Jude G. and Amy M. during the Trans Rockie run. Jude is on the left, at the summit on the second day. Amy is on the right, celebrating after their final day back at camp. The pics don’t feature their CFSBK tees, but they promise they wore them with pride but under many layers since Colorado is cold at night. Read more about their experience below!

• The following classes are CANCELLED this week, as Coach Whit and KH left yesterday for Iceland:
  • Pilates on Tuesday, 8/25, and Tuesday, 9/1
  • Active Recovery on Thursday, 8/27
  • Yoga for Athletes on Saturday, 8/29 
• Happy birthday, Eleanor M.!

A Letter From Jude G. to David and CFSBK, About the Trans Rockies Run

Hi David and Team,

I wanted to send you a note expressing my gratitude for creating such a unique and supportive community at CFSBK. 

A week ago I finished the three-day Trans Rockies run—a 58-mile race through the Colorado Rockies. The event was grueling—13 to 25 miles each day on varying terrain from exposed mountain top to dense woods. My lungs and heart worked hard climbing peaks over 12K and my quads were severely tested running down a mountainside for miles.

Before joining CFSBK, everything about the Trans Rockies Run would have seemed impossible—the miles, the altitude, the course, even camping out each evening. I would have researched the event, admired the athletes that participated and thought, ‘That looks amazing but I can’t do that.’ However, because of my experience at CFSBK, I decided to ignore my initial reaction and I signed up for what turned into an incredible adventure.

I am very grateful to be a part of the CFSBK community, I agree with all the prior praise expressed for CFSBK—it is far from just a venue to workout. Many thanks to the talented, supportive and good humored coaches, their encouragement got me through months of training and ultimately across the finish line. I couldn’t have done it without you. 

Brooklyn-trained. Rockies-tested. 

Much love,
Jude 

P.S. I also convinced Amy M. that 58 miles through the Rocky Mountains was a good idea, so thanks again for creating a space that attracts awesome people and new friendships!

_____________________ 
The LeBron James of Weighlifting Wall Street Journal 

Bench Press

Performance: High Intensity: 85-90% x 3 x 4

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add two to five pounds to last week’s exposure. 
Exposure 3/8
_____________________ 

Deadlift

Fitness and Performance: Work up to one heavy set of 5 using perfect form.
Heavier than last week’s set of 8. Dead start, no touch-and-go. 

Exposure 3/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

For Time:
21 Deadlifts 185/125
15 Handstand Push-Ups
15 Deadlifts 185/125
9 Handstand Push-Ups
9 Deadlifts 185/125
6 Handstand Push-Ups

The deadlift should be light-medium and possibly unbroken. Scale the handstand push ups to 1 or 2 AbMats or strict push-ups.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Congrats to everyone who participated in the Subway Series this year! CrossFit Virtuosity won overall, and our SBK athletes did awesome yesterday! In the scaled men’s division, Greg took first. In the scaled women’s division, Mo took first and Kayleigh took second. In the Rx-ed women’s division, Coach MeLo took second.
We’d also like to thank all the volutneers who helped with judging, scoring, photography and setting up and breaking down equipment. We couldn’t pull of such a big event without the support of our amazing community. Thank you CFSBK!

• Happy birthday, Simon P.!

Upcoming Class Cancellations

The following classes are CANCELLED this week, as Coach Whit and KH leave for Iceland today for an epic hiking adventure:

• Pilates on Tuesday, 8/25, and Tuesday, 9/1
• Active Recovery on Thursday, 8/27
• Yoga for Athletes on Saturday, 8/29 

Check Out CrossFit Teens at CrossFit South Brooklyn!

Have a teenager who is looking to gain a competitive advantage in their sport, improve their fitness, learn new skills, and have fun in a supportive, social environment?

CrossFit Teens is a strength and conditioning program that is specifically designed for teenagers and helps them develop a lifelong love of fitness. In a group setting, teens participate in fun and engaging workouts that deliver measurable results and prepare them to be well-rounded athletes. The workouts consist of constantly varied, functional movements that deliver a fitness that is broad, inclusive and general and scalable for any participant at any level.

