Clean Complex

Every Minute on the Minute x 15:
1-7: 2 Tall Cleans
8-15: 2 Hip Cleans

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 1 of 8

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Half “Jerry”

For Time:
800m Run
1000m Row
800m Row

Try to stay uncomfortable on this one today.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Throwback Thursday: Team CFSBK, uh, flexing at last year’s Flex on the Beach. A bunch more CFSBKers will be competing at Flex on the beach 2017 this weekend in Long Beach. Need an excuse to go to the beach this weekend? Now you have one! 

CFSBK’s 10th Anniversary Party

2017 marks CFSBK’s 10th year worth of TBTs. Woohoo! This shindig goes down the evening of Saturday, September 30th from 8pm to 1am. The traditional 10th anniversary gift is tin or aluminum, but we don’t want your recyclables. We just want you to show up, drink some drinks, get down with your gym buds, and help us celebrate 10 years of making Brooklyn a better, fitter borough! Get stoked!

Ada Lace on the Case & Ada Lace Sees Red

Tempo Back Squat (20X1)

3 x 8

Start light enough to add weight for a few weeks.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 1 of 8

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Performance
Every Minute on the Minute x 14:
Even Minutes: 3 Thrusters 155/105
Odd Minutes: 3 Strict Ring Muscle-Ups

The Thruster should be heavy. You can Squat Clean Thruster (Cluster) the first rep of each set. Scale the reps on the Muscle-Ups if you can’t do 3 strict in under 30 seconds, or if you done “a few” Muscle-Ups you can choose to do 3 strict Banded Transitions on the low rings instead. Use a false grip and start with straight arms.

Fitness
Every Minute on the Minute x 14:
Even Minutes: 3 Thrusters 115/80
Odd Minutes: 3 Strict Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups + 3 Burpees

The Thruster should be heavy. You can Squat Clean Thruster (Cluster) the first rep of each set. Scale Pull-Ups to Banded Pull-Ups as needed but be sure to get your chest to the bar.

Post work and Rx to comments.

Kevin Y. looking remarkably poised in that powdered wig at last year’s Fight Gone Bad. Check out more action shots from the day here! 

Fight Gone Bad 2017: Register Now!

Since 2008, CrossFit South Brooklyn has conducted a yearly fundraiser in the form of a workout called “Fight Gone Bad.” Last year, we raised over $30,000 for the Brooklyn Community Foundation (BCF), a local organization dedicated to improving the lives of people in Brooklyn by strengthening communities through local giving, grant-making, and community service. This year, we’ll be partnering with BCF again and hope to surpass last year’s donation numbers.

Last year we had over 130 members participate, and this year, we’re capping it at 200.

When is Fight Gone Bad?

Saturday, November 4th, 2017. First heat begins at 9am. While we originally posted a save-the-date for October 21st, we decided to reschedule for a couple weeks later, because we already have a lot happening in late September and early October! This gives teams more time to fundraise, hold practices, and plan-out costumes!

What is Fight Gone Bad?

Three Rounds, as Many Reps as Possible, of:
Wall Balls, 20lb, 10ft / 14lb, 9ft
Sumo Deadlift High-Pulls, 75/55 pounds
Box Jumps, 20″ box
Push-presses, 75/55 pounds
Row

In this workout, you move from each of five stations after a minute. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. When the announcer calls “Rotate,” athletes must move to next station immediately. Each of the three rounds is five minutes, followed by a one-minute rest. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

What does the registration fee cover?

The $30 (plus tax) fee covers the cost of a team t-shirt. You and your team will be able to create a unique team name and decide on t-shirt colors. We also give prizes to the team with the most spirit. Think costumes, props, makeup, and other fun stuff!

Why are we fundraising?

In the past, our annual FGB fundraiser has been a great way to bring our community together to support great charities—and we chose to support the Brooklyn Community Foundation because Brooklyn has been exceptionally good to us and we want to help give back to the community that CFSBK is proud to call home. If you’re not familiar with BCF, make sure you visit their website to check them out. Or if you’re busy, at least check out their list of Grantees; we’re sure you’ll find one or two not far from you!

