Here is a shot of me skiing in Utah at Snowbird (a very steep/challenging resort not too far from Park City). Thank you guys for your help and encouragement – glad I can provide a shot of how much fun I was having on the hill as a bit of validation regarding your help and your hard work. – Tom

Happy eating to everyone attending Mike and Janelle’s Rest Day Dinner tonight!

Hail To The Queen Tomorrow

Best of luck to our women warriors competing in CrossFit Queens’ “Hail To The Queen” competition tomorrow.  Team SBK will take on 3 brutal WODS over the course of the day in either the Rx’d or Scaled division. We’ve got a great mix of veteran CrossFitters and first time competitors tomorrow. Knock em dead!

Team SBK:
Coach Lady Fox
Coach Melo
Ellie M.
Marian L.
Stella Z.
Teresa B.
Stephanie P.
Jessica B.
Bekka P.
Janelle R.
Jen S.
Lauren B

Krishnan Wants You To Adopt Tracey

Hi folks, I’m trying to find a home for my 2 year old foster dog Tracey. She’s extremely sweet, loves to play ball, go for runs, and has a penchant for green apples, carrots and ice cubes. She’s learning her commands quickly (sit, stay, don’t hump humans), is great with most other dogs (but not cats, she wants to eat those), powers down with expedience and enjoys long naps in her crate. If you’re interested in meeting her or have some questions let me know and send me an email at krishnan.vasudevan(AT)gmail.com

To see a picture of Tracey, click here.

CFSBK Movie Club

The CFSBKMC will be going to see “Ganster Squad” at the Park Slope Pavilion this Saturday, February 2nd. All are welcome to attend this event. If you’d like to come and are not already on the mailing list, please contact andrew.migdail(AT)gmail.com to get in the loop. Hooray movies!

To the Ladies competing tomorrow, what is your strategy for each workout? And how many times have you competed in CrossFit events?
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Meet The Champs NYT
Remember To Sign Up For The World Wide CrossFit Open With Team SBK!

Fitness: 3×5 Work Sets Across
Add 5lbs to last weeks Push Presses.

Performance: Work up to a heavy 2 rep set on the Push Press
Try and beat last week’s heavy 2.

Post loads to comments.
PP e5/6
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Partner WOD
In teams of 2 with one partner working at a time complete the following:
150 Kettlebell Swings
300 Double Unders

Work can be broken up any way desired but the idea is for both partners to share the work equally.

Post time, rx and partner to comments.

In the midst of a gym renovation at a community centre which serves a local slum here in Ahmedabad. You always have to lift without shoes because of the culture, and no weight dumping is allowed because the floors are made of easily breakable stone. Certainly adds a challenge on heavy lifts! -Christopher
Also, check out their DIY Barbell

Check out Jake Z’s Band Tonight!

Please come out for a great night of music on Thursday, Jan 31st! Here’s what’s happening: My buddy and old bandmate, JP, is driving up from Virginia with his excellent new band, My Radio. They are gonna play a set at 8PM (I’ll be playing with them), and then at 9PM, they are gonna back me up as I play a set of original tunes. For those that haven’t been, Rockwood Music Hall (196 Allen St. in the LES) is a great place to listen to music. Super intimate, with great sound. I’m really excited for this show. Most of the tunes I’ll be playing I have never played live before. Hope you can make it out. Oh, and the best part, it’s free! But, I’m sure the guys would appreciate a fiver in the tip jar to help pay for gas and some cheap beer in NYC.
A few CFSBKers will be going, email oldmanzuck(at)gmail.com for more info

Registration For The 2013 CrossFit Open

Registration is now live. Whether you are the Fittest on Earth or it’s your first time competing in CrossFit, welcome to the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games Open!

The Open will put competitors through five workouts over five weeks, starting March 6 and ending April 7.

The first workout will be released at 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, March 6. To be in the running for Regional or Masters Competition, you must register, complete the first workout, and submit your score by 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday, March 10.

