Fitness

5 Rounds, each for time of:
25 KB Swings
20 Lunges
15 Burpees

Rest 3 minutes between rounds

Performance

5 Rounds, each for time of:
30 Double Unders
10 Burpees
3/2 Muscle Ups

Rest 3 minutes between rounds

Post time from each round to comments.

Over the past five years I (Mary) have tried all kinds of work out regimes, everything from long sessions of cardio, to spinning, to yoga, and even half marathons. While I’ve seen marginal changes to my physique, I still hadn’t gotten the results I was after. Then last April in a final (vain) attempt to look my best for my wedding, I signed up for a foundations class. Since April, I have slowly watched my body trim down and develop muscles I never knew I was capable of having

More importantly, I was completely surprised by the awesome community. Thank you Crossfit South Brooklyn for encouraging and guiding me down a path towards a body revelation. And lastly, thank you for enfolding me (and now my husband, Dima who is also a regular) into your awesome community. We are such big fans of the box that we decided to have a couple of wedding photos taken there. See a few others on the Flickr Page

Support the Brooklyn Rugby Club

Running a rugby club in NYC presents a number of challenges but funding is always our biggest challenge.  One of our biggest fundraisers is our Men of Brooklyn calendar.  The calendar is meant to be a cheeky take on the famous Stade Francis calendar of the famous professional French team.  Cheeky because, while some of us do CrossFit, we aren’t built like Greek statues like they are.  It’s our first year doing the calendar and we’ve already sold over 100 pre-orders. If you’re interested in helping us out, please check out the link!
–Alex, Jason and Mario
_____________________
Friendly Platypus
Bathroom Prank
Dinosaur Prank

Fitness
15 minutes to work on the complex:
High Hang Power Clean + Mid Hang Power Clean + FSQ
Focus on bringing the bar through the hips

Performance
15 minutes to work up to a 1RM High Hang Clean
Start from a vertical torso with the shoulders behind the bar
__________________________

Front Squat

Fitness: 3×3 Across
Heavier than last weeks paused 5 rep sets

Performance: Work up to a Heavy 5
Heavier than last weeks paused 5 rep sets
Only go as heavy as you can maintain a neutral spine and a solid rack.

Post loads to comments.
CLN/FSQ e2/6
__________________________

50 Sit Ups
550m Run (1 lap)
50 Sit Ups

• Fight Gone Bad pictures are up! Big thanks to photogs Asta F, Bekka P and Dan R for putting these up. We’ve got almost 500 pictures worth of Fight Gone Goodness for all to see. Check them out on our Flickr page here.

Need a Photographer? Bekka P at your service!

I (Bekka) recently went out on my own as a freelance photographer. I work on a wide varieties of projects from documentary to event to product photography. I work with companies such as Creative Mornings, City of Industry Shop, I Spy DIY and even CrossFit South Brooklyn. I like happy people and honest projects. If you have something that fits email me at hello [at] bekkapalmer [dot] com. You can see my photography portfolio online at photography.bekkapalmer.com

Developing Your Handstand, Part 2

In a previous blog post, I wrote an article called “Developing Your Handstand” which discussed some basic points to consider for developing a hand balancing practice. If you haven’t read it already, or don’t remember it, I suggest reviewing it before getting into this article.

We’ve been seeing plenty of inversion work in our previous and current cycles so many of you are now comfortable kicking up to a wall or spotter and want to take it to the next level. From here there a few different skills you can progress to: unassisted static handstands, handstand walking and handstand push-ups. This article will focus on the former two. My personal opinion is that it’s easier and more productive to work on static and dynamic hand balancing in tandem as opposed to focusing on only one.  I often say that learning to be a good hand balancer mirrors the motor development children go through when first learning how to walk. Initially, you’ll need a little support from the wall or a spotter (cruising) and then it’s a bumpy trial and error journey where you begin to figure out where your body is in space and how to get yourself balanced.  This is a long and tedious process where you’ll spend more time on the floor than anything resembling a handstand. That’s all to be expected, persistence and smart practice are key here.  Below are some tips to get you started in the right direction.

