Back Squat / Front Squat

Fitness
Back Squat: 2 x 12 Linear Progression
Front Squat: 2 x 8 Linear Progression

Heavier than last week.

Performance
Back Squat: 70% x 2 x 2
Front Squat: 70% x 2 x 2

Every other exposure is a de-load so these should feel light.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 5 of 8
__________________

For Time:
50 Russian Kettlebell Swings 32/24kg
400m Run
30 Toes-to-Bars

Baller status for doing the swings unbroken, but 3-5 quick sets is appropriate. The run starts to 4th Ave, then to 3rd ave and back to the gym. Toes-to-Bars are the higher skill movement in this triplet chipper, so even small sets of 3-5 are ok. Sub T2Bs with Hanging Leg Raises, Hangng Knee Raises, or 60 AbMat Sit Ups as needed.

Post time and Rx to comments.

 

Behind the Desk: Juan Lopez

You all love the Underneath the Hoodie series and now we’re bringing back the Behind the Desk series, about our beloved and much appreciated Front Desk staff. These CrossFitters take care of the important duties of checking in our members, handling walk-ins, tidying up after classes, and so many other things that it would take forever to list them. They are the glue that holds this gym together.

Last time, it was Toni S.  And now (drum roll, please), introducing another new front desker…

Name (and any nicknames): Juan Lopez, aka Juanito, aka JuanLo (no relation to JLo)

Where were you born and where did you grow up? I was born in New South Wales Australia, where my dad lives, and moved to Park Slope with my mom when I was almost ten years old, and spent the rest of my childhood here.

How long have you been CrossFitting, and how did you arrive at CFSBK? I took Foundations in January with Chris Fox and I’ve been CrossFitting at SBK ever since. I heard about CrossFit through my girlfriend, Jenna J., whose been at CFSBK for several years.

What are three (non essential like food and water) things you can’t live without? Pizza, pizza, and pizza.

Did you have any mentors or heroes growing up? Roberto Clemente, a right fielder for the Pirates in the 60s and 70s. In addition to being a great baseball player, he did a lot of good off the field, including volunteer and humanitarian work.

What are you up to when you’re not at 597 Degraw Street? When I’m not at the gym, I’m actually spending a lot of time at another gym, boxing. Boxing is huge part of my life, and eventually I would like to turn pro. I know I will regret it if I don’t give it a shot.

What’s the first movie or album you ever loved? Bad, by Michael Jackson, on cassette. I played that album over and over. (Still do)

__________________
Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Rest Day
Ask a Swole Woman: Am I Doing Enough? The Hairpin
Don’t Be a Cheerleader: 10 Pieces of Advice for CrossFit Coaches Inside the Affiliate
What Not to Talk About on Competition Day PurePharma

Do you see a familiar face in this video? In addition to her training at CFSBK, Tori P. is a professional dancer who recently did this video with her friend Kellen Stancil, a choreographer and the dance captain of The Lion King. Tori is on the far left at the start of the video. Enjoy!

Girls Gone Rx at CrossFit 718

On Saturday, October 1st, our friends at CrossFit 718 will be hosting Girls Gone Rx Brooklyn. Teams of 3 ladies will compete in 4 events throughout the day to raise awareness for Breast Cancer. $30 for each team’s registration fee will be donated directly to Bright Pink. So far, CFSBK is sending two teams to the competition:

 
There’s still time to sign up! Sound interesting? Find some teammates and head on over to the website to register!

News and Notes

• The first of Coach Whit’s Road to Gymnastics clinics is tomorrow. Tomorrow and Saturday’s sessions are FULL! But there’s still time to sign up for the next two. Head on over to the event page to lock your spot down!
• If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that we have something that belongs to you. Do you want it back? Look among these treasures. Our lost and found runneth over.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Deadlift / Handstand Push-Up | FGB Prep
Recovery Is All in Our Head Outside
The Case Against Cats LA Review of Books

Deadlift / Handstand Push-Up Superset*

1A) Deadlift

Fitness
3 x 4

Heavier than last week.

Performance
70% x 5 x 3

1B) Handstand Push-Up

Fitness
3 x 5-10 Box Piked HSPUs

1-2 AbMats are ok. Knees are easier than toes. Sub 8-12 Seated Dumbbell Presses if you don’t have Boxed Pike HSPUs yet. 

Performance
3 x 6-12 Strict HSPUs  

1-3 AbMats are allowed as long as you’re getting some range of motion out of it. If you can do 3 sets of 12 easily, then add a deficit. DC blocks and bumpers work well for this.

*Superset means that you perform a set of exercise A (in this case the Bench Press) and then after a short rest, 30 seconds to a minute, you perform a set of exercise B (in this case the Barbell Bent-Over Row). You then rest a short period before returning to exercise A and continue in this fashion until all warm up and work sets are completed.

