McDowell lifts MeLo up at the final Subway Series event

Do You Run or Work for a Cool Business?

We are still on the hunt for super awesome (or just awesome) donations for prizes for Fight Gone Bad 2014. If you own or work at a business that wants to provide some sort of prize (no matter how small!) for our top performers (for the WOD and fundraising) please email David [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. 

Come Roller Skate with CFSBK on October 12th!

What: All-ages roller-skating, admission for the first 25 people that RSVP is compliments of CFSBK
When: Sunday, October 12, 2-4pm (Note: this is the weekend the gym is closed for the Starting Strength Seminar)
Where: the newly-opened Pier 2 Roller Rink at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Event is a go with a minimum of 10 people. Skate rental is not included. The same pier also has bocce and shuffleboard courts we could play on. Afterwards, we’ll head to 68 Jay Street Bar (where Charlie works) for some post-skating drinks. Stella Z.‘s SMART in DUMBO trivia night is also happening later that day at 7pm, in case people want to stay for that too. 

RSVP to mare [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com by Friday, October 10. 

_____________________ 
How to Heal Shoulder and Lumbar Spine Injuries Breaking Muscle
How Heavy is Too Heavy? Choosing Training Weights Catalyst Athletics
The Truth We Won’t Admit: Drinking Is Healthy Pacific Standard
Understanding How Grief Weakens the Body The Atlantic

Snatch 1RM
If you have trouble organizing the pull from the floor, work from the hang. 

Post loads to comments.
e6/6
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Fitness
AMRAP 10 Minutes:
50 Russian Kettlebell Swings
50 Burpees
50 Pull Ups

Performance
AMRAP 10 Minutes:
100 Double Unders
50 Burpees
30 Muscle Ups

Post time and Rx to comments.

Austen I., ready for anything, with some great advice for your Thursday

News and Notes 

• Yoga for Athetes is canceled tonight (9/11) and Saturday (9/13).
• Happy birthday, Henry O.!

Throwback Thursday

To get your creative vibes rolling, these were the team names for Fight Gone Bad in 2010:

Charmelicious Crew
Mr. Scott and the Astafarians
Fight Gone Bad Club
SBK MisFits
X-Men
The Sixy Beasts
CrossFit Kids Gone Bad
The Leftovers
La Lucha Dolorosa
Tyrannosaurus Rx’d
D.F.L.
Conn Men
Heedless of the Consequences 

Also, Erica N. painted her nails in a particularly spirited way for the event. 

We still need donations for prizes for this year’s Fight Gone Bad. If you own or work at a business that wants to provide some sort of prize (no matter how small!) for our top performers (for the WOD and fundraising) please email David [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. 

_____________________  
Drink Soda? Take 12,000 Steps New York Times
The United Sweets of America Slate
The Ballsiest Lifter in History… and You Catalyst Athletics
9 Ridiculously Cute Underwater Puppies (You’re Welcome) NPR

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5 pounds to last exposure. 
BSQ e11/12 

Performance: 1 x 20
Add 5-15 pounds to last exposure. Use spotters.
BSQ e6/6 

Post loads to comments.
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4 Rounds, As Many Reps As Possible:
1 Minute Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift High Pull 72/53/35
1 Minute Box Jumps 20/16
1 Minute Push Presses 75/55/35
1 Minute Rest

Post reps and Rx to comments.

Katie… holds a barbell. We just think this is a nice picture.

Are You a Strong Woman Who Wants to Flex on the Beach?

Two pretty cool dudes, Alan L. and Mike F., are looking for a girl to compete in the Flex on the Beach this Saturday, Sept. 13th. If you can Rx the WODs and want to have a shit ton of fun, email Mike ASAP at mfiore319 [at] gmail.com. 