Warm-Up on the wall: 2 Skills
The wall is a great place to work some transitional skills for hand balancing. First, experiment with slowly bringing one foot (foot A) off the wall and then gradually bringing your other foot (foot B) off so that you can get a sense of what it feels like to balance. Foot A should stay off the wall while foot B gently heel taps the wall as needed to keep you inverted. When both feet are off the wall, you’ll need to push your body up towards the ceiling and GRAB the floor with your entire hand. As you’ll come to experience, hand balancing requires the full use of your fingers and palm to adjust how your weight is being distributed.  The other key element here is finding a neutral body position. If you’re globally overextended or closed at the hip you won’t find any success with this drill.  If you’re not sure what position your body is in, have a coach or friend lend an eye and give you some feedback. Expect to be kicking back down and using the wall a lot.

The other drill you can work on at the wall is getting comfortable moving your hands. To balance on the open floor you’ll need the confidence, body awareness and strength to momentarily support yourself on one arm. You can begin to gain some of these elements by simply shuffling one hand at a time while your heels are still on the wall. You don’t need your entire hand to come off the floor initially, simply make tiny adjustments by sliding one hand an inch or two in any direction, alternating between hands. Some people will intuitively know how to take a step with their hands, others will need a little remedial work like this before getting to the open floor.
You can take this drill to the next level by kicking up to the wall about 6-12 inches further away than you’re used to and then walking to the wall. Watch this excellent video to see what I’m talking about.

The Open Floor: Have an exit strategy

Now that you’ve got some confidence moving your hands and have been playing with coming off the wall you can begin to attempt some open floor drills.  The key to safely working without a spotter on the open floor is having a clear, consistent and safe exit strategy.  The easiest way to exit a botched handstand is to take a step (with one hand) in the direction you’re falling and then reaching the same side leg towards the floor. This is essentially a poor man’s pirouette. Mastering this skill will allow you to practice handstands anywhere, on any surface without the fear of falling onto your torso or head. Falling into a backbend or rolling out of the handstand are NOT recommended unless you’ve had individual coaching on the skill or are a 14 year old girl.
The pirouette is your exit strategy when you’re falling over yourself, or off to the side. If you’re falling back in the direction your came up through, simply kick back down.  To gain confidence and familiarity with pirouettes, perform some “half-assed” handstands where you don’t actually get your feet all the way above your body. The idea is to kick up off to one side and pirouette into the direction you’re falling. All you’re doing is teaching your body to react to an imbalance and find the floor with your legs. As you get more comfortable with this you can start kick higher up into more mature handstands and pirouetting out of them.  Chances are you’ll bias one side a bit which is okay. Remember that you’ve only got a split second to move your hand. If your body is falling over and you wait a moment too long you might end up on your butt so don’t stay glued to the floor. Working on the open floor is in large part about moving your hands quickly and intuitively to restack your body. Often you’ll need to move a hand almost immediately after kicking up.  In the beginning, we recommend learning this skill on a gymnastics mat with a coach watching you, also, make sure the area is clear of other people.

Once you can consistently exit a handstand safely, you simply need to start doing handstands All The Time. Like on the wall, the same fundamentals apply. Keep your hollow body position, push the floor away with your shoulders and actively grab the floor with your hands.  At a certain point, you’ll trade off from needing coaching feedback to simply needing more experience. Inversions are uncomfortable and disorienting at first, like a child learning how to walk, you’ll need to practice on a regular basis until the experience becomes more familiar.  If you’re serious about handstands, I recommend kicking up from anywhere from a few attempts to several minutes of practice everyday. Usually there isn’t a day that goes by where I dont’ spend at least a few seconds upside down. Other days I’ll set a clock and dedicate 10 minutes or so to working on inversions. The important part is that it’s become a regular part of my physical vocabulary and something that has gone from strenuous to relatively intuitive.  Also, handstand practice is potent, so go with the mantra that less is more. Dont’ go to failure and learn how to listen to your body. You might only be able to do a few kick ups before your shoulders fatigue to the point that skill work becomes unproductive.

