REGISTER NOW FOR STARTING STRENGTH PROGRAM

The Starting Strength program is an opportunity to spend 8 weeks with Coach Jeremy honing your technique and increasing your capacity at the most fundamental strength movements: Back Squat, Overhead Press, Bench Press and Deadlift. This small group format of 90 minute sessions offers one-on-one guidance, great camaraderie, and a simple roster of movements allowing you time to correct errors and challenge your limits.

Whether you are brand-new to lifting, someone with experience who has struggled to surpass a plateau, or just looking to try something different, by taking the time to focus exclusively on the lifts that support almost ever other activity you do inside (and outside) the gym, you will gain confidence and enhance your performance.

Upcoming Program Times and Dates

A cycle: Novice, 7pm Mon/Wed and 6pm Fri | Monday, March 5th – Friday, April 27th (4 slots)
B cycle: Intermediate, 7pm Tues/Thurs and 10am Sun |Tuesday, March 6th – Sunday, April 29th (full)
C cycle: Morning Novice, 6:30am Mon/Thurs |Monday, March 5th – Thursday, February 26th (3 slots)
D cycle: Continuing Education, 6pm Mon/Wed |Monday, March 5th – Wednesday February 25th (4 slots)
E cycle: Late morning, all levels, 10am Mon/Thurs |Monday, March 5th– Thursday, February 26th  (3 slots)

Class Sizes: Space is limited to 4-10 participants
Class Length: 90 minutes

Pricing

3x Per Week Cycles: $300 paid upon registration and then another $300 at the halfway point
2x Per Week Cycles: $200 paid upon registration and then another $200 at the halfway point

Group Class/Open Gym/Active Recovery/Yoga/Pilates Add-On Option!

This add-on membership allows our 2x/week Starting Strength Program to attend two additional classes per week, outside of the regularly scheduled strength cycle classes. This includes group classes, Open Gym, and Active Recovery/Yoga/Pilates/Short Circuit.

Price is $100 per four weeks, first bill due at sign-up and second bill ($100) charged automatically to the card on-file four weeks later. Register here!

If anyone is confused as to which cycle they belong in or has any questions, they can contact Jeremy directly at Jeremy [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com to discuss placement.

 Jeremy M. on Starting Strength

“One recent Monday morning, I stood on my bathroom’s scale and watched its pointer swivel, as it almost always does, slightly further than it ever has before. This time it landed on 180, a full 30 pounds gained since I began Starting Strength.” That’s CFSBK Starting Strengther Jeremy McKey reflecting on Starting Strength (the Rippetoe book) and his experience building strength in Coach Jeremy’s class. Give “The Man on the Blue Cover” a read!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Push Press | Run, C2B Pull-Ups, Pistols
Found: A Pair of Boxing Gloves from 2,000 Years Ago Atlas Obscura
Using Archival Audio to Plug You Back into Nature The Outline

Push Press

5-5-5

Warm up and work up to a heavy set of 5. The barbell comes off the floor.

Post loads to comments.

_____________________

Performance
5 Rounds for Time:
270m Run
7 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
14 Alternating Pistols

Fitness
5 Rounds for Time:
270m Run
7 Jumping Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
14 Alternating Reverse Lunges

Post time and Rx to comments.

February Athlete of the Month: Allie Barsamian

By Chris Fox

We look for members who show a list of traits for Athlete of the Month honors, and this month we’ve got someone who hits on all of them. Consistent training? Yep. Engages in both fitness and social activities at CFSBK? Yep. Has made progress in a variety of ways and goes the extra mile not only for herself but also for fellow members? Yep and yep! Allie couldn’t be a better example of what we look for. Read on and learn more…

Fox: Congrats, Allie! Thanks for coming in to sit down with me. Starting at the beginning, when and why did you start CrossFit?

AB: Wow, thanks for the honor! This is very exciting. I started at CFSBK in May 2014. I’d recently broken up with my longtime boyfriend and was busy trying new things and getting fit. I had started running, and was pretty into another fitness cult, Soul Cycle, so I figured I’d give this one a try. Funny story, I actually thought I signed up for an intro class at CrossFit Prospect Heights, which is the gym I passed by on a run and wondered what what was going on in there. I show up for the class and the gym is closed. I searched my email and realized that I actually signed up for the Free Intro Class at CFSBK. Luckily I was planning to be early so I had enough time to get over here and that was that. I met David, and he made it very clear what made CrossFit different from other methods. I had to wait until summer break to do Foundations, but I’ve been coming ever since.

Fox: So from one fitness cult to another! Were you always a gym junkie?

AB: Not at all! I was never into fitness, had never been in a gym, and had no idea what weightlifting was. I was always an art and theater nerd whose main form of exercise was occasionally taking the stairs. I was never overweight as a kid, but I certainly wasn’t what you’d call fit. Then, in my senior year of high school I attended an arts camp and gained about 15 lbs that just sort of stuck around. I actually weigh the same now as then but at a pretty different body composition.

Fox: So we were your introduction to the gym. That’s pretty great! What were your first impressions?

