Box Squats
Work up to a 3RM Box Squat on a box that allows you to sit at full depth. Use your regular stance and squat style and maintain tension throughout the pause. Aim for around 70% of a 1RM (or 80% of your best 3×5) and go up from there as appropriate. If you have time, watch this video before coming to class: How to Box Squat Properly.
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Tabata Russian Kettlebell Swings, as heavy as possible
Post loads and total reps to comments.
Brian P. warming up his squat
News and Notes
- Cruise Director Mare L. (who was responsible for so many great events in 2014) is interested in coordinating a volunteer project for CFSBKers. If you have any ideas for projects that could accommodate larger groups, email Mare [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com.
- DON’T FORGET TO RSVP FOR CLASS: Go to the CFSBK Online Store, log in, click “Calendar” from the left-hand column, select the class you plan on attending, press the blue “Reserve” button on the right-hand side of the screen, and voila! It’s that easy. Learn more on the RSVP to CFSBK page (located in the left-hand column under General Information).
- Registration for the Airbnb Brooklyn Half opens at noon today, and sells out quickly. Don’t miss your chance to run through your favorite borough!
- Sending birthday love to Gina G., all the way from Brooklyn to Austin (read her Parting Love Letter from October)!
New Training Template and Standardized Warm-ups
Head over to our Current Programming Cycle tab (located in the left-hand column under Member Resources) to see what’s on tap for the next 10 weeks! Our new standardized warm-ups are listed below.
3 Rounds Not For Time:
10 Paused Overhead Squat (pause on tension at the bottom)
10 Ring Rows
20 Hollow Rocks
3 Rounds Not For Time:
20 Lunges
10 Push Ups
5-10 Chin Ups
Introducing: CFSBK Kids Club
Thank you to everyone who responded to our survey in December. Based on your responses, we are excited to launch the CFSBK Kids’ Club on Sunday, Feb. 1st!
This won’t be your ordinary kids’ watch program! This one hour drop-off program is designed for children ages 3 to 8, and will keep them engaged with hands-on activities. While you’re working out, your child(ren) will have the opportunity to explore arts and crafts, science experiments, games, and movement. You’ll get peace of mind and they get an hour jam packed with FUN!
Drop-in: 1st child – $10/child (take 20% off for the older child when siblings are registered together)
5 Pack: $40/child (1 child), $55/siblings (2 children)
RSVP Required, more details on this process coming soon!
Please note that CFSBK Kids’ Club is a separate program from CrossFit Kids. CrossFit Kids is under development and will be announced in the coming weeks.
Questions? Email Janelle [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com
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Team’s Mission: Beat the Boys (and Maybe Make Them Cry) The New York Times
Check Out This Woman’s Cool Pull-Up Routine UpRoxx
Hello box squats, my old friends,
I've come to move with you again.
Because my depth was upward creeping
McDowell saying "No rep! That's cheating!"
I realize I cheated that rhyme as well, but it was good to have the box this morning so as NOT to cheat on the squats. Oh right, THAT'S where the bottom is! 175×3, a little harder than I expected it to be as I've done this weight with a pause before.
11×2, then 10×6 on the KB swings with Big Orange (28kg). I knew that was going to be a bad idea. I was the only person who flopped on the ground when the work was done. It's supposed to be back off week, why did I do that to myself?!
Tiny 4:30 class:
Came in early to test out my front squat:
405 – Felt great. Good bounce, good speed.
425F – All kinds of wonky. I didn't get below parallel or get a good enough bounce, so I rocked forward and came up on my toes. Somehow managed to stand up this wonky, wonky lift. I think I've got this, but didn't have time to try it again. Still, 405 isn't bad considering I haven't front squatted in 5 weeks.
PAUSE BENCH
Worked up to 305. Had more in me, but ran out of time.
Used the 20 minute row as an easy recovery row where we talked about tacos, booze, and pizza. It was great.
Lot of stuff for me to be happy about on the ol' blog today. I'm very glad to be continuing to bench press on Mondays. I felt like I ended at too low a weight last time, so I'm glad to have the opportunity to remedy that. I'm also super excited about the Kids Club – my monkeys are definitely going to get my money's worth out of that.
