Team Metcon

In teams of 3…

30 Minute AMRAP:
120 Calorie Row
90 Russian KBS
60 Wall Balls
30 Overhead Plate Lunges
270m Run Together

Post rounds, reps, Rx, and partners to comments.
Week 2 of 2

In case you missed it, photos from our biggest-ever Murph Day are now up on Flickr! 

The East Coast Gambit: Last Day of Standard Registration!

Did Murph Day whet your appetite for competition? The first-annual East Coast Gambit is a premier, single day, functional fitness competition in the northeast! Hosted right here at CrossFit South Brooklyn, the event is open to all individuals and will feature both RX and SCALED divisions. All athletes will perform 3 workouts, plus a 4th floater workout. Expect the workouts to challenge you both physically and mentally, compelling you to do your very best on competition day!

Cash and prizes totaling over $3500 will be awarded to the top three athletes in each division! Sponsors include: RYU Apparel, Cafe Grumpy, Thirteen Fit Apparel, WOD N Done, RPM Jump Ropes, Born Primitive, Bear Complex, Wags and Weights, Chestee, and more!

The big day is scheduled for June 15th, 2019 from 8am to 4pm. TODAY is the last day to register at the standard rate. June 7th is the last day of late registration.

Head over to the East Coast Gambit site to see the awesome workouts and sign up!

Goodbye, Anti-Gravity!

Today is the last day we’ll be offering Saturday and Wednesday Anti-Gravity classes. You will, however, still be able to sign up for cycles of Coach Ro‘s Anti-Gravity Strength. Stay tuned to the blog to learn about upcoming cycles.

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An Athlete’s Guide to Aging Gracefully Outside
15 Women in Sports on What Everyone Gets Wrong About Them The Players’ Tribune (video)

Power Clean and Jerk

Every 2 Minutes for 8 Rounds:
5 Power Clean and Jerks

These are for quality at a light-to-moderate weight. Load can increase but should be very manageable. More skilled/experienced athletes may go touch-and-go.

Post loads to comments.
Week 2 of 2

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For Time:
30-20-10
Burpees
Toes-to-Bars

10:00 time cap. Scale volume on Toes-to-Bar and/or to Hanging Leg or Knee Raises. 

Post time and Rx to comments.

Photos from this year’s Murph Day are now up on our Flickr account. Check ’em out!

This Week at CFSBK in Review

1. Yesterday we brought you a little recap of said Murph Day 2019. Thanks again to everyone who participated and helped out!

2. Cam C., Kayleigh R., Chainsaw Charlie, Anise F., and Amy M. will be competing in the Pull for Pride on Saturday, June 22nd  at Murder of Crows. The Pull for Pride is a Deadlift-only event benefiting the Ali Forney Center, whose mission is to protect LGBTQ youths from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently. Go here to sponsor our lifters!

3. Did Murph Day whet your appetite for competition? The first-annual East Coast Gambit is a premier, single day, functional fitness competition in the northeast! Hosted right here at CrossFit South Brooklyn, the event is open to all individuals and will feature both RX and SCALED divisions. Standard registration ends tomorrow! Head over to the East Coast Gambit site to see the awesome workouts and sign up!

4. Do you subscribe to our newsletter? Please do to get monthly updates on general gym happenings, blog highlights, and programming info! Sign up HERE or via the link on the sidebar to the right.

5. This Sunday’s 11am Active Recovery class is cancelled. 

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Classical Phys Ed for All Breaking Muscle
Dog Owners Get More Exercise NY Times

WOD 5.30.19

3 Working Sets:
A1) 8 Each Dumbbell Box Step-Ups (Held Farmer’s style)

A2) 65m Double Kettlebell Front Rack Carry (Halfway to 3rd Ave. and back) 

A3) 4-8 Strict Chest to Bar Chin-Ups 

Post work to comments.
Week 2 of 2

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20:00 at Aerobic Pace:
400m Run
12 Box Jumps
10 Each 1 Arm Kettlebell/Dumbbell Waiter Squats

Post work to comments.

