This Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Matt Katz and I completed the GoRuck Challenge. We worked as a team with 40 other people to complete Special Forces-based drills, fitness challenges, dips in the East River and treks around the city — all with about 50 pounds of bricks on their back. Brotastic!! -Dave Fung
Avi’s Testimonial
Skills Class: The Kipping Pull-Up
Noah’s Kipping Pull-up workshop will be Sunday, June 16th at 5pm
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 $15 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.
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Lingua Fran-ca CrossFit
How To Do A Perfect Handstand
Midnight Barbell Bro Session
Low Bar Back Squat Volume
230x5x5
Resting exactly 3:00 between sets
Bench Press
135x5x3
Planned on going heavier on the bench but for whatever reason I had no push. May have been the TWO WODs yesterday. Also was focusing on maintaining shoulder torque through the lift which was a little tricky today.
This might not technically count as a bro out since I was listening to Joanna Newsom the entire time.
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Great work, Avi, your write up makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.
I'm jealous. I woke up and read this at 2 and started thinking of what midnight gym would look like. I got as far as black lights and glow in the dark paint.
….hypnotic spirals on the bumper plates, polka dotted kettle bells, jump ropes filled with water and glitter.
Smoke machine?
6am with McDowell
Did yesterday's WOD in 11:27
Doing burpees next to the amazing Charlotte got my ass in hear on the second round.
If I had to do it again I would have gone harder on the first two runs, might have done better. Then again, it always looks easier in hindsight!
Tomorrow's WOD, 12:03 Rx. Happy I tried this Rx even though I was feeling a little not-awesome during warmups because of the Total.
Spoilerish: one of tomorrow's movements is one that almost never appears in workouts for time. It was weirdly enjoyable and terrible at the same time.
Goruck Challenge was amazing – though it was actually from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., so we got to see the sun rise over the city, then take a dip in the river. Completely different from anything I've ever done — it was very team-based, so we were constantly supporting one another.
There were also folks of all ages and physical abilities there, so if you think you need to be some kind of badass to do it, you're wrong — you just need to be mentally tough and your team will get you through it. I'd definitely recommend signing up if you're interested. Fung and I are talking about possibly doing the Goruck Heavy, which is 24 hours long.
6am with Jess and McDowell. Yesterday's workout. Some lovely partner smashing to get things loosened up. And then the WOD in 11:31. My running has really been suffering lately. Couldn't motivate my legs to move any faster on the second and third runs.
Avi congrats on the tough mudding! Glad you ran at the course and not away from it.
@MGMT I hope the fact that there's a featured Fung pic on the blog today doesn't mean that his Spartan pic won't be up tomorrow. I'm sure we'll all be fine with back-to-back Fung coverage.
Re: Getting back on wagons
I'm re-challenging myself to get back to strict paleo eating. I took a detour adding back beer & chocolate after the LFPB challenge then in mid-May slid into a vacation vortex of bread, pasta & gelato. Then returned from that for a bout of my-friends-are-in-town-on-vacation-so-I'm-on-vacation-still-too-by-default off schedule eating. Time to get back to the plan that makes my body feel happier! Day 2 here we go! I might even bust out the spreadsheet and give myself points.
Way to go, Avi!
Gina: You're not kidding. This week has been a blur of ice cream sandwiches and Tate's Bake Shop cookies.
But I ain't going cold-turkey Paleo again until after my birthday. A gal's gotta have cake as a consolation prize for turning 35.
6am class with Jess & McDowell. Yesterday's workout in 14:36. Dude, I am a SLOW mofo on the runs. Virginia and Asha were housing my ass every single time. Time to bring back the sprint workouts…
@Alex it is hardly amazing to be able to do my first 15 burpees as fas as you are doing your second 15!
Hey all: I just found out I cannot attend the Doubles or Nothing Clinic on Saturday July 20th 🙁 So if anyone wants to attend the clinic that could not get a spot please let me know as mine is now open. E-mail: rachelbertsch@gmail.com
Forgot to mention I was in the 2:15 – 4:15pm session!!