6am with McDowell and Arturo. I worked up to 185 on the box squats. This was actually a little heavier than I expected to go, so I'm pretty happy with it. On the KB swings, I went with a 32 kg bell, which I don't think I've ever touched before, let alone swung. It was heavy. The first two rounds, I got in 11 swings, then I fell dramatically off and the remaining rounds were all 6 or 7 swings. It was fun to play with some heavier gear than I usually would – even if there was a not-totally-insignificant risk of losing my grip and launching the kettlebell across the gym. All's well that ends well, though.
6:30am Strength Cycle
LBBS: 110lbs 5 x 3
Bench Press: 72.5lbs 4, F, 5 x 2
Cleans: 55lbs 3, 3 x 2 sort of failed the rest. Bla.
Interesting article yesterday about the squat mechanics. Can't say I understood all of it, but I can't get out of my head "Point your nipples at the floor". Thanks.
6AM with McD and Arturo
Box Squat
95 x 3
125 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 3
185 x 3
195 x 1
The weight creeped up quickly. 175 felt fine, 185 was still o-kay but had to take a good amount of time getting myself set up top. At 195 I got one rep, tried to take my time get set but once I got down I lost focus and tension. There was no way I was getting back up. Thankfully Sean and McD were there to spot.
KB Tabata
Min: 10 Max: 12 @ 28kg
One word: grip.
Registration for the Brooklyn Half-Marathon just opened — http://www.nyrr.org
Visited CrossFit Haven in Glenview, Illinois. Smaller box, but good. We did push press, romanian deadlifts, and dips.
10am class with Jeremy.
WU1
10 x Paused OH squats @ 33#
10 x ring rows
20 x hollow rocks
Glad to have an opportunity to practice overhead squats in the warm-up as this is definitely not a movement I am inclined to do by myself. This is much harder than WU2.
Box Squat
45 x 5
95 x 4
135 x 3
185 x 3
200 x 3
210 x 3
215 x 3
Ran out of time- I think I could possibly have added another 5# or 10#, which is pretty cool 🙂
Tabata KB swings @ 24kg; best round 15, worst round 13 for a total of 104 reps.
Bench Press
210x5x6
Felt great. Looking forward to Oly tonight.
I just signed up for the Brooklyn Half. I have not done a half in five years, or any other races since starting CrossFit in 2012.
Rob U and Michael A – thanks for the kick in the pants. Also, Michael A – happy to chat about baseline/minimal half marathon training I have done in the past – aimed for 2-3 runs/week.
And to Coach Noah (the squat whisperer/my favorite coach when none others are free/writer of eloquent and informative articles/jump rope donator): I realize that getting in some distance training will mean doubling down on ankle mobility in order to keep improving squat form.
Mobility
DROMs, hammy and quad stretches
Shoulder, pec, thoracic spine opener over wallball w superfriend – this was pretty awesome
Warm up x 3
10 wall ball 14# 10'
10 ring rows
16 walking lunges 45# OH
LBBS –
(5) kipping t2b between sets
20kgx5
40kgx5
50kgx4
60kgx3
70% — 63kg x5
Snatch –
Barbell drills, Trying out closer grip
Foam roll quads bw attempts
35kg x2 — first time going straight to this weight after bbell drills
38kg x1
40kg xf, 1 — slow but just got
Ran out of time
Box squat: worked up to 225×3
Tabata swings with 24kg bell: high of 12, low of 12
5:30pm class with Noah and McD
LBBPBS (low bar back pause box squat):
45×5
95×5
135×3
165×3
175×3
oof! the last set felt very slow and heavy! Still getting used to low bar, and the addition of the box definitely shook things up (though not necessarily in a bad way.) Noah mentioned that I am bringing my chin and gaze up as I come up—especially as the weight gets heavier. Will keep an eye on this next time I squat.
Tabata KBS @ 32 kg, high of 12, low of 6 (kind of gave up on the last round–my hamstrings could do no more). Mostly sets of 8. Despite Jeremy's heckling, 32kg was too heavy for me on this, but by the time I got to the kettlebells, all the 28kgs were gone. I tried to focus on getting the kettlebell as high as possible each time without losing form, but I definitely could feel myself leaning back a bit on the 7th and 8th reps of each round.