Post loads/work to comments.
Exposure 5 of 8

_____________________

Every Minute on the Minute for 5 Rounds each of:
1) 15 Wall Balls 20/10, 14/9
2) 15 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls 75/55
3) 15 Box Jumps 20″
4) Rest

3rd Scaling Options
WB: 10/8
SDHP: 35#
BJ: 16″ or Step Ups

A little Fight Gone Bad prep and primer today. The Sumo Deadlift High Pull only comes up around this time, so use the metcon to familiarize yourself with it. Box Jumps are Rx’s as a two foot take off. Step Ups are scaled. Aim to perform the reps unbroken for each round and see how far into the minute that takes you. If you don’t finish 15 reps within a minute, then move on anyway.

Post work to comments.

Athlete of the Month: Sasha Slocombe

By Chris Fox

The end of summer brings us a new AOM. Sasha started just over a year ago now, though it often seems as if she and her family have been here longer. She has trained consistently over that time, been coachable, and is always a friendly face to have in a group class. Read on to learn a bit about this yogini and mom of three!

Fox: Hi Sasha, thanks for coming in to speak with me, and congrats!

Sasha: Thank you! It’s such a surprise and an honor. I’m really excited. 

Fox: Alright then, let’s get to it. When and why did you start Crossfit?

Sasha: Dustin and I started on July 28 of last year in your Foundations!  I teach and practice yoga and had been going to the Y and exercising but found it hard to be consistent. Also, noise was frowned upon there, like even a “struggling to move a weight” noise! My brother was doing CrossFit in Venice, CA, and it sounded like something I wanted to try. I also knew a few people from the yoga community (like Coach Whitney) who were speaking positively about CrossFit, which helped since there was a negative slant on CrossFit in the press at the time about rhabdo killing people. The negative press actually intrigued me since just shortly before that someone had written an article basically stating that yoga was bad for you. Unilateral statements like that are often a sign of BS. All of that plus the fact that this could be something Dustin and I could do together were very appealing, so we did the Intro Class and then signed right up for Foundations.

Fox: I can’t believe it’s only a year that you’ve been here. It seems like your whole family jumped in right away. What about CFSBK made you want to stay and be consistent once Foundations was over?

Sasha: As a woman approaching middle age and a mom of 3, I was very into training in a way that would help me build and maintain muscle and bone mass, which weight training does. A really big factor was that the schedule here makes it easy to make it to class. I don’t have to worry when something pops up at 8am that my workout isn’t going to happen. I can just come later on in the day. Of course, the community of coaches and members are so welcoming and patient, so being a newbie who sort of only heard Latin when people were speaking of Kips and Snatches and ergs and such, I never felt like I wouldn’t be ok. I trusted that if we kept coming, it would get better. One really nice thing that CrossFit has done for my family is that we’ve developed a common language in it. The girls (Xela and Tulsi) have been going to CrossFit Teens since it started and at home, James (the youngest) will set us up and coach us to do Squats and such! It’s a nice thing for us to share.

Fox: That’s great stuff. I’d love to see James’s coaching in action! I know you’ve taught yoga for a while now. Were you always into physical culture?

Sasha: Well I’ve been teaching yoga since 2000 (Sasha was part of the very first Yoga Teacher Training at Dana Flynn’s Laughing Lotus!) and doing it for longer than that, but I was certainly not an active kid. I never played sports and was “the fat kid.” Not so fun fact: I was put into Weight Watchers at 8 years old. That identity started to shift for me in college when I began a yoga practice combined with running. Fun fact: at CFSBK I’m considered very flexible but not in the yoga world! I’m pretty happy with the balance that I have going now though. It’s one of the reasons I’m happy that the girls like coming to the gym. I want them to see a wide variety of people with a broad range of body types who all embody a healthy lifestyle. There are so many ways to become and be strong.

Fox: A fellow Former Fat Kid! I’m glad you’ve found balance and that your family is exposed to it as well. Where’d you grow up?

Sasha: I grew up in Northwest DC and then moved around a bit. I went to Oberlin in Ohio pretty much to not have to take any more math classes. From there I spent some time in Santa Fe, where the weather was great but it never really felt like home. Next was to Big Sur, to live and study at the Esalen Institute. It was so beautiful there and a very interesting time in my life. I spent some time in the Mission in San Francisco and then decided to get my Masters in Social Work at Smith. Finally I moved to NYC in 1998 and have been here since. I first lived here with a college roomie who had just broken up with her girlfriend. I met Dustin at an art opening that year and was smitten. I mean, here he was all Carhartt, long hair, and a motorcycle. Funny thing is that all of his friends asked him why he was hitting on the lesbian chick, the one who was living with her roommate from Smith. Luckily he was not phased, asking what I was doing the next day. I told him I was doing a yoga class and with an accompanying big gesture of his hands said he’d love to come along. We’ve been together ever since.

Fox: That’s a great story. Maybe we’ll get to see a picture of Dustin on his motorcycle with his long hair? Tell us what you do for fun outside of gym life?