Will there be a fundraising minimum?

While encourage everyone to make wholehearted attempts to raise funds, there is no fundraising minimum to participate. As in years past, there will be some sweet prizes awarded to the top individual fundraisers!

Ok, you keep talking about fundraising but how should I do this and when should I begin?

Once our registration deadline ends on September 22nd, we’ll create teams consisting of six athletes. Shortly after, athletes will get an email from us with their team assignments and all of the details to set up their fundraising pages. We’ll be using Crowdrise as our fundraising platform again and participants will have individual fundraising pages that will be super easy to share with friends and family. (Check out last year’s main fundraising page HERE!)

Also, we’re looking for donations to give out as prizes. Contact Danae [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com if you have something to offer!

Tell me more about the workout. What if I can’t do it Rx’d?

Here’s CrossFit founder Greg Glassman explaining FGB in detail in a delightfully vintage video. And don’t worry! We have scaling options available!

So the day begins at 9am, but how long will it last? When will my team go?

The length of the event depends on how many total athletes/teams we have. We run two teams through the workout simultaneously and new heats start every 20 minutes. Unfortunately, we can’t tell you exactly what time your team will be going until we get closer to the event. Of course, we hope that you plan on spending a few hours with us, not only competing but also supporting your fellow teams. And as usual, we’ll have some tasty adult beverages to enjoy!

What if I can’t attend that Saturday, November 4th?

You can still sign up to be a part of a team to participate in fundraising and get a team t-shirt. Unfortunately, though, we won’t be running a Fight Gone Belated this year as we have in years past. Sign up anyway and select the option to be on Fight Gone Belated, so you can raise funds for BCF!

Ok, I’m sold. Where do I register?

Register Here!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
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Developing Your Pull-Up

By Christian Fox

Editor’s note: It’s the beginning of a new training cycle. Time to take stock and set goals! For many of us, that will involve the all-important Pull-Up. So today we’re bringing you a blog classic, “Developing Your Pull-Up.” This is a new, updated version of a post that has helped many CFSBKers get their chin over the bar. Enjoy!

There are a bunch of reasons to get better at doing Pull-Ups. For one, we do a bunch of them in CrossFit. They’re also a great way to increase the strength of your upper back, arms, lats, grip, and help to have a balanced and healthy shoulder girdle. You should be able to do strict Pull-Ups with a variety of grips, and once you can consistently do few Pull-Ups at a time it may be time to start working on the Kipping Pull-Up. Here’s how you’re going to get better, no matter where you are in the process.

Beginner (No Pull-Ups, or “I did one, once…”)

“A” Day)

3 Sets of 8 Reps of Either:
Ring Rows or Band-Assisted Pull-Ups.

Use an angle or band that makes completing all the repetitions challenging. Rest as needed between sets.

Followed by,

3 Supersets of 8 Reps of Either:
Dumbbell Curls (I know you’ve secretly wanted to do these anyway) or Dumbbell Rows
Dumbbell Bench Press or Dumbbell Floor Press

Choose a weight that feels like you could have done another rep or two at the end of the set. Take minimal rest between exercises in the superset.

“B” Day)

10 Sets of 2 Tempo Negatives

Using a box that allows you to stand and reach your a few inches north of your elbow to the bar, jump up and hold 2 second pause with chin over bar, then lower for 4 seconds down, using either a Pull-Up or a Chin-Up grip. A good way to structure these is do do the 2 reps every minute on the minute for 10 minutes. Yes, that seems like a lot of rest in between reps, and no, it’s not a lot of total reps. That’s a good thing, trust me.

Alternate between the A day and the B day with a day of rest between workouts. An example would be: Monday A – Wednesday B – Saturday A – Monday B – Wednesday A – Saturday B

Intermediate (Can do 3-5 pull-ups at a time)

Week 1: 6 sets of 2 reps. Rest 1 minute between sets. Perform twice a week.
Week 2: 5 sets of 3 reps. Rest 1 minute between sets. Perform twice a week.
Week 3: 4 sets of 4 reps. Rest 90-120 seconds between sets. Perform twice a week.
Week 4: 3 sets to failure. Rest 3 minutes between sets. Perform twice a week.