Learn More About the Park Slope Babysitting Coop

CFSBK parents, are you looking for affordable and convenient babysitting? A way to get to to know other CFSBK/Park Slope families? The Park Slope Babysitting Coop—currently headed by CFSBK’s own Coach Nick (president) and Erica N. (secretary)—allows parents to trade babysitting shifts with each other, and is currently recruiting! The fall meeting will be held at CFSBK on October 5th at 3:30pm-5:30pm. If you are interested in joining or just want to learn more, please plan on attending! 

About the Park Slope Babysitting Coop 
The Park Slope Babysitting Coop is a convenient way to trade babysitting time with your neighbors! Babysit others’ children to earn points, and trade those points in when you need a night off. You have complete control over who you sit for and who sits for you. Scheduling and point management are handled though an easy-to-use website.

Best of all, trading babysitting is affordable. Annual coop dues ($10) pay for managing the website, and there are no additional costs for trading babysitting hours.

The Park Slope Babysitting Coop meets quarterly to ensure that all participants have a chance to get to know their potential sitters and children. Attendance at a meeting prior to joining is mandatory. If you are interested in joining, please plan to attend the summer meeting at CFSBK, October 5th, 3:30pm-5:30pm! RSVPing is appreciated, but not required.

Contact Erica N. with any questions and to RSVP: erica.nofi [at] gmail.com

QOD: When you were in grade school, what did you want to be when you grew up? What do you do now?

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What I Find Myself Doing When I Watch CrossFit Videos
A Sure Sign of True Love at the Box
See the Irony?
What Do You Look Like When You Swing a Kettlebell?

Good rack mates are engaged with each other and provide feedback when they can

Failing, Bailing, and Training Culture at CFSBK 

The original version of this article appeared on Inside the Affiliate.

At CFSBK, we discourage members from failing slow lifts—squats, presses, and deadlifts—on a regular basis. Of course, failing is an inevitable part of training for experienced CrossFitters, since we want to push our limits and really discern our capacity. But the key is that it’s inevitable for experienced CrossFitters. We particularly encourage new members at CFSBK not to hit failure on their lifts for at least four to six months of consistent training, since they don’t have a solid enough foundation to be working with training maxes. We believe that how we approach hitting failure on lifts strongly correlates to our gym’s culture, safety, and training appropriateness. 

How we handle and teach failing is related directly to the intentionality of our programming and our overall culture of how to train well. For more information about CFSBK’s programming, check out previous ITA articles “Effective Programming Strategies at CrossFit Affiliates” and “The Benefits of Leveled Programming,” which address how we program and offer our members different options based on training age and goals. In this article, I want to focus more on how failing should happen only within certain programming contexts.  

Training Versus Testing, and Its Impact on Gym Culture
Failing lifts too often can be seriously taxing on the central nervous system and frustrating for athletes—in addition, it adds psychological stress and creates negative expectations when approaching lifts. To prevent it from occurring too often and to gain control over teaching our athletes to fail well, CFSBK works testing our lifts into our programming macro cycles. For more experienced members, testing new rep maxes at the end of our cycles is an acceptable and inevitable part of serious training. But every day is not a limit test and we don’t want anyone maxing out to failure with any regularity. Our day-in, day-out workouts should be considered training, and an opportunity to go a little bit heavier or hit prescribed percentages without reaching absolute limits.   

Teaching the difference between training and testing significantly impacts the culture of a gym, since training intelligently enables athletes to learn when to push through a difficulty instead of giving up. If an athlete is trained to think, “Okay, when things get hard, I’ve got an easy escape route in bailing,” they learn to give up more often and expect missed reps to be a regular part of their training routine. Missed reps should be meaningful as an indicator of one’s current capacity, not simply the norm. When missing reps and failing become the norm, the experience can subtly undermine an athlete’s self-expectations and the mindset with which they approach their lifts. 

We teach our advanced members to respect heavy weight, and teach that when it comes time to work, you should grind. Of course it should feel difficult and it should feel heavy! You should expect to fight for lifts! But just like in real life, you don’t start fights you don’t think you can win—especially on a regular basis. A skilled athlete doesn’t need to constantly miss reps to know their potential on any given day. A mark of real skill and intelligence in training involves developing an innate sense of one’s capabilities, and knowing when to call it quits. Missed lifts should be considered learning experiences for an athlete’s physical capacity, psychological outlook, and technique, and they always should be put into the broader context of the intended training stimulus for that specific day. 