Sasha: The gym and family activities take up a lot of time, but I find time to read any sort of book. I’m actually a stoop-book aficionado. I love that I can pick up a new book from someone’s stoop just about any time I want. And anytime we get to travel is great. I teach and practice yoga at Park Slope Yoga Center and also work as a labour doula. My work in both areas is immensely rewarding but also immensely draining since I always have to be “on” in full support of other people. CFSBK for me is my third place, where I can just be myself. I guess this is my main hobby.

Fox: What were some of the biggest challenges you had when you first started doing CrossFit?

Sasha: I already mentioned that it seemed like everyone was speaking Latin, and I never thought I would remember what anything was. That’s gotten a lot better. I relate a lot of this stuff to my yoga practice where after my 10,000th downward dog, it’s still a work in progress, but I sort of get it. CrossFit is a good mix of simple and complex movements, and I decided early on that I would just show up and do it, that I wouldn’t avoid anything. I did privates with Noah for a bit and that really helped to demystify a lot of it for me. I’m still trying to get my first Pull-Up though! If you would have told the 8 year old version of me sulking in gym class, hating every minute of it, that at age 49 I’d be in the gym 5 days a week working on getting a Pull-Up… And again, the community is amazing, which makes it easier to struggle and suffer with this stuff. It’s a little village. I remember one day recently, at the end of “Karen,” Chris looked over at me and said, “ I hate wall balls.” Chris is really strong and could probably be a pretty good powerlifter without doing 150 Wall Nalls, so I asked him why he didn’t take that route. He responded that getting through the hard stuff here transfers to the rest of his life. I think that part of CrossFit really resonates for people here.

Fox: This has been a really, really fun interview. Your insights are spot on. Last stock question: What should we look for in a future AOM?

Sasha: Someone who shows up and does the work in a way that’s right for them. And someone who asks the question, “How can I help my fellow athlete out?” Someone who goes out of their way to be inclusive and welcoming. Luckily there’s no shortage of CFSBKers who fit that profile!

_____________________
Sara Ahmed (-69kg) Clean and Jerks 143kg Hookgrip
Your Sculpted Pecs Are Worthless Vice

Snatch Complex

Fitness
Every 2 Minutes x 8:
Power Snatch + High Hang Snatch + OHS

Performance
Every 2 Minutes x 8:
Power Snatch + High Hang Snatch + Snatch Balance

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 4 of 8

_____________________

21-15-9 Reps for Time:
Burpees (over the bar)
Overhead Squats 95/65
Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

This is an individual version of Event 1 of this year’s CrossFit Team Series. On the fast end, the Overhead Squats should be unbroken. Scale so that they can be done in no more than 2-3 sets. Full Snatches count as a rep, but you may also Power Snatch or Clean and Behind-the-Neck Jerk the bar onto position. Sub hin over bar Pull-Ups or Jumping Pull-Ups as needed.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Want to get better at cool stuff like this? Sign up now for Coach Whitney’s gymnastics clinics. The first one is this Wednesday, so act fast!

Road To Gymnastics Clinics with Coach Whit

What is it?
A series of three clinics to improve body awareness and control, take gymnastics movements to the next level, and learn progressions for advanced skills that you can practice on your own.

When:
We’ll run two concurrent series of clinics. Choose which you want to attend, Wednesday OR Saturday:

Wednesday Sep 14 at 7:30PM or Saturday Sep 17 at 9AM: Pull-Ups and TTB
Wednesday Sep 21 at 7:30PM or Saturday Sep 24 at 9AM: Ring Skills
Wednesday Sep 28 at 7:30PM or Saturday Oct 1 at 9AM: Handstand Push-Ups and Inversions

How much:
$25 per clinic! You’ll get the most out of this series by doing all three, as they’ll build upon each other. Each clinic is limited to 9 people.

How is this different than Anti-Gravity?
AG classes are designed as a complete workout with a warm-up, skill and strength work followed by some gymnastics biased conditioning. The “Road To” clinics are hour long clinics focused on dissecting one to two movements to help your understanding and development of that skill. Classes will meet in the Annex so space is limited!

Ok, cool. Can I go to group class beforehand?
While you are a human being with free will, it is strongly suggested that you do NOT do CrossFit before this class. Gymnastic movements have a high neurological component and require a lot of coordination, balance, agility, and accuracy, while also improving those skills. These things are simply better learned and practiced when you are fresh. Feel free to workout afterward if you’ve got it in you!

Are there buy-ins or prerequisites?
No, but we do recommend you have been attending group class for about 3-6 months before signing up for this series. We will provide progressions for a variety of levels.

What will we work on?
The Pull-Ups/Toes-to-Bar Clinic will involve a lot of hollow/arch drills, strict, and kipping work for both movements. We will focus on lat engagement and how to develop better gymnastics positions across the board. Please note we will not be working on Butterfly Pull-Ups in this hour.

The Ring Skills Clinic will work on ring support/stability, “I’s/T’s/Y’s”, ring push-ups/dips, and Muscle Up progressions.