This program can be used until you have a set of 10 reps in the 4th week. If you don’t get the 10 reps in Week 4, restart at Week 1 and add a rep to each set. Week 1 would be 6 x 3, Week 2 would be 5 x 4, and Week 3 would be 4 x 5, then retest in Week 4.

End each session by practicing Kipping Pulls-Ups for a few small sets, no more than 5 sets and no more than 8 reps. Terminate the set if you fall out of rhythm. It’s all about developing a rhythm that you can control and maintain. Remember that a solid Kip uses your whole body and don’t forget that your abs need to be engaged throughout. If you fly open in the front of the Kip, you are leaking tons of energy away from the bar. Check out this video for a peek at what an efficient Pull-Up should look like.

Advanced (Can regularly do sets of 10 or more strict and/or kipping)

Congrats, you stud or stud-ette. You are now on your way to becoming elite! Don’t expect, however, that your Pull-Ups will magically become better if you don’t practice them. You should still be working on both strict and Kipping Pull-Ups. Mix up the grip that you use when you practice. Try these:

1) Once a week do a set or two to near failure. Start with a Pull-Up grip (hands outside shoulder width and palms away) and when you are 2 reps shy of failure switch to a Chin-Up grip (hands inside shoulder width and palms toward you). When you are 2 reps shy of failure switch to a mixed grip (1 palm in, 1 palm out) and do the same before switching again.

2) You can practice similarly by doing a set or two of max strict Pull-Ups, immediately switching to Kipping and again going till failure (or a rep shy of it).

3) Start doing weighted Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups, 3 sets of 5 reps, and seeing if you can add weight each week.

4) 30 seconds on/30 seconds off for 5 minutes of max reps kipping pull ups. The set ends if you come off the bar. Remember to stay engaged in the trunk. Don’t leak energy out in front. Remember this video.

5) Each time you’re in the gym do a 3-5 sub-max sets of Kipping Pull-Ups, trying to add a rep each time you do the drill. You want to feel fresh and stay shy of failure here. Terminate the set if grip becomes the limiting factor. Again, remember to stay engaged and not leak energy out of the front of the Kip.

6) If you have a solid Kip that just seems to go away on you when you get gassed, then try practicing your Pull-Ups under duress. Do 50 Double-Unders or sprint down the block and back followed immediately by a set of 10-15 Pull-Ups. EMOMs also work really well here.

Final Thoughts

If one of the days that you’re in the gym involves a lot of Pull-Ups, then consider that a replacement day for one of the days on the above programs. Also consider this: it’s no mistake that smaller, lighter people have an easier time with Pull-Ups. While the barbell exercises can be scaled easily to ability, calisthenics cannot. If you have some weight to lose, then a solid nutritional program can work in tandem with the above programs to help you achieve the pull up. Check out the folks over at Whole 9 or our buddy Robb Wolf for lots of info from simple tips to detailed programs to get you started. Three cheers to getting yer Pull-Ups up!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Press / Sumo Deadlift | NFT Work
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What’s the Difference Between Grass-Fed Whey Vs. Regular Whey? BarBend

Tempo Press / Tempo Sumo Deadlift Superset*

A1) Tempo (31×1) Press:
3 x 8

Start Week 1 light enough to make your reps on all 3 sets. Around 50-60% is fine.

A2) Tempo (31×1) Sumo Deadlift:
3 x 8

Start light enough to make your reps on all 3 sets. Around 50-60% is fine. If you’re not sure what your heavy Sumo Deadlift is, then use today to find a medium-heavy set of 8 reps.

*Warm up and then perform a set of Presses, followed by a set of Sumo Deadlifts. Repeat for 3 work sets of each, resting about a minute between movements. Use a 21×1 tempo for both movements. The last few reps of each set should be tough, but the goal is no misses.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 1 of 8
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4-5 Rounds Not for Time or 20 Minutes:
8e Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows
8e Single-Arm Half-Kneeling Dumbbell Presses
20-30s L-Sit

Use a controlled tempo on the eccentric of the presses and rows.

