots left, so register here.
Requirements: You need to be a USAW athlete to compete, which you can figure out here. 

The Potown Throwdown at Poughkeepsie CrossFit on July 18, 2015
Steph M., Andrew, Alex N., and Brendan N. are all registered to compete in The Potown Throwdown. 

When: Saturday, July 18, 2015 from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM
Where: Poughkeepsie CrossFit, in Arlington, NY
Cost: $75
WODs and Registration Info: Here! 

CrossFit 718’s Summer Games on July 25, 2015
Coaches Fox and Jess, and Coach K HarpZ and Jay M. are registered for this 1 male, 1 female team competition being held at CrossFit 718. 

When: Saturday, July 25th
Cost: Only $40 per team!
Registration Info: Here! 

If you have questions about competitions, email Coach MeLo at Melissa [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com.

_____________________
The Hidden Benefits of Sweat FIX
Reebok Announces Release of Special CrossFit Nano 5.0 Trainers Sport360
Corey Jenkins on Photographing CrossFit Athletes The Phoblographer 

For Time:
500m Row
50 Box Jumps
50 Kettlebell Swings
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders
50 Wall Balls
550m Run

Post time and Rx to comments.

Dave F. is one of our favorite turkeys! Here he is warming up for Fight Gone Bad 2014.

Schedule Changes This Week

Classes not listed or otherwise noted are canceled.

Wednesday (11/26):
6am, 7am, 8am, 10am, 12pm
4:30pm, 5:30pm, 6:30pm 

Thursday (11/27):
8am, 9am, 10am 
Yoga for Athletes with Coach Whit is canceled

Friday (11/28):
8am, 9am, 10am, 12pm
Open Gym 5:30-8pm

Saturday (11/29):
NORMAL SCHEDULE RESUMES. 
Yoga for Athletes with Coach Whit is canceled 

CFSBK is Thankful For You!

We’ve posted this as an Athlete of the Month article, however the language and sentiment keeps being appropriate. We coaches would like to honor you all, and this is the forum to do it in. You come to Degraw Street from near and far, even spending up to an hour on a bike or subway to train with us. You come to us early in the morning before work or school, you make time in your lunch hours to WOD with us, and you even make it in in the evening after a long day spent at a desk or caring for kids. You do “shifts” at the gym, caring for your children while your spouse gets their WOD on. You’re willing to hold someone else’s kid so that their mom or dad can finish up at the end of a class. You make time for not just the fitness aspect of CFSBK but you also put in hours and energy to volunteer at events both in-house and on the road. You do your best to learn the names of the people who are squatting and skipping rope next to you. You cheer, hoot, and holler encouragement at your people.

SBKers are YOUR people… You lift hard, you row hard, and you push yourself and everyone around you to be better. You are coachable. You are humble, and eager to help a new member feel right at home. You travel and visit CrossFit gyms around the country and world at large and represent South Brooklyn well. You are proud, if not even a little conceited, that you work out at CrossFit South Brooklyn. You bring your dogs into the gym so the dog-less among you can get a little canine love in the form of a belly rub or a lower leg tongue bath. You socialize outside of the gym with other SBKers and know how to show love the Brooklyn way, whether or not you were born here. Most of all, you “get it.” You are not selfish and you love to see people do well, which is a big part of why we do well.

Thanks to all you special people who make CFSBK what it is and are part of our team. It doesn’t exist without you.

_____________________
What is one thing you’re thankful for and where do you find yourself on Thanksgiving today? 

Clean and Jerk: 1-1-1-1-1
Work up to a 1RM Clean and Jerk for the day. 

Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

Dumbbell Bear
Perform the following complex every minute, on the minute, for 20 minutes:
5 Dumbbell Deadlifts
5 Dumbbell Hang Power Cleans
5 Dumbbell Thrusters 

Loading is 45% bodyweight for advanced athletes. This version of “The Bear” was made popular by coach Mike Rutherford. If you are able to complete all the rounds, first start scaling up until you can do the weight as Rx’d, then begin to add one rep to the circuit. Seven reps of the complex for 20 rounds as Rx’d is the gold standard. 

Post load and rounds completed as Rx’d (within the minute) to comments. If you fell behind the clock, indicate how far you got and how many rounds you were able to complete in the remaining time.

Compare to 12.9.09.