If you registered for the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games Open, CrossFit for Hope, or the Online Judges Course, DO NOT create a new account. Use last year’s username and password, and you’ll be led through the Open registration process. This way last year’s results will be linked to this year’s. You’ll be able to compare times, lifts, and benchmarks. Send any questions to support@crossfitgames.com.

It’s on! Get registered and ramp up the training. Fewer than five weeks remain until the first workout is announced.

How to Register: 
How to Register as an Athlete

Sign up today and register for team CrossFit South Brooklyn!!!
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Registration for the Open is live!

Fitness: 3×5 Work Sets Across
Add 5lbs from last week’s exposure.

Performance: Work up to a heavy 2 rep set on the Front Squat
Go a little heavier than last week’s heavy 2. Don’t miss any reps

Post loads to comments.
FSQ e4/6
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Fitness
Three Round For Time Of:
15 Thrusters, (Dumbbell or barbell)
15 Ring Rows or 8 Strict Pull-Ups

If you’ve been CrossFitting for 6 months or more you can also substitute 15 jumping pull-ups per round. Use a Dumbbell for the Thrusters if you have mobility restrictions racking a barbell for Thrusters. There is a 7 minute cap on this workout.

Performance
Three Round For Time Of:
15 Thrusters 95/65
15 Kipping Pull-Ups

7 min cap.

Post time and Rx to comments.
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Squat Queen Jessica B Warming Up

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.  Today’s workout has two versions of the Thruster, one with Dumbbells and the other with a Barbell.  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

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Squat Therapy: 4 Drills That Will Improve Your Squats Breaking Muscle
Bodybuilders Through The Ages Smithsonian
Pursuing Excellence and Creating Value by Greg Glassman CrossFit

Matt K Front Squattin

Partner Stretch & Thai Massage

Let’s face it: after a workout it’s so much better when someone helps you stretch.  In a Partner Stretch workshop, you and your partner will learn Thai Massage techniques to increase range of motion, mobility & flexibility, decrease soreness, and to just plain ‘ol feel good.  

In these unique Partner Stretch & Thai Massage sessions, you and your partner will experience both giving and receiving bodywork.  You’ll feel relaxed and more connected to each other, get a full body stretch, and have tons of fun.  Plus, now you’ll always have a partner who knows how to give you a fabulous massage!

Date: Saturday, Febrary 23rd
Time: 2:30-4:00pm
Price: $75 per Couple
Space: Limited to 12 couples

More info here

Olympic Lifting: The Power and the Glory

Guest post by CFSBKer Samir Chopra

Olympic weightlifting might just be the sexiest sport there is, a near-perfect blend of strength, agility, complexity and grace that if done right, brings the lifter face to face with an acute combination of the strong and the beautiful.  When an Olympic lift comes off, body and mind come together.

An Olympic lift–the clean and jerk, and the snatch–is not a simple lift in the original sense of ‘simple’. It is not one thing. It is complex–and complex things, as Aristotle told us, require analysis into their constituents; it has many parts and all its individual components need to be drilled extensively. The barbell and PVC drills that precede an Olympic lifting session then, are tedious but essential. They are tiring. (Many is the time when my shoulders have ached from just the pre-lifting drills.) In the case of the snatch: the high scarecrow pull, the muscle snatch, the drop under; and then incredibly enough, you combine them into, hopefully, one indivisible movement, and realize how they come together. At lighter weights the drill works; all is well in God’s world. Then, despair, for at heavier weights the lift starts to break down. Here is where grace under pressure is required, a struggle to fight, to remember the drill, to maintain fidelity to form.

Coaching tips for Olympic lifts can thus attain shadings of both the poetic and the everyday. Consider the question of how you should have your knees and hips bent for the ‘jumping position’ as you move into the ‘hip-opening’ position. Well, how would you flex them if you wanted to reach up and touch the ceiling? Think of that position, that flex, that partial squat, poised to head upwards, which every kid, every human perhaps, knows instinctively.  That’s how you want to be when you are in the hang position. Or you will hear Olympic lifting described as ‘jumping with barbells.’ Think about it:  ‘jumping with barbells.’ Would you ever have imagined weightlifting described in those terms? Once you connect that dynamic motion with moving weight, which ordinarily conjured up visions of slow grinding movements, you begin to glimpse the heart and soul of Olympic lifting.