Why Novice Lifters Should Avoid Failing Lifts
Having novice lifters attempt rep maxes on their lifts is both dangerous, inappropriate, and an ineffective use of training time. All our new members should start out with weights that feel “too light” and then gradually add weight on a weekly basis and as your technique warrants (better technique equals more weight). Over time, you’ll develop the requisite motor patterns, soft tissue integrity, and experience to handle heavier weights and test your limits. But before that, the proper foundation needs to be established. Remember, literally anything will “work” if you haven’t been training. You could squat on Day One, take a Zumba class on Day Two, run five miles on Day Three—and then a week later, test your squat and see some improvement. So the key is optimizing your novice training stage in a way that sets yourself up for long-term success. 

Long-term success happens through progressive overload and good coaching. As coaches, we want to provide you with the appropriate stimulus for your strength and experience, and most novice athletes have a pretty low baseline for what’s required to stimulate an adaptation. Having someone walk off the street and attempt a 1RM deadlift is well in excess of what they need to produce a meaningful adaptation. If you have no deadlifting experience and sit behind a desk all day, why not work up to 75lbs (which may feel “light” to you) for a set of five and focus on being perfect at the movement? The next time you come in, you can try 85lbs, and so on and so forth until you’re gradually moving some significant weight with the confidence, experience, and consistent form that you need to get stronger.    

An overarching goal of our programming is to teach you how to train responsibly with longevity in mind, so you learn how to slowly approach gaining strength and competence with the required lifts. That’s why we start you slow and let you know that just because you could go a little heavier today doesn’t mean it’s optimal for you. If you focus on going a little heavier each week, you keep pushing the ceiling of your potential a little bit higher—instead of slamming into that ceiling and having nowhere to go but back down. When we see you missing reps out of the programming context, we’ll probably pull you back and have a conversation about training versus testing. 

How to Fail Well 
Proper spotting and bailing techniques need to be taught and initially supervised—the same as anything else at CFSBK—so that when it comes time to test training, you are prepared and safe. Spotting technique for the back squat and bench press can be found in Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training (Third Edition), pages 62-64 and 172-172 respectively, if you’re curious. All other lifts require teaching proper bailing technique through demonstration and practice at sub-maximal weights. If people are going to potentially miss reps, it’s important that the area is clear of loose plates and other athletes that could make a good bail go bad. 

Conclusion
At CFSBK, we seek to address your needs at the various stages of your development—so listen when a coach tells you to temper your loads to be safe, and also when you might need to put more weight on the bar to get better.

_____________________ 
Juice Cleanses: The Worst Diet The Atlantic
Clouds Cast Thousand-Mile Shadows into Space When Viewed Aboard the International Space Station Colossal
Why Walking Helps Us Think The New Yorker
Kitty Cleans

Fitness: 3-3-3
Work up to a heavy 3 rep set in three attempts (3 total work sets). 

Performance: 1-1-1
Do 4-5 warm up sets, then establish a new 1RM in 3 attempts. 

Post loads to comments.
e6/6
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For Time:
1000m Row
30 Handstand Push-Ups
1000m Run

Sub heavy dumbbell push presses for handstand push ups.

Post time and Rx to comments.

Congratulations to Ellie JM and Coach McDowell on the birth of their first daughter, Vesper June Myers!

News and Notes

• There’s a new article over on Coach David’s blog, Inside the Affiliate, called “4 Common Exercises That Could Hurt Your Members.” Check it out to hear more about how CFSBK programs box jumps, sprints, and repping out your bench press.
• Scheduling note: Yoga for Athetes is canceled on Thursday (9/11) and Saturday (9/13).
• Have you checked out CFSBK Classifieds recently? Jenny M. found a new place to live on there, and will be subletting Ruth P.‘s place while she’s away. Go team SBK!

