Fitness

5 Rounds not for time of:
10 Reps, Bench Press
12 Ring Rows or 5-10 Strict Pull-Ups
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Performance

Strength Cycle Takes To The Wall

Remember we are Closed Tomorrow for Labor Day. Classes are on as normal today, including Open Gym this evening.

CFSBK Book Club Details

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What are your Labor Day Plans?

Fitness: 4 ascending Warm-Up Sets then your first 3×5 LBBSQ exposure. Bar speed should remain quick as you’ll be adding to this start weight for the next 5 weeks.

Performance: 4-5 ascending Warm-Ups sets then some heavy 3×5 Work Sets across. Leave a little room to add weight next week as you’ll be seeing one more exposure of 3×5 before we move to triples.

Post loads to comments.
LBBSQ e1/6
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With a partner, perform about 4 Rounds or 20 minutes of:

Fitness:
3 Wall Walks with a :10 Hold at the top (alternate people)
8e Weighted Reverse Lunges
1:00-2:00 Plank or weighted plank

Performance:
3 Headstands on AbMat. Hold the top for :05-:10
8e Weighted Reverse Lunges
2:00 Plank or weighted plank on your forearms

Headstand Video 1
Headstand Video 2

Every year for Labor Day weekend I come down to Virginia Beach and visit Christy, my best friend from college.  She is actually the one that got me started in CrossFit.  I got to go to her gym today and do a WOD that was appropriately titled the Birthday Sh*tstorm (they do one wod a month for the people who have a birthday in it) and it was a doozy.  I just wanted to share my experience at CrossFit Unrivaled. Everyone was awesome, the wod was crazy and Britney our coach was great!  Highly recommended if anyone traverses to the Virginia Beach area.  Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend! – Shaye L

Attention Mobility Fans:

As many of you know, Kelly Starrett, creator of the infintely useful MobilityWOD is coming out with a book.  This mamoth hardcover book will be 400+ pages, contain 3,500+ photographs and no doubt be Kelly’s magnum opus.  The gym will be buying a few copies and wants to know if you want in too. At retail, the book will cost $59.95 but pre-order sales will be $29.98 for orders of 10 or more.  If you’d like to get in on the pre-sale discount, please email David(AT)CrossFitSouthBrooklyn.com with “Leopard” as the subject line.

“Becoming a Supple Leopard”
The Ultimate Guide To Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance
By Kelly Starrett with Glen Cordoza
Website

Dance, Whitney… DANCE!

Bob Ross Remixed PBS
Mister Rogers Remixed PBS
Julia Childs Remixed PBS

7pm Group Men’s Relay Race Team

Were you reading the comments this week regarding how the internet sucks us in? Check out Samir C‘s previous blog post on The Distraction of Distraction

Holiday Weekend Schedule

Saturday: Normal Group Classes
Sunday: Normal Group Classes
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Normal Group Classes (Monday’s Deadlifts will be programmed)

Dynamic Effort Deadlifts This Cycle

By: David Osorio

This cycle will be the first time we’ve seen Dynamic Effort Method Deadlifts with Accommodating Resistance programmed for Group Classes.  Lets explore what these methods are and who they’re appropriate for.

Dynamic Effort Method
As the name implies, Dynamic Effort (DE) work focuses on developing speed and explosiveness. This is accomplished by using a sub maximal weight lifted at maximal speeds.  Your muscles ability to produce force is dictated by a number of variables including overall size, angles of insertion on the bone, muscle shape, muscle fiber type and finally neuromuscular control.  The DE Method aims to help optimize that last variable by training your body to fire a large number of motor units quickly and efficiently.  You see, your muscles arent simply hunks of meat that are either “on or off”.  This is intuitive when you think about it a little.. consider holding a child’s hand versus holding a heavy dumbbell.  Your body senses that you need to work harder in the second scenario and will engage more motor units to accomplish the task at hand (pun intended).  Motor units are subdivisions of muscles that are recruited depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. Fewer motor units are used for light and fine motor patterns like writing and putting on clothes while more motor units are requited for heavy and fast patterns like lifting weights and jumping. When you’re first learning a new skill, that awkward, uncoordinated feeling you experience is your body not knowing how to best produce a firing pattern that will express effective, efficient movement.  The more you practice a skill, the better your bodies internal “software” gets at using the “hardware” resulting in better movement.  Lifting weights is no different, when you go to attempt a 1 Rep Max Deadlift, part of the equation regarding whether you’ll hit it or miss the lift is how good you are at firing up lots motor units.  By training a particular % continuum of your 1RM at high speed, you develop an explosive capacity to generate lots of force quickly.

