Hi I’m Rachel D! Going 6 months strong at Crossfit South Brooklyn. My job as a hairstylist is the love of my life! But second place goes to all things Health & Fitness. McDowell brought those worlds together when he came in to talk hair + weights. Check out his gorgeous goldilocks lately & if you like, come see me too! Book all cut + color appointments at Fringe Salon (212) 674-8383. And check out my world at RachelDowningHair.com!

• The lost and found inventory will be donated to CHIPS every other week. Check out the what’s in there currently on our Flickr. 
• On Thanksgiving we will be running 3 morning group classes at 8am, 9am and 10am. The gym will be closed otherwise!

Kettlebell Kitchen at CFSBK!

Want to make eating healthy Paleo meals easier? Check out our in house paleo partners, Kettlebell Kitchen– your go to for Paleo & Zone meals! Food for CrossFitters by CrossFitters, Kettlebell Kitchen is an easy & convenient way to get top notch nutrition delivered right to the box. We’ve tasted the food ourselves, and we think it’s great!

The complete menu, along with ingredient lists and nutrition facts can be found here: MENU
Ordering instructions and FAQs can be found here: FAQs

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If you could take a year long hiatus from your life to learn as much as you could about any subject matter, what would it be?

3 Rounds for Time:
400m Row
21 Kettlebell Swings 53/35
12 Handstand Push-Ups

Modifiy the HSPUs by decreasing range of motion up to 2 abmats, using a piked box varient or by working on strict push-ups.

Post time and Rx to comments.
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Assistance Work:
75 Hollow Rocks
50 Dumbbell Presses
25-50 Strict Chins

Post loads and reps to comments.

Coaches Lady Fox and Melo about to teach a class on their motorcycles.

Got Meat? New CSA Options!

For all the details, plus updated information on our vegetable and egg CSA programs, please visit the revised CSA info page.

Inside The Affiliate

There’s a new post on Inside the Affiliate (ITA) if you’re interested! Just in case you didn’t see my note about it last Monday, ITA is a blog where I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned over the last six years running a CrossFit gym. In the spirit of CrossFit’s open source affiliate model, I’ll be discussing our class management principles, continuing education programs, and the lessons our coaches and I have learned since starting CFSBK. The goal of the blog is to promote strategies that help affiliates create professional, inclusive, and effective training experiences for their members. Please share this new  post with anyone you know who is interested in CrossFit, if you feel so inclined!

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The Truth Behind Lulu’s Lemons? CrossFit Journal

Performance:

In 5 minutes, run 400 meters then perform max reps:
Muscle-Ups

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Fitness:

In 5 minutes, run 400 meters then perform max reps:
Deadlift 225/155

Rest 2 minutes

In 5 minutes, run 400 meters then perform max reps:
9 Squats
6 Push-Ups
3 Pull-Ups or 6 Ring Rows

Score total number of deadlifts and rounds completed on the couplet/triplet

Mattzilla

A Crossfit Shoe Primer
By Coach Noah

If you’ve been Crossfitting for a little while, odds are you’ve noticed that most of our athletes tend to sport some footwear that many would consider unconventional, old-school, or just plain weird.  While you can Crossfit in any pair of shoes, some types of shoes will optimize your ability to get in good positions, protect your body, and ultimately perform better.  Since among our coaches I own the dubious honor of being the resident shoe-ho, I will be your tour guide through the always controversial world of Crossfit footwear.  3, 2, 1, GO(d I am lame)!

Training Shoes

For most of the population, one pair of shoes should suffice to get us through 99% of Crossfit workouts.  These don’t have to be incredibly expensive, and may in fact be cheaper than the over-engineered running shoes currently on the market.  Rather than give you specifics about one shoe over another, following a few general rules should get you into something appropriate:
A (relatively) flat and (relatively) non-compressible sole:  Most of the activities we perform require the ability to “feel” the floor.  Many athletes have trouble keeping their heels down when they squat or shifting their weight forward when they swing a kettlebell simply because their shoes are so built up and cushioned that they simply have no concept of their foot’s relationship to the floor.  Look for a shoe with a sole that is flat and low, without any zany cutouts or hollows.  Ideally, the shoe will be close to “zero drop” a term which means that the heel and toe of the shoe are of the same height.  The sole should also be made of relatively firm rubber.  Some shoes, in their quest for greater cushioning have embraced such plush materials that you may as well be squatting wearing a pair of sweet potatoes on your feet, which while delicious, is not ideal.

