CFSBK is very proud to announce that we are expanding our coaching staff with the addition of the one and only Brett Ferguson! Brett came to CFSBK in 2014 from a personal training and bodybuilding background. He and David instantly hit it off, and after a couple months of training at the gym, they began to talk about Brett joining our coaching staff. Brett has spent the last several months working for a software company in San Francisco, helping to open a running store in Ohio, and traveling around Europe, the United Kingdom, and Iceland. Now that he is back in Brooklyn full time, expect to see him around the gym and in classes. We’ve very excited to have him join our professional family and to have him back in the CFSBK community. Let’s give Brett a warm welcome in the comments!
ROAD TO GYMNASTICS CLINICS with Coach Whit
What is it?
A series of three clinics to improve body awareness and control, take gymnastics movements to the next level, and learn progressions for advanced skills that you can practice on your own.
When:
We’ll run two concurrent series of clinics. Choose which you want to attend, Wednesday OR Saturday:
Wednesday Sep 14 at 7:30PM or Saturday Sep 17 at 9AM: Pull-Ups and TTB
Wednesday Sep 21 at 7:30PM or Saturday Sep 24 at 9AM: Ring Skills
Wednesday Sep 28 at 7:30PM or Saturday Oct 1 at 9AM: Handstand Push-Ups and Inversions
How much:
$25 per clinic! You’ll get the most out of this series by doing all three, as they’ll build upon each other. Each clinic is limited to 9 people.
How is this different than Anti-Gravity?
AG classes are designed as a complete workout with a warm-up, skill and strength work followed by some gymnastics biased conditioning. The “Road To” clinics are hour long clinics focused on dissecting one to two movements to help your understanding and development of that skill. Classes will meet in the Annex so space is limited!
Ok, cool. Can I go to group class beforehand?
While you are a human being with free will, it is strongly suggested that you do NOT do CrossFit before this class. Gymnastic movements have a high neurological component and require a lot of coordination, balance, agility, and accuracy, while also improving those skills. These things are simply better learned and practiced when you are fresh. Feel free to workout afterward if you’ve got it in you!
Are there buy-ins or prerequisites?
No, but we do recommend you have been attending group class for about 3-6 months before signing up for this series. We will provide progressions for a variety of levels.
What will we work on?
The Pull-Ups/Toes-to-Bar Clinic will involve a lot of hollow/arch drills, strict, and kipping work for both movements. We will focus on lat engagement and how to develop better gymnastics positions across the board. Please note we will not be working on Butterfly Pull-Ups in this hour.
The Ring Skills Clinic will work on ring support/stability, “I’s/T’s/Y’s”, ring push-ups/dips, and Muscle Up progressions.
The HSPU / Inversions Clinic work will teach you more techniques for getting comfortable upside-down. We’ll work in groups and partners a lot to take our inversions away from the wall!
Bottom Line?
You can never have too much strength or too much skill. This will put you on the road to both! Sold? So what are you waiting for…
This Week at CFSBK in Review
1. Underneath the Hoodie returned this week with a profile of Coach JB! Spoiler alert: she’s a wonderful person with a great story, and she’s still relatively small.
2. As a Labor Day treat, we reposted a classic CFSBK article, Coach Fox’s “Developing Your Pull-Up.” Whether you’re an advanced CrossFitter, just getting started, or coming back from an injury, it’s a nice reminder that CrossFit gives us a space to do things we couldn’t do before, as long as we put the work in.
3. Today is the very last day to register for FIGHT GONE BAD 2016. It’s one of our funnest events of the year, and you don’t want to miss out! The workout is nuts, yes, but it’s the good kind of nuts, and you get to do it with awesome teammates with whom you’ll raise money for a great cause (Brooklyn Community Foundation). Most importantly, you get to do it with the whole CFSBK community. Go here to register!
4. The third-annual CFSBK Art Show will return this November, and we want you to submit your work. Head over to the event page for more info. Even if you’re not submitting, don’t forget to save the date!
5. Coach Melissa penned a very interesting article on her experience of CrossFitting at 30 weeks pregnant. Even if you’re not planning on pregnant CrossFitting any time soon, it’s a wonderful insight into what “infinitely scalable” means and why CrossFit is for everyone!
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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Clean and Jerk | Power Cleans, Box Jumps, Row
9 Bizarre Schools That We Promise Actually Exist Atlas Obscura
Weird But True: Caffeine Can Make You a Better Athlete Vox
Saturday's Programming
Back Squat / Front Squat
Fitness
BSQ 2 x 5 LP
FSQ 2 x 3 LP
Heavier than last week.