Classes will begin with a warm-up and icebreaker-style question. Each class will include skill practice and a strength development aspect, specifically designed to be accessible and appropriate to teenaged athletes. Classes will finish with a WOD, or Workout of the Day, designed to test work capacity, endurance, skill, and strength in a fun, competitive, but inclusive environment. As the school year starts, post-class homework time will be included to take advantage of the increased mental capacity brought about by movement and physical exertion.

Dates/Times
Summer: Monday/Wednesday at 3:30
Fall: TBD

Cost
1x/Week: $120/Month
2x/Week: $200/Month
10 Class Punch Card: $325
Drop In: $35 

REGISTER HERE

_____________________ 
Meet Moringa, The African Superfood That’s Healthier Than Kale Fast Company
Your New Workout Hero: 80-Year-Old CrossFit Enthusiast Constance Tillit ESPNW 

Fitness
Back Squat: 3 x 10
Go heavier than last week. 

Performance
Low Intensity
Back Squat: 65-70% x 7 x 2
Front Squat 65-70% x 7 x 2 

Exposure 2/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

5 Rounds, For Time:
20 Kettlebell Swings 72/53
200m Run

 Rest two minutes between sets.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Asta F.’s photos from last year’s Subway Series event at CFSBK are some of our favorites in our Flickr account. Check them out, and come cheer on our SBK crew from 12:30-4pm. Wear your SBK shirts and gear!

• The following classes are CANCELLED today:  
  • Kids Club at 9am
  • Active Recovery at 11am
  • 12pm/1pm group class
  • AntiGravity at 2pm

• Today is Alex N.’s last day at CFSBK before he heads back to school. We will miss you, and think of you anytime your PR song, Florida Georgia Line’s “Anthing Goes,” comes on. Join us in wishing him luck, and come watch him kick some ass in his heat at 1:45pm today! 
• Happy birthday, Adam P. and Cori C.! 

Good Luck to Our Subway Series Competitors!

The fourth and final Subway Series event is happening on your home turf today. Here are the CFSBKers that will be representing for us, listed in order of heat assignment:

Eduardo C.
Jay R.
Greg A.
Allie B.
Kayleigh R.
Erin M.
Sarah M.
KLove
Morit S.
Jason M.
Brendan N.
Michael C.
Alex N.
Andrew S.
Pierre D.
Coach Whitney
Coach K HarpZ
Brad D.
Coach Jess
Steph M.
Alex B.
Coach MeLo

_____________________ 
Hummingbirds Are Fierce, Deadly Gods of War Slate 

Clean and Jerk

1-1-1

Take 12 minutes to warm up a bit beyond your clean and jerk weight for the WOD.

Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

AMRAP 20 Minutes:
Row 500/400 meters
10 Burpees
3 Clean and Jerk 205/135 

The clean and jerk is meant to be on the heavy side, scale accordingly. Use it as a strength training stimulus. 

Post rounds and Rx to comments.

Chris Y. takes CrossFitting on vacation very seriously. Here he is, at CrossFit Barbados (not really), performing a WOD he likes to call “Watch Your Back Ben Smith.” It’s a grueling NFT AMRAP of 2 Beers, 1 Sandwich, and 4m Flotsam float. How long could you last?

• Not competing in the fourth and final Subway Series event tomorrow? Come show your support/SBK love from 12:30-4pm, and wear your SBK shirts and gear!
• The following classes are CANCELLED tomorrow: 
  • Active Recovery at 11am
  • 12pm/1pm group class
  • AntiGravity at 2pm
• Want to try something other than group class today? Check out Yoga for Athletes at 10am, Active Recovery at 11am and 12pm, or Open Gym from 2-4pm!
• Happy birthday, Adam S.!

_____________________ 
What Does “Self-Care” Really Mean? The FADER
The World’s Biggest Pet Store Has 250,000 Animals Bloomberg Business
Living in a Post-Delete World The Cut
He Carried Her Off the Handball Court, but Didn’t Quite Sweep Her Off Her Feet The New York Times 

Paul adding weight to his chin-ups

Introducing: CrossFit Teens at CrossFit South Brooklyn!