AB: David was immediately welcoming, and made me feel comfortable even with no prior training experience. We learned how to Squat and he taught us why we should actually Squat below parallel, something that most everyone tells you not to do. Right away I felt like CrossFit was going to be for me. The coaching was attentive, the progress was quantifiable, the exercises were varied, and the coaches could explain why something was beneficial. The biggest thing that stuck out was the emphasis on health, not necessarily on vanity.

Fox: I know you like to drop in to gyms when you travel. Do you have a favorite?

AB: CrossFit Acadia in Bar Harbor, Maine. They’re so great and welcoming and the classes are well structured a la CFSBK. They even know DO and Inside The Affiliate.

Fox: What can you be found doing when you’re not at the gym?

AB: Man, exercise really is my main hobby now, so I’m here a lot. The gym has given me a social community and a place to have friends as well. Being fit even makes me relish mundane chores like carrying groceries or washing the dishes. I’m really appreciative of my ability to do simple stuff. I work as a music and drama teacher at Achievement First East New York Middle School, and I really love my job. I get to meet every student since they all have to take my class for a semester. In addition to my classes, I direct musicals and head up the technical theater team. It was my first job out of college, and I’ve been there since 2009. The school and the students are really special to me. Other than the gym and work, I like to go see live music and will often buy a ticket just for myself. Any and all types of music are great by me. I’ve even been to Saint Vitus! The last show I saw live was Espiranza Spalding over in Red Hook at Pioneer Works. She was amazing. My boyfriend Ben and I just celebrated our two year dating anniversary! He doesn’t do CrossFit but he does Squat and Deadlift. 🙂

Fox: I finally got to include a Saint Vitus mention in one of these articles! I hear you and Ben have a funny origin story. Care to tell it?

AB: Of course… it’s pretty funny now! We met online and set up a first date, and of course I was at the gym that day before the date. Long story short, I took the tail end of a rowing machine to the face and suffered a cut that required seven stitches. I felt awful and was worried it would seem like I was just trying to ditch him, so I texted him picture of my bloodied and bruised face. Can you believe, lol, this guy still came to meet me? We went to the bar that we had planned to meet at that night and had a few drinks, all the while I was still in my workout clothes, and have been dating ever since. I’m so happy to have met him.

Fox: That’s a great story. Ben sounds like a great guy. Where did you grow up?

AB: I grew up in Novi, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, where I danced competitively and did cheerleading from the time I was 3 years old through high school. My dad recently sold his private dentist practice, and my parents are building a home on the gulf coast of Florida. It will be nice to visit a warmer place, but it’s pretty weird to think that the house I grew up in won’t be ours anymore.

Fox: You’ve been pretty open and vocal about some food issues in the past but seem to be in a pretty good place nowadays. Care to talk a bit about that?

AB: Well, I was a longtime vegetarian, and as I mentioned, not overweight but not fit. When the previously mentioned boyfriend and I broke up I decided to have a steak as sort of an “eff you” to him since he was part of the reason I was vegetarian. Once I started eating meat, I noticed my body composition change pretty fast for the better, but then I went to the other extreme. That first year I was a member I did the LFPB Challenge and was strict Paleo, meaning I pretty much only ate protein. I lost a bunch of weight but was not at all healthy. The next year I did a bit better, and the year after I decided not to do the Challenge at all. I tried a macro-counting program later that year but wound up relying on a bunch of sugar-free crap and developed some bad habits on that diet also. Now I’m in a much better place and have built some healthy habits that I can maintain. I generally eat clean foods but am ok with indulging and not letting it get me down and just getting right back to my next choice. I’m still a work in progress for sure, dealing with food pressure from co-workers can be a bummer, but I’m learning. One funny thing is I eat so many more vegetables now that when I was a vegetarian!

Fox: That’s a familiar trajectory, and it’s great to hear you’re learning what works best for you. Nice work. What were some gym goats for you when you started, and what are you working on now?

AB: Man, I thought I would never get Double-Unders. The big “secret” for me on those was just to practice, consistently. As you (and anyone who reads the blog) may know, Muscle-Ups were a longtime goal of mine, and I put in so much work to get one. I don’t just “have” them now (I’ve done a total of 5), but it was pretty rewarding to finally unlock that achievement. Now I’d like to be able to do them with consistency and also to do Bar Muscle-Ups. AG Strength has built up my upper body strength pretty well, but my legs are lagging behind! I would like to Squat 185 this year. There, I said it.

Fox: Those muscle ups were a long time coming… congrats! Last question: What should we look for in a future AOM?

AB: I think it would be great to highlight someone from one of the specialty populations  like Kids, Teens, Fit 55+, or one of the Barbell Clubs (Starting Strength and Next Level Weightlifting). There are so many people who push hard and inspire there, too. Also moms and dads who are committed to work childcare in and around exercise, introverts who are quietly working hard, and anyone who cheers and supports others.

News and Notes

• Take a look back through 7 years of Athletes of the Month over on our Articles & Media page.
• Don’t forget to submit your 18.1 scores to the CrossFit Games site by 8pm tonight!
• Intramural League captains: please submit your athletes’ scores to the spreadsheet by Tuesday at 8pm!