There are many methods and progressions for developing hand balancing skills. Play around with different approaches and see what seems to work best for you. Regardless of the methodology, consistent practice is the most important element to learning how to walk or stand on your hands.
________________________
Learning the Handstand Walk with Dogtown CrossFit
Handstands with Dave Durante
Handstand walk progression part 1 with Carl Paoli

Joy and Mig at 13,222 ft

Happy Birthday, Aileen H!

CFSBK at C.R.A.S.H.-B.’s in 2014

The SBK Indoor Rowing Team is mounting its fifth CRASH-Bs campaign! CRASH-Bs is the premier indoor rowing championship, held in Boston each year in February; the 2014 date hasn’t been finalized, but it’s generally on the Sunday of Presidents Day weekend, which will be Feb. 16th.

Coach Nick will lead the team through a program based on his training regimen when he was competing at the olympic level. The participants will meet up for three group technique clinics (each of which will conclude with a workout), plus four team races at the gym. Nick will post a program for each week, and will provide support throughout the next few months for the team. Members will perform the majority workouts on their own. We will provide a plan on how to intergrate them into your CrossFit Group Classes.

The cost of the program is $200. Various payment installment options are available. The fee does not include the CRASH-Bs entry fee ($25), travel to Boston, or hotel.

If you’re interested, come to Nick’s kick-off meeting at 2:15 on Saturday, Oct. 26th. He’ll explain the program in detail and answer questions. (Oh, and at the end, you’ll race 2000m.) Send Nick an email at nick [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn [dot] com if you plan to show up or if you have any questions.

The Good Night Out: Brooklyn Restaurant Night to Benefit CHiPS

___________________
Ukraine Street Gymnastics
Planned Obsolescence wikipedia
Planned Obsolescence

For Time:
10 HSPU
1 Power Cleans 135/95
9 HSPU
2 Power Cleans 135/95
8 HSPU
3 Power Cleans 135/95
7 HSPU
4 Power Cleans 135/95
6 HSPU
5 Power Cleans 135/95
5 HSPU
6 Power Cleans 135/95
4 HSPU
7 Power Cleans 135/95
3 HSPU
8 Power Cleans 135/95
2 HSPU
9 Power Cleans 135/95
1 HSPU
10 Power Cleans 135/95

Post time and Rx to comments.

Peter W gets some Pumpkinbell Swings in at the patch

Fight Gone Bad Scores

You can download Ryan J’s pdf score sheet with the individual and team scores from Fight Gone Bad. For comparison, he’s included both last year and this years scores. If you’d like the specific breakdown of your reps from your score card, please pick it up at the front desk.

2013 FGB Results here
2012 FGB Results here

Stella Z’s Concert

I sing with the Oratorio Society of New York, a 200-voice choir that performs at Carnegie Hall. Our next concert will be Mozart’s Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Die Erste Walpurgisnacht. We have professional soloists and a full orchestra, so it’ll be a great show. I would love it if people came!

What: Oratorio Society of New York presents Mozart and Mendelssohn
When: Monday, November 4, 8:00 PM
Where: Carnegie Hall, 57th St at 7th Avenue

How much: Tickets go from $25 to $80 and can be purchased here
Or contact me directly (stellavision(AT)gmail.com) — I have a pair of rear-balcony seats available at $22.50 each (the subscriber rate) and would love to sell them to you.

________________________
Brains flush toxic waste in sleep, including Alzheimer’s-linked protein, study of mice finds
L-Sit Press to Handstand Progression CrossFit

Fitness: High Hang Power Snatch + Hang Power Snatch + OHS

Performance: High Hang Snatch + Hang Snatch + OHS
_______________________

Back Squat

Fitness: 3×5 LP Pick up where you finished the 3×8

Performance: 2×5, then 1 x max reps <10.
Start at 75% of your recent 1RM

Post loads to comments.
BSQ/Sn e1/6
_______________________

4 Rounds NFT of:
100m Farmers Carry, heavy
15-30 second L-Sit

100meters is to the light post towards 3rd avenue and back.

