Arturo leads a class through DROMs
- Happy birthday, Michael A.!
The 2015 Look Feel Perform Better Challenge Begins TOMORROW!
New year, new you? Not really. We think it’s best to act in accordance with your goals and values all (or at least most) of the time, but we also recognize that many of us use markers like the beginning of the year to kick start positive changes. The 2015 Look Feel Perform Better Challenge begins tomorrow, and is a great marker to get you on track to become the best version of you in 2015. Some of you have done this in years past, some of you are new to it so here’s the overview:
Who? The entire CrossFit South Brooklyn community
What? A six-week challenge meant as a collective kick start into healthier nutrition and recovery habits.
Where? Right where you are. You’re encouraged to organize “rest day dinners” either in your homes or out at restaurants with fellow participants and there’ll be LFPB Challenge forums that you can look to for daily support. The key is consistent practice every day.
When? The Challenge runs from Saturday, January 3, 2015 through Friday, February 13, 2015. We’ll wrap up with a potluck and awards ceremony on Saturday, February 21nd.
Why? To look, feel, and perform better! And, for some sweet prizes!
Wait, did you say prizes? Yes. The grand prize for both the men’s and a women’s category is two months of FREE unlimited training at CFSBK, a $450+ value! There are also 2nd and 3rd place prizes for the men’s and women’s categories. Last year there was more than $1000 total value in cash prizes and gifts including a free month of dinners from Kettlebell Kitchen, gift cards to Lululemon, Beircraft, grass-fed steaks from Herondale, and other cool stuff too. This year looks to have more of the same awesomeness. Additionally, Kettlebell Kitchen is extending a 15% discount throughout the challenge to all CFSBK members who are participating!
Alright, I’m in! Great!
Challenge Guidelines and How To Participate:
Once you complete the following steps we’ll check them off as such. Please complete all steps by January 5th in order to be eligible for prizes:
- Sign your name on the list in the community area of the gym.
- Buy-in of $30. This must be cash and can be given to Front Desk staff.
- Answer a few brief questions and submit your “before” photo according to the guidelines on our new Look, Feel, Perform Better website. These are private will not be published or seen by anyone but the judges without your consent.
- Track points earned daily on the spreadsheet (link coming soon!).
- Perform the Test WOD and record results.
This year’s challenge will follow last year’s model and may be a bit different for each of you depending on where you’re currently at with food and recovery. The idea behind this is that while extreme actions can bring extreme and rapid results, we’ve also seen them often result in a “crash” where an individual rebels against the limiting behaviors of a challenge. We’d rather you change a few manageable things for the long-term than many things for six weeks and then get lost in a haze of bagels, beer, and chocolate cake.
Head over HERE (a page you can access by clicking on the 2015 LFPB widget in the right-hand column) to choose which statement best describes you and then follow those guidelines for the entire challenge.
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Weight Training Appears Key To Controlling Belly Fat Harvard School of Public Health
Saving the Bees The Atlantic
The Cloud: An Interactive Thunderstorm in Your House Colossal
Saturday's Programming
Back Squat
Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5-10 pounds.
Performance: Work up to a Heavy Single (80-90% of 1RM), then Max Reps at 75% of 1RM (capped at 20).
Post loads to comments.
e5/6
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Conditioning
3 RFT
30 KB Swings
15 Handstand Push Ups (kipping allowed)
Post time and Rx to comments.
I don't think I've ever wanted something as much as I want that cloud.
Kind of blah last couple of days. Feel like I struggled through the workouts. Front squats were a mixed bag. Started out disastrous but I felt my form got a lot better in the later rounds. Wish I had enough time to finish the reverse ladder – would have been a fitting start the New Year. Power clean effort was "adequate". Needed much more snap but wasn't feeling it. Test WOD: 7 full rounds and 56 calories. Went out really hard in first 90 seconds. Was on pace for 62 calories but could not sustain it. Hopefully I can get my kipping together in 2015. That definitely slowed me down. Not sure if I am just a bit tired post-holidays or if I am feeling a bit burned out. I hope it is not the latter.
I am sure y'all are dying to know my fitness goals for the year so here they are:
Back Squat: 275
Front squat: 200
Body weight squat clean
135# snatch
Kipping pull-ups and Kipping TTB
Kick up to wall and handstand push-up
1 muscle up (keeping the dream alive). Maybe if I dropped some poundage this would happen sooner rather than later.
Continue to focus on shoulder / t-spine mobility
Strive to get more virtuosity-ish at all movements
Have fun and continue to act the fool on this blog (much easier than launching my own)
Get some of my no excuses, "I really need to start working out" friends to join us at CFSBK.
It's a long list but it's a long year.
Relying on the great coaches to help me achieve some of of this stuff!
Congrats to Shaye on her great victory last night. Happy New Year everyone.
A very small 6am.
BSQ: 215x5x3
Weight moved surprisingly well considering the 165+ air squats yesterday. Received good pointers from Nick today, need to dial in my depth to avoid loosing tension in my hamstrings.