_____________________
Why Olympic Lifting Makes You Better at Practically Any Sport BarBend
The Most Metal Closing Ceremony of All Time Deadspin

WOD 2.25.18

EMOM x 35 (7ea):
1) 2 Power Snatches
2) 30 Second Hollow Hold
3) 40 Double-Unders or 40 seconds of practice
4) 5 Strict Pull-Ups
5) Rest

The Power Snatches are not touch-and-go, and you can build to a heavy double or perform work sets across.

Post work to comments.

Coach Nick and his CRASH-Beasts are competing at the  CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing Championship in Boston today. Here they are doing their final practice last night at Harvard’s Newell boathouse. Let’s send them some good vibes in the comments!

TODAY: Starting Strength Program Total

Coach Jeremy’s Starting Strengthers will wrap up their eight-week cycle today starting at 2:00pm. Lifters will be testing their 1RMs in the Back Squat, Press, and Deadlift. All are welcome to come by, hang out, and do some cheering. Get ready for some massive PRs!

Register for Active Life Strength

Get out of pain, stay out of pain, strengthen your weaknesses, and improve mobility and movement patterns, all while getting stronger! This is a predominantly strength-based class very specifically programmed to strengthen movements and improve positions based on your individual needs.

The Active Life methods help athletes of all levels identify the root causes of their pain, injuries, and plateaus, and provide solutions for alleviating and eliminating those limitations through strength training, hands on treatment, corrective movements, and program modification. As the Head Coach at Active Life Athletics, Coach Keith worked closely with the Active Life doctors as they developed the system and led the charge to incorporate it into a gym model. Using those principles, this program will help you identify your individual weaknesses and limitations, guide you through the necessary strength and mobility exercises, and get you moving and lifting more efficiently, with less pain. A pain-free athlete is a confident athlete, and a confident athlete is a dangerous athlete. If your goal is to look better, feel better, and go hard into your 80s, this program will help you set and maintain the foundation.

For more information on The Active Life, check out:

• @activeliferx on Instagram
• www.performancecarerx.com
• The Active Life on YouTube

Schedule

March 12th, 2018 – May 3rd, 2018
Monday and Thursdays from 6:30pm to 7:30pm
2x per week for 8 weeks
Cap: 12 athletes

Cost

The cost is $160 per month ($320 total plus NY state sales tax). The first charge will occur at the time of registration and the second payment of $160 will occur automatically 1 month later. This cycle is open to all CFSBK members as well as CrossFitters from other affiliates.

(Please note that you are committing to specific days and times and there be no refunds for any missed classes or late cancellations.)

What happens in class?

We will start with testing your single leg strength relative to your Back Squat, your Deadlift stamina relative to your absolute strength, your 1-arm carry ability, and your upper body pressing and pulling. You will then receive progressive strength work during each class to address your weaknesses based off of your test results.

In addition, we will identify your general movement limitations through mobility and flexibility assessments. Each athlete will receive an individualized “Not for Time” piece to complete as a warm up/cool down for CrossFit group class or during standardized warm-ups to address these limitations through corrective movements, stretches, and holds.

Register Here!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Open Workout 18.1
How Exercise May Help the Memory Grow Stronger NY Times
Nicole Carroll’s Tips for 18.1 CrossFit Journal (video)

Open Workout 18.1

Rx’d Division
AMRAP 20 Minutes:
8 Toes-to-Bars
10 Dumbbell Hang Clean and Jerks 50/35
14/12 Calorie Row

Scaled Division
AMRAP 20 Minutes:
8 Hanging Knee Raises
10 Dumbbell Hang Clean and Jerks 35/20
14/12 Calorie Row

Masters 55+
Rx=35/20
Scaled = 20/10 and Sit-Ups

The Dumbbell Hang Clean and Jerk is single-arm, and the 10 reps per round must be completed as 5 reps on one arm then 5 on the other. When the dumbbell is coming off the floor, as in the first rep of any set, the dumbbell must be Deadlifted to the hips before lowering to the hang for the rep to count (i.e., a Clean directly from the floor is a NO REP). The Hang Clean can be any style (Muscle, Power, Squat, Split) and the Jerk is from the shoulder to overhead anyhow (Press, Push Press, Push Jerk, Split Jerk). The Jerk is complete when the knees, hips, and arms are locked out with the dumbbell over the middle of the body.

The goal in this workout is to keep moving at a pace you can sustain and then maybe pick it up a bit in the last minutes. Don’t get caught a hunched over with your hands on your thighs. Thursday night’s winner, Sam Briggs, scored almost 15 rounds, with a difference of LESS THAN 10 SECONDS between her best and worst rounds! #holyshit2018opengoals. HAVE FUN!

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.

Coach Brett goes Beast Mode in the final seconds of 18.1. Thanks to everyone who came out to compete, judge, and cheer at Friday Night Lights last night! See you next week…

TOMORROW: Starting Strength Program Total

Coach Jeremy’s Starting Strengthers will wrap up their eight-week cycle tomorrow starting at 2:00pm. Lifters will be testing their 1RMs in the Back Squat, Press, and Deadlift. All are welcome to come by, hang out, and do some cheering. Get ready for some massive PRs!