Lightweight aka the Single Digit Rule: An easy rule I’ve come to embrace is that any show I wear to work out in should weigh under 10 ounces.  Many weigh under 8, and there are some under 6 and even a few under 4.  The lighter the better, although I personally question whether your feet know the difference between 4.6 and 5.3 ounces.  Mine certainly don’t, but they, like their owner, are stupid.
Rad colors:  This is a personal sentiment, but c’mon folks, this isn’t black tie footwear we’re talking about. 

Most of these shoes fall into the “racing” or “performance” running shoe category.  Manufacturers use these terms to signify that when trying to run fast (like, say, for a race), people will want light shoes that don’t make their feet act stupid.  Since we are Crossfitters, and are ALWAYS RACING, we can just wear them all the time.

Weightlifting Shoes

Dedicated weightlifting shoes take the concept of a firm sole to the next level, using either ultra hard
synthetic (EVA or similar) or real-honest-to-paleo-god wood(!) for maximum stability and to better transmit force from the lifter to the floor.  These are purpose specific shoes, which violate the “no heel” rule above- most weightlifting shoes have a heel of about ½ to 1inch high, to allow for more ankle flexion at the bottom of squats, which helps mobility/positioning under heavy load.  Consider:

Pros:
Incredibly stable
Aids in mobility and positioning at the bottom of squats and in force transmission
Can “add” weight to your lifts (somewhat illusory/placebo, but whatever)

Cons
Most are expensive
Extremely purpose specific.  If you wear them to a bar, people will laugh at you.  Ask me how I know this.
Look like they were designed by a team consisting of my grandpa, Frankenstein, and a Hell’s Angel (except for the super sexy Nike Romaleos, which cost approximately the GDP of Belarus.)

Some other quick thoughts

LSD Shoes: No, these are not shoes to wear while attempting the Dark Side of The Moon/Wizard of Oz mashup- I’m referring to Long Slow Distance.  If you are planning to run substantial distance, or are training for a long race and logging significant miles, you may want to invest in some purpose specific running shoes.  Especially if you have not practiced (or suck at) minimalist/POSE/Chi running, you may want to avoid super-minimal shoes.  While a super-efficient runner may get away with a length of tractor tire duct taped around his foot, most of us could benefit from a little bit of cushioning in our shoes.  There are plenty of models out that split the difference between the conventional Staypuft Marshmallow Man meets Cadillac Biarritz shoe and dipping your feet in candle wax before your marathon.  Ease into it.

Chuck Taylors: Worn by the everyone from Wilt Chamberlain to Kurt Cobain to toddlers everywhere, Chucks are in many ways the perfect Crossfit shoe.  They’re flat, non-compressible, fairly light, and cheap.  Plus, you can wear them in the “real” world, which cuts down on WOD to “first beer of the weekend” transition time on Friday.  The only real downside is that they are a bit clunky to run in, and don’t make you feel like a ninja.

Vibram Five Fingers: I’m going to take some flack for this, so I will be gentle, but I don’t particularly care for VFF’s (yes, in the name of science, I do own a pair.)  VFFs arose from well-intentioned folk who wanted a more minimalist training shoe when there weren’t many options out there.  Now there are plenty of shoes that blend minimal/lightweight design and the benefits of modern technology.  Five Fingers are offer poor stability during lifting, and are inadequately padded for box jumps, double unders, and sprints.  I do think Five Fingers can be useful for training runs or to practice minimalist running, as they do offer great ground feedback, but as I mentioned earlier, that feedback comes at a price.  If you can run fast in Five Fingers, you can run faster in real sneakers, trust me. 