Do You Run or Work for a Cool Business?

We still need donations for prizes for Fight Gone Bad 2014. If you own or work at a business that wants to provide some sort of prize (no matter how small!) for our top performers (for the WOD and fundraising) please email David [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. 

Come Roller Skate with CFSBK on October 12th!

What: All-ages roller-skating, admission for the first 25 people that RSVP is compliments of CFSBK
When: Sunday, October 12, 2-4pm (Note: this is the weekend the gym is closed for the Starting Strength Seminar)
Where: the newly-opened Pier 2 Roller Rink at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Event is a go with a minimum of 10 people. Skate rental is not included. The same pier also has bocce and shuffleboard courts we could play on. Afterwards, we’ll head to 68 Jay Street Bar (where Charlie works) for some post-skating drinks. Stella Z.‘s SMART in DUMBO trivia night is also happening later that day at 7pm, in case people want to stay for that too. 

RSVP to mare [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com by Friday, October 10. 

_____________________ 
7 Things Everyone Should Know About Low-Carb Diets Chris Kresser
CrossFit is a Cult CollegeHumor
An Open Letter To Angry Vegetarians Cold Antler Farm
How to Live Passionately—No Matter Your Age TED 

Fitness: Knee Hang Clean + Front Squat + Jerk (1+1+1)
Work up to a heavy single on the complex.

Performance: Clean and Jerk
80%x 1 x 2
85% x 1
90% x 1
85% x 1
80% x 1 x 2
Base percentages off your 1 Rep Max clean and jerk. Go no higher than 90% (unless it’s truly feeling like a PR day, in that case go for it). Press outs are missed lifts.

Post loads to comments.
e5/6  
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Team WOD
AMRAP in 21 minutes:
7 Toes to Bar
7 Thrusters 115/75
7 Burpees
In teams of three with one partner working at a time, complete as many rounds and reps as possible.

Post reps and Rx to comments.

Eric, post-WOD or hunting for a lost contact?

• Happy birthday, Alex W., one of our favorite transplants from CrossFit Virtuosity! 

Make a Friend from Crow Hill CrossFit at 9am and 1pm Today!

During the 9am and 1pm classes today, members of Crow Hill CrossFit, along with one of their coaches, Robin, will be dropping in to WOD with us. They will be wearing their Crow Hill gear. Please go out of your way to show them the CFSBK love!

_____________________  
When Feces Is the Best Medicine The Atlantic
Sleep-Deprived People Have Shrinking Brains Science of Us
Tried CropFit? SUBWAY Restaurants 

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5 pounds.
e9/12 

Performance: 85%x2, 95%x1x3, 80%x2
Rest two minutes between sets.
e5/6

Post loads to comments.
_____________________ 

5 Rounds or 15 minutes:
6 Dumbbell Bench Presses, as heavy as possible
12 V-Ups
400m Run

The pace on the run should be conversational, so run it with a buddy and well, have a conversation. 

Post time and Rx to comments.

Coach JB watches Ben’s squats

Bend, Stretch, and Mobilize Today

• Yoga for Athletes with Coach Whitney at 10am.
• Active Recovery is back on at 11am and noon today with Coach David.

Make a Friend from Crow Hill CrossFit in Class Tomorrow!

During the 9am and 1pm classes tomorrow, members of Crow Hill CrossFit, along with one of their coaches, Robin, will be dropping in to WOD with us. They will be wearing their Crow Hill gear. Please go out of your way to show them the CFSBK love!

_____________________  
Marshawn Lynch Working Out with Skittle Weights Kissing Suzy Kolber
From a Young Age, Kids Punish ‘Them’ More Harshly Than ‘Us’ Science of Us 
Tommy Hackenbruck (CrossFit Games Athlete) Takes on Steve Austin’s Skull Buster Challenge 

Shaye A. getting set to Low Bar Back Squat. How and why do you prefer to carry the bar, high or low bar?

