A full house of folks getting stronger

Speaking of getting strong, here our the dates and registration links for the next Strength Cycles.  These sell out fast!

Strength Cycle A
October 25th-December 22nd
Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00-8:30pm
Fridays from 6:00-7:30pm
Cycle A is a novice level cycle
Register Here!

Strength Cycle B
October 26th-December 23rd
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00-8:30pm 
Sunday from 10:00-11:30am
Cycle B will be the level 2 cycle, following an intermediate program. It is designed for advanced lifters who have exhausted a linear progression.
Register Here!

3 x Max Reps with 3 minutes rest
Pick a scale that allows for at least 5 reps on the first set
Strict Reps, no kip
There is a 10 Push-Up buy-in for HSPUs

21-15-9 Reps For Time of:
Push Press 115/80
Box Jumps 20"
Pull Ups

Scale up: Push Press 125-135/85-90, Box Jumps 24", Chest to Bar Pull-Ups

Post time and Rx to comments.

Post CrossFit Total

CFSBK has one team registered for CrossFit Virtuosity's Trick or Treat Throwdown. Interested in participating? Post to comments!!

Congratulations to all the Strength Athletes on yesterday's CROSSFIT TOTAL yesterday.  There was a tremendous amount of energy and camaraderie in the gym last night as everyone pushed and pulled to move as much weight as possible.  Please post your TOTAL numbers to comments.
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Now that it's all over, what did you get out of Jeremy's Strength Intensive?

Avi takes the thick bar overhead

Good luck to all the Strength Cycle Athletes on their CROSSFIT TOTAL today at 6pm.  This is the post-test for 8 weeks of hard strength training.  Come early or Stay late to watch these guys and girls move some steel.

Fight Gone Belated is happening this Sunday at 10am.  Good luck to Avi S, Jack L, Peter H, Nick Pi and Bjorn B!!

Synchronized Keg Lifting with Shane and Laurel

Happy Birthday to Rob I and Mike W!

Thanks again to Paul for hosting ODDLY STRONG at the South Brooklyn Weightlifting Club this past weekend.

What is your favorite kind of odd object lifting? Which do you think is the most painful?
Here are some examples: Keg Lifting, Heavy Carries and Drags, Farmer's Walks, Prowler Pushing, Stair Climbing with odd objects, Sandbag work, Unconventional barbell lifting, Kettlebells….
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Analysis highlights of the USAW/CrossFit Weightlifting Meet with Mike Burgener, Kendrick Farris and Tony Budding

2-2-2-2-2
Work up to a heavy double with solid technique

Post loads to comments.
compare to 6.5.10

For Time:
Row 1000 meters

Post time to comments.
compare to 6.15.09

Deepak Attacks the Atlas Stones

Happy Birthday, Jess F and Christian D!

This Wednesday at 6pm, watch Jeremy's Strength Cycle Athletes test the last 8 weeks of training with a CrossFit Total! Good luck, team!

October Evening Foundations
10/26/10-11/18/10
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00pm-9:15pm
Register Here!

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Adrian and Kimmy Bozman talk Rope Climbing Prerequisites CrossFit
Squatting to Restore Spinal Motion and to Poop CrossFit

For time:
Run 1 Mile
Row 2K
Run 1 Mile

Post total time and three splits to comments.

Read Coach Nick's article on Rowing a 2K
22:19 "Jerry" Demo

The great Carlos G!

3-3-3
(E1/8) Sets Across
Load approx 15-20% less than previous 3RM with the goal of breaking it mid-cycle
Perform 6 Jumpe Squats after each work set. Rest 3 Minutes

Post loads to comments.
compare to 7.10.10

Perform Max Reps of the following:
1:00 Max DB Snatches, Left arm
Rest :30
1:00 Max DB Snatches, Right arm
Rest :30
2:00 Max Double Unders
Rest 1:00
3:00 Max Burpees, Games Standards

Load on Dumbbell should be ~20% Body Weight

Post Rx and reps per movement to comments.

Claire can Run. Run, Claire, Run.
Photo courtesy of our friends at lululemon athletica Brooklyn

Happy Birthday to our October AotM, David McG!

Happy Belated Birthday (yesterday) Yoon S!
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Today is day 1 of Paulie's ODDLY STRONG workshop. Couldn't make it today? Then sign up for tomorrow!

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The EliteFTS Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Prowler

The inspirational Kate B!

T h e   P u l l s
Chris Fox

Most of you know (or maybe you don’t?) that at CFSBK we cycle through strength movements from 3 pools. Those categories are: Squat Variants, Upper Body Movements, and Pulls. The squats we use are the back squat, the front squat, and the overhead squat. The upper body movements vary more and have included dips, presses, jerks, bench press, weighted pull-ups, handstands, and handstand push-ups. The pulls are the deadlift, the clean, and the snatch. They refer not to pulling a load with the arms, but rather pulling a weight from the floor using the legs and hips. Let’s look at the pulls.
 