Ok!  Enough about shoes already!  You get the drift- light, flat, not squishy.  Cheap and colorful are pluses.  If you have any other questions, want my thoughts on Shoe A vs. Shoe B, have specific training goals or injury history to consider, or just want to talk about feet, email me at noah(AT)crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com

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MIT Invention Lets You Reach Through Computer Screen & Play With Stuff Gothamist
How To Improve your Kipping Pull-Ups Tabata Times
Technical Glitches I’m Seeing A Lot These Days, Pt.2 Cathletics

Fitness: Hang Power Snatch 1RM
Pressing out is a no rep. Catch lower as needed.

Performance: 1RM Hang Snatch
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Back Squat

Fitness: 3×5 Across
add 2.5-5lbs from last week’s weight.

Performance: 2×5, then 1 x max reps <10.
add 2.5-5lbs from last week’s weight.

Post loads to comments.
BSQ/Sn e5/6
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NFT:
50 DB Bench Press
50 DB Curls
50 Knees to Elbows or 100 AbMat Sit Ups

Chris A Muscle Ups

Calling all potential CrossFit coaches!  

Brooklyn CrossFit : South Williamsburg and Brooklyn CrossFit : Columbia Street are looking for coaches, assistant coaches and interns.  If you have ever thought that you might like to try your hand at becoming a CrossFit coach; now is your chance!  Both boxes have part time slots available and are willing to provide on the job training and instruction as needed.  Please send an email to crossfitsouthwilliamsburg(AT)gmail.com for more information and to set up an interview.

Yours in Health and Fitness,

70 River St. Brooklyn, NY 11211
brooklyncrossfitsouthwilliamsburg.com

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Man Who Drinks 5 Diet Cokes Per Day Hoping Doctors Working On Cure For Whatever He’s Getting

Becky and I are excited to introduce Graham Bradley Kellogg. Graham was born on 11/11/2013 at 3:23 am. He weighed 6lb 15oz and 18.9 inches

In the Zone? Cavemanning it?

by Chris Fox

    There was a time not too long ago when every CrossFitter was told on crossfit.com and at our Level 1 seminars that the most efficient way to get your nutrition in order was to follow the Zone Diet. We understood that our health and fitness were dependant on a solid nutritional approach. And so we Zoned, and it was good. Weighing and measuring made sense since it was quantifiable and repeatable, and lord knows that CrossFitters love to measure stuff! What’s your Fran time, brah!? Weighing and measuring our meals led us to fitter bodies. Excess fat was shed, lean muscle gained, and shirts would quickly come off during the WOD even in the dead of February. We were shredded and sexy beasts! If we felt like we were getting too lean or if we started to drag in energy we would up the fat blocks or up the total blocks to meet the needs of our larger, more muscular, super charged selves. It was the quantities that mattered above all else. A 12oz can of Bud, 18 peanuts, and 3 ounces of beef jerky was a healthy balanced meal! Zoning made sense and worked well…until it didn’t. We became neurotic about food. Counting raisins, macadamia nuts, and canned tuna made us crazy. We became lazy about food prep and wanted a new approach. The Paleo Diet provided it. Sure, we had to ditch our morning breakfast sandwich and forgo the beans and rice with our roasted chicken, but we could relax about how much we were eating. We were told that an “unweighed, unmeasured, Paleo gig” was all we really needed to follow. It was easy and mindless. So, we relaxed. And we ate. We convinced ourselves that bacon was an everyday kind of health food, that we could eat as much meat and vegetable and coconut milk as we wanted, and that since we gave up those devilish grains all would be ok. It became strictly about food quality over food quantity. And it was good…until it wasn’t. It was hard to eat out with friends. We obsessed over procuring local, grass-fed, artisanal, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, everything. We couldn’t enjoy a cupcake or a beer without feeling guilty so when we did we would binge the whole day, or weekend, or week, or month.  How do we deal with that?  We binge and purge in a sense and “go paleo” for brief periods of time to “get back on track”. We devour the paleo special (all 2 pounds of it) post lifting session since we earned it, or add in extra “conditioning” workouts to combat fat gain. We convince ourselves that wine and tequila are Paleo enough since they aren’t made from grains…Grok would surely drink a Nor-Cal Margarita! Red wine and 85% dark chocolate have anti-oxidants! Pass them over! Mostly what we did is eat more than we needed to. Too many calories, whether from pastured chickens or bagels, is still too many calories. A net surplus of calories will over time cause weight gain, there’s no way around that. Some of us begin to drop weight too rapidly since we can’t get enough carbs (sweet potato again?) in to fuel us properly. Sure some of us have found a happy place with eating and exercising that brings success. Bravo! But for a lot of us we constantly ask the question “What the hell should I be eating !?” Next week we’ll take a look at what’s good from both of these approaches and consider a few ways to find out what works for best for us as individuals.

