Carolyn (from Village Fishmonger) slicing some fish and Michele K.

Fish Class Wrap Up

Training Cycle Template

Training Cycle Dates: M 4/14 – Su 5/25
Crush Week: M 5/26 – Su 6/1
Back Off/Transition Week: M 6/2 – Su 6/8

Training Cycle Template

• Monday:  Bench Press + WOD
  Fitness 3×5 LP

  Performance wk1 70%x8x4, wk2 72.5%x8x4, wk3 75%x6x5, wk4 77.5%x6x5, wk5 80%x4x4 then 82.5%x4x4, wk6 85%x4x4 then 87.5%x4x4. Rest 2 minutes between all sets.

• Tuesday: Rest Day

• Wednesday:  Snatch + Back Squat
  Fitness 
  Snatch: Position focused complexes
  Back Squat 3×5 LP

  Performance
  Snatch: Full lift then back off reps
  Back Squat (High Bar Bias) wk1 70%x8x4, wk2 72.5%x8x4, wk3 75%x6x5, wk4 77.5%x6x5, wk5 80%x4x4 then 82.5%x4x4, wk6 85%x4x4 then 87.5%x4x4. Rest 2 minutes between all sets.

• Thursday:  WOD gymnastics based

• Friday: Rest Day

• Saturday: Clean & Jerk + FSQ
  Fitness 
  C&J – Position focused complexes
  Front Squat 3×5 LP

  Performance
  C&J – Full lift then back off reps
  Front Squat wk1 70%x8x4, wk2 72.5%x8x4, wk3 75%x6x5, wk4 77.5%x6x5, wk5 80%x4x4 then 82.5%x4x4, wk6 85%x4x4 then 87.5%x4x4. Rest 2 minutes between all sets.

• Sunday: Deadlift (Fitness) or Power Snatch (Performance) + WOD
  Fitness 
  Deadlift 1×5 LP

  Performance
  Power Snatch 85%x2x5 (use 85% of this week’s best snatch)

*Note* Performance is seeing a bit of a volume shock this cycle…brace yourselves. Avoid taking more than the prescribed rest. 

Competitions/Events

Mayhem In the Meadowlands: Sa 5/3
Brooklyn Half Marathon: Sa 5/17
Memorial Day Muprh: M 5/26
CrossFit North East Regionals: F 5/30 – Su 6/1
Spartan Race: Su 5/31

Fitness: 3 x 5 (Linear Progression)

Performance: 70% x 8 x 4

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AMRAP 8 Minutes

Fitness:
12 KB Swing 72/53
8 Burpees

Performance:
6 Hang Power Clean 155/105
3 Muscle Ups

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Coach MeLo making the joyous face we all should when we mobilize

Happy Monday Reminders

• There’s a new post over on Inside the Affiliate called “Don’t Be a Cheerleader: 10 Pieces of Advice for CrossFit Coaches” and it’s all about our very own beloved Coach Fox. Even if you’re not a coach, we think you’ll enjoy it!  
• Attention Herondale CSA members! If you can take about 7-10 minutes to fill out this anonymous survey, you would be doing your good deed for the week! Please respond by Wednesday, April 23.
• Margie is also looking for 2-3 people who would like to do a phone interview with her so she can dig into some areas a little bit deeper. It would take about 30 minutes and she‘d like to complete them by April 28. Please email her at lempert [at] wisc.edu if you are interested.  

Why Join a CSA?

Are you curious to know why CFSBK supports the Community Supported Agriculture model? Our very own Margie Lempert, founder of the CSA program here and currently finishing a masters degree in agroecology at the University of Wisconsin, will approach that question from several angles in a short series of articles. The first outlined the differences between industrial agriculture and agroecology. In Part 2, she explored animal welfare in differing production systems. For our third installment, Margie explains how livestock agriculture impacts the environment, for good or for ill.

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Aside from personal health, the environmental impacts of agriculture are where the rubber meets the road for a lot of consumers in terms of deciding what to eat. This is a pretty legit reason since agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to environmental degradation. You know that hypoxic zone on the Gulf of Mexico the size of Connecticut?

This one?

Image from NOAA

All that bright green represents farm impact on the Gulf. The red points are cities.

According to their 2013 report, The Food and Agriculture Organization (run by the UN) attributes 14.5% of human induced greenhouse gas emissions to livestock agriculture alone. Of that percentage, 65% comes from beef and dairy (cows are huge methane emitters, a problem across all farming styles). 

So how exactly do farms destroy aquatic life thousands of miles away and change the climate? 

