CrossFit South Brooklyn

Established 2007

Bench Press | WOD 4.28.14

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Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression 
Add 2.5 to 5 lbs to last week. You should be making all of your reps at this point. If you missed reps last week, either redo the same weight or back off a few pounds. 

Performance: 75% x 6  x 5
Rest two minutes between sets. 

Post loads to comments.
e3/6 

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For Time:
100 Double Unders
then,
3 Rounds
25 Wall Ball 20/10, 14/9
7 Hang Power Clean 155/105
then,
40 Calorie Row

Yesterday’s 10:30am Prospect Park WOD-ers 

  • Regular programming resumes today! We hope you enjoyed the outdoor WODs and yoga and AR.
  • In case you missed it yesterday, CFSBK’s Endurance Program coach Michael O. shared some running training tips on the blog. Check it out!
  • There’s a new post over on Inside the Affiliate about how to manage large group classes in an efficient and professional manner. It’s only Part 1 since David had so much to say about it, so stay tuned for next week’s too!

Help End Homelessness in Brooklyn 

CFSBKer Richard G. is a volunteer and board member of an organization called Brooklyn Community Housing & Services (BCHS). BCHS’s mission is to end homelessness in Brooklyn, and the organization is highly regarded for its work providing supportive services and housing to the mentally ill and homeless who might otherwise be living in our streets, subways, parks and armories.  Their annual gala is this Wednesday afternoon, April 30, at the Green Room right around the corner at 452 Union Street. There will be a cocktail party and silent auction, and music by Jean Rohe with special guest emcee Wesley Stace (John Wesley Harding). Richard would love for you to join! Purchase tickets here.

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A Life Saved by CrossFit CrossFit 
The Search for Our Inner Lie Detectors New York Times 

Red Hook Running Track WOD

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Do you smile while you run? CFSBK’s Endurance Program coach Michael O. does!

  • CFSBKer Eric L. is competing in Strong Like Beast 2014 today. Get after it, Eric! Let us know how it goes! 

Sunday Alternative Programming

We are hosting Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength Seminar and all normal in-house group classes are cancelled, including open gym. We are offering three track workouts located at the Red Hook running track. If you are not already signed up, please check the availability of each class HERE. 

Your group class membership will apply for any of these classes.

10am Track WOD
11am Track WOD
12pm Track WOD

Running Training Tips from CFSBK’s Endurance Program Coach

Last Sunday, Michael O. and the CFSBK Endurance Program crew tested their training by running the Brooklyn 15K. This was a well-timed event with the Brooklyn Half Marathon only a few weeks away. Michael shared a few notes about how their training has progressed, and we’d love to share those notes with all our runners, especially since he’s co-organizing the Track WOD today with Coach Arturo!
  1. Trunk Posture and Mobility: One of the initial things that the program tackled was making sure everyone was set up for success from pelvis to ribcage. Too often runners get obsessed with when their foot strikes the ground and the positioning of their arms (which are both also important to focus on eventually). But Michael says that if you first are picture-perfect in your trunk, everything else falls into place. The most important part of consistent running form is great pelvic and spinal stability, so the team worked for a few weeks on getting that all aligned.
  2. Shorter Intervals with “Open” Form: “Before we start running big 800s and miles, we need to first make sure all the running muscles work and work together,” Michael explains. An often overdone mistake of endurance training is stacking miles on a 70-80% active muscular system. If you increase volume from 30 to 40 miles in a week, the increase usually comes with less muscle activation and thus overloads the imbalance. By letting runners hit a bunch of short “sprinting” type efforts with a big and open form (hills, neuromuscular efforts, shuttle runs), Michael’s crew did their best to get a 90-100% muscular activation for any muscle that helps you run… so, ALL OF THEM!!
  3. Learn the True Meaning of Low-Intensity: Michael believes the most important piece of training is understanding that going all out plays a very small role in increasing one’s endurance (unless you’re heading to the Millrose Games next year). “When I ask our athletes how their run was after one of our full sessions and they say ‘not too bad,’ that’s a great feeling as a coach,” he says. The idea is that not every run should leave you gassed and starving for air. Just as in CrossFit, you shouldn’t walk away from every workout feeling like you blacked out. Michael encourages his endurance crew to hit their longer runs slowly but with great form, which improves their posture over time. If a runner spends all their time in a redline zone relative to capacity, that runner is much less likely to notice or have the strength to improve their form.
  4. Slowly Integrating More Refined Skills: “About two to three weeks ago, our group was looking good enough that we could start thinking about smaller components of the running form,” Michael reports. Those pieces involve ankle placement and application, and hamstring usage and synchronization with the hip flexor. The group is now integrating some intricate drills into their training, which will slowly meld into their form.