Post loads used to comments.

Our new training cycle starts today. What are your personal goals for this cycle? Tell us in the comments! | Photo by Thomas H. 

New Training Cycle Template

Training Cycle Dates: M 9/11/17 – Su 11/5/17
Test Week: M 11/6/17 – Su 11/12/17
Crush Week: M 11/13/17 – Su 11/19/17
Transition Week: Will be the first week of the following cycle, starting November 20th

Goals: Improve overhead stability and pushing strength, build lean mass through controlled tempo volume work on slow lifts, and add more regular pulling from the floor. We’ll use the Back Squat in regular lifting rotation but will see Front Squats coming off the floor in metcons. We’ll also see the continuation of “Crazy Metcon Saturdays” and regular bodybuilding-style work in cash outs and on NFT days. A metcon or NFT work will follow each day’s lifting segment.

Monday – Tempo Press (31X1) + Tempo Deadlift* (31X1) Superset

Warm up and then perform a set of Presses followed by a set of Deadlifts. Repeat for 3 work sets of each, resting about a minute between movements. Use a 31×1 tempo for both movements.

*Deadlift will alternate week to week between Sumo and Stiff-Legged.

Weeks 1-4: 3 x 8
Week 5: De-load 8RM
Weeks 6-8: 4 x 6

Wednesday – Tempo Back Squat (20X1)

Weeks 1-4: 3 x 8
Week 5: De-load 8RM
Weeks 6-8: 4 x 6

Thursday – Clean and Jerk

Complexes and EMOMs

Saturday – Metcon Funday!

Varied mixed-modal metcons of longer than our usual time domain, including partner workouts

Sunday – Snatch

Complexes and EMOMs in addition to Overhead Squats and Snatch Balance exposures

Check out our Current Programing Cycle page for this cycle’s standardized warm ups! 

News and Notes

• We’re less than a week away from the start of the 2017 Subway Series! The first event goes down this Saturday at CrossFit Gantry, and don’t forget that CFSBK will host on October 14th!
• CFSBK will host an Own Your Eating Seminar tonight from 6 to 8pm! This seminar is just $25 if you sign up ahead of time, or $30 at the door. See yesterday’s post for details!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: “Holleyman”
Dream Day Clif Bar
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“Holleyman”

30 Rounds for Time of:
5 Wall Ball Shots 20/10, 14/9
3 Handstand Push-Ups
1 Power Clean 225/155

This is a doozy of a workout that, for most, packs a serious strength training component as well. The short rep scheme makes this workout doable for many, but scale as appropriate. The Wall Balls should be done unbroken, as should the Handstand Push-Ups. Scale load/height on the Wall Balls as needed, and scale to 1-2 AbMats for Handstand Push-Ups as long as you’re getting some decent ROM. Otherwise scale to Box Piked or heavy-ish strict Dumbbell Presses. The Power Clean load should be heavy, approaching 90% and above your 1RM. Be aggressive on your pulls and equally aggressive in moving under the bar to rack it. If you’re newer, then use a medium-heavy load on the Power Clean and focus on executing each rep as perfectly as possible. You’ll still get plenty of a workout between the other two movements.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Tomorrow: Own Your Eating at CFSBK

CFSBK will host an Own Your Eating Seminar this Monday, September 11th from 6 to 8pm.

Own Your Eating’s mission is to educate as many people as possible about flexible eating and give them the tools they need to set them up for long term success with their nutrition. Seminars typically last 2 hours from start to finish including time for questions and the chance to chat with hosts Roz & Jason one-on-one.

Please bring a pen and paper to take notes.  We also recommend downloading My Fitness Pal to your smartphone in advance.

This seminar is just $25 if you sign up ahead of time, or $30 at the door.

Register Here!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Thruster | Open Workout 17.2 (ish)
Julie Foucher: Double “Grace” CrossFit
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Thruster

1-1-1

Work up to a heavy Thruster for the day from a rack. Jerks are not allowed.

Post loads to comments.