Accommodating Resistance
We’ll also be playing with some Accommodating Resistance (AR) this cycle by way of bands and chains. The point of AR is to modify the amount of resistance you experience throughout the range of motion.  In any exercise, you’ll notice that there are “easier” and “harder” parts during the rep.  For example in Deadlifts, people often miss lifts at the bottom or around the knee, rarely after they get the bar onto the thigh. Similarly, the first 1/4 of a Back Squat is a hell of a lot easier than everything that happens at parallel and below (this helps explain the popularity in commercial gyms of partial squats).  The reason for this is that at certain points during the bar’s path you find yourself in more mechanically advantageous positions based on joint angles, muscle positions and where the resistance (barbell/body weight etc) is relative to the primarily muscles trying to move it.  Bands and chains can make those “easier” areas harder by changing how that resistance is expressed throughout the movement.  Watch this video of Bands and Chains used in Deadlifts and notice how at the top of the lift, when it’s usually the easiest, either the band is stretched out the most pulling the bar down or more chains are hanging from the bar increasing the amount of weight being lifted. The result of this kind of training is more well rounded strength and an increased ability to accelerate the lift through the range of motion.

Appropriateness
DE and AR are advanced training techniques used with seasoned Group Class lifters.  Think of the continuum of development like this:

• Phase 1: Basic technical practice at submaximal weights and speeds (2-4+ Months)*

• Phase 2: Strength and connective tissue development with medium and heavy weights (4-9+ Months)*

• Phase 3: Fancy shit used to overcome plateaus and individual weaknesses (9+ months of consistent training)*

*Generalized guidlines

If you haven’t spent extensive time with a particular lift and exhausted a linear progression, Dynamic Effort and Accommodating Resistance won’t give you the most return on your time. You’re better off getting as strong as you can at the base lift before using advanced methods.  You want to milk your body for all the strength potential you can get before digging into the bag of tricks to squeeze out your remaining capacity.  It’s inherently human to want to try advanced techniques in order to accelerate your development, but as anyone proficient in their craft knows, without a solid foundation, you won’t come close to what you’re capable of.  If your deadlift numbers are still gradually moving up, keep doing what’s clearly working and ride that train as long as you can. If you’ve been stalled out in your Deadlift for sometime, despite regular lifting and many, many attempts at lifting 1RMs, consider trying DE and AR methods.  When in doubt, ask a coach and as always, we’ll be doing our job and telling folks which to do if we feel you’re better off doing one or the other.

Happy Lifting!

Related Videos:
Dynamic Effort Day at Westside
Jay Fry Speed Deadlifts at Westside

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Park Slope’s Juventino Disclosed
Squat Quick Test Is It Your Ankle Or Your Hips? MobilityWOD
Nutrition For Injury Recovery Precision Nutrition

3 Rounds of:
In 5 Minutes
Row 500m
AMRAP Hang Clean and Shoulder To Overhead

Rest about 4-5 mintues between each round

Work Weight Options:
155/105
135/95
115/75
95/65
75/53
65/45

Post total reps completed and Rx to comments.

Assistance Work
Dumbbell Press
1×10 Warm-Up
1×20 Work

Malcolm S on his Hands

Gym Equipment Etiquette Reminders

While not comprehensive, these pointers can help your rack up credibility points at the gym.

Plyo Box Storage: For years we’ve told you, “DON’T STACK THE BOXES!!!” because they get wedged on top of each other and end up stuck together… well we take it back*! Josh M put some carpet material on the inside of each 16″+ box (thanks Josh!) so now you CAN stack them without fear of a coach reprimanding you. We’ve also painted some numbers on the boxes.  When you put them back, please organize them with the red numbers facing forward.