The HSPU / Inversions Clinic work will teach you more techniques for getting comfortable upside-down. We’ll work in groups and partners a lot to take our inversions away from the wall!

Bottom Line?
You can never have too much strength or too much skill, become a cyborg! What are you waiting for?!

REGISTER HERE!

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The Origin of Dogs The Atlantic
Six Observations from a Masters Athlete NYWA

Back Squat / Front Squat

Fitness
Back Squat: 2 x 5 Linear Progression
Front Squat: 2 x 3 Linear Progression

Heavier than last week.

Performance
Back Squat 70% x 6 x 2
Front Squat 70% x 6 x 2

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 8 of 16

_____________________

5 RNFT or 20 Minutes:
65m Farmer Carry, Left
65m Farmer Carry, Right
270m Run

The carries are to 3rd Avenue and then back to the door with the opposite arm. The runs are 4th and back. Go medium-heavy on the carries with the goal of doing them unbroken with minimal rest on the transition. If you’re feeling it, then push the pace on the runs. Otherwise use them as active rest.

Post work to comments.

Matt’s hair looks good even when he’s just judging!

• Reminder: Parking is still suspended on Degraw Street. Be sure to give yourself extra time to get to the gym, since parkng is cancelled on some other surrounding blocks.

Join Us for the Next Iron Maiden’s Lift n’ Learn Session

All IM competitors and IM curious are welcome!
October 16, 2016
2-4pm

Press and Negotiating
BYOProgram OR plan to focus on working up to a heavy five on your Overhead Press. Feedback on technique can be provided.
Post-lifting, we’re happy to welcome CFSBKer and Starting Strength Cycle alum Karina Totah for a workshop in negotiation skills:

Women don’t ask. Research shows they forego over ½ million dollars in salary over their lifetimes. 

Like lifting, negotiation skills get better with practice. But unlike lifting, success and failure aren’t as black and white in negotiations. Come out to lift, and stay to learn the nuance of negotiation so you can successfully navigate asking for what you need and want.

In this workshop, we’ll cover negotiation framing and prep, do a live practice, and discuss negotiation plans.

Karina Totah’s Middle-Eastern father had her haggling from a young age.  She strengthened her negotiation instinct with more structured training at Yale’s School of Management.  Now she enjoys sharing her knowledge with other women.  By day, Karina is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the New York City Housing Authority; by morning, usually at 7am, she’s a CFSBKer.

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Ask a Swole Woman: Soreness and Notebooks The Hairpin
This Is How NYC Schools Teach Kids About 9/11 Gothamist

CFSBK is very proud to announce that we are expanding our coaching staff with the addition of the one and only Brett Ferguson! Brett came to CFSBK in 2014 from a personal training and bodybuilding background. He and David instantly hit it off, and after a couple months of training at the gym, they began to talk about Brett joining our coaching staff. Brett has spent the last several months working for a software company in San Francisco, helping to open a running store in Ohio, and traveling around Europe, the United Kingdom, and Iceland. Now that he is back in Brooklyn full time, expect to see him around the gym and in classes. We’ve very excited to have him join our professional family and to have him back in the CFSBK community. Let’s give Brett a warm welcome in the comments!

ROAD TO GYMNASTICS CLINICS with Coach Whit

What is it?
A series of three clinics to improve body awareness and control, take gymnastics movements to the next level, and learn progressions for advanced skills that you can practice on your own.

When:
We’ll run two concurrent series of clinics. Choose which you want to attend, Wednesday OR Saturday:

Wednesday Sep 14 at 7:30PM or Saturday Sep 17 at 9AM: Pull-Ups and TTB
Wednesday Sep 21 at 7:30PM or Saturday Sep 24 at 9AM: Ring Skills
Wednesday Sep 28 at 7:30PM or Saturday Oct 1 at 9AM: Handstand Push-Ups and Inversions

How much:
$25 per clinic! You’ll get the most out of this series by doing all three, as they’ll build upon each other. Each clinic is limited to 9 people.

How is this different than Anti-Gravity?
AG classes are designed as a complete workout with a warm-up, skill and strength work followed by some gymnastics biased conditioning. The “Road To” clinics are hour long clinics focused on dissecting one to two movements to help your understanding and development of that skill. Classes will meet in the Annex so space is limited!

Ok, cool. Can I go to group class beforehand?
While you are a human being with free will, it is strongly suggested that you do NOT do CrossFit before this class. Gymnastic movements have a high neurological component and require a lot of coordination, balance, agility, and accuracy, while also improving those skills. These things are simply better learned and practiced when you are fresh. Feel free to workout afterward if you’ve got it in you!

Are there buy-ins or prerequisites?
No, but we do recommend you have been attending group class for about 3-6 months before signing up for this series. We will provide progressions for a variety of levels.