BJJ at CFSBK

The start of our next Level 1 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class has been pushed back a week to March 4th, giving you more time to register! (Level 2 stays the same.) All aboard the jiu jitsu jet!

The Level 1 Cycle is your jiu jitsu starter pack. The course is geared towards anyone intrigued by BJJ but unsure where to begin, anyone who wants to become better acquainted with dynamic movement on the ground, and anyone who could use a review to jump back into it.

In Level 2, we will build on concepts and vocabulary of movement from the various positions with a larger portion of class-time dedicated to progressive resistance drilling, positional sparring, and straight sparring. If you have grappling experience from the past, you are welcome to jump into the Level 2 course!

Days & Times

Level 1 (March 4th – May 6th, no class on March 25th): Sundays, 1:30pm – 3pm
Level 2 (February 25th – March 18th): Sundays, 3:00pm – 4:30pm or 4:30 – 6:30pm
Open Mat (ongoing): Tuesdays, 4pm – 6pm

REGISTER HERE!

Pricing

Level 1 (8 weeks): $200 ($100 will be charged when you register and at the 4-week mark of the cycle)
Level 2 (4 weeks): $100
Open Mat add-on (for Level 2 members only): $40

About the Coach

Callie Brennan is a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Team Fabio Clemente. Callie has been training and competing for the past 7 years. She began teaching beginner and intermediate students under the guidance of Pan American champion Babs Olusanmokun and multiple time World and Pan American champion Dominyka Obelenyte. Callie has competed locally and internationally winning gold at American Nationals as a white belt, the Montreal IBJJF Open at blue belt, and New York IBJJF Open at purple belt in her weight. She also medaled in the Abu Dhabi Pro Trials at blue belt.

Callie recently founded Rag Doll Camps with her training partner and coach, Dominyka Obelenyte, with a mission to close the gender gap in the sport. She also teaches privately. Callie initially began CrossFit to supplement her jiu-jitsu practice, and she is looking forward to sharing it with the CFSBK community!

Feel free to contact Callie directly with any questions!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
Is Philly’s Next Joe Frazier a 16-Year-Old Girl? Daily News
Why Is There So Much Hate for the Word “Moist” Nautilus

#Weekendvibez

Lots of opportunities for fun at the gym this weekend! Here’s what’s happening:

• The first Friday Night Lights event of 2018 is TONIGHT from 5:30 to 8:00. Everyone is welcomed to take on 18.1 in a super-fun high-energy environment. Go to the FNL Sign Up Sheet to reserve a space in the heat of your choice. The high fives will be plentiful!
• 18.1 is slated for Saturday’s programming, which means you can do it during any of our group classes today or tomorrow. See yesterday’s post for all the details.
• A new round of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu cycles starts Sunday! See below to get involved with this awesome new class…
• The Starting Strength Program Total goes down on Sunday starting at 2:15pm! Lifters will be testing their 1RMs in the Back Squat, Press, and Deadlift. All are welcome to come by, hang out, and do some cheering. Get ready for some massive PRs!

BJJ at CFSBK

Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a full-contact grappling style that prioritizes strategy over brute force. Literally translating to the “soft” or “pliable” (jiu) “style” (jitsu), it is often thought of as the chess of martial arts. BJJ is, at its core, a self-defense system that employs positional advantages, joint locks, and chokes to defend against an opponent or attacker in an assertive and elegant manner. You needn’t be stronger than your opponent to subdue them, which makes BJJ one of the most practical and effective martial arts for all ages and sizes. There is no striking in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This is a submission grappling art based on efficiency of movement, leverage, and timing.

The Level 1 Cycle is your jiu-jitsu starter pack. The course is geared towards anyone intrigued by BJJ but unsure where to begin, anyone who wants to become better acquainted with dynamic movement on the ground, and anyone who could use a review to jump back into it.

In Level 2, we will build on concepts and vocabulary of movement from the various positions with a larger portion of class-time dedicated to progressive resistance drilling, positional sparring, and straight sparring. If you have grappling experience from the past, you are welcome to jump into the Level 2 course!

Days & Times

Level 1 (February 25th – April 22nd): Sundays, 1:30pm – 3pm
Level 2 (February 25th – March 18th): Sundays, 3:00pm – 4:30pm or 4:30 – 6:30pm
Open Mat (ongoing): Tuesdays, 4pm – 6pm

REGISTER HERE!

Pricing

Level 1 (8 weeks): $200 ($100 will be charged when you register and at the 4-week mark of the cycle)
Level 2 (4 weeks): $100
Open Mat add-on (for Level 2 members only): $40

About the Coach

Callie Brennan is a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Team Fabio Clemente. Callie has been training and competing for the past 7 years. She began teaching beginner and intermediate students under the guidance of Pan American champion Babs Olusanmokun and multiple time World and Pan American champion Dominyka Obelenyte. Callie has competed locally and internationally winning gold at American Nationals as a white belt, the Montreal IBJJF Open at blue belt, and New York IBJJF Open at purple belt in her weight. She also medaled in the Abu Dhabi Pro Trials at blue belt.