Fight Gone Bad 2013!

We’d like to thank everyone who volunteered their time and talents yesterday to make FGB2013 such a smooth event. The amazing Ryan J handled all the scoring including printing score cards and setting up the live feed on the screen. He was assisted by Ken H, Teresa B and Dave E. Additionally, Bekka P, Asta F and Dan R took pictures for the gym which will be uploaded over the next few days. Big thanks to the Foxes and Noah for working the mic and helping organize back end stuff. Josh helped set up the gym beforehand and our wonderful front desk staff was the glue that kept the whole event together.

As always, the event is the sum of it’s parts. We loved having so many people in house and were so excited to hit our $40,000 goal.  The biggest thank you goes to everyone who raised funds, cheered teammates on and gave it their all yesterday.

Additional thanks again to our sponsors:
Spartan Race, Greenwich Jewlers, Brooklyn Boulders, Dinosaur BBQ, O+M  Co., Ho Brah Taco, The Left Bank, The Hess Collection, Functional Rehab, Yogapeel, KH Pilates, Inka Massage, lululemon Brooklyn, Ideya Bistro, Mission Dolores, Glorietta Baldy, BEYLER & TÜRK

________________________
155 Years Before the First Animated Gif, Joseph Plateau Set Images in Motion with the Phenakistoscope

Three rounds of:
Wall-Ball Shots 20lb-10’/14lb-9′
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75lbs/55lbs/35lbs
Box Jumps, 20″
Push-press, 75lbs/55lbs/35lbs
Row

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute.The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of “rotate”, the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Add your points and post them to comments.

Today’s event cumulates our fundraising push for The Brooklyn Community Foundation

Fight Gone Bad Today!

Today is the day!  To check details about the movement standards and flow of the day, please look back to yesterday’s post. We’re also excited to announce that there will be a Mike & Willie’s taco truck in front of the gym from 10:30am-2:30 and… free beer provided by the gym. Friends, family and well wishers are all welcome at the gym. Please note that bike parking might be tight on Degraw, plan accordingly!

8:30am Gym Opens
9:00-2:00 Fight Gone Bad Heats
2:15 Awards Ceremonies
Afterwards some folks will trek to Draft Barn on 3rd between 12th and 13th for some food and (probably more) beer.

Fundraising totals

TEAM CFSBK: $38,955
Plus BCF Board Match: $71,865

Top Individuals
1. Matt Chmielecki $2,975
2. Erik Berndt $1,240
3. Asta Fivgas $1,225
4. Robyn O’brien $1,195
5. Janelle Rooks $1,110
6. Nolan Gretzinger $1,090
7. David Osorio $940
8. Lauren Borducci $865
9. Whitney Bernstein $800
10. Richard Greenspan $790

Top Teams
1. Who Pood-ed? $4,075
2. Twerking Sensations $2,945
3. Free Range Meat-Heads $2,880
4. Saved By The Balls $2,417
5. 99 Problems but this WOD aint one $2,375
6. The Metconquerors $1,965
7. Dim Sum Express $1,680
8. Dante Deblasio’s Hair Stylists $1,625
9. Snatch, Clean and Twerk $1,590
10. Wolfpack $1,501

To see the full list, click here!

Thank you to our sponsors

We’re able to give out some awesome prizes to our event leaders today due to the generosity of the following sponsors:

Spartan Race, Greenwich Jewlers, Brooklyn Boulders, Dinosaur BBQ, O+M  Co., Ho Brah Taco, The Left Bank, The Hess Collection, Functional Rehab, Yogapeel, KH Pilates, Inka Massage, lululemon Brooklyn, Ideya Bistro, Mission Dolores, Glorietta Baldy, BEYLER & TÜRK

David doing 15 Burpees during each rest period and the entire workout in a 20lb weighted vest after meeting his fundraisng goal.