Come Roller Skate with CFSBK on October 12th!

What: All-ages roller-skating, admission for the first 25 people that RSVP is compliments of CFSBK
When: Sunday, October 12, 2-4pm (Note: this is the weekend the gym is closed for the Starting Strength Seminar)
Where: the newly-opened Pier 2 Roller Rink at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Event is a go with a minimum of 10 people. Skate rental is not included. The same pier also has bocce and shuffleboard courts we could play on. Afterwards, we’ll head to 68 Jay Street Bar (where Charlie works) for some post-skating drinks. Stella Z.‘s SMART in DUMBO trivia night is also happening later that day at 7pm, in case people want to stay for that too. 

RSVP to mare [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com by Friday, October 10. 

Join Ken H. for 4 Weeks of Gymnastics Training on Saturdays! 

Join guest gymnastics coach Ken H. as he takes you through four weeks of gymnastics strength training. This 1.5 hour long class will incorporate different facets of body weight strength training and movement. Specifically, each class will be composed of three to four distinct areas: warm-up and active mobility, rings skill work (muscle ups, levers etc), body weight strength conditioning, balance (on hands and feet), and flexibility. Students will be asked to have a goal or intention to focus on for the next six weeks. Students can then focus on that goal outside of class.

When: Saturdays from 2:00pm – 3:30pm, Sept. 13th to October 4th
Price: $80 for 4 Weeks
Cap: 8 participants 

Register here! 

Ken Haller’s Bio
Ken was a nationally competitive gymnast in Newton, MA and at the University of Michigan. After graduating, Ken coached for eight years at Capital Gymnastics in Northern Virginia where he coached regional and national champions. His students have gone on to be NCAA champions and members of Cirque du Soliel. In searching for an activity to replace gymnastics, Ken filled the void with rock climbing and yoga for the past ten years and recently found CrossFit to round out his training.

_____________________ 
The Current State of S&C Coaching Mark Rippetoe for T Nation
A Call for a Low-Carb Diet That Embraces Fat New York Times
You Can Trick Your Brain Into Craving Healthy Food Science of Us
Teen Contender Radio Diaries

Fitness: High Hang Snatch + Knee Hang Snatch + OHS (1+1+1)
Work up to a moderate load on the complex.

Performance: Power Snatch 2 Rep Max
Stay on the bar. You do not need to fully recover (stand up) the 1st rep, but it must be a clear rep before dropping the bar back to the hips. Practice the jump/catch recovery during warm up sets. Focus on keeping a tight upper back, sending the knees back off the floor, and staying over the bar long enough to get into an effective power position for the second pull. 

Post loads to comments.
e5/6
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3 Rounds for Time:
20 Wall Balls 20/14, 14/9
20 Chest to Bar Pull Ups 

Post time and Rx to comments.

Dr. Fidler at the Rockaways last Friday, post-hurricane swell

“Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord”: A Poem by Dr. Mike Cutaia                  

*Psalm 100 

Written on August 15, 2014

It’s hard to know where the titles come from.
Out of nowhere. Or, from somewhere
long forgotten. This one appeared during a hard session
of volume work, grunting through some back squats
like a sweaty warthog having a bad day. Emerging
from some childhood recess in my brain,
triggered by who knows what (?), I recall
this title of a hymn, sung by an eight year old
practitioner of prayer, standing lonely and alone
amidst the loud congregation members
petitioning urgently to their Lord.
This was the Scottish Presbyterian church
where I was sent to “to get some structure”
for my life. My parents didn’t go. Just me–
a little chubby Italian elephant, out of place,
and hiding at the feet of the loud sonorous
indifferent adults in this house of righteous song,
along with my barely perceptible squeaks
of chorus. But, now I realize
what a gift they gave me. To accept all of
my bodily music. How special is this corporeal feat
of motion and sound in the gym. Not a PR,
but something just as good. As Walt Whitman
would say, I’m celebrating myself today.
I’m in the church of the body.

