Every Other Minute for 10 Minutes (5 working sets):
Fitness and Performance: 1 Clean and Jerk

Start at about 70% and add weight as appropriate. Work up to a max effort for the day, heavier than last week. If you’re feeling good then go for a new PR. Press outs are still misses and the goal is zero misses. 

Exposure 6/8
Post loads to comments
_____________________

3 Rounds for Time:
60 Double-Unders
6 Hang Power Cleans 155/105
6 Jerks 155/105
9 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

For the double-unders, you can scale volume on makes/attempts to around half (30) or you can substitute 20 calories on the erg. The hang power clean and jerk are meant to be medium heavy loads that can be cycled on the fast end. Regular pull-ups or jumping chest-to-bar pull-ups can be subbed for the chest-to-bar. 

Post time and Rx to comments.

Yoshi S. has been in Antarctica for the past week or so, staying at the Kiwi base, where Yoshi reports there is a pretty decent little gym. He’s made use of the squat rack, the rowing machine, and the pull-up bar. And of course, he’s representing the home gym!

• Congrats to CFSBKer Haley L. who gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on November 13 at 8:54pm. He weighed in at 6lbs 10oz. 

Wednesday (11/25): 
ON: 6am, 7am, 8am, 10am, 12pm 4:30pm, 5:30pm, 6:30pm
CANCELLED: 7:30p, 8:30p, CrossFit Kids

Thursday (11/26) THANKSGIVING: 
ON: 8am, 9am, 10am
CANCELLED: 6am, 7am, 12pm, 4:30pm, 5:30pm, 6:30pm, 7:30pm, 8:30pm, and Comp Class

Friday (11/27): 
ON: 8am, 9am, 10am, 12pm, Open Gym 5:30-8pm
CANCELLED: 6am, 7am, CrossFit Kids

Saturday (11/28):
CANCELLED: 8am, Active Recovery

If you want the schedule changes for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, check our Class Schedule page.

_____________________ 
The Story of One Block in Bed-Stuy New York 

Back Squat

Performance: High Intensity, 85-90% x 3 x 4 
Add a few pounds to the last high intensity exposure. 
Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression 
Heavier than last week.

Exposure 6/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

For Time:
500m Row

then,

5 Rounds:
20 AbMat Sit Ups
15 Wall Ball 20/10, 14/9

then,

400m Run

Post time and Rx to comments.

Bob S. finished second in his age group this weekend at the WODFather 3 Masters Competition. There were three WODs plus a final WOD for the top 4 finishers. In this photo, Bob is performing in the final, which was max effort in two minutes of each of the following: rowing (calories), lunges or pistols, 75 lb. power snatches, and chest-to-bar pull-ups or bar muscle ups. (Pistols and bar muscle-ups were worth 10 times as much as lunges and chest-to-bar pull-ups.) Bob almost made it to the 2014 CrossFit Games and we interviewed him in May of last year about his intense competitiveness and training. Check it out!

• Want to help Fleisher’s move some turkeys and get some meaty swag? Fleisher’s Park Slope shop needs to load the majority of their Thanksgiving turkeys on Monday AM. It should only take about 30 minutes and Fleisher’s will throw in a Fleishers Turkey Essentials Kit and/or 2 pounds of any ground meat of your choice as a thank you! Contact Danae at Events [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com if you’re interested and available next Monday morning.
• Don’t forget to donate to our Coat + Canned Food + Book Drive, which runs through November 25th. Get more details here! 

Got Plans on Saturday? Come to CFSBK’s Art Show!

CFSBK’s second Art Show is THIS Saturday, November 21, from 7:30-10:30pm. Free entry and alcohol.

Joshua Peters, a local Brooklyn artist (and fellow CrossFitter and coach!), will be live painting a mural from 8-10pm. Check out more of his work on his website, at Strength to Spare. He just painted this insane mural at Freedom Barbell Academy in Long Island. 

Coach Whit, a lifelong dancer, will be doing a short performance at 9pm to Nina Simone’s song “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out.” 