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Open Workout 17.2 (ish)

AMRAP 12 Minutes:

2 Rounds of…
20 Dumbbell Reverse Lunges
16 Toes-to-Bars
8 Dumbbell Power Cleans

Then, 2 rounds of…
20 Dumbbell Reverse Lunges
16 Bar Muscle-Ups
8 Dumbbell Power Cleans

Alternate between Toes-to-Bars and Bar Muscle-Ups every 2 rounds.

Open Workout 17.2 was 50′ Walking Lunges and was Rx’d at 50/35. For space and equipment’s sake, we’re running this as Reverse Lunges with no “Rx’d” loads; however, be sure to fully stand up on each Lunge and use a dumbbell weight that challenges you. Scale the Toes-to Bars to Hanging Leg or Knee Raises as needed, and the Bar Muscle-Ups to Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups. Remember, for some the workout was about how many Toes-to-Bars they could do, and the Muscle-Ups are what stopped quite a few Open athletes in their tracks, so don’t be too quick to scale those down to an easy (for you) movement.

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.

This Monday: Own Your Eating at CFSBK

CFSBK is thrilled to announce that we’ll be hosting an Own Your Eating Seminar this Monday, September 11th from 6 to 8pm. Only a couple of days left to register!

Own Your Eating’s mission is to educate as many people as possible about flexible eating and give them the tools they need to set them up for long term success with their nutrition. Seminars typically last 2 hours from start to finish including time for questions and the chance to chat with hosts Roz & Jason one-on-one.

Please bring a pen and paper to take notes.  We also recommend downloading My Fitness Pal to your smartphone in advance.

This seminar is just $25 if you sign up ahead of time, so what are you waiting for?

Register Here!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
These Are the Animal Wranglers Behind the Only Good Twitter Account Deadspin
What It Actually Looks Like to Eat the Recommended Amount of Sugar Greatist

Fight Gone Bad 2017: Register Now!

Since 2008, CrossFit South Brooklyn has conducted a yearly fundraiser in the form of a workout called “Fight Gone Bad.” Last year, we raised over $30,000 for the Brooklyn Community Foundation (BCF), a local organization dedicated to improving the lives of people in Brooklyn by strengthening communities through local giving, grant-making, and community service. This year, we’ll be partnering with BCF again and hope to surpass last year’s donation numbers.

Last year we had over 130 members participate, and this year, we’re capping it at 200.

When is Fight Gone Bad?

Saturday, November 4th, 2017. First heat begins at 9am. While we originally posted a save-the-date for October 21st, we decided to reschedule for a couple weeks later, because we already have a lot happening in late September and early October! This gives teams more time to fundraise, hold practices, and plan-out costumes!

What is Fight Gone Bad?

Three Rounds, as Many Reps as Possible, of:
Wall Balls, 20lb, 10ft / 14lb, 9ft
Sumo Deadlift High-Pulls, 75/55 pounds
Box Jumps, 20″ box
Push-presses, 75/55 pounds
Row

In this workout, you move from each of five stations after a minute. The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. When the announcer calls “Rotate,” athletes must move to next station immediately. Each of the three rounds is five minutes, followed by a one-minute rest. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

What does the registration fee cover?

The $30 (plus tax) fee covers the cost of a team t-shirt. You and your team will be able to create a unique team name and decide on t-shirt colors. We also give prizes to the team with the most spirit. Think costumes, props, makeup, and other fun stuff!

Why are we fundraising?

In the past, our annual FGB fundraiser has been a great way to bring our community together to support great charities—and we chose to support the Brooklyn Community Foundation because Brooklyn has been exceptionally good to us and we want to help give back to the community that CFSBK is proud to call home. If you’re not familiar with BCF, make sure you visit their website to check them out. Or if you’re busy, at least check out their list of Grantees; we’re sure you’ll find one or two not far from you!

Will there be a fundraising minimum?

While encourage everyone to make wholehearted attempts to raise funds, there is no fundraising minimum to participate. As in years past, there will be some sweet prizes awarded to the top individual fundraisers!

Ok, you keep talking about fundraising but how should I do this and when should I begin?