Join the 2014 Fight Gone Bad Fun! 

There are still some spots left for Fight Gone Bad. Read more here, sign up here. 

We are open for any and all donations for prizes. If you own or work at a business that wants to provide some sort of prize (no matter how small!) for our top performers (for the WOD and fundraising) please email David [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. 

Since 2008, CrossFit South Brooklyn has conducted a yearly fundraiser in the form of a workout called Fight Gone Bad. Last year, we raised over $40,000 for the Brooklyn Community Foundation (BCF), a local organization dedicated to improving the lives of people in Brooklyn by strengthening communities through local giving, grantmaking, and community service. This year, we’ll be partnering with BCF again and hope to surpass last year’s donation numbers. Last year we had 180 members participating and this year, we’re capping it at 200. 

What are you waiting for?

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Flowchart: Should You Catcall Her? Playboy
21 Kids Who Shut Down Picture Day Buzzfeed
Fledge Shoot To Support CrossFit 
Watch Walter, a Golden Lab, Run to the Water With a Camera on his Back! 

Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5 pounds to last exposure. 
e8/12 

Performance: 1 x 20
Add 5-15 pounds to last exposure.
BSQ e5/6 

Post loads to comments.
_____________________

5 Rounds for Time of:
5 Deadlifts, 275/185
10 Burpees

Deadlift should be heavy-ish (about 65-80% of max effort) and unbroken. As always, prioritize your ability to maintain a neutral back. This workout appeared in the 2008 CrossFit Games with top times being just over 2:00, check it out!

Post time and Rx to comments.

CFSBK Badass Katie Harpz deep sea fishing in Florida last weekend!

News and Notes

• We are open for any and all donations for prizes for Fight Gone Bad 2014. If you own or work at a business that wants to provide some sort of prize (no matter how small!) for our top performers (for the WOD and fundraising) please email David [at] CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com. 
• Fleisher’s Pastured-Raised Meats is hosting a field trip to be a part of a pig slaughter and all-day class. Travel up to the Hudson Valley for a once in a lifetime way to experience our local food system in action. Learn more here!
• Megan D.’s friend is having a couple local art events to celebrate the launch of a new venture called Fiercely Made. There is a print show on September 12 from 5-7pm, at 453 Court Street. The launch party is September 19 from 6-10pm at 303 Bond Street, where they’ll be filling 3,500 sq ft with surf boards, bikes, knives, art, and wood wood wood!

Community Announcements

• Sadly, a few of our members have moved or are moving soon: Josh L. moved to Austin, TX. Mark H. moved to Phoenix, AZ. Nick and Juno D. are moving to Portland. CFSBK Front Desk superstar Jess M. and her fiance Brett F. are leaving for Seattle today. We will miss all of you!
• CFSBKer Joey B. got married on Sunday! Congrats!
• CFSBKers Sarah M. and Johanna N. also got married on Sunday! Congrats, you two!

Starting Strength Seminar with Mark Rippetoe

From October 10-12, 2014, CFSBK will be hosting Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength Seminar (SSS). The SSS teaches the methods of basic barbell training detailed in Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training and Practical Programming for Strength Training. This method deconstructs the five basic barbell exercises down to their elements in skeletal and muscular anatomy, and then derives a system for performing and coaching them based on the biomechanics of the loaded human body moving in a gravitational framework.

This is a great seminar for anyone who either wants to develop their coaching skill set or just learn everything about the Starting Strength method directly from Rippetoe himself. Participants have the option of taking the seminar and being evaluated as a coach, or taking it simply as a lifter looking to deepen their understanding of what it takes to be strong.

Learn more here, and sign up here.

Also, the gym will be closed that weekend. When the date gets closer, we’ll provide more info about alternative activities. 

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6 Myths the Haters Need to Stop Telling About CrossFit Sports.Mic
Our Roommates, Ourselves The Atlantic
Fabian Oefner: Psychedelic Science TED