Have questions for Michael about running or about joining CFSBK’s Endurance Program? Hit him up at michael.olzinski [at] gmail.com or at the Red Hook running track today. And good luck to all our Brooklyn Half runners on the remaining weeks of your training!
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13-year-old 142kg Clean and Jerk hookgrip
Dogs Annoying Cats With Their Friendship tastefully offensive
Boz vs. Ro CrossFit
The Light Therapeutic Intelligent Life 

Yoga | AR | Prospect Park WOD

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Please remember that the gym is (mostly) closed today!

Saturday Alternative Programming

We are hosting Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength Seminar again and all normal in-house group classes are cancelled. As an alternative, we’re offering off-location workouts. Below are the programming options available for today. If you are not already signed up, please check the availability of each class HERE. 

Your group class membership will apply for any of these classes, including yoga.

Upstairs Annex Classes
9am Yoga for Athletes 
10am Yoga for Atheltes
11am Active Recovery
12pm Active Recovery

Prospect Park WOD
Meet Coach MeLo on Long Meadow Field as you enter from Garfield Place. Look for orange cones. WOD will include handstand practice and sprinting. Bring your own stopwatch to keep track of interval times as well as a water bottle. Email Melissa [at] CrossfitSouthBrooklyn.com if you have any questions.

9:00am Park WOD
10:30am Park WOD

WEATHER UPDATE: If it rains lightly today, MeLo will still hold the Prospect Park WODs. 
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Zero Gravity Workout YouTube
Epic Slo Mo Snatch Fail hookgrip
Three Keys to Exercise Selection for Sport Performance Juggernaut
Do Foam Rollers Aid Workouts? New York Times

Rest Day

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Azam providing Brian with what is known as Erg Moral Support

  • Happy birthday, Kristen G.!
  • CFSBK’s softball team, Las Calaveras, has their first game tonight at the Red Hook ball fields. Word on the streets of Brooklyn is that they are not to be messed with. Come cheer them on at 6:15pm!

Weekend Alternative Programming

We are hosting Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength Seminar again and the gym will be mostly closed tonight through Sunday night. As an alternative, we’re offering off-location workouts. Below are the programming options available. Please note that all classes require preregistration, so please sign up ahead of time HERE. 

Friday 4/25
Morning and afternoon classes are on as normally scheduled. Open gym is cancelled.

Saturday 4/26
All normal in-house group classes are cancelled. We are offering yoga and active recovery classes upstairs in the annex, along with a Prospect Park WOD. Your group class membership will apply for any of these classes, including yoga.

Upstairs Annex Classes
9am Yoga for Athletes 
10am Yoga for Atheltes
11am Active Recovery
12pm Active Recovery

Prospect Park WOD
9:00am Park WOD
10:30am Park WOD

Meet Coach MeLo on Long Meadow Field as you enter from Garfield Place. Look for orange cones. WOD will include handstand practice and sprinting. Bring your own stopwatch to keep track of interval times as well as a water bottle. Email Melissa [at] CrossfitSouthBrooklyn.com if you have any questions.

WEATHER UPDATE: If it is lightly raining tomorrow, MeLo will still hold the Prospect Park WODs. If it is pouring and we do need to cancel, we will have a notice posted by 7:30am. 

Sunday 4/27
All normal in-house group classes are cancelled, including open gym. We are offering three track workouts located at the Red Hook running track.

10am Track WOD
11am Track WOD
12pm Track WOD

Sign up HERE.

Support Vanguard High School’s Backpacking Program

CFSBKer Matthew E. has been backpacking, climbing, hunting, and enjoying the outdoors since he was a child. When he began teaching at an NYC public school, he was horrified at his students’ limited exposure to the outdoors. Some of them had never been outside the city, let alone in the woods. To reconcile this deficiency, Matthew helped organize and lead a backpacking trip for 20 students to the Appalachian Trail. It was an incredible experience. All materials were donated or loaned from teachers, staff, and friends. To make this a sustainable project, Vanguard is hoping to raise $5,000. They are currently half way there! Help them out by making a donation or spreading the word! Learn more here. 

What’s the weirdest/funniest/most memorable thing you’ve overheard someone say at a CrossFit gym?