What will we work on?
The Pull-Ups/Toes-to-Bar Clinic will involve a lot of hollow/arch drills, strict, and kipping work for both movements. We will focus on lat engagement and how to develop better gymnastics positions across the board. Please note we will not be working on Butterfly Pull-Ups in this hour.

The Ring Skills Clinic will work on ring support/stability, “I’s/T’s/Y’s”, ring push-ups/dips, and Muscle Up progressions.

The HSPU / Inversions Clinic work will teach you more techniques for getting comfortable upside-down. We’ll work in groups and partners a lot to take our inversions away from the wall!

Bottom Line?
You can never have too much strength or too much skill. This will put you on the road to both! Sold? So what are you waiting for…

REGISTER HERE!

This Week at CFSBK in Review

1. Underneath the Hoodie returned this week with a profile of Coach JB! Spoiler alert: she’s a wonderful person with a great story, and she’s still relatively small.

2. As a Labor Day treat, we reposted a classic CFSBK article, Coach Fox’s “Developing Your Pull-Up.” Whether you’re an advanced CrossFitter, just getting started, or coming back from an injury, it’s a nice reminder that CrossFit gives us a space to do things we couldn’t do before, as long as we put the work in.

3. Today is the very last day to register for FIGHT GONE BAD 2016. It’s one of our funnest events of the year, and you don’t want to miss out! The workout is nuts, yes, but it’s the good kind of nuts, and you get to do it with awesome teammates with whom you’ll raise money for a great cause (Brooklyn Community Foundation). Most importantly, you get to do it with the whole CFSBK community. Go here to register!

4. The third-annual CFSBK Art Show will return this November, and we want you to submit your work. Head over to the event page for more info. Even if you’re not submitting, don’t forget to save the date!

5. Coach Melissa penned a very interesting article on her experience of CrossFitting at 30 weeks pregnant. Even if you’re not planning on pregnant CrossFitting any time soon, it’s a wonderful insight into what “infinitely scalable” means and why CrossFit is for everyone!

_____________________
Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Clean and Jerk | Power Cleans, Box Jumps, Row
9 Bizarre Schools That We Promise Actually Exist Atlas Obscura
Weird But True: Caffeine Can Make You a Better Athlete Vox

Clean and Jerk Complex

Fitness
Every Other Minute x 8:
Power Clean + High Hang Clean + Push Press + Power Jerk

Performance
Every Other Minute x 8:
 Power Clean + High Hang Clean + Power Jerk + Jerk

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 4 of 8

_____________________

Fight Gone Bad Style
3 Rounds for Reps:
1 Minute Power Clean 115/80
1 Minute Box Jumps 24/20″
1 Minute Row (for calories)
1 Minute Rest

The weights/heights should be relatively easy for you, such that you’ll break the minute up into a few sets of 5-15 reps.

Post total reps and Rx to comments. 

CrossFit at 30 Weeks Pregnant

By Melissa Loranger

As I creep through the third trimester and approach D-day, I’m thankful that I can still do what I love and have a healthy and safe outlet for stress. The loads may be lighter and the intensity may be lower (let’s not even talk about bar path!), but with a little modification and motivation, my goal has been to stay healthy and active throughout my pregnancy for my baby. 

I’m currently 34 weeks pregnant with 6 weeks to go! I’ve been able to continue participating in and coaching group classes, but have had to be creative and sensible when it comes to scaling. Above is a video of me working out at 30 weeks, incorporating some of the modifications that I’ve found helpful. I prefer rowing to running and have found the Assault Bike to be the most “comfortable” mono-structural option. My belly is at the point where keeping the bar close isn’t really an option, so Dumbbell Cleans and Snatches as opposed to barbell versions of these lifts are usually better options for me. Luckily, I’ve also been able to continue doing Burpees! I use dumbbells to elevate myself off the floor slightly to protect my growing baby. I could also elevate using paralettes, or a barbell in a rack. Walking the Burpees in instead of jumping is another option.  CrossFit is indeed, as they say, infinitely scalable.

In terms of intensity, being mindful of my heartrate and respiratory rate as well as how my body is responding to the exercise has been key. Taking adequate rest, hydrating, and ensuring that I can have a conversation throughout the workout are other considerations. If you notice me taking a break and cheering others on mid-WOD, that’s why.

Now is a time to focus on technique, maintaining my fitness, and enjoying the community. For me, this is not the time for PR’s or ego (I’ll leave that to Alex… for now…). And while at times, watching others, I miss the feeling of an all-out 110% effort, I’m also enjoying taking a step back. I appreciate being able to just show up to the gym and get some work done. 

I’ve received excellent suggestions from other women at the gym who have continued CrossFit while pregnant, and I hope to offer some helpful recommendations based on my experience to others. Please feel free to pull me aside or e-mail me (Melissa [at] CrossfitSouthBrooklyn.com) if you have any questions.

News and Notes

• There are just 2 DAYS left to register for Fight Gone Bad 2016. Want to do a fun workout with your friends and raise money for a great cause? Sign up now!
• Schedule change: Today’s 9:00am Yoga class with Jaclyn K. is cancelled.
• Please note: There will be no parking at all on Degraw Street through Saturday of this week.