It all starts with ground cover. When natural ground cover is disturbed, major problems unfold and reverberate. I’m going to focus on grasslands because they cover 30-40% of the Earth’s surface, are incredibly fertile, important for carbon storage/recycling, and provide habitat for diverse wildlife. In the US, they also happen mostly to have been replaced by farmland.

Nerding Out on Grass

Exposed soil causes big problems. Without something to hold it in place, it is subject to the mercurial whims of nature. So, we get tragedies like this:

(That’s during the dustbowl. If you want to understand more about agriculture’s impact, watch the Ken Burns documentary.)

Bare soil blows off with wind, but it also runs off in big rainstorms. With the soil goes phosphorus, a nutrient that promotes algal blooms in water, suffocating aquatic life. In an inefficient nutrient cycling system (i.e. monocultures of corn or bare ground), we lose nitrogen up into the atmosphere as nitrous oxide (a greenhouse gas more potent than CO₂), and down into the ground water as nitrate. Nitrate is a very important fertilizer for corn in particular, but also toxic in excess for aquatic and human life (blue baby syndrome). 

So, all that vulnerable soil and nutrients make their way to the Mississippi River and down into the Gulf of Mexico.

A good stand of grass with deep, spidery roots holds soil in place, keeping phosphorus from running off during erosion. It’s super efficient at cycling nutrients, which keeps nitrogen in place rather than leaking up into the air or down into the groundwater. 

If left alone, or managed correctly, grasses continuously slough off their roots, adding carbon to soil sort of like a stream trickling into a lake. The deeper the roots grow, the deeper the carbon is stored, which is better for long-term sequestration. (As long as it remains in place. If it gets dug up, or tilled, all that accumulation is lost.) This process improves soil quality and nutrient availability for grass growth. Organic matter feeds soil microbes, which are as important and mysterious as our own gut microbes. There is substantial interest in the natural resource management community to improve and restore grasslands with the hope that they can help to mitigate the excess carbon we’ve unleashed into the atmosphere by altering natural landscapes and using fossil fuel. This is a pretty complicated thing to measure, and highly variable geographically so we still have a ways to go in terms of understanding the real opportunities. 

Bonus bit of geekery: bare soil promotes a rise in ground temperature. It’s called the albedo effect, and it’s the same principle behind why you would choose a white rather than black shirt on a hot, sunny. The darker the land cover, the more heat it absorbs. Grass’s lighter color reflects better than soil, and the varying angles of leaves diffuse light. 

And Now Back to Farms…

Here’s what a typical CAFO looks like:

Not a lot of grass. Kind of like wearing the soles of your shoes down, there are just too many animals standing in the same place for too long. In a CAFO, there is also all that concentrated manure to contend with. Manure contains a lot of nitrogen, which is why it’s used as fertilizer. But it can’t just pile up because nutrient levels will become toxic on site, and there will be downstream damage when the bare soil runs off, taking nitrogen-filled poop and phosphorus with it.  We already know of the health hazards posed to animals standing in their own feces, which then threatens people too. So, CAFOs must remove manure and re-purpose it elsewhere as fertilizer or for energy production. 

Pasture-based farming can be as much a pro-environmental strategy as anything else. By managing the animal-grass relationship (also called biomimicry), the farmer is able to encourage thick ground cover with deep roots. If you remember in Part 1, I mentioned that pasture-based farmers never allow animals to eat grass down to the nubs because there must be enough leaf left for photosynthesis. This encourages roots to grow longer and leaves to grow taller. 

Aside from erosion protection, pastures prevent or mitigate flooding since the ground acts as a sponge. Of course, we get tight nutrient cycling, carbon storage and organic matter build up as well. If managed intentionally, diversely seeded pastures also provide more opportunities for wildlife habitat than bare ground or monocultures, especially birds, insects and other small critters. 

Here, manure is an effective fertilizer rather than toxic because animals are rotated before too much accumulation in one spot occurs, and the hoof action spreads and works it into the ground. Also, animal pastures are typically a mix of grass and legumes (for example clover); the legumes are able to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, which reduces or eliminates the need for a synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.

At Herondale Farm: Jerry with his herd.

Improving grazing methods is an elegant strategy for improving grasslands. Allan Savory’s TED talk further elucidates the possibilities.

I want to be very clear: just like anything, grazing can be done well and it can be done poorly. This is where the farmer’s ability to observe and understand his or her animals, the climate, and the land makes all the difference. People in the Midwest, and certainly in the more challenging arid conditions of the West, talk about grazing for environmental stewardship. But, for various reasons, I don’t think we talk about it as much in the Northeast. You the consumer can make that conversation more salient by asking farmers about their practices, or better yet visiting farms to see for yourself. 