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Coaching Athletes on How to Sleep The Atlantic
Why You Should Not Be Running PJ Media
On CrossFit and Risk Huffington Post
The Limits of ‘No Pain, No Gain’ New York Times

WOD 4.24.14

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5 Rounds For Time of:

Fitness:
5 Deadlift 225/155
5 1-Arm Push Press Left (Rx 33% of body weight)
5 1-Arm Push Press Right
5 Pull-Ups or 10 Ring Rows
5 Burpees 

Performance: 
2 Deadlifts 315/205
3 Handstand Push-Ups
4 Chest to Bar Pull-Ups
5 Burpees

Compare to 10.28.10

Post loads and time to comments.

How many CrossFit gyms have their very own Yoda? We’re thinking not very many. #tbt

Weekend Alternative Programming

We are hosting Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength Seminar again and the gym will be mostly closed Friday night through Sunday night (4/25-4/27). As an alternative, we’re offering off-location workouts. All of the options are available on our Class Schedule page (including where to meet for the Prospect Park WOD). Please note that all classes require preregistration, so please sign up ahead of time HERE. 

Support The Allrounder on Kickstarter

CFSBKer Samir C. needs your help funding a new online journal for fans, athletes, and enthusiasts who know there’s more to sport than preseason predictions, arguments over missed calls, and highlights of fantastic finishes. This exciting new site will feature writers from different countries with expertise ranging from basketball, cricket, and hockey to all codes of football. Check it out here!

Attention Herondale CSA Members

REMINDER: If you have not yet had a chance to fill out this anonymous survey, you still have time! Please take five minutes to respond before Friday, April 25. Margie really appreciates your help. Thanks! 

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What Happens When You Abolish Tipping Slate
How Americans Die Bloomberg
Beltless Squats 635×10 Dan Green
Relativity Isn’t Relative minutephysics

Snatch | Back Squat

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Fitness: Snatch Segment Deadlift + Snatch + OHS
If you have a hard time organizing the pull off the floor, perform snatch from the mid-hang.

Performance: Snatch 1-1-1, then 90% x 1 x 2
Work up to a heavy snatch in 3 attempts, then perform 2 singles at 90% of today’s best snatch.

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Back Squat

Fitness: 3×5 Linear Progression

Performance: 72.5% x 8 x 4
Rest about two minutes between sets.

Post loads to comments.
e2/6  

David spots Deb P. as she skins the cat

Weekend Alternative Programming

We are hosting Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength Seminar again and the gym will be mostly closed Friday night through Sunday night (4/25-4/27). As an alternative, we’re offering off-location workouts. Below are the programming options available. Please note that all classes require preregistration, so please sign up ahead of time HERE. 

Friday 4/25
Morning and afternoon classes are on as normally scheduled. Open gym is cancelled.

Saturday 4/26
All normal in-house group classes are cancelled. We are offering yoga and active recovery classes upstairs in the annex, along with a Prospect Park WOD. Your group class membership will apply for any of these classes, including yoga.

Upstairs Annex Classes
9am Yoga for Athletes 
10am Yoga for Atheltes
11am Active Recovery
12pm Active Recovery

Prospect Park WOD
9:00am Park WOD
10:30am Park WOD

Meet Coach MeLo on Long Meadow Field as you enter from Garfield Place. Look for orange cones. WOD will include handstand practice and sprinting. Bring your own stopwatch to keep track of interval times as well as a water bottle. Email Melissa [at] CrossfitSouthBrooklyn.com if you have any questions.

Sunday 4/27
All normal in-house group classes are cancelled, including open gym. We are offering three track workouts located at the Red Hook running track.

10am Track WOD
11am Track WOD
12pm Track WOD

SIGN UP HERE.

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I Ran the Pyongyang Marathon: What I saw running 26 miles in a Stalinist dictatorship Slate
What is the Polar Vortex? National Geographic
The Lure of Forbidden Food New York Times

Rest Day

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April Athlete of the Month: Matt Chmielecki

A new month and a new athlete to admire. The coaches here at SBK are fortunate to have so many of our members displaying qualities that we look for in an AOM. Training smart, open to coaching, helpful to others, and carrying themselves the right way. Matty fit the bill perfectly. His fact sheet was so similar to recent AOM Peter Mattis though that I was tempted to call him “Petey Light.” Known to many simply as “Chm” (pronounced like Chim, pretend there’s an extra i in his last name), I found out as you will below that he’s certainly a force of his own.

Fox: Hey Matty, tell us about when and how you first started CrossFit and came to be part of “The Best Foundations Ever.”