Hint: If you won’t do it, it won’t work.
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When You Train and What It Might Mean About You and Your Exercise Breaking Muscle
Rich Froning and Sam Briggs at ESPN
Words of Wisdom for CrossFit Rowers CrossFit One World

Fitness: Work up to a heavy triple

Performance: Work up to a heavy triple

Post loads to comments.
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For Time:
60 Double Unders
500m Row
400m Run
30 Burpees
20 Thrusters 115/75

Post time and Rx to comments.

Charlotte K doing her Inversion skill work in Rockport, MA this past weekend

Andy Milk’s Show Tonight

Hey guys, I’ve got a show tonight with my new music project Put Together just down the road at The Rock Shop.  I’m on early at 7:30pm. Check us out!

Rope Climb Clinic SOLD OUT!

Want to relive the anxiety of 8th grade gym class? Maybe you’ve just always wanted to touch that weird brown stuff all over the ceiling. Regardless, we’re hosting 2 FREE rope climbing clinics for CFSBK members on Saturday, November 23rd at 1pm and 2pm.  This event is limited to 8 participants per session and will review rope climbing 101.

To register, email David(at)CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com, first come first serve.

Rope Climbing Demos with Annie Sakamoto
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NASA Releases First Ever Photograph of Saturn, Venus, Mars and Earth
The Innovation of Loneliness

Fitness:
Deadlift to Knee + Below the Knee Power Clean + Front Squat

Hold the catch position after the BTK Pr Clean, then finish the squat portion. Take that moment to reogranize your finish if necessary.

Performance:
Work up to a heavy single on the Below the Knee Power Clean

Front Squat

Fitness: 3×3 Across
Add 5lbs from last week

Performance: Work up to a heavy double

Post loads to comments.
CLN FSQ e 5/6
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NFT:
50 Kettlebell Swings + 2 laps around the block

Choose a heavy weight and try to perform this in 2-3 sets. Focus on a consistent and powerful swing.

Rob U + the fam during the NYC Marathon. Nice sticker usage!

Gym Etiquette

By Coach Noah

In the early days of Crossfit, long before Reebok, before Inov-8, heck, back when aspiring Firebreathers still weighed their half baloney sandwiches before consumption, Crossfitters were a prim and proper bunch.  Donning their finest finery, they silently performed their WODs, cleaned up their mess, quietly clapped for their peers, and then pedaled back home on their giant-front-wheeled bicycles to wax their mustachios.  Ah, the Golden Age of Crossfit.

I kid, I kid.  There never was such a time- Crossfit is inherently an inexact, sweaty, bloody science.  Every day we push ourselves to our limits, possibly redistribute prior meals into garbage receptacles, and generally use our time in the gym to blow off steam, aggressively pursue our own goals, and most importantly, have fun.

That being said, there is a place for some etiquette within the gym.  Rather than add a 9th class onto Foundations, where fledgling CrossNoobs learn how to balance books on their head while breaking down barbells, please bear with me for a mostly philosophical, no-nuts, no-bolts treatise on how to be a model citizen in our little exercise utopia.