Tomorrow’s Schedule

Please check the heats below to see when you’re competing and judging tomorrow. Plan to arrive at least 20 minutes before your heat to get registered and ready.  Your team captain will be collecting money ($20pp) and picking up shirts at the front desk when everyone on your team arrives. Immediately after your heat there will be a team portrait taken outside, look your best! At the end of the day we’ll have an awards ceremony and group picture. We encourage everyone to hang out, drink beers (provided by the gym) and cheer on the other teams. If you’re in an early heat, please hang out and then try to make it back for the awards ceremony… especially if you’re going to podium. The Brookyn Community Foundation will also be introducing themselves and talking about the foundation throughout the day.

8:30am Gym Opens
9:00-2:00 Fight Gone Bad Heats
2:15 Awards Ceremonies
Afterwards some folks will trek to Draft Barn on 3rd between 12th and 13th for some food and (probably more) beer.

Awards:
Top 3 Individual Fundraisers
Top 3 Team Fundraisers
Top 3 Rx’d Male and Female Competitors
Top 3 Team score totals (mixed Rx’d and Scaled)

Updated Movement Standards

Everyone competing in Fight Gone Bad tomorrow also has a judging assignment slot. Please come familiar with the movement standards so you can accurately perform and judge the workout. We’ll review day of too.  This year we’re going to update two movement standards to reflect what you’ve seen in the gym and in CrossFit competition. First, the box jump is now a Games standard box jump, which means you’ll need to show extension and control at the top of every rep as opposed to being able to reach extension as you jumped off. Secondly, the ladies Rx for Wall Ball is going to be 9′ tomorrow.  In years past, we’ve observed a disproportionate amount of females having to compete scaled just because the Wall Ball standard. If you’re a purist, you can still go for the 10′ line, but scoring for tomorrow’s event and the CFSBK leader boards will now be as stated above.

Box Jump: Demo Video
Men’s Rx: 20″
Ladie’s Rx” 20″
Additional option: 16″

Standards:
Start: Standing on Ground
Finish: Standing on top of the box with knees and hips fully extended and under control. Athletes may bound or step down. Step ups are also acceptable.

Sumo Deadlift High Pull: Demo Video
Men’s Rx: 75lbs
Ladie’s Rx” 55lbs
Additional option: 35lbs

Standards:
Start: Both plates on ground
Finish: Knees and hips fully extended and barbell at approximately collar bone height.

Wall Ball: Demo Video
Men’s Rx: 20lb ball, 10′ target
Ladie’s Rx” 14lb ball, 9′ target
Additional option: 10lb ball, optional target

Standards:
Start: Hip crease dips below parallel
Finish: Ball hits ABOVE target line

Rowing:
No Scales
No ROM Standards

Push Press: Demo Video
Men’s Rx: 75lbs
Ladie’s Rx” 55lbs
Additional option: 35lbs

Standards:
Start: Bar in a racked position in front of shoulders
Finish: Knees, hips, shoulders and elbows fully extended with the barbell above the shoulders

Don’t be afraid to call a “No Rep” on someone if they’re not meeting the standards! You’ll be doing them and the event itself a favor.

Because of the new standards, we’re going to reset the FGB leaderboard at the gym. If you think you’ve got a top 3 score in you, please let one of the coaches know ahead of time so we can communicate with your judge.
______________________
Team CFSBK had raised over 33K for charity! Check out the leaderboard to see who our top teams and individuals are so far.

Fitness

If you’re feeling beat up and sore from the Burpees recently, opt for the Sit-Ups. If you didn’t hit that workout or are feeling fresh, do the push-ups.

Performance

5 Rounds for time of:
Run 400m
6 Muscle-Ups

Post time and Rx to comments.

Lauren and Melo doing some bodyweight strength training

• Team CFSBK has raised over $31,000 for the Brooklyn Community Foundation!!! 2 Days left until FGB2013!