MC: CrossFit had been on my radar for a while. I’d wanted to try it but at the time all I’d read was that it was the perfect cult to join if you wanted to break your back, rip apart your shoulders and knees, and potentially die from rhabdo. One summer day in July 2012 though I happened to be driving down Degraw street and noticed a bunch of people hanging from the pull up bar, including a pregnant woman, smiling and talking. They seemed to be actually having a good time while exercising! This was in stark contrast to what I’d read. I came back and signed up for Foundations that day. I eventually got over my fear of every ache and pain being serious and have settled in to a happy training place. And obviously, yes, we were the best Foundations ever. All six of us joined and four of us still remain, though one moved away to Chicago.

Fox: Yeah I knew you guys were alright when you were going out for post-class beers by the fifth class. What about that sight at the pull up bar drew you in?

MC: I was looking for a social path to true fitness. I’d done the body part split thing, was a runner and triathlete, and had just done my first ultra marathon, the Rim to Rim to Rim. I spent countless hours training by myself and was getting a bit bored with it. Sure, some friends would meet me for a lap around Prospect Park but I was running six to eight laps. My training life mostly consisted of running hours upon hours by myself and consuming various gels and powders. I remember one time while on a long run in Connecticut by my parents house in the snow, this guy in a pickup truck stopped to ask me, “Didn’t I see you three hours ago running way back there? Are you ok?” I had endurance but I wasn’t really healthy. I wanted to become more athletic again and hanging out with people who spoke to each other and smiled while training sounded fantastic.

Fox: So here you are two years later still going strong, and only getting stronger. I’m always interested to hear what people have to say about why they stick with it. Tell me why you do.

MC: A large part of it is the social aspect. Even though it’s 6 am when I come and we’re all still trying to un-groggy ourselves while processing some caffeine, there’s small talk, there’s jokes, there’s smiles, we’re getting ready to give it our all. I also started to see results pretty quickly. I really enjoyed watching my body change as I put some muscle on and my body comp changed. I really like the blend of lifting and sprint/interval work at SBK. Of course in the beginning almost every day in the gym is a PR, but it was affirmative to be able to quantify progress and results. I also saw the carryover to my tri times. I was getting faster by getting stronger, all while training less. I still do a few races a year and I don’t have to train nearly as much as I used to for them. It wasn’t always easy though. Some of the positions were really tough, and I realized that I maybe wasn’t as fit as I thought. I’d long been used to being one of the fittest guys in any room I was in. Then I came here and the guys and gals seemed super human! I remember Foundations when on pull up day you asked me if I could do them. I said sure and started to do a few, and you told me “Higher. Nope, higher. Still no… how about we grab you a band.” It was a bit humbling to have to use a band but it made me want to get better. I’m happy with where I’m currently at. My progress has slowed but I’m in a place where I have a handle on most of the Rx’d movements so that now instead of learning them, I can focus on improving them. The Open was really helpful in pushing me to do some of those movements and weights. For my first year of training I don’t think I missed a lift at all, which was important I think. Now I’m comfortable pushing and testing a bit. On to the muscle up!

Fox: That’s awesome. Training efficiency is definitely what we’re after, and a slice of humble pie is good every now and then. I think a year without a miss is a great first training year and something people should aim for. Let’s hear about you outside of the gym.

MC: I’m from Colchester, CT, which is easily the prettiest part of CT. I went to Marymount Manhattan College where I met my wife and have been in NYC since, first on the Upper West Side and then Park Slope. I’m pretty consumed with work and family. I’m a retail commercial broker in Manhattan and work 12 hours most days. That’s why I’m a morning guy at the gym, it’s the only time I can get it in. I have some big clients like the Empire State Building and Shake Shack, as well as smaller ones. I’ve been doing this for nine years and really enjoy it. It’s cool to walk down the street and be able to see what your work has done. Once I’m done with work, it’s all family. My wife Cori and I have three kids—Tucker who’s six, and the twins Lacey and Lawson who are three. Three kids takes a lot of time-budgeting, especially as they get older and start activities. Tucker just had his first baseball game which was exciting, although I realized that I’ve been sorely lacking in teaching him the sport. He can hit and catch just fine but when he gets the ball he looks at the nearest adult and asks what to do with it. He had a hilarious one-liner about not wanting to wear a cup. He was disgusted with it and worried that everyone would think he had a gigantic penis! Cori and I keep a book of all the kids’ best one-liners like that. It’s fun to record that stuff and will be great to look back as the years go by. With how busy I am with work and family, the only hobby I really have time for is CrossFit. I used to do 10 or so races a year but Cori wisely advised me to pare that down so now I do two. Often the Fairfield Half Marathon is one because it’s the best half out there. The people in the town really get into it, hanging out in their yards and cheering. It starts on a beach and ends with a pizza party on the beach where people wade into the water with a slice and a lemonade. Good times.