_____________________
Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Front Squat / Back Squat | Wall Balls, DB Snatches
4 Grip-Strength Exercises Borrowed from Rock Climbers BarBend
Fighting Back Against Parkinson’s Pacific Standard

Back Squat / Front Squat

Fitness
Back Squat: 2 x 12 Linear Progression
Front Squat: 2 x 8 Linear Progression

Heavier than last week.

Performance
Back Squat: 70% x 2 x 2
Front Squat: 70% x 2 x 2

Every other exposure is a de-load so these should feel light.

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 7 of 16
_____________________

AMRAP 15 Minutes:
20 Wall Balls 20/10, 14/9
20 Dumbbell Power Snatches

Rx the Dumbbell Power Snatces at about 1/3 of your body weight or scale accordingly. These should be challenging, but you should be able to move through the sets relatively unbroken. Alternate arms on the Dumbbell Power Snatch. Aim for unbroken on as many rounds of Wall Ball shots as possible

Post rounds, reps, and Rx to comments.

Coach Whitney’s contribution to last year’s CFSBK Art Show: she danced!

Save the Date (and Start Making Art!) for CFSBK’s Third Art Show!

Ever wonder what CFSBK would look like if it transformed into an art gallery? Well, those of us that participated in or attended CFSBK’s previous Art Shows know it looks pretty awesome. Our third Art Show will be Saturday, November 19th, so save the date!

The aim of the evening isn’t to sell the work of our artists and other CrossFitting artists (though if that happens, great), but to showcase the often hidden talents of our members, bring our community together in a novel way, and to continue being the coolest CrossFit gym on the planet.

The more diversity of mediums the better—painting, photography, film, collage, printmaking, dance, design, jewelry, quilts, other textiles, installations, or something we haven’t heard of yet. (We have a 180” projector that can be used for video-based art, and we can set up booths in the changing rooms for audio-based art.) If you participated in years past, please do not repeat work you included for those shows.

We’ll post again in six weeks to start putting together a roster of artists. Email Kate R. at Katharine [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com with any questions (or if you know you want to participate!).

Register for FIGHT GONE BAD 2016!

There are just 3 days left to register for Fight Gone Bad 2016. It’s one of our funnest events of the year, and you don’t want to miss out! The workout is nuts, yes, but it’s the good kind of nuts, and you get to do it with awesome teammates with whom you’ll raise money for a great cause (Brooklyn Community Foundation). Most importantly, you get to do it with the whole CFSBK community. What are you waiting for?!?!

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HSPU Warm-Up Progression CFSBK Instagram
How To Get the Most Out of CrossFit Group Classes Inside the Affiliate
Horrible Facebook Algorithm Accident Results In Exposure to New Ideas

Underneath the Hoodie: Jessie Brown

Vital Stats
Height: 5’0″
Weight: 105 lbs
DOB: February 24th, 1988
Born and raised: Born in San Francisco, raised in Oakland, CA
Place of higher learning: UC Berkeley (mostly)

By Josh Schneiderman

Sitting across from Jessie Brown, you wouldn’t guess that she’s someone who has spent most of her life trying to get out of her comfort zone. I mean this in the best way possible. When we sat down at Mission Dolores a couple of months ago to interview for this installment of Underneath the Hoodie, her warmth, kindness, and cheerfulness immediately put me at ease. She’s at ease with herself, too. If you’ve been coached by her, you already know that she’s incredibly intelligent, and that her tack-sharp intelligence is tempered by her generosity and sense of humor. But what you may not know is that her life has been a struggle to better herself and the lives of those around her. CrossFit, as you may have guessed, has been a big part of this.

Jessica Brown, Jessie Brown, or JB (as you probably know her) was born about three minutes apart from Cassie, her identical twin sister, in San Francisco, California. Her parents, both lawyers and both very busy, raised Jessie and Cassie in Oakland. Up until her move to Brooklyn, Jessie spent her entire life in the Bay Area, with the exception of one short stint in Rhode Island (more on that later).

Growing up, Jessie and her sister were close but very different. Jessie followed the rules; Cassie got into a lot of trouble. Jessie was the teacher’s pet who was devastated by a B on 7th-grade algebra test; Cassie didn’t seem to let grades bother her. Jessie, in what seemed like a tragedy at the time, did not make out with that boy at that Bar Mitzvah; Cassie did.

This gulf between Jessie and someone who shared the exact same DNA was part of what led to Jessie’s struggles with anorexia at a young age. Around the age of 10, as her body began to change, she developed an unhealthy relationship with food. “Scary, weird changes,” Jessie explains, “that could be controlled by not eating.” But on a deeper level, she now observes, this was, in part, a misplaced attempt to differentiate herself from Cassie, who looked a little older, and to form an identity distinct from her twin. She and Cassie had always been compared—people assumed they had the same preferences and personalities—and this was one of Jessie’s ways of setting herself apart. Jessie’s eating issues came to a head in her freshman year of high school, when she was hospitalized for malnutrition.