Most importantly, come check out art from fellow talented CFSBKers. Below are all the artists whose work will be on display:

Jessica Bailey
Lauren Borducci
Aileen Hanna
Katie Harper
Jenna Jerman
Alona Katz
Tim Mauseth
Saul Melmen
Nate Miller
David Osorio
Trevor Safford
Brian “Baz” Zimbler

If you have any questions, email Kate at Katharine [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com.

Want to Work at the Front Desk?? 

CFSBK is looking for new talent to staff our beloved Front Desk! Responsibilities include handling inquires from walk-ins, managing basic membership issues, light cleaning/organization, and other miscellaneous duties. Ideally, we’d like to hire from within so that candidates are already familiar with CrossFit and CFSBK, but we are open to talking to new folks if they’ve got good people skills and are committed to joining the gym.

On top of an hourly wage, Front Desk staff will also receive a comped membership. We are looking for people who keep a consistent schedule and commit to six months of work with us (barring extenuating circumstances). Preference will be given to candidates with the flexibility to change shifts in the new year. 

We will be interviewing this month and hiring a new staff member for immediate training. The shifts we are looking to fill are below, so before applying, please make sure these openings fit with your schedule:

Mondays, 5:45am – 9:30am
Wednesdays, 5:45am – 9:30am

Open availability during the week of Dec. 28th – Jan. 1st. is a plus!

Email Janelle [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com to inquire and include Front Desk in the subject line.

_____________________ 
Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year Is Not a Word Newsweek 
A Seismic Shift in How People Eat The New York Times 
Little Girl Makes CrossFit Workout  

Dolce pulling heavy at Iron Maidens this year

• Pilates is CANCELLED tonight, as our beloved KH is sick.  

SAVE THE DATE: The Iron Maidens Raw Open 2016 is March 5, 2016 at CrossFit South Brooklyn

CrossFit South Brooklyn’s all-female powerlifting competition returns for the second year. Up to 60 lifters will test their one rep maxes in the Back Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift. Prizes will be awarded to the top three Totals in each weight class. This is an exceptional day showcasing a community of strong women. We encourage lifters at all experience levels to compete!

This year, we are thrilled to partner with Grace Outreach, a Bronx based nonprofit that works with women to further their education and gain financial independence. Through competitors’ fundraising efforts, we will create the first annual Iron Maidens Stay Strong Scholarship to assist low-income women in paying for their college tuition.

Registration will open December 14, 2015. Last year, we sold out in 3 days, so mark your calendars now! 

Anna G. Performs Contemporary Dance on Poles!

CFSBKer Anna G. is a contemporary pole performer, and she is performing with the PULSE Project, which is presenting contemporary work alongside incredible artists at Le Salon on November 20th and 21st. Two evenings of art, music, and dance! Bring your energy, they’ll supply the heat in an intimate space on the Lower East Side. Buy tickets here and learn more about the event here.

Anna is also performing on Saturday, November 28th at 8pm. She performs in a stand-up comedy/pole show called Schtick A Pole, which is a fun, edgy, sexy, and entertaining NYC show that runs every last Saturday of the month. Get $20 tickets online or pay $25 cash at the door. Check out the Facebook page here, and the event page here.

News and Notes

• CFSBK’s second Art Show is THIS SATURDAY! Tell your friends, and come hang with us from 7:30-10:30pm!
• Want to try something other than group class today? Check out Active Recovery at 6:30pm or AntiGravity at 7:30pm. Pilates is CANCELLED tonight.
• Get your yoga on with Jaclyn, at the new time of 9am on Thursday mornings! Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or brand new to a yoga mat, Jaclyn will offer plenty of options so everyone feels challenged yet still comfortable in this Vinyasa flow class. 

_____________________
Strong Legs Help Keep Brains Healthy The Guardian
The Father of “Fascia” is Annoyed Anatomy Trains

Press

Performance: High Intensity, 85-90% x 3 x 4 
Add a few pounds to your last high intensity exposure. 
Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression 
Add a few pounds to last week.

Exposure 6/8
_____________________ 

Deadlift

Work up to one heavy set of 3 reps
Go heavier than last week. 

