WOD 10.15.19

Kipping Toes-to-Bar Skill Work

Choose an appropriate track to work on your Kipping Toes-to-Bars today.

A) Foundations Building Superset

A1) 5-7 x 1-3 Strict Hanging Knee Raises, Hanging Leg Raises, or Toes-to-Bars with a :02 hold at Top
A2) 5-7 x :20 PVC Hollow Hold + :20 PVC Arch Hold

B) Technique Building

5- 7 x 3-5 Beat Swings

5-7 sets of 3-5 reps. Once you can do 5 with consistent rhythm you can try to add a Knee Raise, Leg Raise, or Toes-to-Bar at the top of your reps and finish the session by performing another 5-7 sets of 2-5 Kipping Hanging Knee Raises, Hanging Leg Raises, or Toes-to-Bars.

C) Kipping Toes-t0-Bars 

7-10 sets of 3-8 reps depending on ability. The sets should be very easy for you to accomplish.

D) Kipping Consistency Work

Every Minute on the Minute x 14:
1) 4-8 T0es-to-Bars
2) 8 Yoga Push-Ups

Alternate movements each minute. Be mindful of your hands (don’t tear!) and stay in tight rhythm. If you fall out of sync take a round off and/or cut reps. The goal is to practice moving as perfectly as possible. 

Post work to comments.
Week 1 of 4

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For Time:
15-12-9-6-3
Thrusters 95/65
Burpees

The barbell should be light for you and unbroken. This one should hurt a bit, metabolically speaking. 

Post time and Rx to comments.

October Athlete of the Month: Jen Wuotinen

As Told to Chris Fox

This month we get to know a bit about one of our 7am regulars, Jen Wuotinen. Jen’s friendliness and openness to coaching were noticed by coaches early in her CrossFit career. She’s just seems to have that special something that makes us glad she’s taking our class. Over the years that she’s been training with us, her consistency and commitment to doing that little bit of extra work to improve has made quite an impression as well. And she’s helping to grow the tribe by getting her wife, Melissa, involved at CFSBK as well. Thanks, Jen!

Congrats on being chosen as our October Athlete of the Month! Beginning with the beginning: when and why did you begin your journey at CrossFit South Brooklyn? What were you doing fitness-wise prior?

I started Foundations in October 2015 and classes in November 2015. My father-in-law had passed away a few months earlier, and it was sort of a catalyst to try something different and to get healthier. A softball teammate was doing CrossFit in Manhattan, so I decided to check it out. That, and it really helps that we live 2 blocks from the gym. Prior to that, I was “working out” at Crunch (basically watching tv on a treadmill).

Ha! Crazy that we exercise without a television and a drink holder nearby, huh? What were your initial impressions of the CFSBK environment?

OMG, I was so intimidated at first, although that is not CSFBK’s fault. Everyone was super friendly and welcoming, but I was a nervous wreck. I must say that I have to give props to Lauren McCay, another 7am-er who was in my Foundations class. We quickly learned we were neighbors and she really encouraged me to come to classes and we would often get paired up together. I’m so thankful for that initial and ongoing support system.

We love it when members buddy up! It can provide some positive accountability, and more importantly can even turn “the gym” into a fun place where we get to see our friends. What was your “athletic” background prior to training with us?

I played softball in elementary school and volleyball and basketball in high school. I came back to softball in my 30’s once I met Melissa and joined the team she was on (Go Titans!) in the Prospect Park Women’s Softball League. I played from 2006-2018, which was an incredible experience. Loved the teamwork aspect of it and the fact that it was an all-women’s league.

Jess was on that league for a few years. They’re awesome! Where did you grow up?

I am originally from a small midwestern town, Clarkston, Michigan. I went to Michigan State for college and then ended up with my first job working for Ralston Purina in Dunkirk, NY. I have a brother, 3 step brothers, a step sister, a half brother and two nephews! Everyone still lives in Michigan so I’m kind of the odd ball that left home.

Quite a family tree! How’d you end up in Brooklyn?