Jessie describes her family as a typical “NorCal family”: busy and active. She took piano lessons and swam competitively from a the time she was eight (she wasn’t the team star but got awards like “Most Dedicated’ and “Most Improved”.) It was here that her eating issues intersected with her athletic pursuits. Her best friends were on the swim team, and after she was hospitalized, she couldn’t swim for a year. Deprived of her main athletic outlet, Jessie slowly began to recover from this early bout of anorexia with a lot therapy and support from her parents. At therapy and in the hospital, she saw other high-school-aged kids struggling with the same issues and decided that she just didn’t want her life to be like theirs. She did what she needed to do: she slowly got herself healthy, and returned to swimming.

Deciding that she needed something different—there’s that comfort zone again—she applied to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and headed off to her freshman year of college 3,079 miles (give or take a few miles) away. Now, at 28, she’s her own person, less of a rule follower. She sets high standards for herself, but they’re her own standards. At Brown, though, she wanted to impress everyone, to let everyone know how smart she was based on some arbitrary standards. Exacerbated by the pressures of college and the loss of the safety blankets of home and family, her anorexia emerged again. With the support of her family, she left Brown without completing her freshman year.

The following fall, Jessie applied to the University of California, Berkeley as a freshman. At a school of 34,000 undergrads, she explains, she couldn’t try to please everyone. “I had to do the best at being me,” she says, and realizing this helped her with her continued recovery. Jessie majored in American Studies, not necessarily the straightest path to a lucrative career. While it would have been a clearer path, she knew she didn’t want to be a lawyer like her parents. Instead, she continued to forge her own identity, to create her own expectations. Her athletic pursuits continued at Berkeley, where she got into aerobics classes—cardio, body-toning, and kickboxing type stuff. In fact, she eventually became a kickboxing instructor.

Jessie got into CrossFit during her first year of grad school at Berkeley, where she stayed to do doctoral work in History. While she initially had a negative perception of “the sport of fitness,” the competitive aspect of CrossFit drew her in. No surprise: Jessie enjoys pushing herself physically, and with aerobics, rock climbing, and yoga, she never felt like she was pushing herself as much as she could have. The community aspect also drew her in, and she eventually ended up at CrossFit East Bay, where she made some of her closest friends and started her coaching career. 

More importantly, CrossFit was instrumental to Jessie’s recovery from anorexia. “Doing a different physical activity,” she told me, “necessitated a different relationship with food.” She now has more of a utilitarian relationship with food; she has to eat to fuel her athletic pursuits (she’s also learned to eat for pleasure). She was also getting older and more comfortable with her body. Always “Little JB,” she didn’t get much “bigger,” but she did get more muscular. She noticed changes in her body, and loves the way she currently looks.

What is life like as Little JB, a smaller CrossFitter? “When I first started doing CrossFit,” she explained, “I found being smaller both frustrating and advantageous. Gymnastics movements came more easily to me, but Rx-ing a workout like ‘Grace’ took a while to work up to. When started competing, there was a while there when I would really get down about the injustice of it all.” In the grand scheme of things, though, she thinks there are more advantages than disadvantages to being a small CrossFitter. More importantly, she applies the lesson she learned in her freshman year to her life as a CrossFitter: not to compare herself to other people so much, to simply be herself. “I like to use this apparent ‘limitation’ as motivation,” she told me, “and I hope I can serve as some sort of example (especially to other women) that being small does not mean you can’t be strong!” This is an understatement. Not long after I interviewed her for this piece, she qualified for the USA Weightlifting American Open by kicking ass at the Crow Hill Open. 

After a year at CrossFit East Bay, Jessie completed her CF Level 1 certification and began coaching there. It was a natural development, given the friendships she made there and her background in fitness instruction. She liked helping people move better, and this came in handy when she began coaching 1-on-1 Onramp classes at East Bay. Coaching CrossFit South Brooklyn, she now has an even greater appreciation for the art of good coaching.

How did she end up here? After deciding that grad school wasn’t for her, Jessie left Berkeley with a Master’s degree. In April of 2014, she broke up with her boyfriend of 4 years. Living with her dad and working an uninspiring job at a software company, Jessie decided she was going to move to Brooklyn, a decision she describes as “uncharacteristic.” It proved difficult to get a job from California, but she eventually got an opportunity to rent a sublet (a “terrible apartment”) and set out for the East Coast. Jessie touched down in New York on a Tuesday, and interviewed at CFSBK that Thursday. “I immediately knew this was the place for me,” she said. At first, she thought she might coach full time, but she soon landed a job at Ithaka S+R, a higher education research and consulting group. Her first year in Brooklyn was tough (whose isn’t!), but her new job was instrumental in getting her through.