Exposure 6/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

For Time:
100 Russian Kettlebell Swings 53/35
5 Burpees EMOM, starting at 1:00

The goal is to do as few burpees as necessary so hang on to the kettlebell as long as possible. 

Post time/rounds and Rx to comments.

Got Plans on Saturday? Come to CFSBK’s Art Show!

CFSBK’s second Art Show is THIS Saturday, November 21, from 7:30-10:30pm. Free entry and alcohol.

Joshua Peters, a local Brooklyn artist (and fellow CrossFitter and coach!), will be live painting a mural from 8-10pm. Check out more of his work on his website, at Strength to Spare. He just painted this insane mural at Freedom Barbell Academy in Long Island. 

Coach Whit, a lifelong dancer, will be doing a short performance at 9pm to Nina Simone’s song “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out.” 

If you have any questions, email Kate at Katharine [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com.

Get Discounted Tickets to See IN THE SOUNDLESS AWE!

CFSBKer Greg C. wants you to know about IN THE SOUNDLESS AWE, a highly-theatrical, emotionally-wrought, and horrific imagining of the final nightmare of Captain McVay, the man at the helm of the worst Naval disaster in United States history. Greg’s theater company is putting on the show, and he also happens to be the star!

July 30, 1945. The U.S.S. Indianapolis is hit by two Japanese torpedoes, killing 300 sailors in the initial blast and leaving 900 men to drift helplessly in the Pacific Ocean. The survivors are discovered almost five days later. When rescue ships and planes finally arrive, they witness hundreds of large shadows lurking around small groups of broken men drifting aimlessly in the current. Only 321 sailors are pulled from the blood-filled water. 

IN THE SOUNDLESS AWE takes place twenty-two years later, finding Charles Butler McVay III, the wrongly court-martialed and disgraced Captain of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, in his haunting final moments. 

Here’s a link to the company’s website, and to the show’s page itself.

Greg wants to extend a discount for CFSBK members. We get nearly half off tickets for the entire run! Upon checkout, enter the discount code: CFSBK

_____________________
Things We Eat Alone GUTS 
Photos: Holly Holm’s Kick Heard ‘Round The World ESPN 

Every Minute on the Minute for 10 Minutes:
Fitness and Performance: 1 Snatch

For both Fitness and Performance, start at about 60% and work up to a max for the day. 

Post loads to comments.
Exposure 5/8
_____________________ 

AMRAP 20 Minutes:
50 Wall Balls 20/10, 14/9
50 Double-Unders
40 Toes-to-Bar
40 Burpees
30 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
30 Power Cleans 135/95
20 Jerks 135/95
20 Power Snatches 135/95
10 Muscle-Ups

Subs: 25 makes/attempts for doubles, 80 AbMat Sit ups for T2B, regular pull ups (bands ok) or ring rows for C2B, and load on the barbell. The Rx weight should be light/medium for you on the power cleans. 

Post time to comments.

Superman Karl picking things up and putting them down

Coat + Canned Food + Book Drive

We’re combining our coat and can drive with a book drive this year. To keep it simple our collection dates for coats and cans and books (children, to be specific) are going to run from November 15 – 25. Please bring all donations to the Front Desk.

New York Cares Coat Drive 
Give the gift of warmth this holiday season. CFSBK is collecting new and gently used winter coats to help keep those in need warm during the winter season. New York Cares aims to collect 100,000 gently used winter coats each November and December and distributes them to thousands of men, women, and children who would otherwise go without them. They work hand-in-hand with a wide variety of Community Partners in New York City to make sure coats are distributed as quickly as possible. We are only collecting coats at this time.  

City Harvest Canned Food Drive 
CFSBK is collecting canned foods to help stock NYC’s food pantries and soup kitchens. City Harvest helps feed the more than 1.4 million New Yorkers facing hunger each year. They provide free deliveries of food to more than 500 emergency food programs throughout New York City. The most needed foods are canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned proteins (like fish and chicken), and peanut butter (plastic jars).