1. The photo of Fun(g) and Matt is awesome! They always look so happy which makes me happy.
2. Avi! You are pretty great, you know that?
3. SURPRISE 6AMers! Gunfire outside my apartment and cops with their stupid gumball lights at.. 3? 4? meant I was "awake" and ready to crash the early party. Rolled in a little late and terribly confused, sorry coaches, and wrecked but jumped in and did alright, enough that I felt good that I managed to keep a steady pace during the Wednesday WOD and finish before time was up. And NO anemia crash and burn! Woo! Thanks bunches Lady Fox for being my ghost partner, definitely kept me motivated! I always have DO's voice in the back of my head "JB if you don't finish this I will kill you" so I try to do my best. Oh. And Fox says that to me too. And McDowell. HEY!
6am – mashing the calves and tri's with Luke. I told my kids on the way to school and they're excited to stomp all over me this afternoon (they were ready right there on the sidewalk).
Yesterday's wod: I actually enjoy burpees but i do them awfully slow. I have a three step – get-down, jump-out-and-do-the-pushup, get-up-jump-and-clap routine. It's not that smooth or fast. And then there was the run – my least favorite routine at the moment. So I dragged in at 15:18. But thanks for Joy in pushing me on the last run and the last set of burpees. I heard you coming on and it motivated me to keep going.
richard g
Charlotte: but I wasn't doing them that fast until you showed up!
Following up on yesterday, any chance the videos taken w/ the iPad can at least be sent to people recorded if not put on flickr?
@Avi you make it harder every day not to just hug your neck!
@Gina you are so right. The non-Paleo life really sneaks back on you. I am working on getting back to strict Paleo and trying to find a non-boozy summer existence! I am finding easier to just not drink at all rather than hardly drink, hmmm…..However in 2 weeks I have my birthday and there will be some very non-Paleo cheese cake however it is not every day a gal enters her mid 30s.
Catch up from strength numbers are going up but I need to get my butt lower on the squats and work on the nagging ankle twist. Great to be getting on the platform early though – changes the entire day!
Only thing bigger than Avi's calves is his heart.
veg and egg CSA delivery is tomorrow, kids.
6-8:30.
In an attempt to get my brothers excited about joining CrossFit, I had them do yesterday's WOD with me. Needless to say, it kicked my ass and they cursed me out throughout the process but they hung in there. I still won, even though they thought they had me on the first run (pace yourselves boys)!CFSBK get ready for the ginger trifecta coming this summer.
13:47. My shoulders hate me.
Merrrrr came in before front deskin' to do yesterday's run/burpee wod. 25 minutes of foam-rolling, ballin', and mobilizing before getting down to it.
Time: 14:38
Put headphones in to jam out in hopes it would make me faster and more motivated. Really really wanted to finish under 14:00, but I ended up walking a few times on the runs 🙁 Probably cuz I was on my own. Same story as the other day — just getting totally gassed so quickly with anything involving running. I know I'll get some semblance of endurance back soon! Burpees felt fast and great. Did sets of 10 in first round, sets of 5 in second, unbroken set of 10 to finish up.
Came in feeling tired for active recovery with Fox, ended up feeling great but not wanting to jump into the next class so I rowed my first crossfit 2000m. A couple things went wrong, but overall it was not bad at all.
At some point I realized the damper was on 10 and had to stop and reach up and bring it down to 5/6.
I always encourage people to get their heels down and use their legs. After Fox gave me that cue and I actually did it I felt my pull get faster, I stayed more upright and was right there for the return.
This was my first time being barefoot and the first time I didn't get a foot cramp. I like barefoot.
9:36. Without really ever going out with a power 10, or even a sprint at the end. Will retest this in a couple of weeks and hopefully get closer to 8 mins.
Power Clean+Push press+Jerk
176
198
211
220
231
242
253, 253F(Missed the PP), 253
Snatch Grip Pause Below the knee Deadlifts+Pull
242x3x2, 253×3
25Chinups with 25lbs
14:08 on yesterday's WOD. I'm trying to force myself not to skip all the metcon workouts, but I just have zero endurance.
On the plus side, I've revived my handstand! I got a few decent 10 second holds today. I'm hoping they'll be consistent again for this Saturday's rings class.
I did my first full AR class tonight and the 7:30 class, switched up to accommodate my ankle injury. I've only been gone from the gym for 11 days, and yet it felt so lovely to be back. I'm really, really thankful for this place.
Monday's WOD with knee burpees: ~12:30?
I'm going to regret saying this when I actually start training for the 1/2 marathon I'm doing, but I love running. Fun WOD!