Photog Asta F. during the most recent Subway Series “Team Jackie” event

Catching Up With CFSBK Classifieds

• Coach McDowell and Ellie are looking for a part-time nanny who can work Mondays and Wednesdays from 8am-6pm starting December 1st. Someone who has experience with infants and is ok working around a cat. If you know someone, let Ellie know!
• David and Rachel are selling their Concept 2 Rowing Machine. If you can’t get enough of the erg, hit them up! 

Travel Gym Recommendations

Have you traveled to another affiliate recently? Coach Noah wrote a great guide a few months ago about how to be a good visitor at other CrossFit gyms, titled “On the Road, and Sweaty: Visiting Other CrossFit Affiliates.” We love it when you post your experiences to the Travel Gym Recommendations tab in the bottom left bar. Check out these two recent ones and add your own! 

• Jason F. visited CrossFit 416 in downtown Toronto.
• Sarena K. visited CrossFit Herzliya north of Tel Aviv. 

_____________________
Modernity Big History Project 

The second your feet hit the floor on a clean, your hands should be open, elbows up with the bar fully racked on your shoulders. Developing this timing should be one of the first things you focus on when performing cleans.

Do You Know the Difference Between Exercise and Training?

By David Osorio

In a Huffington Post article at the beginning of 2014, noted strength coach and author Mark Rippetoe discussed the differences between training and exercise. Read the full article here, but in essence, Rippetoe says:

Training involves “directed physical stress,” and is “the process of going from where you are now to where you want to be later for the purpose of meeting a specific performance goal.”
“Exercise is physical activity performed for the effect it produces today—right now. Each workout is performed for the purpose of producing a stress that satisfies the immediate needs of the exerciser: burning some calories, getting hot, sweaty, and out of breath, pumping up the biceps, stretching—basically just punching the physical clock” (Practical Programming, 3rd Edition). 

While some debate ensued regarding other specifics in the article, the real value of this discussion, in my opinion, is the standardization of semantics when discussing the effectiveness of a program. These definitions are useful because most people have no idea what the difference is between training and exercise—and as an affiliate owner or coach, I believe it’s important that you guys know why Barry’s Bootcamp or SoulCycle are not actually training.

If our goal is to get good at CrossFit—which means increasing work capacity across broad time and modal domains—then there are certainly more and less effective ways to approach programming. No one could argue that someone blasting out 30-minute metcons day-in, day-out without ever lifting heavy or practicing skills is expressing CrossFit as effectively as someone with a balanced, thoughtful program. A good CrossFit affiliate should understand the differences between exercise and training, and bias practices that lead toward training such that we can see long-term quantifiable progress among both novice and advanced members. 

Below is a list that further differentiates between the two ends of the spectrum between exercise and training. This list is valuable for easily differentiating where a program might fall on that continuum.

Characteristics of workouts that fall on the far end of the spectrum toward exercise include:

• No specific, long term performance goal(s) 
• Non-quantifiable work output
• No standardization of range-of-motion in the exercises 
• Inadequate intensity/stimulus to catalyze an adaptation
• Arbitrarily designed workouts which don’t fit into a larger plan
• No control or consideration of additional variables (recovery, nutrition, etc.)

Characteristics of workouts that fall on the far end of the spectrum toward training include:

• Pursues a specific goal or adaptation
• Quantifiable performance outputs
• Standardized range-of-motion in exercises being used
• Specifically-programmed intensities to develop or maintain physical capacities 
• Each workout is part of a larger framework organized to achieve the specific goals of the program.
• Considers additional and complementary variables (recovery, nutrition, etc.)

Yesterday, we published the full version of this article on my blog Inside the Affiliate. The article goes on to discuss all aspects of training at CFSBK—from Strength Training, Olympic Lifting, Calisthenics/Gymnastics, and Conditioning—and addresses even more of the why behind the how. Read the rest HERE, and learn more about how CFSBK biases our programming toward training. 

_____________________ 
This Aerobic Video Wins Everything
Why We Sleep Together The Atlantic
Get Ready to Pay More to Ride the Subway WNYC
USA is Ready CrossFit

What training goals are you currently pursuing?

Fitness: Push Press 5 x 3 Linear Progression
Add 2-5 pounds to last week’s weight.

Performance: Rack Jerk 5 x 1
Hit 5 singles between 80% and 90% of your recent 1RM. If you’re feeling good then work at the 90% end, if you’re feeling off then work at the 80% end. Your work reps must be no lighter than 80% and no heavier than 90%. 