An even more important factor in making Brooklyn slowly feel like (a) home for Jessie has been being part of the community at CrossFit South Brooklyn. Jessie reflects that she’s learned a ton from the other coaching staff (as both a coach and an athlete), and has made a fantastic group of friends from the gym (two of whom she just moved in with). “The few non-CrossFit friends I have in New York make fun of me because CFSBK is such a big part of my life,” she explains, “but I feel very grateful that I’ve been able to find a community of smart people that shares this huge common interest with me, but also has diverse enough interests that we can base our relationships off of a whole lot more than just working out.”

Looking over the details she provided during our interview, I have to respectfully disagree that Jessie’s move to Brooklyn was uncharacteristic. It seems entirely consistent with the life she’s shaped for herself, all of the small decisions she’s made to expand the borders of her world. Jessie’s relationship with her sister Cassie has also changed, but, despite the fact that they live across the country from one another, they are still very close. She tells her sister things she’d never tell anyone else and misses her every day. Up until recently, Cassie also worked in education, and Cassie lived in Brooklyn for years before Jessie moved here (unfortunately, they never overlapped). While their paths were informed by their disparate dispositions, Jessie finds it interesting that their lives continue—sometimes— to converge or follow one another’s.

Jessie isn’t sure what her next move will be, but she thinks about it a lot. She likes the writing and research she does for her job, and enjoys working in education. Whatever it is, she plans for coaching and working out at CFSBK continue to be a big part her life.

News and Notes

• Please note: There will be no parking at all on Degraw Street this week from today through Saturday.
• Schedule change: This Thursday’s 9:00am Yoga class with Jaclyn K. is cancelled.
• FIGHT GONE BAD registration has been extended to this Friday, but sign up as soon as possible if you want to participate!

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Surprise! Gladiators Were Vegetarians Smithsonian
11 Deadlift Variations and Why They’re Important Fitness HQ

Deadlift / Handstand Push-Up Superset*

1A) Deadlift

Fitness
3 x 5

Start light enough to add weight for 6’s next week.

Performance
70% x 6 x 3

1B) Handstand Push-Up

Fitness
3 x 5-10 Box Piked HSPUs

1-2 AbMats are ok. Knees are easier than toes. Sub 8-12 Seated Dumbbell Presses if you don’t have Boxed Pike HSPUs yet. 

Performance
3 x 6-12 Strict HSPUs  

1-3 AbMats are allowed as long as you’re getting some range of motion out of it. If you can do 3 sets of 12 easily, then add a deficit. DC blocks and bumpers work well for this.

*Superset means that you perform a set of exercise A (in this case the Bench Press) and then after a short rest, 30 seconds to a minute, you perform a set of exercise B (in this case the Barbell Bent-Over Row). You then rest a short period before returning to exercise A and continue in this fashion until all warm up and work sets are completed.

Post loads/work to comments.
Exposure 4 of 8

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21-15-9 Round for Time:
Clean and Jerk 115/80
Burpees

Post time and Rx to comments.

Sarah M.’s CrossFit future is so bright that she has to wear shades

• Please note: We’ll be running on a modified schedule today. We’ll have group classes on the hour at 9:00am, 10:00am, 11:00am and 12:00pm, with Open Gym (for those with an OG membership) also happening during that time. Evening classes are cancelled, as are today’s CrossFit kids classes. Have a great labor day.
• Do you follow us on Instagram? If not, you missed Kate’s first strict Chin-Up. Congrats, Kate!

Developing Your Pull-Up

By Christian Fox

Editor’s Note: Your blog editor sometimes (almost never) gets asked, “Josh, what is your article ever published on the CFSBK blog?” There are too many to chose just one, but Coach Fox‘s “Developing Your Pull-Up” is one of the first things I read when I discovered the blog, and it remains a favorite. Whether you’re an advanced CrossFitter, just getting started, or coming back from an injury, it’s a nice reminder that CrossFit enables us all to do things we couldn’t do before, as long as we put the work in. 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 in the scheme
of it you are.

Beginner
(No pull ups, or “I did one, once…”)

“A” Day
3 sets of 12 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 12 reps of either: Dumbbell Curls (I know you’ve secretly wanted to do these anyway) or  Dumbbell Rows
with either: 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 ‘mini sets’ of 1 rep each of 5-10 second negatives using either a pull
up or a chin up grip on the minute for 10 minutes. You can jump to the
top or set a box up that allows you to start at the top (collar bone
above the bar). 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 3 sets of 10 reps in the 4th week.
In other words, if you don’t get the 3×10 in week 4 restart at week 1 by
adding a rep to the sets. Week one would be 6×3, week 2 would be 5×4,
and week 3 would be 4×5, 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 peak 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 though 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. Once again…

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.

 

——-

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 can not. 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.

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Yesterday’s Whiteboard: Snatch | Partner WOD
I’m a Deaf CrossFit Athlete: Here’s How I Navigate Fitness and Classes to Reach My Goals BarBend
Against Self-Criticism Brain Pickings