*This does not apply to the smaller 12″ wooden boxes we usually keep by the jump stretch bands. Those most certainly get wedged together and are a total pain in the ass to seperate. NEVER stack the small wooden boxes!

White Boards: We often do workouts that require you to track rounds or reps on the fly.  To make your life a little easier we cut up some whiteboards into little tablets for personalized use (Thanks DMak!).  Two points of etiquette with these. 1. Please erase your board after you’re done with it. 2. If the workout requires you to track rounds (as opposed to reps) please write a bunch of dashes on the board and use your finger to track completed rounds.  Keeping the marker uncapped during the workouts dries them out and leaves more stuff on the ground for people to potentially step on.

Erg (Rower) Handles: When you’re done with an erg, please put the handle all the way back in the window.  We know it seems intuitive to house them in the little dock that concept 2 provided but if you leave them there too long it weakens the spring that provides recoil on the handle.  The small dock is only for rest periods or partner transitions.

Bumpers: When you’re breaking down your barbells make sure to put them back in an orderly stack. If you’re the first person back to a low set of bumpers and the PVC holder is down, put it back so all the remaining bumps can be stacked properly. Also- whenever classes are large and we’re running low on weight, try to use the largest bumpers available.  For example, if you’re squatting 165, your bar should have a pair of 45s and a pair of 15s on it. Not 25s, then a bunch of 10s and change.

Bailing: Bailing is a necessary part of lifting heavy and metcons but don’t go crazy with it.  People can get a little bail-friendly and drop weight they could have just as easily put down under control.  Excessive dropping puts wear on the bumpers AND the bars. You’ve no doubt noticed the bumpers with big cracks and no metal inserts in them.  Why is that? Too much bailing! Also- it should go without saying but NEVER bail an empty bar, these will quickly destroy the finest barbells.

Bikes: We have a pretty lax policy on people leaving their bikes up by the front during class.  That being said there are two things to consider. First off, you should lock your wheel to the frame of your bike to discourage would-be theives. In the 2+ years we’ve been on Degraw street there has only been one attempted bike theft incident.. but you’re better off safe than sorry.  Secondly, please do not put your bike in front of the sign in desk, garbage can or fridge.  Stacking your bike in front of any of these makes it hard for other members to use the front area at all.

Being mindful of your foot print:  During peak hours the gym can be quite crowded.  If you’re stretching out on the mat or working on something, please be mindful of your surroundings and do your best to be as efficient with your personal foot print as possible.  This is especially true for jumping rope which can make it very difficult for people to get around you. If you’re going to skip rope, make sure you’re not in a high traffic area. If you want to use a rack or set up a barbell somewhere, make sure to ask a coach first if theres room and where you can go.

Finally, if you’re not sure about something, don’t hesitate to ask a coach.  A CrossFit gym is probably very different than the commercial gym you spent the last X years in.

Related Reading:
Degraw Street Etiquette 101 David Osorio
Gym Etiquette Noah Abbott
Bad CrossFit Gym Etiquette Satire Video

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CrossFit Sonora Gym Tour
Vegetarians Are Great… 70’s Big
The Secret Advice From a Vegan CrossFitter

Fitness: Perform 4 ascending warm-up sets then 3×5 across work sets on the Box Squat

Performance: Take 6-7 total sets to work up to a heavy single on the Box Squat. Afterwards perform one set at 80% for 5-10 Reps.  Avoid failing, but use two spotters for your heaviest set just in case.

Conjugate Squat e1/6
compare to 6.27.12
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As Many Rounds As Possible In 10 Minutes Of:
Run 400m
16 Wall Ball Shots 20lb-10′ / 14lb-9′

Post rounds and Rx to comments.

Jay Reingold at Mt. Hood starting point for the 2012 Hood to Coast 200 mile relay in Oregon, aka “the mother of all relays.”. Friday – Saturday August 24-25. Finished in 27:47:16, 206th out of 1070 team. (One of Jay’s teammates got injured and he had to work double duty, running approximately 26 miles!)

RAGNAR ADIRONDACKS!

If you’re interested please get in touch with Asta Fivgas at astafivgas(at)gmail.com ASAP!