Callie recently founded Rag Doll Camps with her training partner and coach, Dominyka Obelenyte, with a mission to close the gender gap in the sport. She also teaches privately. Callie initially began CrossFit to supplement her jiu-jitsu practice, and she is looking forward to sharing it with the CFSBK community!

Feel free to contact Callie directly with any questions!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Clean | Handstand Walking
Cooking for Olympians Mic
New Research Shows That Neanderthals Were Artists Pacific Standard

Mid-Hang Clean

1-1-1-1-1

Warm up and work up to a heavy single for the day.

Post loads to comments.

_____________________

Handstand Walking

Choose one of the following scaling options, and spend 12 minutes developing your hand balancing:

A) Hand Walking (free or 2′ from wall)
B) Wall Inverted Hip Shifts with Hand Release (from a wall walk or kick up)
C) Box Piked Hip Shifts with Hand Release
D) Floor Piked Hip Shifts with Hand Release

Rest as needed between sets.

Post work to comments.

The Open is Here!

So far we have 165 (!!!) CFSBKers registered for the 2018 CrossFit Open. If you’ve registered, congrats on making this decision! It’s going to be an awesome five weeks in which you’ll get to benchmark your overall fitness and engage in some fun competition with yourself, the CFSBK community, and the rest of the world. Last year, about 330,000 people competed in the Open making it the world’s largest participatory sporting event.

Open Workout 18.1 will be announced tonight at 8pm New York time. See the CrossFit Games site for more info.

If you haven’t registered for the Open yet, there’s still time to get in on the fun! Go here to sign up.

Intramural Teams

As you may have read right here on the blog, we’re going to do in-house intramural teams again for the 3rd year in a row to make the Open even more exciting and inclusive. For more information on that, check out the event page. When you sign up for the league, you’ll be placed on a team in which your performance will contribute to your team’s overall score. Each team will be assigned a captain who will communicate with their team over the 5 weeks and submit their scores to management. This is a great way to meet some new people, have a bit more fun with the Open, and motivate yourself to work a little harder.  We encourage everyone to sign up and give it their all! Remember: your team won’t be penalized if you can’t do a workout for some reason.

If you’re on a team, you should have been contacted by your captain already. You can follow the Intramural Team Competition leaderboard here.

Friday Night Lights

We’ll also be doing a series of “Friday Night Lights” events again this year. Every Friday night from 5:30 to 8:00pm for the next 5 weeks, you’ll have a chance to take on that week’s Open Workout with your fellow CFSBKers in a high-energy environment. These are open to EVERYONE who’s doing the Open. Go to the FNL Sign Up Sheet to reserve a space in the heat of your choice!

Programming & Submissions

As usual, the Open workout will be programmed for Saturday’s group class, which means you’ll have the following opportunities to perform the workout:

• Friday morning/afternoon group classes
• Friday Night Lights, 5:30-8pm
• Saturday Group Classes, 8-2pm
• Saturday Open Gym, 2-4pm
• Sunday Open Gym, 6-8pm

For extenuating circumstances, we can try to work with you if you CAN’T make any of those times. With the exception of the Frida and Saturday group classes and Friday Night Lights, you’ll have to find someone to judge you in order to post a valid score. There are often folks hanging around to do the workouts, so just ask the coach to assist you if you can’t find someone to help out yourself.

In order for your score to be counted, you must submit your score and judge’s name to the CrossFit Games site by 8pm on Monday night. If you don’t submit a score, you’ll get a zero for the workout, but you’ll still be allowed to participate in the subsequent workouts. There’s nothing worse than crushing a workout and then posting a zero for the year! You’ll have to submit your judge’s name when you submit so remember to cut off the bottom of your scorecard and take it home with you. In a worst-case scenario, you can submit “David Osorio” as your judge.

Judges Needed for Video Reviews

Since the inception of the CrossFit Games regional competitions, Coach David has worked as the Competion Director for the North East and Canada East regions. This means he leads a team that reviews Open Workout videos and works at the Regionals leading judging and scoring teams, as well as determining appeals and making sure the competition element runs smoothly.

Part of his task is to assemble a team of 9 people to help watch the top videos in his regions in order to ensure that movement standards have been met by all the athletes heading to Regionals. We’re looking for a few more people to help lead the charge on this! You would be responsible for watching 5-10 videos per week and giving them the thumbs up or down regarding performance standards. Coach David will assist you on any tough calls or questions you have a long the way.

The only requirement is that you pass the online judges course.

If you’re interested in helping out, please e-mail David [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com as soon as possible!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Burpees, T2Bs, Row | Front Squat
4 Benefits of Butterfly Pull-Ups BarBend
CrossFit Open or Tropic Thunder? Morning Chalk-Up

WOD 2.21.18

Every 3 minutes for 5 rounds:
8 Burpees
10 Toes-to-Bars
12 Calories Rowed

The goal is unbroken reps with consistent scores.

Post work to comments.

_____________________

Front Squat

10-10-10

Warm up and work up to a heavy set of 10.

Post loads to comments.