Performance
BSQ and FSQ 70% x 6 x 2
Post loads to comments.
Exposure 8 of 16
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5 RNFT or 20 Minutes:
65m Farmer Carry, Left
65m Farmer Carry, Right
270m Run
The carries are to 3rd and then back in the opposite arm. The runs are 4th and back. Go medium heavy on the carries with the goal of doing them unbroken with minimal rest on the transition. If you're feeling it, then push the pace on the runs. Otherwise use them as active rest.
Post work to comments.
Great news Brett!
Yesterday — gymnastics focus
2 rounds —
1:00 assault bike
10 push ups
10 v-ups
5 rounds —
2 rope climbs
5 matador dips (unbroken, 7 on the last)
2 parallette handstand holds with spot
3 rounds "for time," as in, no stopping to talk or answer the phone but not moving very quickly
20 cal row — moderate, 700-800 cal/hr
10 ring rows — as challenging as possible
10 DB press — 20# unbroken
10 GHD sit ups
15:13
1 hour bike ride bc it felt great not to have a backpack on, and school is in session!
Welcome Brett! Looking forward to classes with you. (I enjoyed your Europe photographs and the commentary you provided on them.)
so happy to hear this! glad to have you back, brett.
also i'm really bummed that i will be traveling for the first week of whit's clinics because i REALLY want to take the pull-ups / ttbs class, but also super psyched that this is being offered, and will just hope it happens again in the future!
Congrats Brett!! MGMT finally caved and hired someone capable of leading the Zumba, Barre and Carpentry classes I've been demanding for quite some time ….
(I always had such high hopes for Noah in this regard btw).
I do not post often, although I really should start. Need to make it a habit after I WOD.
Anyone interested in doing the following 9/11 WOD this evening at open gym? Am hoping to find a couple people who are up for it. Karl? Paul?
9/11 Memorial Day Workout
Row 2001 meters
Then 11 reps of the following:
Box Jumps (36″/24″)
Thrusters (#125/85)
Burpee Chest to Bar Pull-ups
Power Cleans (#175/120)
Handstand Push-ups
Kettlebell Swings (#70/53)
Toes to Bar
Deadlifts (#170/120)
Push Jerk (#110/75)
Row (or Run) 2001 meters
The workout itself is completely symbolic of 9/11.
– The 2001 meter row represents the year the attack took place.
– The 11 reps of 9 exercises represents the date (9/11).
– The 125 pound thrusters represents the number of deaths that occurred at the Pentagon.
– The 175 pound power clean symbolizes the AA Flight 175 that hit the South Tower.
– The 170 pound deadlift is symbolic of Flight 77 and Flight 93 combined.
– The 110 pound push jerk represents the number of floors in each tower of the World Trade Center.
Congrats, Brett! So THAT'S why you were trying to memorize everyone's names. Excited to take classes with you!
Can't wait for the rings workshop with Whit!!! I really wanna get that muscle up! 😛
Sign up for FGB even if you're new and inexperienced! You won't regret it! The scaled version is very doable for all levels!
7am Pro-Gravity session with McDowell
BS – 165# x 6 x 2
FS – 140# x 6 x 2
That extra rep on the back squat was definitely another rep.
NFT – 5 rounds
I'd like to thank all the people that got me here. It's not every day you can finish a NFT, but with hard work and determination, you can make it happen.
32kg on the carries
Sprints x 2, then Shlomo talked me into .5 mile on the assault bike for 3 rounds (1:12 / 1:15 / 1:20)
Added in 3 kip swings on the rings to each round. Working on getting up to my hips to improve my MU pain point – the damn transition.
6am with David doing Thursday's workout
C&J Complex – 135×2, 145×2, 155×2, 165×2
Kept it light to work on getting under quickly. Overhead positions were rough after the heavy db snatch work from Wednesday
WOD: 18/18/18 on cleans, 16/16/18 on box jumps, 12/13/15 on row – total = 144 Rx'd.
Welcome Brett! looking forward to your classes.
@Allie B: I noticed the naming thing too 🙂
Welcome Brett! Dare I hope you like '80s pop? 😉
First group class after 2-1/2 months of morning OG! I missed you guys (although I did not miss having 16 minutes to do four squat sets!).