Jim Ryan Wants Your Kids To Golf!

We are hosting 4 clinics at the Brooklyn Golf Center in Marine Park and one golf outing at the 9 hole Riis Park Golf Course. The clinic dates are: Saturday September 8th, 15th, 22nd & 29th from 4-5:30pm And the golf outing at Riis Park Golf Course will be on October 13th from 3:30-5:30pm.

More details:
Registration is only $125 per golfer, which covers the 4 clinics and the golf outing.

Golf balls and clubs are available for you to use but if you have your own clubs please bring them.

SFX will provide a golf shirt and hat for the young golfers.

You are responsible for your own child’s transportation.

Discounted buckets of balls will be available after each clinic.

Space is limited so spots will be reserved on a first come, first serve basis.

Register at www.sfxyouthsports.com click on register for any of our programs and you will be redirected to our registration website.

SFX Junior Golf is not intended to be a substitute for golf lessons, the program is intended to be an introduction to golf fundamentals and to promote an interest in the sport.

Please contact Jim Ryan at jimmyr72(AT)gmail.com if you have any questions.

See you on the links!

Jim Ryan
Director Of Golf
SFX Youth Sports
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Rowing Lovers/Haters/Knowers Of, Coach Nick says this race was unbelievable: South Africa Wins First Ever Rowing Olympic Gold NBC Olympics
My Paleo Media Diet Lifehacker

Crystal Conquers The Wall

• Happy Birthday Sarah LR and Daniel O!

• Scheduling Note: CFSBK will be Closed on Labor Day

MAS CFSBK POR FAVOR

Want to see more shots from the gym? Check out our Flickr feed for great shots from the last week of training. We’re also on the Facebook machine, so friend us there and lurk our page! Finally, do you like CFSBK and writing reviews? Why not bring two of your hobbies together on our Yelp page!

Rebuilding Your Feet

Mobility WOD recently had two great posts about the integrity and maintenance of your feet.  Your feet after all are you connection to the earth and the foundation of all (most) movement. Check out part 1 and part 2 to see if you can’t develop some foot-friendly strategies as well as learn some Self Myofacial Release techniques you can do to thank your feet for carrying you around all day.   If you really want to go down the rabbit hole, check out any of these other foot-related posts by Kelly:

“Why Put Your Kids At A Movement Disadvantage?”
“Stop Walking Like A Duck, You Arent”
“Long Ruck Feet, Or Ultra Marathon Feet”
“Haiku Winner, Travel Ideas and Your Feet”
“The Standing Athlete”
“Athletes Don’t Wear Flip Flops”
“Pinchy Ankles and Weak Feet”
“Bro, Your Navicular Bone Dropped”
“Foot Position Test, Breaking Diane”
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Do you actively do anything to protect or develop the integrity of your feet?  Do you ever experience foot pain? Why?  What is your thought process when purchasing a shoe?

Peformance: Work up to a 3RM

Fitness: Work up to a heavy set of 5. You’ll be adding 5-10lbs each exposure for the next 5 week so leave some room to grow.
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As many reps as possible in 5 Minutes of:
Burpees!

Post results to comments.
DL e1/6

Brian S and the Wine Wasters

Happy Birthday, Greg N!

Strength Training Template For The Next 6 Weeks

Mondays: Deadlift 5s and Dynamic Effort Deadlifts
Fitness will do a Starting Strength style heavy set while Performance will work Dynamic Effort Squats with Accommodating Resistance. These will be performed every :30 for the 8 reps. We will also program in additional Hamstring work as assistance work on Mondays.

• Fitness: 3-4 Warm-up sets and then 1 work set of a heavy 5 on DL. Linear progression for 6 weeks
• Performance: 3 RM, 45%1×8, 50%1×8, 55%1×8, 60%1×8, 1RM

Tuesdays: Rest Days

Wednesdays: Conjugate Squats
Each week we will rotate to a different squat variant. Performance will add a little volume by doing a drop set at 80% after finding their heavy single for the day.