Equipment and Environment

One of the biggest reasons people join Crossfit gyms is for all the wonderful toys available to punish ourselves with.  Bumper plates, rings, Prowlers- most of this equipment is rarely glimpsed in the Globo Gym world, often pushed over in a corner, collecting cobwebs.  At CFSBK, and gyms across the multiverse, owners pride themselves in keeping their equipment up to date, in working order, and constantly searching for the newest and best equipment money can buy.  

Notice I said “money.”  Crossfit equipment is freaking expensive!  With that in mind, please be a gentle custodian of the equipment you use at the gym.  Obviously, we would never bail an unloaded barbell, but our stewardship can continue further- not bailing weight unless absolutely necessary, not testing the precise tensile failure of bands, and so on.  Although our equipment can take quite a beating, it isn’t indestructible- treating it with loving care will allow it to last much longer, and free up that moolah for buying Shake Weights.

Also, please try and wipe down sweat, blood (!!!!), and any other detritus you expel during your athletic endeavors.  That’s nasty.

We normally put our equipment away after doing things to our bodies most people would deem cruel and unusual.  We’re tired, shaky, and thinking about the Bierkraft Paleo Special we are soon to devour (that’s a plug Ben, ahem, ahem.)  Please, please take a second to try and put things where they belong and make sure you return every implement you used.  Bumper plates haphazardly stacked like rims at a shady tire shop, dumbells thrown under the shelf with no care for David’s precisely charted pyramid stacking scheme, bands left hanging like lonely noodles- every time this happens a WOD Angel loses its wings.  This applies further to the larger environment of the gym- most of us spend a solid chunk of our week here.  Treat it like home, and keep it clean and tidy like its home, and it will feel like home.  Just to be clear, no, you cannot sleep under the kettlebells if you don’t pay your rent.

People

I’ve spent far too long talking about inanimate objects (although I believe that 2 Pood Kettlebells do possess the souls of demons.)  Let’s talk about the most important element at any Crossfit gym- people!  Our stalwart daily compatriots, our classmates have seen us through hard fought reps, scary bails, and triumphant PR’s.  We are a brother and sisterhood bound by the unbreakable smell of sweaty socks, and we must treat each other accordingly.   After you yell “TIME,” take a second, re-swallow your lunch, and then start your 2nd WOD- cheering others on.  You don’t have to quote epic poems of heroic struggle, read excerpts of Patton’s speeches, or attempt technical cheerleading formations.  Simple “yeahs!” “go’s!” and “Get it’s!” suffice.  If you have caused such irreparable harm to your central nervous system that you can no longer talk, just clap.  When you do a WOD, the whole gym is a team.  Cheer for your teammates, and don’t leave before every single person who started the WOD is done.  Unless you have really caused irreparable CNS damage- you might want to see a doctor about that.

Be mindful of people working out as you’re in the gym.  Don’t walk across the field of vision of someone chasing a 1RM clean or narrowly avoid someone squatting heavy while going to get a kettlebell.  This is distracting and frustrating for the lifter, and can be avoided by simply taking your time and being mindful.  The gym is a busy place, but try your best to not disrupt others as you go about getting your swell on.

Lastly, an important element of being a noble Crossfitter is to be honest about your work and effort.  Cutting corners, whether it be in partial ROM reps or shorting your rep counts, hurts your fellow gym members by distorting their data, but more importantly stunts your growth.  Remember, if you can’t remember if you’ve done 14 or 24 reps, assume its 14- you’ll only be 10 extra reps stronger at the end.  Treat each rep as an opportunity to show how good you are at the movement, perform them correctly before you perform them quickly, and don’t take a call of “missed rep” or a coach asking you to drop weight as a personal condemnation.  The members at CFSBK are better at this than almost any other gym I’ve ever seen, but it still bears repeating- be your own strictest judge, and hold yourself to the highest standard of personal virtuosity.  

In sum:

– Put your equipment away in its place after you’re done
– Cheer on fellow CrossFitters when you’re done with your own workout
– Don’t unnecessarily abuse the equipment
– Mind others space and field of vision, especially when they’re lifting heavy.
– Don’t short reps
– Practice Technique and consistency before technique
– Listen to your coaches, we’re working in your best interest.