Fox: I love the idea of keeping that book! Great family memories sometimes can’t be captured in photos. Last stock question. What should we look for in a future AOM?

MC: I thought about this since I knew you’d ask. I think there must be that type of person who when they walk in for a class the coaches say to themselves, “This is going to be a good class.” It could be that they lighten the vibe, or are great movers or bar mates, or whatever. They possess something intangible that contributes in a positive way to the experience. Also someone who’s passionate about working out and puts effort into even the simpler tasks. Who doesn’t sandbag the warm ups with sloppy movement and isn’t just going through the motions.

Fox: Thanks so much, Matty, for sitting down with me for the interview. You’ve been a great addition to the gym and possess many of the qualities that we look for in an Athlete of the Month, including the ones you mentioned. Now get that muscle up!
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Stone Lifting as Sport in the Basque Country New York Times
The Science and Psychology of Motivation for Athletes Breaking Muscle
Meaningful Activities Protect the Brain From Depression The Atlantic

Bench Press | WOD 4.21.14

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Fitness: 3 x 5 LP 
Add 2.5 to 5 lbs to last week. 

Performance: 72.5% x 8 x 4
Rest two minutes between sets. 

Post loads to comments.
e2/6 

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4 Rounds
10 Kettlebell Swings 72/53
10 Squats with Kettlebell with Kettlebell in rack position Right
25-yard One-arm Farmer Walk with Kettlebell in rack position Right
10 Kettlebell Swings 72/53
10 Squats with Kettlebell with Kettlebellin rack position Left
25-yard One-arm Farmer Walk with Kettlebellin rack position Left

Work with a partner and alternate rounds with minimal rest. If you can’t organize the front rack squat, perform a goblet squat instead. Kettlebell swing Rx is American, as always, unless stated otherwise.

Flynn Dog Millionaire (as David affectionately calls Ryan F.) goes overhead with a picture-perfect split jerk 

Brooklyn Zen Center Event

Are you curious about meditation and Zen, or just interested in doing something different on a Saturday night? Then join CFSBKer Keith F. for the first ever Brooklyn Zen Center May Awakening on Saturday, May 17, from 5:30-7:30pm. There will be music, Zen-inspired cuisine by The Pines, tasty pies by Four & Twenty Blackbirds, and a silent auction of artwork created by our Awake Youth Project teens, which is our teen meditation program that has served 800 youths from under resourced communities since 2010. RSVP by April 27 HERE.

Inside the Affiliate

There’s a new post over on ITA about how we’ve thought inside the box with the events we’ve hosted in our gym. Let us know what you think!

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Deadlift or Snatch | WOD 4.20.14

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Fitness: Deadlift 3 x 3 LP
Should be able to add about 10 pounds to last week’s number. 

Performance: Power Snatch 80% x 2 x 5
Based off this week’s heaviest single.

Post loads to comments.
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For Time
400m Run
40 Alternating DB Snatch
40 Burpee Box Jumps 24/20″
800m Run 

Jenna J. getting swole with her wall balls

Happy Sunday, CFSBK! Enjoy the sunshine!
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Quick Test: Is It Your Shoulders? mobility|WOD
Episode 153: Olympic Lifiting Mobility Part 1 mobility|WOD
3 Yoga Poses to Increase Overhead Shoulder Mobility Breaking Muscle 
The Overhead Squat Is a Punk: Advice from Experts on How to Make It Better Breaking Muscle 

Clean and Jerk | Front Squat

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Fitness: Clean Segment Deadlift + Clean + Jerk
If you have a hard time organizing the pull off the floor then perform the clean from the mid-hang, after the clean segment deadlift. 

Performance: Clean and Jerk 90% x 1 x 2
Work up to a heavy clean and jerk in 3 attempts, then perform 2 singles at 90% of today’s best lift

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Front Squat

Fitness: 3×5 LP
Start light enough to leave room to go up by 5-10 lbs for the next 5 weeks.

Performance: 70%x8x4

Post loads to comments.
e 1/6 

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Erik B. showing the split jerk who’s boss

Cool Things Happening Today

  • Jayson S.’s day of birth! Happy birthday, Jayson!
  • CFSBK’s Clothing and Book Swap from 2-4pm! 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. 
  • Flex in the City at 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan. If you want to be a super fan, track our athletes’ scores HERE. GOOD LUCK to everyone who is competing! 
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