• Fitness: Work up to a medium heavy 3×5
• Performance: Work Up to a heavy single, then 80% x4-8 Reps

Thursdays:
Mix Modal Conditioning/Assistance Work
Emphasis on Dumbbell Pressing Pre-WOD. Hypertrophy Bias

Fridays: Rest Day

Saturdays: Low Bar Back Squats

• Fitness 3×5 Linear Progression for 6 weeks
• Performance Work Sets Across. 3×5, 3×5, 3×3, 3×3, 5×2, 5×1 Try to Add Weight Each Week. You’ll do the same weight for all the work sets listed above.

Sundays:
Mix Modal Conditioning/Assistance Work

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Snatch and clean and jerk throwdown from the CrossFit Tour Big Sky Event. Rich Froning’s 290kg total would qualify him for the 2013 USAW National Championships in the 94kg weight class had these lifts been at a sanctioned event – video (285lb Snatch, 355lb C+J)

Svend Karlsen – Viking Power Documentary ATG

Take 12 Minutes to work up to a heavy 5. No Failing

Post loads to comments.

Performance

10 Minutes NFRs
10 Kipping Pull-Ups
15 Squats
20 Sit-Ups

Fitness

10 Minutes NFRs
10 Ring Rows or 5 StrictPull-Ups
15 Squats
20 Sit-Ups

Post results to comments.

Team SBK

CFSBK is so proud of all the guys and gals who represented us over the last 4 weekends at this year’s Subway Series.  Team SBK got better every single week ending with 5th, then 4th, then 3rd and finally 2nd place finishes in each individual event.  Overall SBK took third place this year and we couldn’t be prouder.  Big props to our veteran and newer athletes for giving it their all as well as everyone who came to cheer on and support the team at each event.   We can’t wait until next year!

We had a great turn out at the Wine Wasting last night. Huge thanks to Brian S for organizing and leading us through the wonderful world of wine!

Bang For Your Buck Chicken

By Christian Fox

Do you buy free-range/pastured chicken? Do you buy whole chickens? You should. Don’t let the price of free-range/pastured chicken be an impediment to buying good quality poultry. The more the butcher at the market does for you, the more you’ll wind up paying. Pre-cut breasts, thighs, and other parts are simpler to deal with, but not the way to go if you want to save a buck or two or get the full nutritional value of a bird. Do you buy chicken stock? Why not buy a whole chicken, get ALL of the meat from it, and a homemade mineral rich broth to boot. It’s super simple. Here’s the low down.

You’ll need:

1 Whole Chicken, rinsed and any gravy bits renoved (buy the best quality you can afford)

4 Celery stalks, cut into chunks

3 Carrots cut into chunks

2 Onions, cut into chunks (if you have some scallion or leek tops you can use them and use less onion)

A few cloves of garlic, smashed

1Tbsp Black Peppercorns

2 Bay Leaves (fresh if you’ve got ‘em)

Herbs: 2 Handfuls: Parsley, Thyme, Chervil, Oregano, Cilantro, Margoram, etc all work well. Fresh is great and stems count but you can use about 2-3 Tbsp total if using dried.

2 tsp Salt, or more to taste (a little bit of salt helps draw out minerals from the bones)

Water

• First quarter the chicken. Using kitchen shears or a sharp chef’s knife, cut it in half breast side up, starting at the leg end. Pry the legs joints open and cut through them to separate. Then cut the backbone and neck from the split breasts. You should now have 2 breasts with wing tips attached, 2 legs, and the backbone.
• Place the chicken parts and the rest of the ingredients in a large stockpot and cover with water by about 1”.
• Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to medium and simmer.
• Remove chicken parts as they fully cook. Breasts will be done first, in about 30 minutes. The legs should be done within an hour.
• Separate all cooked meat and skin from the bone and place bones back into pot.
• Simmer broth with the *chicken bones and vegetables for up to another hour and then strain.
• You can leave it here, or reduce the liquid further to make a richer stock.
• Make sure everything is cool before storing. The stock keeps well frozen, and the chicken will keep for about a week.
• *If you want to get fancy, roast the bones and more vegetables in a hot oven before placing them back in step 6. Strain the broth first if you do this.