You guys! Everyone should go shoot arrows at Gotham Archery. It's so much fun and right around the corner from the gym. I went with my friend Nicole tonight and we totally Katniss-ed the eff out.
Today's work: box squats up to 125. I felt like I was pausing for like an hour at the bottom, but Ro wasn't convinced. (He was also right…) whatever.
Kettlebell swings: 20kg. Best:14 Worst:10
5:30pm
Good to be back but probably won't be able to make it in again until next week.
120# on the box squats. I did low bar on the first set but my shoulders were really tight so switched to high bar. This was my first time doing box squats so felt uncomfortable. Felt better with each set. I think I may be leaning forward too much.
KB swings @20kg. High of 13, low of 10. Had 10 swings most rounds.
Afternoon lifting session
Lbbs:
(45×5, 135×5, 175×3, 205×2, 225×1)
235x5x3
-still unbelted and still f'ing hard.
Press:
(45×5, 65×5, 75×3)
84x5x3
-felt good and still moving with good speed.
Took yoga this evening for a little AR. Great day overall.
Oly class
Clean and Jerk assessment
Clean – work up to 85% for 5 singles
220x1x5
Frank had me add a clean pull before the clean to work on moving the bar vertically with my legs instead of horizontally with my hips.
Rack Jerk – work up to 85% for 5 singles
231x1x5
Shifting forward a bit on some of these but got a thumbs up to just jerk.
Mobility – need to relax my hips, which seems very counter intuitive.
Prescribed accessory work which I think I remember most of, journal is at the gym. Looks like I'm mostly gonna drop the CrossFitz for this cycle (maybe keep in Saturdays Comp Team) since its lots to do. Still going to keep the bench cycle in though, road to 275…
Day 1 – Snatch
A) Snatch Pull + Snatch 70%x1x5
B) Snatch Pull 95%x3x3
C) Back Squat 85% rep wave program
Day 2 – C&J
A) Front Squat 85% rep wave program. Pause :03 first rep of each set.
B) Clean Pull + Clean 50%x3x5
C) Clean Pull 95%x3x3
D) Jerk 50%x3x3
7:30 pm w. MeLo and JB.
Box squats @ (45 X 3, 95 X 3, 115 X 2, 125 X 3 and) 135# X 3. Could have gone heaviest, but ran out of time.
Tabata KBs @ 32 kg. Best round: 12. Worst round: 10.
Heavier, not heaviest!
LIFTZ TONIGHT!
warm up: 3 rounds…
10 ohs squat (:02 pause at bottom, pac)
3×3 false grip ring row to muscle up transition
20 hollow rocks
FRONT SQUAT: 45×5, 95×4, 115×2
130x5x3
oh my gosh so much better than last week. now that i've done sets of 5 once, this wasn't so bad. focused on letting knees come forward in descent and hips forward/through on the way up. I think I stayed A LOT more vertical and had a good bounce this week, compared to last week @125. YAY!
BENCH: as noah said… I was bro-ing out tonight
45×7?, 75×4, 95×2, 110×1
117.5x5x3
-I am shocked and super pumped that I made all these. Last week was so hard and such a mess that I figured this would be the week I'd fail.
-Focus: control down, speed off the chest, straight wrists, dig heels
-Huge help to have McD there to spot, coach, and cue me out. First set I was controlling a bit too much on the way down til the last inch, then really bouncing it up. Solved that at least a bit in the second two sets. Wrists still extending a bit too much, but working on it…
-Be smooth, but not slow. And don't bring the bar too low on chest.
3 sets of chins: 5-4-3
no time for conditioning! tomorrow, I guess!
Oops late post.
7:30 class with Melo and JB
Worked up to 145# on the 3×3 box squat. This was really close to my curretn 3×5 back squat, which is a stark reminder than I have little to no bounce out of the bottom of my normal squats. Oops
Used the green (24kg?) KB for the tabata. so hard! 85-90 reps. Kind of lost count.
1. BOX SQUATS
1 RM @ #110
2. TABATA RUSSIAN KETTLEBELL SWINGS
#24kg: 76 total reps (worst 9 reps, best 13)
3. COUCH STRETCH
2 min each leg