Congrats to Bethany E. and Amy M. on their huge success at the Murder of Crows Barbell Club Open this past weekend. Bethany squatted 110kg/242 lb for a 5 pound PR. She also PR’d her deadlift at 140kg/308 lb and PR’d her total at 297.5kg/655 lb. Amy squatted 112.5 kg/248 lb  (a 3 lb),  benched 55 kg/121 lb (a 1 lb PR), and PR’d her total at 295kg/650 lb. Let’s give them some love in the comments!

CFSBK & BTWB

CFSBK is excited to partner with our friends at beyond the whiteboard to provide digital workout tracking for our affiliate! Members are able to access each day’s workout on the app or desktop site, both of which provide tons of data, gym leaderboards, and a variety of other cool tracking parameters. BTWB is an official CrossFit® app, and it’s run by CFSBKers!

Complete the following steps to register and start tracking your workouts:

1. Create a profile by registering at btwb.com.
2. Use the gym code CFSBK101 to receive a free membership and link you into the CFSBK group class programming feed.
3. Download the app for Apple or Android and sign in!

You read that right: this premium service is completely FREE for CFSBK members. OMG, that’s you! Get on there now and start tracking your workouts!

News and Notes

• Open Workout 18.1 will be announced tomorrow night! There’s still time to sign up and have fun with 150 (!) other CFSBK members. Go here to do that!
• Check out the latest installation in Coach Fox’s Older Fitter series for Beyond the Whiteboard. This one is called “What Does the Open Mean for Me Anyway?” and it’s about why everyone (yes you, too) should do the Open. Read it!
• Holy water bottles! We have a lot of ’em. Check out the results of our latest lost and found dump on our Flickr account!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
How to Work Swimming Into a Strength Cycle BarBend
Why Dating Apps Are Full of Guys with Fish Photos NY Mag

Why would a hoop aerialist like Erica want to gain weight? Read on to find out!

Critical Mass, Part I

Introduction by Erica Dohring

“You’re gaining weight on purpose?” Looking the inquirer in the eye with a strong “yes” has yielded an interesting array of responses: surprise, confusion, amusement, and, my personal favorite, “of course you would” (said lovingly). Deliberately trying to gain weight is an unusual pursuit in the US, even among active, athletic adults. In this 2-part miniseries—Part II will be posted next week—you’ll read the stories of 5 women who are going against the grain, even if they are probably snacking on it right now.

Today we’ll hear from Erica D., Lorena F., and Coach KHarpz, all of whom are currently at work on massing programs…

You have fairly different fitness backgrounds. Can you tell us a bit about where you’re coming from athletically?

Erica: For the last 2 years, I’ve been specializing in bodyweight strength and circus skills. This includes progressions of the basics like Push-Ups, Pull-Ups, and Pistols as well as the more exotic skills like the Human Flag and the Lyra (a.k.a. “The Big Ring”).

Lorena: I started doing CrossFit last year after moving to Brooklyn and finally succumbing to my friend’s pledges of how great it was. Now I’m completely hooked. Before that I did some weight lifting for about 2 years following a training program from a local NYC coach named Maik Wiedenbach. The training consisted of power lifting and dieting. When I started I could only do assisted Push-Pps, and Pull-Ups were a far-away dream. After a year and a half, I was able to unassisted Push-Ups, I was able to do Chin-Ups and was starting to do Pull-Pps.  I also trained Squats, Deadlifts and Bench Presses. Along with workouts, the program also included a diet to lose body fat. I was able to reduce my body fat from 30% to 20% within one year. It was the first time in my life that I physically challenged myself to follow a program to achieve predetermined goals.

Katie: I’ve always been a team sport kind of athlete. My best sport was lacrosse. I started when I was 5 and played club all the way into college (until the great ankle sprain of 2010). I supplemented my off season with track and field and field hockey in high school. Honestly, I’ve tried almost everything, but for whatever reason, I was more skilled if it involved a stick/racket/bat. If it involved me just moving a ball with my hands and feet, I was atrocious. Soccer and basketball are by far my worst sports.

Why did you decide to do a massing program?

Erica: My motivations were twofold—aesthetic and performance. Aesthetically, I would like a more muscular lower body and performance-wise, I’d want to be stronger in all my movements. I was first exposed to the idea after reading RP founder Lori Shaw’s article on it. Even though it made a lot of sense, it took me a while to come around to the idea. Ultimately, what encouraged me to go for it was seeing other women do it and enjoy themselves! There is an awesome Facebook group called “RP Massing Ladies” where a bunch of confident women are getting after it, pushing past discomforts, making jokes about their “power pouches,” and crushing PRs they’d been trying to hit for years. It’s a super uplifting and badass online community. It also really helped to see Katie Harper post about it and know there was someone in my direct community I could turn to with questions if needed.

Lorena: When I started at CFSBK, I immediately started using Beyond the Whiteboard. I love data tracking and analysis, so after a few months of tracking my workouts, BTWB told me that I have a low BMI compared to other women CrossFitters., which in my head automatically meant that to be able to lift more I should weight more. This is a simplistic conclusion, but seems intuitive when you realize that I have long arms and legs with a short body. Anyway, I started reading and hearing stories about other people that did diets to gain weight. As a woman, gaining weight was never associated with something positive. But here I am trying to gain some weight to gain strength.