To do well in Olympic lifting is to overcome your sense of disbelief at the sheer unlikeliness of it all: How is that motion possible? Is it really possible to throw that barbell over your head? Of the two Olympic lifts, the snatch is especially improbable: How does the barbell unfurl like that over your head even as you seem to jump up and then down under it? But it can happen; if you pay attention and don’t let frustration get the better of you. And that is where paying attention to the component movements is crucial–they are what make the lift possible–they are what enable the overcoming of the sheer physical improbability of it all.

But the true beauty of the Olympic lift is to realize that this is a strength movement that requires you to have the grace and balance of a ballet dancer, the explosive muscle recruitment and deployment of a sprinter and the strength of a…weightlifter. Because you must concentrate on the lift and its components, you can teach yourself the vital skill of zoning in on a task at hand, an act of concentration and living in the moment that if cultivated, transfers well to life off the lifting platform. And because many attempts at lifts will not come off you will learn patience.

So in learning an Olympic lift you do more than train your body, you train your mind too. And how useful is that?

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Headlock Talk 101 with Tony Blaur CrossFit
200kg Overhead Squat Cathletics
Histories Past
“When You’re Feeling Low, Just Remember I’ll Be Dead In About 15 Or 20 Years” by Donald Trump

Fitness: 3×3
More heavy triples this week. Add 5-10 lbs to last week.

Performance: 9×2 Dynamic Effort 50% (plus bands) x 2 reps every 30 seconds for 4 minutes
Take 2-3 quick warm up sets to get to work weight (45%) then add bands. Focus on moving the bar fast, and being aggressive at the hips and quads with a tight finish position, no soft knees or hips. Dead start, no touch and go.

1RM Chart
250-325 Red Band
325-400 Blue Band
400+ Green Band

Post loads to comments.
DL e4/6
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4-5 Rounds NFT of:
5ea 1 Arm OH Lunge (heavy)
10 Ring Row, as difficult as possible
12 Side Plank-Ups, hold at top for a 2 count

*For the lunges work contra-laterally. i.e., DB in right hand + left leg forward lunge. The “working” leg in the lunge should be opposite the dumbbell. Sub front rack or hanging for mobility issues.

2012 Reebok CrossFit Games: Pendleton 1 & 2

Habit Formation Check In

Over the last month many of you guys have been working on developing better habits to promote more healthful behaviors. What is one thing that’s been “working” for you throughout the challenge? How did it evolve? Did it replace another behavior? Do you plan on continuing it post-challenge?

Post experiences to comments.
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Using the Sun to Make Music Vice

Snatch Deadlift + Below the knee High Pull + Below the Knee Power Snatch

Post loads to comments.
Snatch e4/6
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2:00 Max reps:
Wall Ball Shots 20lb-10’/14lb-9′
Rest 2:00

2:00 Max Reps
Calories Rowed

Post 3 scores to comments.

Saturday Afternoon at CFSBK: Rope Climbing Clinic, 2K Row with digital display, Gymnastics Class

Functionality and Wall Ball by Greg Glassman

New Equipment

2 New low Wall Ball Targets for the R3 stations
A Pair of 90lb Dumbbells
A Pair of 100lb Dumbbells
3 New Erg Monitors

CFSBK Training Videos

Check out some of these training videos from CFSBK!

Jeremy Goes For A Heavy Single On The Bench Press  David Osorio
Christian Reiss Goes for a 1RM Deadlift David Osorio
Kettlebell, Pull-Up WOD Demo with Josh and McDowell David Osorio
CFSBK Collected Training: V1 David Osorio
Matt Ufford: Fight Gone Bad 2010 Ari Bassin-Hill
David Slow Motion Snatch Malcolm Spittler
David 2 Methods Kipping Muscle Ups Malcolm Spittler
Brian D Clean and Jerks 280lbs
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The importance of Olympic Weightlifting for the “Sport of Fitness” Part 1 Part 2 The Outlaw Way
Low Bar vs. High Bar Back Squat for the purposes of CrossFit Outlaw North
The Power To Change Lives CrossFit

Fitness: 3×5 Across
Add 2-5lbs from last week’s exposure.