Reading Partners Children’s Book Drive
Reading Partners is a national nonprofit organization that trains students from low-income schools to be confident readers and they need more books! Bring your your gently used children’s books to CFSBK for the Reading Partners Book drive. These books benefit struggling readers from kindergarten to the 4th grade. We’ll post a flyer on the bulletin board with author and title suggestions, please donate new or gently used books only.

_____________________
Altered States Oliver Sacks 

Front Squat

Performance: Medium Intensity, 75-80% x 5 x 4
Heavier than your last Medium Intensity exposure. 
Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression 
Heavier than last week.

Exposure 5/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

AMRAP 12 Minutes:
8 Dumbbell Power Snatch, alternating arms
12 Pull-Ups
24 Double-Unders

Choose the heaviest dumbbell that you can handle. You should be able to do the sets of 10 with not much more rest than the second that the dumbbell is on the floor for the switch. Sub bands or ring rows for pull-ups, 15 attempts + makes for doubles. 

Post rounds and Rx to comments.

Throwback to the Subway Series this summer, with lots and lots of pull-ups

• Good luck to Bob S. and Pierre D., who are competing in the the WODFather 3 Masters Competition. Let us know how it goes!!
• Want to try something other than group class today? Check out Yoga for Athletes at 10am, Active Recovery at 11am, or Open Gym from 2-4pm!

Travel Gym Recommendations

Have you traveled to another affiliate recently, or do you need recommendations for your upcoming holiday travels? Check out our Travel Gym Recommendations forum (found in the bottom left bar under Member Resources). Check out these two recent ones and add your own: 

• Colleen M. visited CrossFit Paradiso in Venice, CA.
• Stella Z. visited Brick Boston in Boston, MA.

Coach Noah wrote a great guide last year about how to be a good visitor at other CrossFit gyms, titled “On the Road, and Sweaty: Visiting Other CrossFit Affiliates.” 

If you do hit up another affiliate, be sure to take a cool photo so we can give you some blog love! Send it to Managing Editor, Kate R., by emailing her at Katharine [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com.

_____________________ 
Is the Game of Thrones Workout the New CrossFit? New York 

Events Coordinator Danae M. warming up her front squat. Have an idea for an event at the gym or want to sponsor an upcoming event? Danae can be reached at Events [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn [dot] com!

Want to Work at the Front Desk?? 

CFSBK is looking for new talent to staff our beloved Front Desk! Responsibilities include handling inquires from walk-ins, managing basic membership issues, light cleaning/organization, and other miscellaneous duties. Ideally, we’d like to hire from within so that candidates are already familiar with CrossFit and CFSBK, but we are open to talking to new folks if they’ve got good people skills and are committed to joining the gym.

On top of an hourly wage, Front Desk staff will also receive a comped membership. We are looking for people who keep a consistent schedule and commit to six months of work with us (barring extenuating circumstances). Preference will be given to candidates with the flexibility to change shifts in the new year. 

We will be interviewing this month and hiring a new staff member for immediate training. The shifts we are looking to fill are below, so before applying, please make sure these openings fit with your schedule:

Mondays, 5:45am – 9:30am
Wednesdays, 5:45am – 9:30am

Open availability during the week of Dec. 28th – Jan. 1st. is a plus!

Email Janelle [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com to inquire and include Front Desk in the subject line.

_____________________ 
Caged: What Drives Ronda Rousey to Wake Up and Fight Esquire 
UFC 193 — Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm: By the Numbers CBS Sports

Every Minute on the Minute for 10 Minutes (10 working sets):
Fitness and Performance: 1 Clean and Jerk

Start at 60% and add weight as appropriate. Work up to a heavy but not max effort load for the day, heavier than last week. 

Exposure 5/8
Post loads to comments
_____________________

5 Rounds For Time:
5 Deadlifts 275/185
10 Burpees

The barbell weight should be on the heavy side of medium but unlbroken on the fast end. The burpees should be smooth and steady. 

Post time and Rx to comments.

What Happens in a CrossFit Preschool Class?