Have a teenager who is looking to gain a competitive advantage in their sport, improve their fitness, learn new skills, and have fun in a supportive, social environment?

CrossFit Teens is a strength and conditioning program that is specifically designed for teenagers and helps them develop a lifelong love of fitness. In a group setting, teens participate in fun and engaging workouts that deliver measurable results and prepare them to be well-rounded athletes. The workouts consist of constantly varied, functional movements that deliver a fitness that is broad, inclusive and general and scalable for any participant at any level.

Classes will begin with a warm-up and icebreaker-style question. Each class will include skill practice and a strength development aspect, specifically designed to be accessible and appropriate to teenaged athletes. Classes will finish with a WOD, or Workout of the Day, designed to test work capacity, endurance, skill, and strength in a fun, competitive, but inclusive environment. As the school year starts, post-class homework time will be included to take advantage of the increased mental capacity brought about by movement and physical exertion.

Dates/Times
Summer: Monday/Wednesday at 3:30
Fall: TBD

Cost
1x/Week: $120/Month
2x/Week: $200/Month
10 Class Punch Card: $325
Drop In: $35 

REGISTER HERE

Upcoming Class Cancellations

Due to the final Subway Series event at CFSBK, we are CANCELLING the following classes this Sunday, August 23rd: 

• Active Recovery at 11am
• 12pm/1pm group class
• AntiGravity at 2pm

The following classes are CANCELLED next week, as Coach Whit and KH will be trekking through Iceland:

• Pilates on Tuesday, 8/25, and Tuesday, 9/1
• Active Recovery on Thursday, 8/27
• Yoga for Athletes on Saturday, 8/29 

_____________________ 
Why Are Things Creepy? VSauce 
How to Get a Job Dr. Steve Brule 

Fitness: Snatch 1-1-1-1-1 at 70-85%
Hit five singles between 70 and 85%. Goal is consistency, not a 1RM. 

Performance: 1 Halted (knee) Snatch Deadlifts + 1 Paused (knee) Snatch
Work up to a heavier load on this complex than on last week’s complex. 

Pause for 3 seconds at the knee on the halted snatch deadlifts before returning to the floor, then pause for 3 seconds at the knee on the paused snatch. Do not return to the floor on the paused snatch, snatch directly from the knee. Also, if you haven’t been doing so, add pressing snatch balances and snatch sots presses to your warm up drills.

Exposure 2/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

AMRAP 10 Minutes:
7 Hang Squat Snatches 95/65
40 Double-Unders 

Post rounds and Rx to comments.

Guys, hi! It’s Kate R., your blog’s Managing Editor. I’ve been in Montana working (and playing) the past few weeks for a writing job. I’ve only been to one CrossFit gym and my torn hamstring still isn’t fully healed, but I’ve been keeping up with my benching and pressing progressions each week, doing lots of push-ups and chin-ups, and swimming almost daily.

Back in Brooklyn, I climbed at Brooklyn Boulders a couple times, but tonight I went climbing outdoors for the first time in Kila, Montana and was able to scale a 5.10 on my first try. I’m in the middle of it in the picture above. It was such a cool experience, especially since I almost quit before reaching that ledge that’s above me. I roared a little when I hit the top, and kissed the carabiners. I never would have had the strength to climb that pre-lifting at CFSBK, physically or mentally.

I’m still managing the blog while I’m gone, so please keep sending me links to interesting stuff you’re reading and photos of your adventures, at Katharine [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. Miss you guys, and see you in a couple weeks!

• We still need judges for CFSBK’s Subway Series event on Sunday! Judges are expected to monitor range-of-motion and reps for each workout. Coach David will do a session to review movement standards and protocol before the event. Please email David [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com if you’re interested. We promise you’ll have a blast!
• Coach McDowell and Nate P. are playing tonight at 7:30pm at Strong Place in Brooklyn, at 270 Court Street, at Butler. Come watch them play, they’re both insanely talented! 
• Happy birthday, Lara P.! 