Katie: To increase my performance as a CrossFit competitor. I tend to fall short in the strength category compared to all of the other advanced athletes out there, so I thought that changing up my diet would give me a big advantage.

Can you tell us about the programs you’re doing?

Erica: I’m following a “massing” template by Renaissance Periodization. The basic idea is that, for about 3 months (or until you gain the desired amount of weight, whichever comes first), you aim to gain between 0.25 and 1 lb per week of mass. At the end of your gain period, you might expect 25% of that tissue to be muscle and the rest to be fat. After a period of maintenance, you can begin cutting to remove any unwanted fat, eventually leaving you with a more muscular physique and stronger body than what you started with.

Lorena: Nowadays I do group classes 5-6  times a week, and I try to do 1 hour of AR twice a week. I took advantage of the LFPB Challenge at the gym and decided to follow a diet to gain strength, which requires gaining some weight. This makes me somewhat uncomfortable, probably because of years of being sold on the idea that “thin is pretty,” which women are constantly bombarded with.

Katie: I’ve been following an RP template that Keith set up for me. It’s actually based off of a maintenance template (with the goal to keep weight the same with more specific macro balance/timing), but I set my weight as 135 pounds (even though I was 132 lb when I started). The goal for me was to gain a modest amount of lean mass (3-5 lb) and see how it affected my performance. I didn’t want to do anything too drastic so close to the Open. But my intention is to kick it into high gear and go on a massing template in the offseason since things are going well for me. By the CrossFit Open in 2019, I want to be a lean 140 lb brick house

What kind of progress have you seen so far?

Erica: Performance-wise, I’ve seen some huge improvements even though it’s only been about 3 weeks! My first few days of the program, I hit 8 strict Chin-Ups (a number I’d been after for many years), a 20# weighted chin-up, and 14 strict Push-Ups. Earlier this week, I hit 9+ consecutive Pistols on each leg (up from a struggling ~4) and PR-ed my Heel Hang from 14 seconds (up from 12). It’s fairly early in the mass, so the performance improvements are more likely to be from the extra food aiding recovery than muscle, but either way, I’m thrilled.

Katie: Progress has been made! I weighed in at 136 (with clothes on) last Monday. Aesthetically, I have definitely noticed that I have A LITTLE more muscle in my legs, but it’s hard to tell with the rest of me. When I’m really strict on the weekends my abs are poppin’ though, which is fabulous. Overall, I have a lot more energy on my long days at the gym, and my performance has improved. I used to feel like I was going to fall asleep mid-workout at least three times a week, and I know that most of the time, it’s not sleep related. I have been getting 7-7.5 on average weekly these days.

Have you altered your training to fit your diet?

Erica: Definitely. I’m doing a lot more volume on both my upper and lower body, but especially lower. I’ve also shifted my rep schemes from 1-2 reps of very high-effort progression steps to sets of 8-12 reps of moderate effort. Also been experimenting with Hip Thrusts for glutes, as I’ve had a hard time finding a good calisthenics glute exercise I like.

Lorena: My program includes tracking macros, sleeping 8 hours, and taking some supplements such as omega-3s, magnesium and vitamin D. From the beginning, I was surprised by the proportion of carbs on my diet. Before I was eating the same amount of proteins and carbs and controlling my calories to make sure I didn’t gain weight. Now I’m eating much more carbs and I can feel the difference on my performance. I don’t feel tired, and I think I recover much faster from workouts.

Katie: Quite the opposite, actually. I needed to match my diet to fit my training volume. I was definitely under-eating, which was affecting my energy levels.

What kind of challenges have you encountered so far?

Erica: The biggest challenge I’ve encountered to date has been managing my gain rate. The first week, I actually lost weight and the second week I gained a bit too fast. The scale is unfortunately an imperfect measurement tool (you fluctuate throughout the week due to water and other stuff), and it’s sometimes hard to make a call on how to tweak things as you go.

Lorena: I have been on this diet for 5 weeks, and so far, I haven’t gained weight. I must confess that gaining weight makes me feel anxious. Every time I weight myself I have to consciously think that an increase in weight is actually a good thing. I’m very good at tracking macros and going to the gym even when I’m not in the mood. The change in my mindset might be the most challenging thing about it so far.

Katie: As expected, compliance. I’m a social lady, so sometimes I want to go out, have fun, and eat whatever I want. I think that’s fine. I’ve set realistic expectations for myself, and I am pretty relaxed about my intake on my weekly rest day and weekends. So if I’m being honest with myself, I find that I’m compliant about 4.5 out of 7 days. And I think that’s good for now. But, yikes, is it hard to find time to cook for myself with all of the stuff I have going on these days. I have created a few menus for myself to make the task as easy and mindless as possible. It’s a bit monotonous, though. Sometimes, I feel like all I do on Monday through Friday is wakeup, work, work out, cook, sleep, and repeat.

What do you ultimately hope to gain from your massing program?