Performance: 87.5%x1, 92.5%x1, 97.5%x1
If you’re not feeling 100% today then work a few lighter singles.
Get two spotters if you’re not totally confident in your attempt. One coach and your rack partner.

Post loads to comments.
BSQ e4/6
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4 Rounds, Each for time of:
40 Double Unders
Row 400m

– Rest about 1:1. There is a 20 Minute cap on the entire workout.
– The Doubles or chosen sub should take no more than 1 minute and the row should take no more than 2 minutes, scale accordingly.

Post rounds to comments.

mmmm… Partner Stretch

• Good Luck to Michael R who will be running the Marathon in Florida this Sunday!
• Tonight is Mel’s Rest Day Dinner, have fun all attending! 

Partner Stretch & Thai Massage

Let’s face it: after a workout it’s so much better when someone helps you stretch.  In a Partner Stretch workshop, you and your partner will learn Thai Massage techniques to increase range of motion, mobility & flexibility, decrease soreness, and to just plain ‘ol feel good.  

In these unique Partner Stretch & Thai Massage sessions, you and your partner will experience both giving and receiving bodywork.  You’ll feel relaxed and more connected to each other, get a full body stretch, and have tons of fun.  Plus, now you’ll always have a partner who knows how to give you a fabulous massage!

Date: Saturday, March 23rd
Time: 2:30-4:00pm
Price: $75 per Couple
Space: Limited to 12 couples
Register Here

About Elyse & Sparkes Wellness

Elyse developed Sparkes Wellness to help ignite health in as many people as possible.  She does at home personal training, yoga, and Thai massage in Brooklyn, NY.  Elyse has taught Partner Stretch & Thai Massage workshops at lululemon athletica, international dance events, and New York yoga studios.  She has an ACE certification in personal training, an OM Yoga 200hr RYT, and many certifications in Thai massage.  Elyse is currently continuing her anatomy studies at The Breathing Project with Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews.

Thai Massage certifications include:

• Studied with Thai massage master Pichest Boonthumme, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 2012
  

• Osteo-Thai workshop (fusing Osteopathy with Thai massage) with David Lutt. Chiang Mai, Thailand. 2012

• Chi Nei Tsang (Chinese abdominal massage) with Doris Kolling at the Sunshine School. Chiang Mai, Thailand. 2012

• Advanced Certification in Thai Massage from the Thai Massage Sacred Bodywork Center in NYC, with Ananda Apfelbaum (author of Thai Massage Sacred Bodywork). 2009

Meet Molly Metz

1,434 Unbroken Double Unders in 10 minutes
153 Double Unders in one minute
100 Unbroken Triple Unders
Molly talks jump rope technique and progressions
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Amazing 13-Year-Old Boxing & MMA Prodigy
How Long Does It Take You To Warm-Up? 0-600lb Squat in :30

The Magnificent Mobina!

Metabolism and Me

The ability to lose fat and/or gain muscle is highly variable from person to person. Genetics, eating history, activity level, sleep quality, stress levels all play into an individual’s ability to affect change in themselves. Some people can cut out crap and instantly shed fat. Others can add a little milk to their diet and see phenomenal strength gains. It is a deeply human reaction to always look at the other person and think: “I am eating just like him/her, why the hell can’t I look just like him/her?” In some situations, comparison might be relevant, but with diet it almost never is. And this is where it becomes necessary to be an expert in yourself. Understanding your genes, lifestyle, and eating history is paramount to determining a starting strategy for your goals. From there, you must be willing to experiment. And you must be a good experimenter, ie determine a framework and stick to the framework for a period of time. Assess how you’re doing at the end, and then make (small) adjustments as needed. This will give you actual information about your body’s capacity rather than let your emotions be determinants. If you are feeling stuck in getting towards your goals, make notes on all of the factors mentioned above. Do you have a family history of being overweight? Do you sleep 4 hours a night? Are you chugging coffee and working out 7 times a week? Sounds like genetics and a serious case of inflammation are preventing you from reaching your goals. In this example, simply reducing inflammatory behavior might jumpstart you towards your goals before you even have to make major dietary changes. Take the time, be objective and use all the resources given above to dig around for advice based on your personal situation.