Hannah helped her mom Courtney finish “Murph” in the most adorable way possible 

Murph Day Recap

Thanks to everyone who participated, cheered, and volunteered at Murph Day 2019! It was a huge success. A record 211 of you signed up to do to the workout. Between $5 donated from each t-shirt sale and your individual donations, we raised over $1000 for K9s for Warriors, an organization that provides service dogs for veterans suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disability, traumatic brain injury, and/or military sexual trauma as a result of military service post-9/11.

In Tuesday’s blog post, we asked you to reflect on your experience this year, and here are some of the things you said:

• Kayleigh, who did her first full, vested “Murph” wrote: “Was expecting it to take around an hour, so quite happy with the time [53:28]. Felt slow and steady throughout, but I think the consistency really helped. My legs are much more sore today than in past years. Such a great day with the gym community and very thankful to have a opportunity to challenge myself in such a supportive environment.”
• Lisa wrote: “I managed to get 10 rounds of push-ups and squats in (so 100 Push-Ups and 150 Squats) while inventing a new rep scheme: the do-what-your-toddler-will-let-you-do scheme. It involves sometimes doing a lot of one thing in a row, because it seems to make him happy. At one point I was at something like 5 rounds of push-ups and 8 rounds of Squats. It was a lot to keep track of. Unfortunately, there was no way for me to safely do Pull-Ups given his clinginess. But I do want credit for many of my Squats being weighted (using a 29-lb odd object).”
• Stella wrote: “My first full Murph, 56:58. Under an hour, I’ll take it. Also, I am wearing my Murph shirt at work today. It’s a little more cazh than usual for me, but everyone needs to know that I did this, amirite? The first rule of CrossFit is ALWAYS TALK ABOUT CROSSFIT.”
• Brad wrote: “A great day! Not knowing what to expect as a first timer, I scaled to a half-Murph (1 mile run, 50 Pull-Ups, 100 Push-Ups, 150 Squats and another 1 mile run) substituting pull ups for ring rows and no vest for a time of 44:40. Next year I’ll do the full Murph Rx. Thanks to all who made it happen and already looking forward to next Memorial Day.”
• Charles wrote: “Murph was a great event, I was so happy to see all the heats full. I did no vest Full Murph in 49:06. 6 mins faster than last year and much better Pull-Ups. Thanks for all of the folks who organized, cooked, coached and cleaned! It’s very meaningful to connect this to the purpose of Memorial Day.”
• Over on Facebook, Martha said: “I did it for the 4th time ever this year. I had a gap of 4 years due to injury, so it’s especially nice to be back this year and last. I did a 1 mile run, 50 Ring Rows, 100 Push-Ups, 150 Squats, and another 1 mile run in 39:19…. Feeling proud! And happy to donate to www.k9sforwarriors.org which CFSBK encourages donations for every Memorial Day.”

Congrats to everyone! We still have Murph Day t-shirts for sale at the front desk in case you forgot to grab one.

Tom S. at Rib King 2019 Tonight

A note from one of our Murph Day grillmasters, Tom S.: ” Tonight starting at 6pm I’ll be competing in Rib King NYC 2019 in Williamsburg. I’ll be participating on the team of a very rad competitor, Robert Cho of Kimchi Smoke. Go HERE for more info.”

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The Beginner Prescription Barbell Medicine
Cool, There’s Water on Mars. But Does It Make Good Pickles? Atlas Obscura

WOD 5.29.19

A1) Deadlift:
3 x 20 @ 25-35% of 1RM

A2) Alternating Partner Rotational Toss (First variation):
3 x 16

A3) Hollow Hold:
3 x 30 seconds

Rest 1:00 between movements.
Rest 2:00 between sets.

Post work to comments.
Week 2 of 2

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4 x 1:00 Work/4:00 Rest:
10/8 Calorie Bike
Max Reps Alternating Dumbbell Snatch in remaining time (50/35 lb)

Scale the bike calories to something you can maintain in under :30 for all 4 rounds Move fast!  Score highest and lowest reps.

Post highest reps, lowest reps, and Rx to comments.

Kayleigh and Cam at the 2017 Pull for Pride

Sponsor Team CFSBK at The Pull for Pride!

Cam C., Kayleigh R., Chainsaw Charlie, Anise F., and Amy M. will be competing in the Pull for Pride on Saturday, June 22nd  at Murder of Crows. The Pull for Pride is a Deadlift-only event benefiting the Ali Forney Center, whose mission is to protect LGBTQ youths from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently.