Post loads to comments.
e5/6
____________________

Fitness
15-12-9-6-3, for Time:
Deadlift 115/75
Push Press 115/75
Burpee 

Performance
5-4-3-2-1, for Time:
Push Jerk 205/135
Muscle Up

Post times and Rx to comments.

Oly lifting Coach Frank Murray at the 2013 Senior Nationals

LAST CHANCE FOR THE OLYMPIC LIFTING PROGRAM

**We won’t be able to run the cycles if we don’t get enough participants. The deadline for the PM cycle is 12pm today and the AM cycle is at 7pm tonight. Read a couple testimonials below, and even more in the comments on yesterday’s post (including a hilarious little Q&A by Jay)!**

Here’s a testimonial from Front Desk and Social Media Strong Man Matt K.:

“Frank helped me work on all the tiny nagging issues with my snatch and clean and jerk, showing me how to overcome all the issues I’ve had for years. I look at Olympic lifting in a completely different way now, and I’ve already seen Frank’s coaching make my lift more efficient during WODs. Sign up for this class, you won’t regret it.”

And another testimonial (and mild threat) from Funny Strong Man Jay R.: 

“SIGN UP FOR THE OLYMPIC LIFTING CLASS. Personal coaching from two national-level lifters (the man can clean and jerk like 400lbs or something). You will develop a deeper understanding of all of the lifts and and be able to show off to your friends. I don’t know of anyone who did not improve after finishing a cycle. Plus you get to mock the 8:30 class. If you are on the fence DO IT–or else you will have to see more of me in gen pop for the next eight weeks . . .”

What: An 8-week Olympic lifting cycle meeting twice a week with Coach Frank Murray and/or Heather Farmer in addition to 2 Open Gym or group class per week.
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:30am to 12:00pm from 10/28/14-12/18/14 or Mondays and Wednesdays 8:30pm to 10:00pm from 10/27/14-12/17/14. (see full details below)
Price: $300 per 4 weeks, first bill due at sign-up and second bill charged automatically to the card on-file 4 weeks later. 

AM Cycle
Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:30am to 12:00pm from 10/28/14-12/18/14 
REGISTER HERE

PM Cycle
Mondays and Wednesdays 8:30pm to 10:00pm from 10/27/14-12/17/14
REGISTER HERE

Learn more about Frank’s background here.

A Parting Love Letter from Gina G.

Dear CFSBK, 

I’ve been composing this love letter to you in my head for a while now. It’s really all your fault that I’m leaving. Now, that makes it sound like this is not a love letter at all but it is I promise. A little over two years ago I moved back to Brooklyn. I was bummed that the commute was too far to my old Bikram studio and decided I had to find a new way to work out. Maybe something not so repetitive. I was never really great at hot meditation anyway. At that same time I was physically and mentally not feeling great. I was slipping into my 30s. I was an accountant and auditor and didn’t want to be one. My body was in a shape, but just a shape that was all wrong. One day walking up the last block to my office, probably after the subway steps really kicking my ass, I remember thinking to myself, ‘Well I guess this is what getting old feels like and the best shape I’ve been in, in my life is now behind me’. Like a door had shut and an air-lock vault had sealed and I was sucked out into the void of space in some sort of Battlestar Galactica themed metaphor that I now don’t know my way out of. Anyway I was feeling bad and very stuck. And then I heard about CrossFit. And then I booked a teaser at the Black Box. And then I came across CFSBK before that Black Box teaser and the rest is the history of why you’re reading this right now instead of bizarro you over at the Black Box.   

I don’t think I could be doing what I’m doing right now, which is moving to Austin, TX (look me up!) for a part-time job (totally out of my comfort zone) at a little film production company, if I hadn’t build up the physical and mental strength I have over the last two years as a member of Crossfit South Brooklyn. And I never would have shown up to amass all that strength if it weren’t for all of you kick-ass individuals who make up this community, because a lot of what we do is seriously awful, it’s torture you guys, but it’s ok because we all seem to think it’s ok to do that to ourselves as long as we’re doing it together.   

So, I love you Crossfit South Brooklyn. Thank you for being so strong and making me strong and helping me find the strength within myself to start living out some dreams in my life. That dream being, getting my Friday Night Lights namesake cats to Austin, TX where I’ll obviously just live off of the fame of being the human to cats named after FNL characters.  You know that’s my real plan.  (Yes, both cats are coming with me, those beasts are mine forever and ever.) 