By David Osorio

Ever wonder how we adapt the CrossFit methodology for preschoolers? Often the Preschool activities are still on the board in 608 into the evening and I get asked things like, “What are Slug Sit-Ups?” or what are “Dinosaur Egg Sprints”? Today, we thought we’d share the programming that Coach Janelle and I ran one week for our kiddos so you can see exactly what they’re up to.

Above all, CrossFit Preschool is about lots of movement and lots of fun. We want the kids running, throwing, crawling, climbing, and above all, laughing. At this age, the primary goal from a training perspective is to stimulate and support vestibular system development as well as good socialization skills with their peers and adults. As anyone who’s worked with this age group knows (3-5), it can sometimes be a little like herding cats.

But over the past few months, we’ve developed a much better and ever improving sense of how to get the kids on the same page and create activities that get the kids moving for as much of the hour as we can. We’ve also learned to go with the flow and as mentioned, prioritize fun and movement above all else. (Parents seem very happy picking up sleepy kids.) So, to satisfy your curiosity, here is a “typical” CrossFit Preschool class:

Activity #1

Triple Three Relay Race
3 Burpees
3 Box Flips
3 Box Jumps
tag your partner 

In this activity, teams of two to three work relay style. This is their “CrossFit workout” like mommy and/or daddy (or mommy and mommy/daddy and daddy) do, which they often brag about. The kids start with three burpees (which they love), then flip a 12″ foam box three times before they have to jump on it three times. They then run back and tag their partner. Each kid gets three turns. We try to keep the numbers for the preschool age between three to five as beyond that they sometimes have a hard time keeping track of. 

Activity #2

The Obstacle Course
– Climb through a giant tire
– Make it across the balance beam
– Make it across the thick balance beams (benches) without touching the electric trees (m80 Foam Rollers)
– Climb over the building (24″ Foam Box)
– Jump over the lava onto the other building  (12″ Foam Box)
– Crawl under the electric Fences (parallettes)
– Make it through the sewer (pop-out tunnel) 

The gym has no shortage of things we can turn into an obstacle course. We’ll often let the kids help design the course or contribute to the theme. For example, we might be ninjas or superheroes sneaking through. After a few passes, we’ll often try to make it harder or include more elements into the course to challenge them. Kids love telling us, “I DON’T NEED ANY HELP!” across the balance beam as they cling to our hand for dear life.

Activity #3

Agility Ladder Drills + Ball Kick or Wall Knock Down
For Preschool, the agility ladder drills are pretty straightforward. Two-foot hops in each gap, alternating legs per rung, or simply getting through it as fast as they can without touching the ladder. At the end we’ll usually set up something like a wall (gymnastics wedge) to knock down or a ball to kick into a small soccer net. The hardest part of this is getting them not to run back down the ladder after they’re done while another kid is taking their turn. 

Activity #4

Dinosaur Egg Sprints
Kids start on one side of the gym at “home base” and two or three at a time need to run to the other side of the gym with their dinosaur egg (dodge ball) and place it in the nest (hoola hoop) without the T-Rex (Coach DO or Janelle) catching them and stealing their egg. This game is all about running and evading a moving obstacle—which is us. There is always lots of simultaneous screaming and laughing during this game and I’m usually covered in sweat by the end of it.

Check out our article on Inside the Affiliate, called “CrossFit Preschool: 5 Things I’ve Learned From Working with 5-Year-Olds” for more info!

_____________________ 
Is This the Worst NYC Apartment Listing You’ve Ever Seen? Esquire 

Back Squat

Performance: Medium Intensity, 75-80% x 5 x 4 
Add a few pounds to the last medium intensity exposure. 
Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression 
Heavier than last week.

Exposure 5/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

AMRAP 15 Minutes:
40 Calorie Row
30 Dumbbell Thrusters

Choose a challenging weight on the Dumbbell Thruster than you maybe can’t do unbroken. 

Post rounds and Rx to comments.

Jay Star crushing gymnastics! The GIF creator we used promised this was “magic” and would break the Internet, so you can look forward to that today.

CFSBK Art Show: Featuring a Live Mural Painting by Joshua Peters 

Do you have CFSBK’s second Art Show on your calendar? Saturday, November 21, from 7:30-10:30pm. Free alcohol and lots of art from some of your favorite CFSBKers!