Go here to sponsor our lifters!

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Heart of a Dog Substack
A Novel Idea in the Majors: Using Batting Practice to Get Better NY Times

WOD 5.28.19

30 Minutes For Quality:
20 Hand-to-Hand Russian Kettlebell Swings 
50′ Sled Push
20 Calorie Row
10 Alternating Bar Hang Hip Taps

Just move around today and don’t look for intensity if you did “Murph” yesterday. The kettlebells should be light to medium-heavy and unbroken. The Sled Push can be on the heavy side but able to be completed without stopping. Easy on the Row, and hold a Prone Grip Hang (leg-assisted as needed) for 20 seconds if you cannot do the Hip Taps. 

Post work to comments.
Week 2 of 2

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Overhead Squat

5-5-5

Work out of a rack and build to a moderately-heavy load for today.

Post loads to comments.

The East Coast Gambit: Register by June 1st!

Did Murph Day whet your appetite for competition? The first-annual East Coast Gambit is a premier, single day, functional fitness competition in the northeast! Hosted right here at CrossFit South Brooklyn, the event is open to all individuals and will feature both RX and SCALED divisions. All athletes will perform 3 workouts, plus a 4th floater workout. Expect the workouts to challenge you both physically and mentally, compelling you to do your very best on competition day!

Cash and prizes totaling over $3500 will be awarded to the top three athletes in each division! Sponsors include: RYU Apparel, Cafe Grumpy, Thirteen Fit Apparel, WOD N Done, RPM Jump Ropes, Born Primitive, Bear Complex, Wags and Weights, Chestee, and more!

The big day is scheduled for June 15th, 2019 from 8am to 4pm. Standard registration ends on June 1st, and June 7th is the last day of late registration.

Head over to the East Coast Gambit site to see the awesome workouts and sign up!

News and Notes

• How did “Murph” go yesterday? Tell us in the comments!
• We’re smack in the middle of a “floater” period aimed at bridging the gap between last Sunday’s CrossFit Total and yesterday’s  “Murph.” A new 6-week training cycle will start Monday, June 3rd.

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The Joy of Misreading Things NY Mag
Caitlin Meade, Rogue Spectator to Sanctionals Competitor Morning Chalk Up

“Murph”

For Time:
1 Mile Run
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run

In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. This workout was one of Mike’s favorites and he’d named it “Body Armor.” It is now referred to as “Murph” in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is. Partition the Pull-Ups, Push-Ups, and Squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you’ve got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.

Post time and Rx to comments.
Week 2 of 2

Murph Day 2019 Is Here!

All regularly scheduled classes (including AM Open Gym) are cancelled today for Murph Day. Here’s all the other important stuff you need to know!

• If you’d like to learn more about Michael Murphy and the origins of “Murph,” this is a great place to start.
• A record 211 of you are registered to do “Murph” today.  If you decide not to do it at the last minute, please delete your name from the spreadsheet so someone else can take your place.
• Since there’s no charge for this workout (the class won’t be deducted from your weekly limit), we suggest that you make a $20 (or more!) donation to K9s for Warriors in lieu of class payment. Thanks to all who have donated! We’ll have a kiosk set up to accept donations at the gym today.
• For scaling options and game plans, see Coach Fox’s very useful post, “Murph Is For Everybody.”
• Shooting to get on the leaderboard for “Murph”?  You’ll have to do it in a weighted vest (20/14 lbs), and be sure to let a coach know that you’re going for it before your heat starts. 
• CFSBK will provide a keg, burgers, and sausages, but please bring more delicious foods, especially side dishes!

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Dancer Honors Late Brother, a Veteran, on Memorial Day CNN (video)
10 Things to Remember About Memorial Day Mental Floss

Hang Power Clean

3-3-3-3-3

The Hang is anywhere above the knee. Work up to a perfect max for the day.

Post loads to comments.
Week 1 of 2

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For Time:
20 Deadlifts 225/155
400m Med Ball Run 20/14
20 Deadlifts 225/155

Post time and Rx to comments.