Tweet The Deets

We’re totally crushing on all you guys and we love to hear what you’re up to. Got something of note going on in your life? Let us know! We want to hear about your promotions, events, personal victories, discoveries, media campaigns, small government coup d’états, interesting links and birthdays! Send awesomeness to: David(at)CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com.

Dance, Whitney, Dance!

Whitney H is performing in her fifth season with Von Howard Project, a contemporary dance company, and would like you to come see the show! Here are the details:

How: Get tickets by clicking this link!

Discount SKINS Gear

Interested in some Skins gear? Use the discount code IAMCFSOUTHBROOKLYN and get a 20% discount plus free shipping when checking out on www.skins.net.
__________________
How To Win Jenn Sinkler

Fitness
15 minutes to work on the complex:
Clean Deadlift + High Hang Power Clean + Mid Hang Power Clean

Performance
15 minutes to work on the complex:
High Hang Clean + Mid Hang Clean + Clean

Focus on bringing the bar to the hips before jumping
____________________

Front Squat

Work up to a Heavy 5 on a Paused Front Squat

Pause for a FULL 2 count at rock bottom. OK to take a bounce out. Only go as heavy as you can maintain a neutral spine and a solid rack.
____________________

Tabata Russian KB Swings then immediately run 2 laps around the block.

Score the lowest round on the swings. Run the laps NFT but start moving as soon as you place the KB down and don’t stop. 

Synchonrized Rowing

• Happy Birthday, Rachel D!

Message from Cecilia Clarke, President & CEO of the Brooklyn Community Foundation:

The 2013 Fight Gone Bad teams are really bringing their A-game to the table when it comes to raising money for their local community! All your training and hard work has inspired us to put a little more muscle into your fundraising efforts. Since surpassing your initial goal of $15,000, our Board of Directors is matching each team’s contribution dollar for dollar. Your friend puts in $10, our Board puts in $10, it’s that simple. We’re not stopping there either. Once FGB’s fundraising reaches $35,000, our Board will start matching every gift 2 to 1. That’s right, for every $10 donated to your team, our Board will put in $20, tripling your fundraising. Triple the effort to get that number over $35,000 and triple the impact.

So keep training, sweating, and getting friends involved in your cause to support strong communities and life-changing programs in Brooklyn! Because no matter who takes home first prize on October 19, you are all champions when it comes to your home borough.
___________________
Epigenetics Sci Show
Woman On Gym Treadmill Cranks Incline Up To 90 Degrees
Resisting Financial Feudalism ZeroHedge

Wall Ball, the worst thing ever.

• Team CFSBK is at 26K+ raised for Charity!!! We’re in the home stretch so please take a moment to send out those emails, reach out to friends and family who have been holding out on you and offer up ridiculous incentives for hitting certain fund raising markers. Get motivated and get weird!
• We’re still open for any donations for prizes. If you own or work at a business that could provide some sort of prize (no matter how small) for our top performers (for the WOD and fundraising) please email David(AT)CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com.

Fight Gone Bad Details

Heat Assignments
The FGB 2013 Heat lists are live and can be found here! Team captains, please email out to your team to remind them when your team is up. Remember that each team has two assignments, one for the WOD and one judging assignment. Please plan your attendance and prep accordingly!

Starting Stations
Each team also needs to figure out where everyone will start on the workout. Since the teams are all comprised of 6 people instead of 5 you’ll need to have one Rx’d female and one Rx’d male starting at the same station. Everyone on the team will rotate at the same time and rest at the same time.

Orthopedic Scales
If you need a workaround on any movement for an orthopedic reason, please let any of the coaches know day of and we’ll find you an appropriate modification.

Going for the SBK Leaderboard?
If you think you’ve got the goods to get on the SBK leaderboards for Fight Gone Bad please let David know before your heat on the day of.  We’ll make sure your judge feels capable in scrutinizing your reps for the leaderboard.
_______________________
What is your Fight Gone Bad strategy? What do you think your strongest and weakest moves are going to be?