Upcoming Class Cancellations

Due to the final Subway Series event at CFSBK, we are CANCELLING the following classes this Sunday, August 23rd: 

• Active Recovery at 11am
• 12pm/1pm group class
• AntiGravity at 2pm

The following classes are CANCELLED next week, as Coach Whit and KH will be trekking through Iceland:

• Pilates on Tuesday, 8/25, and Tuesday, 9/1
• Active Recovery on Thursday, 8/27
• Yoga for Athletes on Saturday, 8/29 

_____________________
Morons, Cheap Beer, and Thinking Too Much: Intelligence and Weightlifting Catalyst Athletics
Why Getting Physically Stronger Will Help You Live Longer io9 

Performance:
High Intensity
Back Squat 85-90% x 3 x 2
Front Squat 85-90% x 3 x 2

Go a bit by feel and us the lower or higher percentage range depending on how you feel.
Exposure 3/16 

Fitness:
Front Squat 3 x 10
Add 5-15 pounds to last week’s exposure. 
Exposure 2/8

Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

5 Rounds For Time: 
12 Toes to Bar
12 Burpees to a Plate

Post time and Rx to comments.

Dr. Mike assaulting the assault bike, which he calls “Ming the Merciless.” Also, DO’s crazy face.

“Meatballs and Back Squats”: A Poem by Dr. Mike Cutaia

Written on July 26, 2015

I’m wondering if I am
alone about this.
What do you do
     after a session of heavy back squats?
Go home and sleep? Go for a run?
Go fishing? Make love?
Have a margarita?
(I did, once. Never again.)
Or, just congratulate yourself
     that the ordeal is over.
Where I’m likely to be found
is sitting
in front of a bowl
     of Whole Foods meatballs,
scarfing down my protein
like a dog in heat,
this incredibly powerful hungriness
     sweeping over me.
My brain is screaming—EAT!
The furnace is on blast mode,
     as if a switch has been thrown.
I need to do something
     to turn it off.
So, I rehydrate with a beer,
      and send those meatballs deep down
                 into the muscle protein factory.
Go, be fruitful and multiply!
Ah, what a satisfying Sunday.
Bon appetit, and stay hungry
     my fellow post-squatters!

Check out the two other poems we’ve published by September 2013 Athlete of the Month Dr. Mike…

• “Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord” in September 2014
• “Mayhem” in April 2015 

_____________________
This Is What Happens to Your Body When you Stop Exercising io9 

Andy Hendel from CrossFit Charlotte and Reebok CrossFit Charlotte Uptown talks about what being a good coach means to him. It will probably come as a surprise that he used to be a football coach…

The Fourth and Final Subway Series Event Is This Sunday at CFSBK! A Few Notes…

• Thanks to everyone who reached out about helping us keep score!
• We still need judges! Judges are expected to monitor range-of-motion and reps for each workout. Coach David will do a session to review movement standards and protocol before the event. Please email David [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com if you’re interested. We promise you’ll have a blast!
• You can also still sign up to compete for your home team! REGISTER HERE.

Three Ways to Spice Up Your Tuesday CFSBK Life

• Active Recovery at 6:30pm. This class is designed to give your muscles and mind a rest. For an hour you’ll be guided through a combination of soft tissue work, mobility techniques, and general restorative movement. Want to learn more? We wrote a detailed article about this class on Coach David’s blog, Inside The Affililiate, called “Running an Active Recovery Class.”
• Pilates with KH at 7:30pm. Have you ever been told by a coach or PT that you have a weak core? Are you not sure what “keep your ribcage down” means? Do you suffer from a tweaky lower back after lifting heavy weights? Help is on the way! Learn more about KH in our interview with her, called “‘Mad Abs, Yo!’ How Pilates Complements CrossFit, and Getting to Know Kristin H.“
• AntiGravity at 7:30pm (and Sundays at 2pm). The class focuses on the gymnastics skill and strength components that are most commonly demanded in CrossFit workouts, using a variety of skill exercises, progressions, weighted and strict practice, and other techniques to teach, develop, and perfect your bodyweight movements. 