7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MURPH DAY 2019

1. Murph Day is TOMORROW! This is one of our biggest and best community events of the year, when we perform the classic CrossFit Hero WOD “Murph” followed by some grilling, side dishes, and beers. Because we’ll be running heats from 8am to 1pm, all other classes are cancelled. If you’ve been on the fence, there’s still time to get in on the fun. As of 2pm on Saturday, 187 CFSBKers have signed up to participate. Join us here!

2. CFSBK and many other affiliates do “Murph” on Memorial Day in memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. If you’d like to learn more about Michael Murphy and where this workout comes from, this is a great place to start.

3. What is “Murph”? How should you approach it? All of the answers are in a recent post, in which Coach Fox lays out some scaling options.

4. Since there’s no charge for this workout (the class won’t be deducted from your weekly limit), we suggest that you make a donation to K9s for Warriors in lieu of class payment. You can donate at the gym on the big day.

5. Additionally, CFSBK will donate $5 of each Murph Day t-shirt we sell to K9s for Warriors! 

6. CFSBK will provide one keg, burgers, and sausages, but please feel free to BYOB and more delicious foods, especially side dishes! 

7. Shooting to get on the leaderboard for “Murph”? You’ll have to do it in a weighted vest (20/14 lbs), and be sure to let a coach know that you’re going for it before your heat goes off.

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A Solution for Loneliness Scientific American
Mental Strength in Weightlifting Catalyst Athletics

Partner WOD

In teams of 2 with one partner working at a time, complete the following chipper for time:
300 Double-Unders
2000m Row
100 Box Jumps 

Modify the Dubs to Alternating Foot Steps or 2x Singles as needed.

Post time, Rx, and partner to comments.
Week 1 of 2

Join Callie for the women-only Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Fundamentals course. You’ll learn the basic body movements, mechanics, and techniques of submission grappling. By the end of the the 4 weeks, you’ll have a solid sense of the Jiu Jitsu fundamentals and how it can continue to enhance your life

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at CFSBK: Classes Start Tomorrow!

WOD 5.24.19

AMRAP 5 Minutes:
5 Hang Power Snatch 95/65
5 Lateral Bar Burpees
5 Toes-to-Bars
5 Lateral Bar Burpees

Rest 5 minutes, then…

AMRAP 5 Minutes:
5 Hang Power Snatch 95/65
5 Lateral Bar Burpees 
5 Toes-to-Bars
5 Lateral Bar Burpees

The barbell should be light for you. Modify to Knees-to-Chest as needed. The goal is to move unbroken and score within a few reps on each AMRAP.

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.
Week 1 of 2

This Week at CFSBK in Review

1. Murph Day 2019 is THIS MONDAY! So far, 165 CFSBKers have registered to participate in one of our biggest and best community events of the year. Can we beat last year’s total of 190 participants? Go HERE to sign up for a heat! (Also, we’re still looking for volunteers to help out with set up and break down, which you can sign up for at the same link.)

2. For the 4th year in a row, we’ll be raising money to benefit K9s for Warriors, an organization that provides service dogs for veterans suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disability, traumatic brain injury, and/or military sexual trauma as a result of military service post-9/11. The program has graduated over 300 Warrior/canine teams like Edna and Sarge, who are pictured above. 90% of the dogs in the program come from rescue shelters or are owner-surrendered. Because there is no charge for the workout, nor will it be deducted from your weekly class limit, we do recommend donating what you would have paid for the class to K9s for Warriors. You can donate at the gym on the day of the event!

3. Still on the fence about doing “Murph”? Don’t forget that you can scale it! On Tuesday, Coach Fox walked us through all the options.

4. We have new cycles of our women-only Level 1 and all-genders Level 2 Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes starting this Sunday! Go HERE to learn more and sign up!

5. CFSBK masters athletes Dan Baldini and Bob Semmens recently competed in both the CrossFit Open and the Age Group Online Qualifier. Yesterday, the told us about their experiences and filled us in on what it’s like to compete as a masters athlete.

6. Lizzie Donahue is our May Athlete of the Month. Congrats, Lizzie!

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Developing Strength One Leg at a Time Breaking Muscle
The Best Thing You Can Do For Your Health: Sleep Well The Guardian

Front Squat

5-3-1-3-5

Warm up and work up to a heavy set of 5 reps, then a heavy set of 3, and finally a heavy set of 1 before working back up.