Once our registration deadline ends on September 22nd, we’ll create teams consisting of six athletes. Shortly after, athletes will get an email from us with their team assignments and all of the details to set up their fundraising pages. We’ll be using Crowdrise as our fundraising platform again and participants will have individual fundraising pages that will be super easy to share with friends and family. (Check out last year’s main fundraising page HERE!)

Also, we’re looking for donations to give out as prizes. Contact Danae [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com if you have something to offer!

Tell me more about the workout. What if I can’t do it Rx’d?

Here’s CrossFit founder Greg Glassman explaining FGB in detail in a delightfully vintage video. And don’t worry! We have scaling options available!

So the day begins at 9am, but how long will it last? When will my team go?

The length of the event depends on how many total athletes/teams we have. We run two teams through the workout simultaneously and new heats start every 20 minutes. Unfortunately, we can’t tell you exactly what time your team will be going until we get closer to the event. Of course, we hope that you plan on spending a few hours with us, not only competing but also supporting your fellow teams. And as usual, we’ll have some tasty adult beverages to enjoy!

What if I can’t attend that Saturday, November 4th?

You can still sign up to be a part of a team to participate in fundraising and get a team t-shirt. Unfortunately, though, we won’t be running a Fight Gone Belated this year as we have in years past. Sign up anyway and select the option to be on Fight Gone Belated, so you can raise funds for BCF!

Ok, I’m sold. Where do I register?

Register Here!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Overhead Squat | Partner WOD
The No. 1 Reason Your Diet Is Failing Athlete Daily
How to Choose Wisely Nautilus

Overhead Squat

3-3-3

Not a true max-effort day. Just find a challenging triple.

Post loads to comments.

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Partner Metcon

3 Rounds for Time:
800m Run
100m Sandbag Carry
80 Air Squats

In teams of 2, complete the work for time. Do the runs together and partition the other work however desired. Carry the sandbag in front of the body (i.e., bear hug style). Choose a load that is challenging for both of you to carry and trade off as needed.

Post time, Rx, and partner to comments.

TBT to when Jay R. had the most team spirit at last year’s Fight Gone Bad. Heyyyy, speaking of TBT, help us celebrate 10 whole years worth of throwback at our 10th Anniversary Party on September 30th! 

New Article Up on Inside the Affiliate

“A gym is not something you build and walk away from. In its best iteration, a gym is a dynamic, vibrant, and inclusive community that improves peoples’ lives and the world around it.” That’s Coach David in “10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 Years of Owning a CrossFit Gym,” the latest transmission from Inside the Affiliate! Here Captain Osorio gets in depth about the knowledge he’s accumulated over the 10 wonderful years of CFSBK’s existence. If you’ve experienced this week’s My Little Pony invasion, you’ll understand #6, “Don’t be afraid to get weird.” Here’s to many more years of getting weird with you weirdos!

News and Notes

• And heyyy, speaking of Fight Gone Bad, check the blog tomorrow for FGB 2017 registration info! 
• CFSBK will be hosting an Own Your Eating Seminar on Monday, September 11th from 6 to 8pm. Own Your Eating’s mission is to educate as many people as possible about flexible eating and give them the tools they need to set them up for long term success with their nutrition. See the event page for more info! 
• As we mentioned yesterday, CFSBKer Moe  N. of beyond the whiteboard generously offered to give free merch to 3 randomly chosen people who posted their Helen for Houston Results. Those people are: Daniel Rocha, Brad Larson, and Jen Bokoff. Don’t forget to claim your treasures at the desk! In addition, the top men’s and women’s times posted will receive prizes. Those times are James A. and Coach JB. Congrats, all!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: 2015 Regionals Workout #6
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“My Name Is Daniel J., and I’m a CrossFit Kids Coach” CrossFit

2015 Regionals Workout #6

Performance
5 Rounds for Time:
25 Calorie Row
16 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
9 Strict Deficit Handstand Push-Ups

HSPU Rx: Use 4.5″ for Men, 3″ for Women

Fitness
5 Rounds for Time:
24/16 Calorie Row
16 Pull-Ups or Ring Rows
8 Handstand Push Ups, Box Piked Push-Ups, or Push-Ups

Post time and Rx to comments.