I was living in Rochester, NY, working for Kodak when I met Melissa in Provincetown while on vacation. We started long distance dating before I made my way down to Westchester, and then finally to Brooklyn in 2008. I’ve been in Park Slope ever since!

I’m always reassured by the origin stories of couples who didn’t meet online dating. How do you spend your days?

I currently work for the MTA Capital Construction agency as an environmental engineer. Capital Construction builds the heavy civil mega projects, although our portfolio is expanding to include other projects such as the Canarsie L train tunnel rehab. I’ve gotten to work on the Second Avenue Subway phases I and II, East Side Access, Penn Station Access, and various other projects. The work is super interesting, the projects can take up to 10 years to complete, and the cost is in the billions, which is why they are termed mega projects.

So work keeps me busy! Other than that and going to the gym, I spend time hanging out with friends, taking care of Melissa and our 2 cats.

I was recently on it for the first time, and the Second Avenue Subway stations are spectacular looking! Anu hobbies other than CrossFit?

I love to travel and wish we had the time and money to do it more. I love seeing new things, experiencing different parts of the world and being out of our routine and comfort zone (for a short period of time). I am obsessed with making plans and doing all the research for our trips.

If you could place an ad in the NYC subway system, or on a huge billboard in Brooklyn that people would see every day, what would it say?

This was a tough question for me. Putting something on a billboard seems so epic and dramatic. It has taken me about 20 years of my adult life to realize this, so I guess right now it might be something along the lines of: “Allow yourself the space and have the courage to be who you are so that you can become who you were meant to be.”

Beautifully said. What were your initial gym goals, if any, and what are you working on now? What did you struggle with at first or what are you most proud of for improving?

Wow… I think I still struggle with everything but am more ok with it now. At first, I really couldn’t get to parallel while squatting (even with lifters on) and now after many years it seems my body is starting to loosen up so I guess I’m pretty proud of that. I’m currently working on being more proactive on my recovery/off days so that I can keep up the progress with my mobility gains.

Do you (or have you) participated in any special programs at CFSBK?

After my first year at the gym I did a Strength Cycle (and would like to do one again soon), and I did Keith’s Active Life program maybe a year or 2 ago. That really helped me understand my body and what limitations I could focus on to keep from getting injured. Super helpful!

This year I made the commitment to nutrition coaching with Jess and the Precision Nutrition program has changed my life! I never thought I’d be able to lose weight while learning how to eat healthy and feeling more balanced. I’ve never felt so good inside and out. I am constantly recommending it when people ask what I’ve been doing to get lean and healthy.

You’ve put in the effort to make positive changes in a variety of areas, and it shows! What piece of advice would you offer to someone just starting CrossFit?

I would say to run your own race, don’t get intimidated or be competitive with what everyone else is doing. Listen to your coaches, trust the process, and stick with it. I was super resistant to the community aspects of the gym when I first started (trying to avoid being sucked into a cult) but now I realize that’s the key to being successful. Making great friends and having people to talk to every day about all the fitness stuff that your non-CrossFit friends don’t want to hear about is a huge reason I’ve been able to stick with it and it’s big part of why I love coming here!

Is that what keeps you coming back to CFSBK?

Yeah, all the things I mentioned above, the coaching, the people, the programming are all top notch. CFSBK is really a special place that has changed many lives, especially mine.

Thanks so much, Jen! Last question. What qualities are important for you to see in a future Athlete of the Month?

Someone who is open to the process and willing to share themselves with the CFSBK community.

News and Notes

• Go HERE to sign up for this week’s Friday Night Lights. Please note that we’ll be offering 4:30pm and 5:30pm classes on Friday nights throughout the Open, but Friday 6:30pm classes will be cancelled through November 8th. Because Friday is no longer a scheduled rest day, we’ll be running the Open Workouts only during Friday Night Lights and Saturday group classes. You can, of course, also do the workouts during Open Gym.
• Did you lose a camera lens at the gym sometime over the past few weeks? Email the front desk at cfsbkfrontdesk [at] gmail.com with a description of the item to claim it!

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