            The deadlift is the slow pull. When executed properly it’s a pure expression of raw strength. Most people will be able to move the most amount of weight in the deadlift when compared to any other lift. When going for a PR this lift can grind on for a few seconds from start to finish. The deadlift seems to make sense to most folks. Once you now what a set back is and how to achieve it, it’s just a matter of standing up with the bar in your hands (a bit more complicated but that’s the main idea). With the fast pulls, the clean and the snatch, things can get a bit trickier. Now you are going to aggressively use your legs and hips to do a job that for most of your life you would have done with your arms, i.e.; get an object to either your shoulders (clean) or overhead (snatch).
 
When first learning the Clean and the Snatch many athletes have a hard time getting over the urge to pull the weight up with the arms. This will always lead to problems with the lift. For one, the bar will tend to get out in front of you leading to a missed lift forward. An early arm pull limits the amount of force you can apply with your far stronger legs and hips, thereby limiting the amount of weight you can pull. Try to envision a pulley system… you’re applying force at one end of a rope and through the pulley the rope lifts an object on the other end of it. To move the object you first take the slack off of the rope (straighten out your elbows and tighten up your torso and hips) and then pull. Viola, the object comes up. What if you don’t take the slack out? The object isn’t going anywhere. What if you used a rubber band instead of a rope? There’d be a lot of slack to take out of that band and you’d have to pull a lot longer and harder to move the object, and if the object were heavy enough it wouldn’t move and eventually the rubber band would snap. This is what it’s like when you bend your elbows early and try to use your arms too much in the pulls. You’re asking the muscles and tendons at the elbow to do work they just can’t do. Either you’ll fail at significant loads or you’ll wind up injured, or both.
 
Let’s think Snatch. Your arms have 4 jobs in the snatch…
 
1. They connect the legs and hips to the bar via the torso
2. After the jump they guide the bar into place on the way up,
3. Once the bar is at max height they help pull you UNDER the bar FAST to receive it while it’s weightless
4. They support the bar overhead in the receiving position.
 
Here are a few things you can be thinking about when snatching during this cycle (see how conveniently that works out?). Pick one or two and focus on them.
-        My legs and hips are going to jump the barbell up, NOT my arms.
-        I will be FAST!
-        Once the bar is at max height my arms will help to pull me UNDER the bar FAST into the bottom of an overhead squat.
-        I will receive the bar as strong as I overhead squatted last cycle.
-        I am an awesome snatching machine and will dazzle family and co-workers with tales of my snatchtastickness.
 
Cheers to the snatch!
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This cycle's Pull is the Hang Snatch.  Catch the bar as high or low as you need to.  Ideally, the first few exposures are power (caught above parallel) and the latter are squat Snatches (caught below parallel)
Here is a video from Catalyst Athletics of a Hang (Squat) Snatch

Which is your favorite pull?

Single Arm Barbell Snatch
Single Arm Barbell Clean and Jerk

Spend about 12 minutes on each movement trying to find a heavy single.

 Post loads to comments.

12 Minutes NFR's of:
6 Tire Flips
6 Keg Cleans or Spider Lifts
12 Burpees, CF Games Standards 

Teresa's :38 handstand

Happy Belated Birthday, Noah A!

Congratulations to Kharin B on her first Double Under!

Check out these new top leaderboard scores!
255lb Overhead Squat by Kevin R
101 unbroken Push-ups by Jeremy F
8:42 "Helen" by Chris A

Welcome, October AM Foundations!

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What's a SLOSH PIPE? Watch this video
Come play with Slosh Pipes and other unusual objects at Paulie's ODDLY STRONG event this weekend.  Saturday or Sunday!

3-5 Rounds NFT of:
5 Windmills each arm
10 L-Pull Ups
20 OH Wakling Lunges

Post Rx to comments.
Back Off Week

Jump Rope/Hip Opener Couplet

Steve Cotter Demos Windmills

Patricio and John

Congratulations to Teresa B on her :38 freestanding handstand PR yesterday!

Great work to Colette K for completing a half marathon this weekend with Jeremy's Strength Intensive as her primary training!

ODDLY STRONG
Stone Lifting, Yolk Walks, Slosh Pipes and more THIS weekend at Paulie's South Brooklyn Weightlifting Club.  It's free of charge to CFSBK members and you can choose between Saturday or Sunday!  Sign up here!

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Our October Foundations cycles are coming up, don't be a hater, tell your friends!

October Morning Foundations
10/7/10-11/2/10
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00am-8:00am
Register Here!

October Evening Foundations
10/26/10-11/18/10
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00pm-9:15pm
Register Here!