CFSBK Movie Club

On Feb 2nd the CFSBK Movie club will be going to UA Court Street 12 (106 Court Street) around 8 PM to see “Gangster Squad” To join up and get more details as the date approaches, please contact Andrew at andrew.migdail(AT)gmail.com

Matt Katz Wants You To GoRuck Yourself

It’s called the Goruck Challenge – it’s basically an overnight team event where you run around the city with a backpack full of bricks, being led around by a Special Forces trainer and completing challenges as a group. It looks all kinds of awesome and right up our alley. There’s also beer at the end. More info is here: GoRuck Challenge

Andy Puddicombe: All it takes is 10 mindful minutes TED Talks

Fitness: 3×5 Work Sets Across
Add 5lbs to last weeks Push Presses.

Performance: Work up to a heavy 2 rep set on the Push Press
Try and beat last week’s heavy 3.

Post loads to comments.
PP e4/6
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“Quarter Gone Bad”
5 Rounds for reps

135/95 pound Thrusters, 15 seconds
Rest 45 Seconds
50/25 pound Weighted pull-ups, 15 seconds
Rest 45 Seconds
Burpees, 15 seconds
Rest 45 Seconds

Post total reps to comments.
WOD Demo

Janelle’s (now) Famous Paleo Jello Shots

Schedule Change Feedback

So we’re about a month into the reformatted evening class schedule (and the extra 1pm class on Saturday) and we’d like to see what folks think. Please let us know your thoughts on how class times have been working for you and if you’ve got any suggestions. Thanks!

CFSBK Phone Number!

In addition to our awesome new Front Desk, we’ve actully got a phone number you can call us on now. While most of the phone calls will be from people interested in the program, feel free to call if you’ve got a question about class times, a schedule change, something that you left or anything else. If you call during off hours you can leave a VM and our awesome FD Staff will call you back during the next shift. No pranking!

Front Desk
347-83-CFSBK

Desk Hours:
M-Thr 4:30-9:30pm
Sat-Sun 9:00-2:00pm

Suggested Reading

Please read: “What Happened to Downtime? The Extinction of Deep Thinking & Sacred Space” and post thoughts to comments. Do you actively employ any of the 5 mindsets listed as a way to take back that fertile garden of your mind?
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How to Get Big While Doing CrossFit LBEB

Fitness: 3×5 Work Sets Across
Add 5lbs from last week’s exposure.

Performance: Work up to a heavy 2 rep set on the Front Squat
Go a little heavier than last week’s heavy 3

Post loads to comments.
FSQ e3/6
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Partner Workout

Fitness:
5 Rounds each for time of:
10 Slam Ball
10 GS Box Jumps
10 Sit Ups

Performance:
5 Rounds each for time of:
12 Kipping Toes to Bar
10 GS Box Jumps 24″

Post times, Rx and partner to comments.

Ball Slams: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Interval WODs

A positive feature of interval workouts like today’s are that they allow you to push a little harder on each round versus having to do each round in unbroken succession.  If you get a 2:00 recovery, you’ve got a better chance at hitting more reps unbroken in the final rounds than had you been working straight for 5 minutes before getting there. Anytime there is a built in rest for the workout, strategise how you’ll approach each round. Will you do everything unbroken? Will you break the hardest exercise into two sets with a :05 rest? Work on your stamina and try to keep your splits as consistent as possible. Just like lifting heavier weights, higher intensity metabolic work can elicit more profound cellular adaptations.

How It Could Be Different

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People are Awesome 2013
“The Two Worst Foods In The World” HuffPo