Wednesday 11.15.23

Workout of the Day

ASSISTANCE

3 Progressively challenging Sets of:
12-16 DB Pull Overs
:40e Single Arm Static KB Farmer’s Hold
30 Supine Leg Raises + Hip Lifts

METCON

Every 4:00 x 5 Rounds perform:
10/8/6 Strict Chin-Ups
10 Deadlifts
AMRAP Box Jumps Overs to the 2:00 Mark

Rest 2:00

Notes
Chin-Ups
Should be performed in 1-3 sets and take you :45 or less to complete. Adjust volume or difficulty with a band to hit the mark.

Deadlifts
Challenging but unbroken every round. +/225/185/155/135/95/-

Box Jump Overs
Just… jump on over to the other side of that box a bunch of times 🙂

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK2/6)

November Member of the Month: Robert Larson

Text/photo by Julie Barnard
We’re excited to announce that November’s Member of the Month is… Robert Larson! An established member and frequent event-based participant, this Open Gym’er has been making a positive impact at CrossFit South Brooklyn for 8-years. Robert is incredibly friendly and helpful, consistently gets his workouts in, is thoughtful about shared space, committed to moving well, and carries the mystique of being one of the coolest bike mechanics you’ll ever meet. He’s not a bike mechanic but I’ve stopped counting how many folks have asked if he was one. Congratulations Robert! We are incredibly happy to have you within our walls.

Name (and any nicknames)
Robert. No nicknames that are SFW.

Where were you born, and where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Texas. Dallas, mostly. Have been in Brooklyn since 1994.

How long have you been CrossFitting, and how did you arrive at CFSBK?
I joined CFSBK in April, 2017. I was doing triathlons at the time, but hurt my knee. Jonathan Blyer, who owns Acme Bicycles (right above the gym!) recommended I go see Arturo to see about alternatives to running. I have to admit that I did a couple of sessions with him, and then kind of ghosted him. I was super-intimidated. Eventually, though, I made my way back in the spring of 2017.

What are your current fitness goals?
Mainly, NOT get injured. But inside that, I’d like hit 1000lbs in the CrossFit total. I have a looooooong way to go, but it’s nice to have something like that out there.

What keeps you coming back to CFSBK?
The people. I have terrible social anxiety and body dysmorphia. And yet, never, not once, ever, have I entered this gym and thought to myself that people are judging me. Part of my inner monologue and therapy is to be more friendly and talkative to the people that surround me, particularly when I’m at the gym, and it has only reinforced my feeling that CFSBK is a little slice of heaven in an otherwise terrible world.

Program your nightmare workout
Thrusters and burpees in any combination. Even if the workout was to do one thruster and one burpee, I’d hate it.

Program your dream workout
Bench press into heavy power cleans into heavy deadlifts. Any combo of that would be an outstanding way to get fit.

Favorite and least favorite lift
Do I really need to reiterate my incandescent hate for thrusters? Favorite lift is probably the deadlift. I love it.

Ask me about that time I….
I was working in a mail-order cycling shop, and someone called in and asked if we had an 800 number from Canada. I was, like, seriously, why would you need an 800 number to call Canada. And he asked me that again, and, again, I responded with something akin to “why would I have an 800 number for a country.” We went around and around for a while, and then he hung up in frustration. That’s when the guy in the cubicle next me said “He was asking if had a toll free number to call us from Canada.”

What are you recommending right now?
I’ve just started reading Rippetoe’s Starting Strength book. Looking forward to thinking I know waaaaaaaaay more than I actually do.

What are you up to when you’re not at 608 (or 597) Degraw Street?
We have two daughters, one a senior in college, and one a junior in high school. Two cats. But, mostly, what I do when I’m not here is work on my house. It’s a never-ending renovation. I also love to travel. My wife is a flight attendant, so I get to fly for free, which can get me in trouble, because then I ignore all my responsibilities and go and drink beer and sit in sidewalk cafes in foreign cities.

Any advice for new CFSBKers?
Listen to your coaches. The depth of the knowledge they have is impressive. Also, lift lots of heavy things.

Last thoughts?
I’m a cynic, and I believe that the world is a mostly terrible place run by terrible people with terrible motives. It would be nice if it weren’t that. I’m glad that we have a haven here in which we can find respite, both physically and mentally, and I look forward to being a part of it for many years to come.