A 3lb chicken will yield about 2-¼ lbs of meat this way, plus about 2 quarts of stock. The pulled chicken can be added to warm in soups, scrambles, stir fries, curries, or tossed on top of salads. If you go the corn tortilla route then this chicken is the perfect addition to the classic Mexican breakfast, Chilaquilles; corn tortillas sautéed in fat with onions and then simmered in a tomatillo salsa with shredded chicken. If not, the chicken works great as a protein in Butternut Squash Bisque, or the Coconut Curried Collard Greens from last time. There’s no ailment my mom wouldn’t give us chicken soup for. Simmer a ½ cup of chopped vegetables in a 1-¼ cup of the broth until tender and add a bit of chicken for a complete homemade chicken soup.

 Enjoy!

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Ohh, I’ll Have The Stress Please! Mark’s Daily Apple
Talk To Yourself To Stay Motivated Greatist
Sustainablity Talk To Me Johnnie

5 Sets Not For Time Or Weight
5 Front Squats 
Row 350m with 22 S/M Cap

Rest as needed between rounds

Go medium heavy on the Front Squats. Heavy enough require organization and effort, light enough to be perfect for every rep.  Try to stay consistent at 22 S/M on the erg. Count how many total strokes each piece takes you.

Post loads and time to comments.

Rickke M

• Programing Note: Tomorrow is the final day in our “Back Off Week” where we focus on skills and lower intensity workouts.  We’ll be starting a 6 week training cycle starting Monday. For more information about the template, check the post on 8.22.12

• CFSBK Wine Wasters! Happy tasting this evening at the 3rd CFSBK Wine Wasting with Brian Scott.  Participants will take a trip around the world via wine bottle while learning all the ins and outs of wine tasting and selection. We suggest walking or taking the subway to the gym!

Good Luck Team SBK!

Today is the final event in the 2012 CrossFit Subway Series.  Team SBK will be taking on this hellish workout at CrossFit Virtuosity in Williamsburg.  Best of luck to the competitors and a big thank you to any spectators going to show some Sea of Black love!

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Gender Differences in Fat Metabolism Mark’s Daily Apple
Band Pull-Aparts For Healthy Shoulders Elite FTS

Coach MeLo, Marian and Ellie at the last Subway Series event

Check out more videos of some of SBK’s finest guys and gals attacking this workout: Coach Jess, Rickke M, Mike M, Jessica B, Teresa, Coach Josh, Christian R

Run to Heal!

Diaspora Community Services (DCS) is proud to be a charity partner of the ING New York City Marathon. On Sunday, November 4th, 47,000 people will run 26.2 miles through all five boroughs in New York City.

Located just a couple of blocks away from CrossFit South Brooklyn, DCS has been serving low income New Yorkers and immigrants for the past 31 years, and 5 years ago expanded their work to Port-au- Prince, Haiti where they operate a health clinic. Learn more at diasporacs.org.

DCS is has 5 guaranteed slots in this year’s New York City Marathon. If you are interested in running this year’s marathon and making an important impact, join ‘Team Diaspora’! Spots are available to people who can commit to raising $2,500.

Run and make a difference in your community if:

1. If you weren’t selected in the New York Road Runners Marathon lottery, join our team instead for a guaranteed marathon entry slot.

2. If you already have a guaranteed, join our team anyway! You can support DCS programs by creating your own team member page and fundraising at any level to bring services to Brooklyn residents in need.

Get your guaranteed entry in the ING NYC Marathon and support homeless youth, women living with HIV/AIDS, teen civic engagement, families facing chronic health challenges, support single dads, legal services and access to financial stability programs.

Call 718-399-0200 for more details or visit Diaspora at diasporacs.org.

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Rest Day Trivia Questions:
1. In the 1200’s the Persians introduced what exciting sport played with an animal, today played with a ball?
2. Geography of England: Which range of hills runs in a north-south direction through the central part of England?
3. What two Middle Eastern cities formed the eastern and western end-points for eastern Mediterranean trade routes?
4. Which English architect designed many buildings in London after the “Great Fire” of 1666, including Saint Paul’s cathedral?
5. The part of an ancient Greek city used as a marketplace and center of congregation was known as the what?

As always, no researching allowed. If you know the answers post to comments, even if someone else already answered and you didn’t read it yet!