Metcon @ 28kg
w/ 10 min cap: 2 rounds + 8 swings
uncapped: 14:53
Swings: 30, 10/10/10, 10/10/10
HSPU: 5/5/5, 3/3/3/3/3, 4/4/4/1/1/1
Rep scheme was good, didn't go to failure at all. When the kip is working, HSPU feel effortless and smooth as butter but otherwise it turns into a bit of struggle when the kip is not synced.
Intimate 6am. Squats: 135×5, 205×3, 245×2, 275×1, 295×1, 240×15. Working on dialing in my bounce again. About 50% of the reps are super easy. The others are the usual grind. Rep-out was long. Had a rep or two left in the tank, but QL is starting to feel tight again. Metcon @ 32KG (american swings): 15:33. Swings were: 30, 12-10-18, 11-10-9. HSPUs in sets of 3 until the very last set which was broken up 2-1. Last 2 reps were a bit questionable. Maybe should have pushed for 4 or 5 reps per set earlier. Kip felt good on about half the reps. Like Brad, when the kip is working the rep is silky and effortless. Just need that feeling on every rep.
6am with Nick, Brad, and Peter for Saturday's work.
BSQ: 185×3 / 225×1 / 265x1x2 / 225×15
Nick pointed out that I missed depth on my 265, so I hit it again at full depth. I also need to focus on keeping the weight mid-foot and not leaning forward. Nick also gave some great pointers that he learned from Magic Mike.
WOD:
We all blew through the time cap. I also modified to 10 HSPU with 1 abmat. This was tough. I haven't attempted a HSPU in several months since my injury so I knew this would be even harder than normal. Used a 24kg KB. Finished the 3 rounds in 15:07.
The holidays meant this my 4th day in a row, so I'm feeling the pain and really looking forward to my day off tomorrow.
To be precise, that study made the conclusion about weight training and belly fat in men.
I'm not making an argument beyond that – just sayin.
Gigantic 10 AM class. My last 10 AM before going back to the grind, alas.
Squats were…not easy. I have no idea how you 6 AMers are getting those numbers the day after so many air squats in the capacity test! I was definitely feeling beat up. 225 for the single, which I didn't go low enough on 🙁 and 180×9 on the rep out. I was hoping for 10 but my glutes just ran out of gas.
WOD 8:12 with 20kg bell and 30# DBs. I'm starting to get more comfortable with going overhead with the 24kg bell, but 90 reps is a lot so I went with 20 and I'm not sorry.
Tonight I'm hoping to make up for at least some of the drinking I didn't do on New Year's Eve!
10am lifts
Deadlift
315×3
365×3
415×3
Squat
245x10x5
This was by far the toughest session of the cycle. I want a burrito and a nap.
Past few days:
Front squat: 95×5, 115×4, 135×3, 155×2, 170×1, 175×1(PR), 180×1 (PR)
Then 135×12
Really psyched about that 10 lb jump for my heavy single, felt like I could've gone heavier but didn't wanna be to wiped for the rep out. Wondering if I clean this weight, if so, that would be real-lay dope.
Power clean fitness:
5×3: 133×3, 128×3, 123×3, 123×3, 123×3
Should've known I wasn't gonna feel so strong after a night of drinking and a hour car ride. Started to get sloppy on rep 3 at 133 and eventually dropped down to 123, where I had much more control.
WOD: 6 rds + 2 strict chins
Treated this more like a NFR because I was feeling very sluggish. Pull-ups subbed for strict chins, push-ups at an incline on parallettes. Wasn't too sore today from the push-ups, good sign!
LBBS: 95×5, 135×4, 165×3, 185×2, 200×1 then 155×12
WOD: 11 min, 20kg, 30lb DBs
Again, feeling sluggish, broke everything up into sets of 3 and took it nice and slow. Didn't want to stray far from perfect with any overhead movements today, and the pace I chose was just right!
I did Thursday's programming.
Power Clean Fitness @98# Had a couple sloppy reps. I'm pulling too soon then when I try to focus on not pulling too soon, I lose momentum. I also need to drop a bit lower so I can catch the bar higher.
10 Min AMRAP Rx: Exactly 7 rounds. I was very pleased bc I was shooting for 5 rounds. I thought I would have trouble with the pull-ups, but kipped all 5 consecutively except for one round. Pushups are always my weak point. I broke them up from the first round into sets of 5. I started snaking on round 4 I think. Perhaps I should have done them on my knees, but didn't think I would get that many rounds in. Will definitely have to work in a few sets of pushups each week over the course of the challenge so I can improve on these. I probably could have pushed myself to move faster on the first few sets of air squats as well. So thankful my partner Shanieve (sp) tracked my rounds for me!
37 cal row. This felt horrible. Def need to step up my rowing game!
Music was on point during the WOD today!
Happy New Year!
LFPB…
If you created a TRACKER template any time before now, you'll need to follow the link (on the left when you click the LFPBC widget) and the instructions again for 2015.
Good Luck!
3 RNFT
20 x erg pulls, 5 chin-ups
Snatch
73 x 3 x 5
Clean, 3 x jerks
83 x 5
Press
70 x 5 x 3
Tried this weight again. The last set was the easiest. Maybe this means I need to warm up more?
Rack pulls
275 x 5 x 3
Going to go heavier next week and just do one set.