_____________________ 
The 11 Types of Dudes Playing in Your Summer Softball League GQ 
My Brain: The All-Hands Meeting The New Yorker 

Bench Press

Performance: Medium Intensity: 75-80% x 5 x 4

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add two to five pounds to last week’s exposure. 
_____________________ 

Deadlift

Fitness and Performance: Work up to one heavy set of 8 using perfect form.
Heavier than last week’s set of 10. Dead start, no touch-and-go. 

Exposure 2/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

For Time, 21-15-9:
Wall Balls 20/10, 14/9
Kettlebell Swings 53/35
Box Jumps 24/20″

Post time and Rx to comments.

GD and Coach Ro, shoe twins! With Leslie crushing wall balls in the distance

The State of CrossFit Footwear, 2015 

By Noah Abbott

A few days ago, someone mentioned to me that they had recently read my article about CrossFit shoes, and I realized that it had been almost five years since I had spent far too much time expounding about the relative merits of Sneaker A vs. Weightlifting Shoe B. A lot has changed in the CrossFit world since 2011, and shoes are no exception. That said, we are still fighting the same battles—trying to find a pair of shoes that allows us to tackle the broad range of CrossFit activities while being unobtrusive and hopefully even a little stylish in the bargain. 

Instead of a dissecting what to look for in a shoe (which I covered in the old article) I am going to talk a bit about some trends that have emerged in the last five years. That said, here are the things you still want in a shoe overall:

1. Lightweight.
2. Low profile, non-compressible sole.  
3. Sweet colors.

The Re-emergence of the Heel and the Beefification of the Shoe
For a time, “zero-drop” shoes (which have the exact same height in the heel and forefoot) were the coveted ideal. Since the human foot is naturally relatively flat, it was thought that a perfect flat shoe would mimic natural movement the best and be the healthiest for people. In the early days, CrossFit shoes and barefoot/minimalist running shoes were somewhat synonymous terms.

Turns out that the demands of a heavy snatch and an easy 5k in the park are quite different! In recent years, training shoes have begun to incorporate a slight heel-to-toe drop again, influenced a bit by the ¾” heel in weightlifting shoes. Shoes are still lightweight, and the soles are still relatively low and definitely not squishy, but most companies seem to realize that a small heel helps lifts without taking away too much from proprioception (“ground-feel”).

Along with realizing that glorified ballet slippers aren’t necessarily the best footwear for high-intensity exercise, the big companies also realized that some stuff we encounter in the gym really ruins shoes. Rope climbs, burpees, and other movements can eat through lightweight mesh, so the past few years have seen DARPA-level technology incorporated into shoes to make them more impervious to daily use. Toe bumpers, rope guards, KEVLAR, and other protective elements have made shoes more durable and broadly useful, and that’s a good thing. 

The War at the Top
In the early days of CrossFit, there was a certain joy in “hacking” a cross-country flat or trail shoe to serve as your daily training shoe. Today, most of the bandwidth is occupied by two big manufacturers, Reebok and Nike, with sparks flying between the two of late. 

Reebok introduced the CrossFit Nano in 2011, soon after my first article (coincidence or conspiracy, you decide!). The Nano has seen five iterations (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, etc…zzzzz) with a few offshoots (Sprint, Pump, etc.). The Nano is a pretty good all-around fitness shoe, and Reebok has done a pretty good job of incorporating feedback into each new release. The Nano 5.0 was released for the 2015 CrossFit Games, and is an obvious nod to the 2.0, which is widely considered “the best Nano.” The 5.0 is the first shoe that incorporates Kevlar, which to me seems a bit like overkill, but it’s cool cause I get to run around and do this at peoples’ feet. 

Nike has recently joined the fray with the Nike Metcon 1, and their entry into a pretty uncrowded field has been textbook Nike—they win. They’ve done a good job limiting their releases, choosing typically awesome colorways, and they answered Reebok’s busy, techy, highly branded Nano with a smooth, refined, and unobtrusive shoe. Reviews have been mostly good, with some complaints, and I’m excited to see what the Metcon 2 will bring. (Personally, the Metcons leave me a little cold; they look like tennis court shoes and I wanted Nike to get a little wilder with the colors. Really, I just want these.)