Just another day at the office for Coach Jeremy and Clio | Photo by Thomas H. 

CFSBK FAQs

As you may have noticed we’ve added a Frequently Asked Questions page accessible under Member Resources on the blog (to the right). Many thanks to Coach Chris Fox for writing this page! To draw your attention to the FAQs and to refamiliarize everyone with some important stuff, we’ll be reposting some of these questions and answers to the blog. Next up…

How Do I Decide Whether to Do Fitness or Performance Programming?

All of our new Foundations graduates follow Fitness programming for at least 2 cycles (3-6 months) and some will follow it indefinitely depending on goals and training consistency. If your goals are simply to be pretty fit and you don’t necessarily have any performance goals in CrossFit, then you may just be fine doing the Fitness workouts for the long haul. They’re quite potent in their own right and coupled with sound nutrition and recovery practices (sleep and relaxation techniques), they can likely get you where you want to go. This is especially true if you tend to fall in and out of a consistent gym schedule.

If you’re starting to nerd out on CrossFit and have some performance related goals, or maybe want to up your skill set and possibly compete, then you might benefit from our Performance programming. If you’ve been training consistently for at least 6 months and have “hit a plateau” that isn’t related to other factors like poor nutrition and recovery practices mentioned above, then ask a coach if you should give Performance a shot. The switch may not be 100% at first, though. Say you’ve made all of the Fitness squat exposures for 3 cycles and are maxed out on that lift, you should probably progress to Performance on the squat. If during the same time period you weren’t as consistent with another movement, say the Snatch, then you might hang back and follow the Fitness programming for that lift. Furthermore, from day to day, the Performance metcon might have a skill component that you don’t possess yet. On those days you might choose to do Performance during the lifting segment, then do the Fitness version of the metcon. Again, if you’re not sure then ask a coach.

Helen for Houston Results

Thanks to everyone who did Helen for Houston this past weekend. 77 of you posted your workouts to the blog. While we originally planned to donate $1.50 per round, in the spirit of giving, we bumped it up to $3 per round. That makes our total contribution $693! 

CFSBKer Moe  N. of beyond the whiteboard generously offered to give free merch to 3 randomly chosen people who posted their results. Those people are: Daniel Rocha, Brad Larson, and Jen Bokoff. The front desk will be in touch with more info!

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Yesterday’s Results Board: Rest Day
Eddie Hall’s Single-Arm Human Shoulder Press BarBend
Garage Mind: The Spirit of American Weightlifting Catalyst Athletics

Athlete of the Month: Katie Egan

By Chris Fox

This month we recognize Katie Egan, a pocket-sized Bostonian who has really impressed the coaches lately. Not that we’re all that surprised, though. We could see her potential right away when she first started with us. Since then she’s shown great patience, dedication, coach-ability, and ability. Read on, and don’t forget to ask her to tell you a cheesy joke!

Fox: Congrats! Your name has been mentioned for a few months now for AOM and finally, here we are. When and how did you first start CrossFit?

Katie: Thanks! I’m almost embarrassed about this. I’d done CrossFit a few times up in Boston in 2014 when my ex-boyfriend, Scott, convinced me to try it out. When I moved to Brooklyn that year I came to CFSBK and started coming regularly that October.

Fox: Exes can always be good for something. I’m glad we got you in the split! What were your first impressions of CrossFit, and what were you doing before?

Katie: Well my first impression during my “test out” class with David, was that I really sucked at some stuff and that I didn’t really know what a Squat was. I remember the workout was some intervals of 270m runs and 20 Pull-Ups. I couldn’t do 4 Chin-Ups with the help of a green band. I’d done “weight training” in college but quickly learned that those Squats were bullshit. It was humbling but also frustrating enough to make me want to improve. Before coming here I was doing a bunch of random stuff: SoulCycle, home bootcamp video workouts like Insanity, and the occasional run. In college I played soccer (with fellow CFSBKers and roomies Toni and Allie!) and used the student gym, but I hadn’t been going to a gym regularly since school.