(Blatant) Editorial Comment 

The commodity livestock system is destructive. As a member of a CSA, you have the opportunity to directly contribute to improving (or at least not degrading) the environment. I’ve heard Jerry talk of his connection to the land as much as to the animals or business of farming. He seeks to learn more, such as through workshops with Holistic Management International, an empowering and environmentally focused organization dedicated to helping farmers improve their craft. 

“The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land… In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such.” 

-Aldo Leopold, Sand County Almanac

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Hidden Miracles of the Natural World TED
Nest of Giants VICE
How Food Marketers Made Butter the Enemy Mother Jones

Monday:  Bench Press | WOD
Tuesday
Wednesday:  Snatch | Back Squat
Thursday:  WOD (gymnastics-based)
Friday
Saturday: Clean and Jerk | Front Squat
Sunday: Deadlift (Fitness) or Power Snatch (Performance) | WOD

Fitness: Clean Segment Deadlift + Clean + Jerk 
Spend 15 minutes working up to a moderate load on the complex. If you have a hard time organizing the pull off the floor then perform the clean from the mid-hang.

Performance: Work up to a 1RM Clean and Jerk
Try and set a new PR but take no more than 5 attempts over 90%. Misses count as attempts.
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Front Squat

80% x 3 x 3

Take 80% of your recent 1RM. If you only have a 3RM, use this calculator to figure out an appropriate number.

Post loads to comments.
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Come back, DO! Come back, Jen S! We miss your ninja skillz!

• Do your spring cleaning now so that in one week, you can join CFSBK’s Clothing and Book Swap! Bring at least five items (make sure clothing is clean and preferably on hangers) and arrive at the 2pm start. Any leftovers will be donated to the CHiPS shelter and Dress for Success. Let us know what you are bringing! 
• Hit all your mobility business today: Yoga with Whitney at 10am + Active Recovery at 11am with Coach Fox + Active Recovery at 12pm again with Coach Fox = so many opportunities for happy CrossFit campers.
• Enjoy the sunshine today, CFSBK!

Rings Strength Class: April – May

Rings Strength Class starts TODAY at 2pm and there are only TWO spots left! Jump on it, you lucky ducks! 

REGISTER HERE!

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.

Saturdays from 2:00pm – 3:30pm

4/12, 4/19, 5/3, 5/10

*Please note that this class skips Saturday 4/26. 

Price: $80 for 4 Weeks 

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.

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Your Inner Fish (Episode 1) PBS
Moby’s “Flower” (The “Bring Sally Up” song) YouTube

Jake L getting ready for his Oly meet in May

• Happy birthday, Noah O!
• As Matt K. noted in the comments on Thursday, some of you may have received a little bit of love from CFSBK in your email inbox. We’ve resurrected the long-dead SBK newsletter and will be sending it out at the start of every cycle. If you don’t feel like getting another one, just hit unsubscribe at the bottom of the email and we’ll never bug you again. And if you’ve got any big community news, announcements, births, weddings, whatever, email Mare [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com and we’ll include them in the next edition.

Below is a short article we ask all our new members to read when they graduate from our Foundations program. Coach DO posted it on Inside the Affiliate a few weeks ago to encourage coaches at other affiliates far and wide to share it with new members—it’s that important! Whether you’ve been riding the SBK train for years or are just fluttering your wings fresh from the warm cocoon of Foundations, read through this article again in the spirit of Back Off Week. Remember to maintain your good habits and keep longevity in mind when you walk through CFSBK’s doors (PSYCHE—THE OPEN GATE! BECAUSE SPRING IS HERE!).

Good Training Habits

By David Osorio

While it’s our responsibility as coaches to teach you movement, program intelligently, and keep you safe, it’s your responsibility as athletes to develop good training habits. Here is an overview of three great habits that will significantly enrich your training experience.

1. Be Proactive With Your Movement Prep
Everyone needs to do a little personalized maintenance on their bodies. Even 10 minutes of DIY movement prep before class can go a long way in keeping you fit and pain free. After you’ve signed in and changed, take advantage of the time you’ve got and start moving.

Warm-up
Row an easy 300-500m on the erg. Get your heart rate up a little and try to get a light sweat going. We recommend holding 20 strokes per minute and rehearsing good form. 