As far as dedicated weightlifting shoes go, I’m going to go full elitist and caution you not to waste your time with anything but the best: either the Nike Romaleos II or the Adidas Adipower Weightlift. Both of these run around $150-200 and represent the best shoes you can buy. You will end up replacing any other weightlifting shoe you buy with one of these, eventually. The Adidas are a little narrower, although of higher build quality IMHO. All of this will change after the next Olympics, of course.

Surprising Quality and Choice at the “Bottom”
While Nike and Reebok dominate most of the CrossFit shoe atmosphere these days, there are other manufacturers who make training shoes that rival or surpass the offerings of the “big two.” My personal favorites are offerings from Inov-8 and New Balance. 

Inov-8 was in many ways the “first CrossFit shoe,” originally designed for trail running, but well suited to the rigors and demands of functional fitness training. Since the early days, the company has continued to make high quality trail runners, but has also taken steps to better incorporate the needs of the functional fitness industry. Often criticized for being aggressively narrow, Inov-8 bifurcated their line, creating two different fit profiles for their shoes. Their “Standard” fit now offers a wider toe box and more natural ground feel, in contrast with their “Precision” fit, which is the original, somewhat narrow shoe they have been producing for a while. Inov-8 also has released some CrossFit specific shoes like the F-Lite 235 that are as high quality as they come.

New Balance’s Minimus line also offers top quality shoes for someone who wants to exist outside the Nike/Reebok spectrum. Their training shoe, currently on its fourth iteration, the 20v4, is light, firm, and high quality, with the best soles (Vibram) in the industry.   

Both Inov-8 and New Balance seem to come out with more products than Nike and Reebok, and do less work hyping them and limiting their releases. This leads to generally larger supply than demand pools, which in turn means you can often find their shoes at significant discounts if you look around a little bit.  

The Death of the Toe Shoe
I’d be remiss if I finished this article without mentioning one of the larger footwear trends in the last few years, which is the gradual but almost absolute disappearance of the Vibram FiveFingers line of toe-shoes from most CrossFit gyms and athletes’ feet. As the value of some stability, heel-lift, and protection in a shoe has become more and more apparent, the ultra-minimal, ultra-weird looking FiveFingers have receded from gym staple to the choice of that weird IT guy who wears them in the office. Good riddance says I.

_____________________ 
Oliver Sacks: Sabbath The New York Times 
Oliver Sacks: My Periodic Table The New York Times 

Fitness
Back Squat: 3 x 10
Start at about 75% of your best 3×5 from last cycle, or 60-70% of a 1RM. 

Performance
Medium Intensity
Back Squat: 75-80% x 5 x 2
Front Squat 75-80% x 5 x 2
Go a bit by feel and use the lower or higher percentage range depending on how you feel. 

Exposure 1/8
Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

Partner WOD
In teams of 2 with one partner working at a time:
14 Rounds For Total Time:
400/300m Row
10 Push-Ups
Each partner performs seven rounds. Go hard on the ergs sprints.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Asha hanging out on the rings during AntiGravity. Check out AntiGravity today at 2pm for a muscle-up skills workshop. | Photo by Thomas. H., who just uploaded a bunch of bangin photos to our Flickr!

• CrossFit Virtuosity is having a fundraiser for Steve’s Club NYC at the Chipotle on Court Street tomorrow between 12pm and 6pm. Bring in this flyer, show it on your smartphone or tell the cashier you’re supporting the cause to make sure that 50% of the proceeds will be donated to Steve’s Club NYC.
• Check out Kids Club at 9am or Active Recovery at 11am!

Good Luck to Our Subway Series Competitors!

The third Subway Series event is happening over at CrossFit Long Island City today. Here are the CFSBKers that will be representing for us:

Coach Whit
Coach Jess
KLove
Allie B.
Pierre D.
Alex N.
Brad D.

There’s still time to sign up for the fourth and final event, happening on your home turf, Sunday, August 23rd! Get the details here.

_____________________
We Are All Sensitive People: A Marvin Gaye Story The Paris Review