LOW bar back squat (first time since pre-surgery), 175x5x2. Always feels a little strange to change from high bar to low bar (or vice versa) after a long time doing high bar. But I'm really happy that I can do them.
FSQ!!!! 135x3x2. I took the weight way back for these because it's literally been a year and a half since I've done one. And IT DIDN'T HURT! You have no idea how happy this makes me! After I had surgery on my other wrist last year, FSQ continued to be uncomfortable for several months after the surgery. I think it's because I tried to do too much too soon, coming back from the surgery. This time, I was really conservative working with Jeremy on programming, and it has paid off. Both wrists feel strong and I am so excited to finally return to doing this movement pain-free.
NFT work was, uh, fun? Some dude decided to park his car on the sidewalk and the forklifts were out, which made the 270m run a fun little obstacle course. Used the 24kg KB and did all 5 rounds.
6am squats with McD
HBBS 225 x 6 x 2
FSQ 195 x 6 x 2
Felt good today and enough volume to make it feel like a normal squat day.
Did all 5 rounds of the nft with the red kb. Was too hot and humid to run fast so we just did all the rounds without a break. James of course had to take his shirt off.
And welcome Brett!
Welcome Brett!
6am with DO doing Thursday stuff
115, 125, 125, 135 x 7
Failed the push press on the 7th round. This was good n heavy for me.
95# / 24" on the Metcon. 125 total. Was a hard one. Felt like I lost a lot of time in transitions.
Welcome Brett-
so much great stuff on the blog this week- great story on JB, cool stuff fron MeLo.
Workout:
mobility work
up to 4-3-2-1-1 pull-up pyramid. That's up from 0 on Aug. 1.
Thursday's work with McDowell after MeLo's line drill madness
up to 105# on the FItness side. Felt much better after I got the bar up from my shoulders.
Metcon- 163 reps @ 75#.
wanted smooth sets and sort of got them
cleans: 20/17/15
jumps: 20/19/18
cals: 22/17/15 (all on my rower)
se-wetty.
Woo hoo!! Glad to have you around Brett!!!!!!
Welcome Brett!!
Also to management, are the clinics at 6:30 or 7:30? The blog says 6:30 but the signup says 7:30.
@Andre
there was a bit of confusion, but if you refresh the pages you should hopefully see now that both the blog and the sign-up say 7:30PM on wed nights.
Brett is gonna be awesome, stoked to have him on staff!
Was gonna squat today after clients, but after a long sweaty morning in a hot and humid gym I decided to get a haircut and a cold beer instead. Also dropped my bicycle off for a tune up since there is nowhere to park in Gowanus anymore.
Introduced myself to Brett at OG today, only to discover that he knew my name already. Do not be surprised if that happens to you as well…
Hell yea Brett! If there's one thing our gym is missing it's a set of beautiful pecs.
OG, Burgeron programming…ish
Snatch:275
CJ:352
FSQ: 352x2x5
For time
21-15-9
OHS (115#)
HSPU
500M row
16:12
5 sets of 5 unbroken MUs. Rest as needed.
Welcome to the team Brett – Looking forward to your classes!
Open Gym. Strength Portion:
BSQ – 2×5 @ 215
FSQ – 2×3 @ 185
Metcon: 9/11 Memorial WOD (Posted Above)
Time – 28:14. Did not finish last movement (2001 M Row) because we ran out of time, Gym Closed. Workout felt great although a bit incomplete not finishing.
Shout out to Andre for jumping in on this with me tonight. Its a pleasure & honor doing the workout with someone who served and continues to serve our country. Thank You!!.
Introduced myself to Brett and we chopped it up about Europe because I noticed his shirt from Crossfit Perpetua who I visited in London, he went to their box in Dublin.
Open Gym Strength
BSQ – 2×5 @ 165
FSQ – 2×3 @ 135
Came in with intentions of only doing Saturdays workout but Brian asked me to join him for the 9/11 Memorial WOD and I couldn't say no (even though I had thoughts of backing out)
Time – 27:20 without the last 2001m row. Scaled most of the movements down in weight so it ended up being the following
Row, 2001 m
11 Box Jumps, 36 in
11 Thrusters, 95 lbs
11 Burpee Pull-ups
11 Power Cleans, 145 lbs
11 Piked Handstand Push Ups On Boxes
11 Kettlebell Swing (American)s, 70 lbs
11 Knees To Elbows
11 Deadlifts, 175 lbs
11 Push Jerks, 110 lbs
Also signed up for all three clinics!