Stretch/Foam Roll
Many of us know where our tightest areas are—they’re the ones that make it difficult to squat below parallel or press a barbell overhead. Spend a few minutes mobilizing and doing some soft tissue work (foam roller/LAX ball, etc.) on your “problem areas.” If you don’t know where to begin, ask a coach what you should be prioritizing and we’ll help you out. We also regularly refer our members to out Active Recovery classes and MobilityWOD.com. This is great resource for folks who need simple, effective strategies to help them move better.

2. Log All of Your Workouts 
Training without logging is like driving without a road map. You don’t know where you’ve been or where you’re going. Taking notes on each training session helps you track your progress and helps us make informed decisions about how to assist you in choosing weights and scaling movements. Each day should list some quantitative and qualitative notes about your training session. Here is an example:

Warm-Up:
3 rounds NFT
5 Snatch PP (22lb bar)
5 OHS
5 Muscle Snatches
10 Push-ups on knees

Move up to yellow bar

AMRAP 15 minutes:
Row 350m
12 Overhead Squats, 45lbs

4 Rounds + 320m

Kept rows at about 2:23 splits, felt hard but doable. Don’t shift forward during overhead squats…. Mid foot!

You can track your workouts in a journal or online. As coaches, we LOVE to read the details of your workout in the Comments section of CFSBK’s blog. It gives us a deeper perspective into your training and the programming in general.

3. Start Slow and Maintain Perspective
We take our training seriously at CrossFit South Brooklyn and with that comes with a good deal of responsibility. Our movement pool uses serious strength and conditioning exercises in order to develop broad, inclusive fitness. If we don’t treat these movements and workouts with respect, training plateaus and injuries are sure to follow. The best way to ensure your success and training longevity with us is by starting slowly and developing a rock-solid technical base. In fact, the first few months you start CrossFit, intensity should not be a significant concern. The movements are potent enough that just consistently performing them will create a favorable adaptation. After you feel really comfortable with most of our exercises and have a working knowledge of your weights, only then should you start ramping up the intensity. 

Training with a lifelong perspective is incredibly important. Remember that you’re here to build yourself up, not break yourself down. Scaling workouts properly, listening to your body and checking your ego at the door will allow you to work out successfully for years to come. Most importantly, have fun with this stuff and enjoy the process.

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How to Make Small Talk With Strangers Art of Manliness
What if the Moon was a Disco Ball? VSauce
The Culture of Shut Up The Atlantic
Abs/Back: What Does it All Mean? Catalyst Athletics

Fitness: 
6 RNFT
Rounds 1, 3, and 5:
400m Row
12 DB Push Press, medium heavy
Rounds 2, 4, and 6:
400m Run
8-12 Chin Ups or 12 Ring Rows

Performance: 
6 RNFT
Rounds 1, 3, and 5:
400m Row
ME UB Handstand Push Ups (No AbMats. Set ends when you come off the wall)
Rounds 2, 4, and 6:
400m Run
ME UB Kipping Pull Ups

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Caption this photo of CFSBKers getting their calf mash on

• Don’t forget, Yoga for Athletes with Coach Whitney is at 7:30pm tonight! 
• Have a magnificent Thursday!

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I Refuse to Be Busy New York Times
New Yorkers’ Contributions to a Greener, Greater City: A Behavioral Impact Study GreeNYC
CrossFit Phenom Annie Thorisdottir: The Fittest Woman on the Planet? Vogue 
The Best Exercises You Aren’t Doing for Your Back Elite FTS

Fitness: Snatch Segment Deadlift + Snatch
If you have a hard time organizing the pull off the floor then perform snatch from the mid-hang. Catch as low as your mobility allows.

Performance: Work up to a 1RM Snatch
Try and set a new PR but take no more than 5 attempts over 90%. Misses count as attempts.
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Back Squat

Fitness: 80% x 3 x 3

Performance: 80% x 3 x 3 (bias High Bar)

Take 80% of your recent 1RM. If you only have a 3RM, use this calculator to figure out an appropriate number.

Post loads to comments.

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Lauren B moves so fast you sometimes can’t even see her limbs!

• Happy Birthday, Dan H!

TODAY is the April Fish + Meat CSA Pickup

Clothing and Book Swap

Did you know that an average of 70lbs of textiles per person and 54 million tons of paper goes into landfills each year? Tread a little more lightly and get some spring cleaning done by joining the first ever CFSBK Clothing and Book Swap after group class next Saturday (4/19) from 2-4pm. Bring your gently used, in-season adult and children’s clothing and books. Let us know what you are bringing!

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What Fish Teach Us About Us New York Times
Navy SEAL Workout Series: Strength Training United States Navy
Engineering & Curiosity Kurzgesagt