Thank you David for bringing these great people together under one roof. Can my life be complete without Saturday morning AR? Maybe, but it will be difficult. Fox, you better not ever have another Foundations better than we were, not ever, never. Aileen, you may be married to Fung now but you’ll always be my Crossfit soulmate.  

Everyone who comes to Austin better look me up! (Take that as a friendly threat.) I leave behind my max taco-eating legacy and you know that game is only going to get stronger where I’m going.

GG Gatto Out!

We miss you already, Gina! You’ll always be a CFSBKer in our hearts. Come back and visit!

____________________ 
An Extraterrestrial Time-Lapse, As Seen From the International Space Station The Atlantic
Revised Nutrition Labels Still Won’t Tell Whole Story New York Times
News About CFSBK’s Old Home, The Brooklyn Lyceum DNAInfo
Putting Your Dumbbells Away—What You Think v. Reality NorCal Strength & Conditioning

If you went Trick-or-Treating as a kid, was there any kind of candy you didn’t like to get?

McDowell lifts MeLo up at the final Subway Series event

Do You Run or Work for a Cool Business?

We are still on the hunt for super awesome (or just awesome) donations for prizes for Fight Gone Bad 2014. If you own or work at a business that wants to provide some sort of prize (no matter how small!) for our top performers (for the WOD and fundraising) please email David [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. 

Come Roller Skate with CFSBK on October 12th!

What: All-ages roller-skating, admission for the first 25 people that RSVP is compliments of CFSBK
When: Sunday, October 12, 2-4pm (Note: this is the weekend the gym is closed for the Starting Strength Seminar)
Where: the newly-opened Pier 2 Roller Rink at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Event is a go with a minimum of 10 people. Skate rental is not included. The same pier also has bocce and shuffleboard courts we could play on. Afterwards, we’ll head to 68 Jay Street Bar (where Charlie works) for some post-skating drinks. Stella Z.‘s SMART in DUMBO trivia night is also happening later that day at 7pm, in case people want to stay for that too. 

RSVP to mare [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com by Friday, October 10. 

_____________________ 
How to Heal Shoulder and Lumbar Spine Injuries Breaking Muscle
How Heavy is Too Heavy? Choosing Training Weights Catalyst Athletics
The Truth We Won’t Admit: Drinking Is Healthy Pacific Standard
Understanding How Grief Weakens the Body The Atlantic

Fitness: Knee Hang Clean + Front Squat + Jerk (1+1+1)
Work up to a heavy single on the complex.

Performance: Clean and Jerk
80%x 1 x 2
85% x 1
90% x 1
85% x 1
80% x 1 x 2
Base percentages off your 1 Rep Max clean and jerk. Go no higher than 90% (unless it’s truly feeling like a PR day, in that case go for it). Press outs are missed lifts.

Post loads to comments.
e5/6  
_____________________ 

Team WOD
AMRAP in 21 minutes:
7 Toes to Bar
7 Thrusters 115/75
7 Burpees
In teams of three with one partner working at a time, complete as many rounds and reps as possible.

Post reps and Rx to comments.

Eric, post-WOD or hunting for a lost contact?

• Happy birthday, Alex W., one of our favorite transplants from CrossFit Virtuosity! 

Make a Friend from Crow Hill CrossFit at 9am and 1pm Today!

During the 9am and 1pm classes today, members of Crow Hill CrossFit, along with one of their coaches, Robin, will be dropping in to WOD with us. They will be wearing their Crow Hill gear. Please go out of your way to show them the CFSBK love!

_____________________  
When Feces Is the Best Medicine The Atlantic
Sleep-Deprived People Have Shrinking Brains Science of Us
Tried CropFit? SUBWAY Restaurants 

Fitness: High Hang Snatch + Behind-the-Neck Push Press + Overhead Squat (1+1+1)
Work up to a moderate load on the complex. This means one of each, so: 1 HHS + 1 BTNPP + 1 OHS. 

Performance: Hang (knee) Snatch 2 Rep Max
Must stay on the bar. You do not need to fully recover (stand up) the the first rep from the hang, but it must be a clear rep before dropping the bar back to the hips. Practice the jump/catch recovery during warm-up sets.

Post loads to comments.
e4/6 
_____________________

Partner AMRAP in 15 minutes
With one partner working at a time, complete as many rounds as possible of:
6 Pull Ups
9 Burpees
12 Dumbbell Snatches (6 each, alternating arms)

Go as heavy as possible on the dumbbell snatches but maintain control of the weight all the way to the floor after each rep. Assess a 130m run for dropping the dumbbell from anywhere above the floor.