Erica: I’d like to get stronger in all of my movements, but in particular the push and pull from my shoulders with Skin-the-Cats and L-Sits would be amazing.

Lorena: Because I’m not a professional or even recreational athlete, and I’m not training to any competition, it might seem (to me) that I don’t have a clear goal to achieve. My ultimate goal would be to gain mass, without gaining fat and gaining strength to be able to lift more weight. I’m planning on using the Open and Benchmark WODS to track my performance, and listening to my body to assess how I feel. I think ultimately the main goal is always to be healthier.

Katie: A one way ticket to Regionals baby, AWW YEAH! (maybe not this year, but hopefully one day if I keep this gainz train going!)

Check back next Tuesday for Part II, when we’ll hear about Francine D. and Coach Lauren’s massing experiences!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: Push Press | Dumbbell “DT”
Set a Goal for Each Training Session Catalyst Athletics
The Most Unusual Menus from Libraries Around the World Atlas Obscura

Push Jerk

5-5-5-5-5

Work up to a heavy set of 5 Push Jerks. No splits. Barbell comes off the floor.

Post loads to comments.

_____________________

Dumbbell “DT”

5 Rounds for Time:
12 Dumbbell Deadlifts 50/35
9 Dumbbell Hang Power Cleans 50/35
6 Dumbbell Push Presses 50/35

Post time and Rx to comments.

Join the 2018 CFSBK Open Intramural Team Competition!

For the 3rd year in a row, CFSBK is organizing a friendly, in-house intramural team competition during the CrossFit Open. This competition aims to promote a healthy community rivalry and provide motivation for all Open competitors to perform their best each week! Participation is voluntary, and those who wish to participate will be split into balanced teams with team captains assigned by CFSBK management. Team scores will be compiled at the close of each week by the captains using an average team ranking. Last year, we had more than 70 CFSBK athletes compete in this in-house competition. We’re hoping to surpass that number this year, but we need everyone to sign up by the end of the day!

You may perform the workouts scaled or Rx’d, whichever is most appropriate for you. Since we will be using overall team ranking as the score, performing workouts Rx’d will be more valuable to your team than performing them scaled, regardless of how many reps you get. This dovetails with the intention of the Open: to attempt as many workouts Rx’d as you can while scaling when necessary.

The Open workouts will be programmed for Saturday group class each week, which provides team members the opportunity to complete the workouts on Friday and Saturday during group class or Saturday and Sunday during Open Gym. However, if you must miss a workout (due to travel, injury, illness, etc.), it won’t necessarily negatively affect your team’s score, because the score will be an average of top submitted scores for each week.

Teams are encouraged to attend the same group class, wear matching outfits/t-shirts (we’ll assign each team a color), and trash talk. If the competition results in a tie at the end of the Open, there will be a head-to-head team throw-down. Teams will be invited to compete against each other every week during a super-fun, good-vibez, open-to-all Friday Night Lights event.

This isn’t mandatory, so if you want to do the Open workouts without joining the intramural competition, you can. If you are interested in joining an Intramural Team, fill out this survey by midnight tonight!

You must be officially registered for the CrossFit Open to compete in the Intramural Team Competition, so go here to sign up if you haven’t already! Please remember to sign up for the CrossFit South Brooklyn affiliate and team on the Games site!

We’re shooting to have 200 CFSBK members sign up for the Open, which starts THIS THURSDAY! Right now we’re at 139. Can we get to 150 by the end of the day? Let’s do it!

Upcoming Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Cycles!

BJJ Fundamentals (8 spots available)

Mid-Hang Snatch

Work up to a heavy Mid-Hang Snatch for the day.

Post loads to comments.

_____________________

For Time:
100 Alternating Leg Dumbbell Overhead Reverse Lunges 50/35
200 Double-Unders
100 Sit-Ups
50 Russian Kettlebell Swings 32/24kg

The Lunges are Single-Arm Overhead and should be split evenly between the left and right arm. Perform a set of 10 Alternating Reverse Lungs with the dumbbell held overhead in the left arm, then switch arms and perform a set of 10 with the dumbbell held overhead in the right arm. Repeat for 5 sets each arm to complete the 100 total reps. Scale load to be able to complete sets of 10 reps unbroken, or to the front rack as needed. Scaling for Dubs is 300 Singles or 50 attempts. The Kettlebell Swings should be heavy for you, but unbroken on the top end.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Joy M. putting the “Box Jump” in “Burpee Box Jumps” | Photo by Thomas H. 

TODAY: LOOK, FEEL, PERFORM BETTER CHALLENGE LECTURE, “SNACK ATTACK”

The 4th Look, Feel, Perform Better Challenge Lecture and Q&A is today at 12pm in the Annex. I’m soooo hungry… What healthy snacks can I have? Do you struggle with mid-afternoon hunger or late night munchies? In this lecture we’ll dig in a bit to see why and learn a few strategies for dealing with it.

_____________________
Yesterday’s Results Board: WODurday
A Before-School Exercise Program May Help Children Thrive NY Times
How Much Is Enough? Finding Your Perfect Workout Frequency BarBend