There will be a live mural painting from 8-10pm by a friend of Coach David’s, Joshua Peters. His artwork, according to his bio, “explores the social, political, and cultural response to the individual heroic aspiration. By focusing on both traditional and non-traditional role models, he attempts to deconstruct the influence of masculine stereotypes by examining the conventional social rules imposed on males and females. His work is a reaction to the failure of our heroes as well as our surprise when they defy expectation.”

In additional to traditional oil paintings, Joshua also paints sneakers, which are pretty incredible. Check out more of his work on his website, at Strength to Spare. He just painted this insane mural at Freedom Barbell Academy in Long Island. Joshua is also a fellow CrossFitter and coach. 

Check out the event flier for more info on the CFSBKers whose art will be displayed!

Want to Work at the Front Desk?? 

CFSBK is looking for new talent to staff our beloved Front Desk! Responsibilities include handling inquires from walk-ins, managing basic membership issues, light cleaning/organization, and other miscellaneous duties. Ideally, we’d like to hire from within so that candidates are already familiar with CrossFit and CFSBK, but we are open to talking to new folks if they’ve got good people skills and are committed to joining the gym.

On top of an hourly wage, Front Desk staff will also receive a comped membership. We are looking for people who keep a consistent schedule and commit to six months of work with us (barring extenuating circumstances). Preference will be given to candidates with the flexibility to change shifts in the new year. 

We will be interviewing this month and hiring a new staff member for immediate training. The shifts we are looking to fill are below, so before applying, please make sure these openings fit with your schedule:

Mondays, 5:45am – 9:30am
Wednesdays, 5:45am – 9:30am

Open availability during the week of Dec. 28th – Jan. 1st. is a plus!

Email Janelle [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com to inquire and include Front Desk in the subject line.

_____________________
What I’d Say to the Martians Jack Handey 

Happy Veterans Day to all those CFSBKers who have served or serve our country! We are thankful for you!

We nixed birthdays on the blog because there are too many of you, but for Captain Osorio, we’ll make an exception. Happy birthday to our favorite weirdo—”the wheel and the grease,” to quote Fox from last year, and the one without whom this whole CFSBK thing would never exist. If you want to give him the best birthday gift ever, find a way to help get CFSBK’s Instagram account to 3,000 followers by midnight!

• Yesterday was also Inside the Affiliate‘s second birthday! Head over there to see the latest post about our virtual tour on Google maps, which is such a cool reminder of how much this place has grown.

Coat + Canned Food + Book Drive

We’re combining our coat and can drive with a book drive this year. To keep it simple our collection dates for coats and cans and books (children, to be specific) are going to run from November 15 – 25. Please bring all donations to the Front Desk.

New York Cares Coat Drive
Give the gift of warmth this holiday season. CFSBK is collecting new and gently used winter coats to help keep those in need warm during the winter season. New York Cares aims to collect 100,000 gently used winter coats each November and December and distributes them to thousands of men, women, and children who would otherwise go without them. They work hand-in-hand with a wide variety of Community Partners in New York City to make sure coats are distributed as quickly as possible. We are only collecting coats at this time.  

City Harvest Canned Food Drive
CFSBK is collecting canned foods to help stock NYC’s food pantries and soup kitchens. City Harvest helps feed the more than 1.4 million New Yorkers facing hunger each year. They provide free deliveries of food to more than 500 emergency food programs throughout New York City. The most needed foods are canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned proteins (like fish and chicken), and peanut butter (plastic jars).

Reading Partners Children’s Book Drive
Reading Partners is a national nonprofit organization that trains students from low-income schools to be confident readers and they need more books! Bring your your gently used children’s books to CFSBK for the Reading Partners Book drive. These books benefit struggling readers from kindergarten to the 4th grade. We’ll post a flyer on the bulletin board with author and title suggestions, please donate new or gently used books only.

_____________________ 
Everything In Moderation? Maybe Not Forbes
World Anti-Doping Agency Wants Russia Banned From Athletics Competitions NPR