Consider this etiquette lesson complete!  You can stop balancing the book on your head, and don’t worry about which fork goes on which side while you do your burpees.  Simply treat your equipment, facilities, and, most importantly each other, with care and kindness.  Huzzah!

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Top 10 Mistakes CrossFitters Make The Tabata Times

Little Zack drops in on Group Class

• Happy birthdays to Adele M and belated Bday to Mike W!

CSA Reminder

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Supple Leopards VS. The World: My Take On The “Knees Out” Debate DSStrength

Part A – Inversion Skill Work

4-5 Rounds NFT of:
2-4 Kick Ups to the wall or freestanding kick-ups
10 Log Roll to V-Ups

Part B – Inversion Strength Work

4-5 Rounds NFT of:

“Fitness”
1 Wall Walks – 15 second hold
8 DB Press
8 ea Renegade Row* (no push up)

“Performance”
30, 40, or 50 Handstand Push-Ups in as few sets as possible. Start each set with as many strict as possible and then move to kipping.

Post experience to comments.
Inversion e 4/6
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5 Rounds for max reps of:
:30. Burpees
:30 Rest
:30 Kipping Pull-Ups
:30 Rest
:30 Sit-ups
:30 Rest

Post total reps and Rx to comments.

Separated at birth? Lauren B and Dolce

Inside The Affiliate

As some of you might know or have heard, I’ve been working on a new blog called Inside the Affiliate (ITA), where I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned over the last six years running a CrossFit gym. In the spirit of CrossFit’s open source affiliate model, I’ll be discussing our class management principles, continuing education programs, and the lessons our coaches and I have learned since starting CFSBK. The ultimate goal of the blog is to promote strategies that help affiliates create professional, inclusive, and effective training experiences for their members. I’m hoping you’ll also be my readers, and help me spread the word by sharing the blog with anyone you know who is interested in CrossFit, especially your friends at other gyms.

Here are three articles for you to start with. Enjoy!
1. Starting Class with Introductions
2. Compensating Coaches Part 1
3. Continuing Education: Giving Coaches Tests

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A Call To Standards For Coaches, Owners and Athletes Outside The Gym

5 Rounds, each for reps of:
In 3 minutes, row 350 meters for time, then perform max reps:
Squat Clean Thruster 165/110*

Rest 3 minutes between rounds

Jerks are no-reps. Must be one motion out of the bottom of the squat. Go with a weight you can thruster, not clean and jerk.

Post total reps and Rx to comments.

Teresa B Overhead

Happy Birthday, Captain Osorio!

Dumbbell Thrusters

The Thruster is a common CrossFit exercise that requires you to squat below parallel with a load on your shoulders then thrust it overhead in one fluid movement. It’s commonly used as a potent conditioning tool and less commonly used as a strength developer. While more total weight can be moved with a barbell, mobility limitations can make it very uncomfortable for many people to rack the barbell on their shoulders.  If you have a really hard time keeping your elbows up as you descend and find the movement stressful on your wrists, Dumbbell Thrusters are probably going to be your best bet.  Dumbbells also require more shoulder stability and are excellent at developing muscle symmetry. 
A common issue with dumbbell thrusters is that as you fatigue your weaker side may begin to collapse inwards at the rack position or fail to lock out overhead. Often the dumbbell will begin to drop toward your chest during the ascent and then barely make it to lock out.  This is a clear indication that you’ve got underdeveloped external rotators in your shoulder.  To get through the workout, you’ll have to either slow down significantly or reduce the weight of your dumbbells.  Trying to gut through a collapsing rack support is ill advised as it could put excessive stress on the soft tissue in and around your shoulder. Below are a few different things you can do pre/post workout to help develop this weak link:

We recommend you do them 2-3 times per week for 3 sets of 8-20 reps. 
Joe Defranos Shoulder Health Circuit

What song/album are you currently obsessed with?
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Hand Position for the Double Under CrossFit