Post loads to comments.
Week 1 of 2

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AMRAP 9 Minutes:
30 Alternating Dumbbell Box Step-Ups 24/20, 50/35 (alternate legs, hold the DB anyhow)
30 AbMAt Sit-Ups

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.

Dan B. (left) and Bob S. (right)

The Masters

CFSBK masters athletes Dan Baldini and Bob Semmens recently competed in both the CrossFit Open and the Age Group Online Qualifier, the next step qualifying teens and masters take on their way to the CrossFit Games. We asked them to tell us about their experiences, and today we’re happy to share them with the community!

How did you do this year?

Dan: I tied for 114th place in the Open, and I tied for 75th place in the AGOQ.

Bob: I finished 123rd in the world-wide open and 81st in the 60 and over AGOQ.

What are your athletic backgrounds? Have you competed in the past?

Dan: I was on the swim team in college, and after that I ran for about 10 years, then I got into triathlons and I did that for about 15 years but I found the training got pretty tedious. I’ve been doing CrossFit on and off now for about 14 years, basically since the first one opened in New York (CrossFit NYC). Objectively I’m not that great a CrossFitter. It’s just that if you keep at it long enough the competition falls away. This year only about 2,700 men did the Open in my age group, so the odds of making it to the AGOQ weren’t that bad. I imagine most folks my age have moved on to things that don’t make you feel like you’re about to have a heart attack.  For this reason there isn’t much of a masters community, at least in New York. Bob is the only CrossFitter I know in New York over 55.

Bob: I played varsity football, wrestling, and track & field in high school as well as competing at high school powerlifting. I hoped to play college football but incurred a serious knee injury as a senior in high school, which cut short my football career.I trained in martial arts for 30 years in Tae-kwon do (Black Belt), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Purple Belt) and Judo (Brown Belt). I won a gold medal in the senior division at the Pan American BJJ championships and two gold medals in the senior division at the New York BJJ Open.I have completed 5 triathlons, one marathon, and numerous 10Ks. I began CrossFit training in 2006 at CFSBK to supplement my martial arts training and went “full time” in CrossFit training in 2009 due to some physical ailments. I did a CFL1 cert at CFSBK in 2009. I still fondly remember CFSBK at the Lyceum. The first WOD I remember there was “Fran,” where David asked me to use rings instead of a bar for the Pull-Ups as bar space was limited. This is my fifth AGOQ.  I have finished as high as 35^th and as low as 177^th.

What were your approaches to the Online Qualifier workouts? Did you do them solo or in a team environment?

Dan: This was the seventh time I’ve done the Open and the first time I’ve made it to the AGOQ.  I moved up an age group so I figured this year was my chance to do well and I mostly prepared on my own following CompTrain Masters programming.  When it came to the workouts Bob and I did them together at CFSBK from Friday morning through Monday morning.  This was much more fun than doing them solo and I probably did better as a result.

Bob: Dan and I did them together, although in a different order. I would judge and record Dan and then he would do the same for me.

What is it like to compete as a master’s athlete?

Dan: I enjoy CrossFit competitions. Except for the Open and the occasional masters competition, I’m up against folks who are a lot younger and better than me. I think knowing that there’s no way I’ll be competitive relieves any anxiety and I get a sense of accomplishment just finishing, although I prefer not to come in last. Of course I like being fit, but it’s the competitions that keep me training hard throughout the year.

Bob: There is not really much community in the master’s division. It’s all online! I wish there were some community. Our division had about 3000 competitors, so I was really lucky to find Dan to work with in the AGOQ. He and I had competed in some other master’s events. Unfortunately, most of those master’s events have gone away.  I have a coach who programs my training, so I don’t do many classes at CFSBK anymore just Open Gym. It is difficult to train every day without company. Aiming to compete well in the Open and AGOQ each year helps keep me motivated to train hard.

Murph Day 2019: T-Minus 4 Days!

Murph Day 2019 is this Monday the 27th, Memorial Day! So far 150 of you have registered, which is awesome. Can we make it to 160 by the end of the day? Go HERE to sign up for a heat!

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The New Kilogram Just Debuted. It’s a Massive Achievement Vox
The Evolution of Memorial Day JSTOR Daily