Fox: I’ve heard someone say that you are the best athlete they’ve ever been around. You must be pretty impressive on the soccer pitch! Were you always into sports and physical activity?

Katie: That’s quite the overstatement! I have always been around athletics though. My two older brothers were wrestlers, and I played multiple sports once I was old enough so a lot of our time as a family was spent traveling to and from youth sporting events. In high school I played soccer, basketball, and despite my lack of talent at it, became the captain of our tennis team. (Ask me about the time I took a speeding tennis ball to the eye.) Even between the three of us, our parent’s somehow managed, in addition to both working as full-time nurses, to make time to support us in sports. I’m really grateful for that.

Fox: That’s awesome that your parents helped keep you all involved in being physical. What was it about CrossFit that made you stick to it?

Katie: Besides that fast that I’m a bit stubborn and wanted to get better at Pull-Ups and do real Squats? In college I played on a D1 soccer team that was pretty competitive, and I’ve always loved to compete. CrossFit filled that hole for me that was missing once I wasn’t in team sports anymore. It also reminded me a little bit of a class that our high school gym teacher would run that he called “Gut Check.” It was just a mix of HIIT type exercises, but it was fun and I always felt like I was working hard.

Fox: Where’d you grow up? And what brought you to Brooklyn?

Katie: I grew up in Hanover, Massachusetts which is a suburb of Boston. My parents and brothers are all still there. I came to Brooklyn in 2009 for college when I attended the nursing program at LIU. I honestly always thought I’d return to Massachusetts but I did an internship that led to employment and started working right after school. Between school, soccer, and work, I’ve developed some strong friendships that have kept me here. I didn’t love Brooklyn at first, but I do now. I also didn’t love that first job, but I recently switched to another location and things are looking up.

Fox: What do you do outside of work and working out?

Katie: I love my time spent playing under the Brooklyn Bridge Park lights with the CFSBK soccer team, and also love our after-game drinks at Sweet Polly. I like going on long runs, regularly covering miles in Prospect Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park. I also like to travel with friends when we can. I’ve got a group of 5-10 girls from my college soccer team who travel once or twice a year together. We’ve recently been to Nashville, New Orleans, and Denver. I’m usually the one trying to plan outdoorsy stuff like hikes but we’ll often just spend time chilling out, laughing, and catching up.

Fox: You mentioned that you love to compete. Have you done any CrossFit comps?

Katie: Yes! KHarpz and I recently took first place at Hail to the Team! Granted there were not many Rx’d women’s teams but it was still fun. We’re also doing Flex on the Beach together with Brett and Phil, which I’m excited for. I’ve only done team competitions so far so I’ll have to sign up as an individual at some point, I guess.

Fox: What were some things you first worked on in CrossFit, and what are you currently working on?

Katie: Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups, as I mentioned before. Now I’m working on consistent Butterfly Pull-Ups. It’s kind of funny: I always thought I’d just be one of those people who can’t do Pull-Ups, so it’s really cool to see the progress there. I’ve even done a few Bar Muscle-Ups but would like them to be consistent as well. I’m doing an Active Life Performance Care program, Bulletproof Shoulders, that I was given from the last seminar. Then also, like everyone, Olympic lifting is always a work in progress. I like to set different goals for each training cycle, it helps to keep me focused on making small progress throughout. I’m also working on simply getting stronger. Last cycle I made a point to do harder versions of the workouts and not to modify or scale if I could do the Rx’d loads and movements. I accepted that my times would be slower, and I wouldn’t worry about about my speed as much.

Fox: What’s something about you that most people don’t know?

Katie: Hmmm… I love to sing and dance to just about every kind of music, from 70’s rock to current teeny bopper stuff. I also love cheesy jokes and one-liners. I heard a great one recently when a random guy approached me on a grocery store checkout line: “What do you call a line of rabbits marching backwards?” … “A receding hairline!”

Fox: HAH! I love awful jokes. Last question… What should we look for in a future Athlete of the Month?

Katie: Someone with good training habits, who’s always pushing and doing a little bit extra to improve. I think positively affecting others is also important, whether it’s verbally supporting a classmate when they could use it or inspiring people through your actions to perform to their very best.

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