Post rounds and Rx to comments.

Michael C. tearing the erg up on Sunday at the Subway Series

News and Notes

• Happy birthday, Daniel O.!
• Yoga for Athletes with Coach Whit is canceled on Saturday, but come bend and stretch with her tonight at 7:30pm!

Fight Gone Bad 2014

Guys, we keep bringing it up because it’s that important and that fun. You now have four days (a mere 96 hours!) left to sign up for FIGHT GONE BAD 2014. Read more here, sign up here. 

Also, we are now open for any and all donations for prizes. If you own or work at a business that wants to provide some sort of prize (no matter how small!) for our top performers (for the WOD and fundraising) please email Info [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. 

Throwback Thursday

Around this time in 2010, Saturday classes were canceled to accommodate Robb Wolf’s Paleolithic Solution Seminar. “Folks” (which remains David’s favorite synonym for people) who didn’t go to the seminar went to Red Hook for track work and tacos, organized by Coach Fox (the taco loving should give that away). John D. (“The Hammer”) was Athlete of the Month. The Accomplishments and Goals board was packed full, and Coach Jess PR-ed her double unders at 60—ask her how many she can do unbroken now, or just look at the Leader Board. 

David also wrote some notes about how to set goals and record accomplishments in the gym, which are below (edited, of course):

All goals written must be achievable within a month and task-driven. For example “I want 100 muscle ups!” is not an acceptable goal. “I will practice muscle ups 2x per week for 4 weeks” is a goal that is short-term, quantifiable, and contributes to a larger objective. Another example: “I want to be more flexible,” would not work, however, “I will go to Active Recovery Class 2x this month and do the MobilityWOD 3x per week” is.

As far as the accomplishments go, here you can track not only your adherence to posted goals, but any minor and major achievements as well. Did you PR your double unders? Sleep more than 6 hours 5 nights a week? Did you deadlift a new 3RM today? Write it down!

_____________________
14 Tips to Help You Rest Easier and Perform Stronger Box Life
Escape! Radiolab
Confusion Over Best Way to Brush Teeth, Study Finds BBC
The Fitstagrammies: 25 Best Instagram Accounts to Follow Daily Burn

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5 pounds to last exposure. 
e6/12 

Performance: 1 x 20
Add 5-15 pounds to last exposure.
e4/6 

Post loads to comments.
_____________________

Fitness
For Time:
30 Kettlebell Swings
21 Dumbbell Push Presses
30 Kettlebell Swings
15 Dumbbell Push Presses
30 Kettlebell Swings
9 Dumbbell Push Presses

Kettlebell swings should be unbroken. Go heavy-ish on the dumbbells.

Performance
“Dianabeth”
For time:
9 Power Cleans 185/135
21 Handstand Push Ups
7 Power Cleans
15 HSPU
5 Power Cleans
9 HSPU

One AbMat scale max, 10 minute cap.

Post Rx and time to comments.

Zach H. mid-leap over the erg at the Subway Series on Sunday

News and Notes

• Have you seen the new photos by Pigeon, Asta F., and Dan R. in our Flickr account? Most of them are from the Subway Series on Sunday, and they’re all awesome.  
• You’ve got five days (5!) left to sign up for what promises to be one of the most fun days of your existence thus far: FIGHT GONE BAD 2014. Jump on it! Read more here, sign up here. If you don’t sign up, we promise you’re going to feel super left out about two weeks from now.

Catching Up With CFSBK Classifieds 

Have you checked out CFSBK Classifieds recently? Breebree is giving away a few things (for freaking free!) and she’s looking for an Assistant Conference Planner (ACP) for the 6th Annual NYCoRE Conference. 

Also, please note that all posts will be deleted after one month, unless they are advertising long-term services, such as Camille’s work as a freelance Illustrator/Graphic Designer or Amanda Mc.’s work building websites.

If you’d like to remove a post sooner or have any questions, email Kate at katharine [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. Go team!

_____________________
Home Is Where Your Dolphin Is Radiolab
The End of Tanning? The Atlantic
Weary of Pro Tennis Delays? Cry Into the Towel New York Times
An Open Letter to Everyone Who Has Told Women “Don’t Get Too Muscular” Tony Gentilcore