Workout of the Day

FLOATER STRENGTH

Chin-Ups 5×2

Bench Press 3×3, 70-75% AMRAP

Front Squat 3×5

Power Snatch 5×1

Notes
Perform 3–4 progressive warm-up sets for your chosen lift(s). Work within the prescribed rep ranges, leaving 1–2 reps in reserve.

Tomorrow we have Rowing and Thrusters

METCON

12m Pacer Test

Modified: 10m Pacer

Notes
The 12m (~40 ft) Pacer Test is a progressive aerobic fitness test. We’ll be using the 15m timer but a slightly shorter distance to accommodate space restraints in the gym. You will run back and forth between two lines 12 meters apart in time with audio beeps. The test gets faster as it goes—each minute or so, the pace increases.
The goal is to run as long as you can until you can’t keep up with the beeps. See below for more info.

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK4/8)

Coaches Phil and David taking on the PACER Test

The PACER Test

Today’s workout is a throwback to a middle school PE test. Luckily, we’re all adults now so we can bond over any childhood trauma this test caused us and can instead do it for FUN. We’re having fun, right??

How It Works
Start behind the line. Begin running when you hear the first beep.
Reach the opposite line before the next beep. At least one foot must touch or cross the line.
Wait at the line if you arrive early. Do not start running back until the beep.
Continue shuttling back and forth as the beeps get closer together.

The test ends when:
You miss the line for two consecutive beeps, or
You voluntarily stop.

Make sure to cut
You will quickly have very little time to stop to change directions. Especially as you get tired, efficient cutting is a great way to save time on your turn arounds. See the video below:

Workout of the Day

STRENGTH

5 Progressive Sets of:
1 Power Snatch

Notes
After 3–4 barbell warm-up sets, complete 5 working sets of 1 Power Snatch. Build progressively in load across all 5 sets, aiming for crisp, technically sound reps. Focus on a tight set up and pulling yourself under the bar quickly. Only go as heavy as you can maintain solid technique with.

METCON

“ISABEL”

For Time:
30 Snatches

Notes
Last week we took on “Grace” and today we take on her sister “Isabel”. Similarly, this workout should be short but can range from 2-8 minutes depending on the person. While we want to move fast, it’s more important to move well.

Skill version
Using a modest weight, perform 1 rep, every :15-:20, capped at 8:00

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK4/8)

Steph setting snatching in 2015 Subway Series

Emily Abbott Does Isabel Unbroken in 1:15

This is an AWESOME video where CrossFit Games athlete Emily Abbott performs and unbroken Isabel while talking through what shes thinking during the workout.

Workout of the Day

STRENGTH

Front Squat
3×5 reps

Notes
Perform 4-5 progressive warm-up sets then complete 3 progressive and challenging sets of 5 reps. Rest 3-4 minutes between sets. Leave 1–2 reps in reserve each set.

METCON

EMOM 15:00
A: :45 Double Unders
B: :45 Wall Walks
C: :45 DB Bent Over Rows

Notes
JR: Use the jump rope segments to perform DU attempts or an AMRAP, even if you only get a couple. They don’t happen unless you make them happen!
WW: Aim for 3-5 reps each round
BOR: Aim for 16-20 Reps per set. You will have to break these up. (+/50s/35s/20s/-)

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK4/8)

Handstands

The section below is a snippet from the 2006 CrossFit Journal article “Handstands” written by Greg Glassman. In it, Coach Glassman talks about some of the why’s of training handstands and some of the developmental exercises they recommended at the time. Take a trip in the CrossFit history machine and check out this phenomenal article!

“Handstands, hand walking, and pressing to the handstand are critical exercises to developing your athletic potential and essential components to becoming “CrossFit.” Historically, these exercises have been collectively referred to as “hand balancing” and have been an integral part of strength and health culture since antiquity, yet today hand balancing seems to have followed the passenger pigeon to extinction.

Examining the twin questions “what has been lost by this extinction?” and “what does hand balancing offer that makes it essential?” is the aim of this month’s Journal. The answers to these questions motivate a challenge for our readers for the New Year.

The quick and obvious analysis as to hand balancing’s benefits would include improved balance and increased shoulder strength, and though accurate, ending the analysis here doesn’t speak to the singularly unique advantages to this training.

There are countless successful protocols for increasing shoulder strength and balance, but training the handstand and presses to the handstand improves proprioception and core strength in ways that other protocols cannot. Let’s examine this claim more closely.

Being upside down exposes the athlete to, what is for many, a brand new world. Psychologically, physically, and physiologically, inversion is otherworldly. We spend roughly two thirds of our life upright and one third in repose. When upside down most of us lose our breath, orientation, and composure. What this portends for an athlete upended by opponent or accident is calamitous. The difference between tripping and landing on your feet versus knocking your teeth out is profound. Gymnasts’ bike wrecks don’t look like weightlifters’…”

Read the full article on the CrossFit Journal

Workout of the Day

STRENGTH

Bench Press
3×3 Reps
75% AMRAP x1

Notes
Perform 4-5 warm-up sets, then work up through three progressive sets working towards a heavy triple leaving 0-1 rep in reserve. Afterwards, take ~75% of your best lift and do an AMRAP keeping 0-2 reps in reserve. Aim for 8-12+ reps on the AMRAP.

METCON

5 Rounds for time:
8 DB Hang Clean + Reverse Lunge (L)
8 Burpees
8 DB Hang Clean + Reverse Lunge (R)
8 Burpees

Notes
This workout should be around 14-16 minutes with a cap of 18. All lunge sets should be unbroken loading +/50/35/20/-

Scale volume down to 4 rounds if needed.

Afterparty

Come to COVEN tonight at 6pm!

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK4/8)

No, not like that!

CFSBK’s Front Desk is Hiring!

CFSBK is looking for new talent to staff the Front Desk. Responsibilities include handling inquiries from walk-ins, managing basic membership issues, light cleaning/organization, and other miscellaneous duties. Ideally, we’d like to hire from within so that candidates are already familiar with CrossFit and CFSBK. On top of an hourly wage, FD staff will also receive a comped Unlimited membership.

We are looking for a person who can do the shifts below and help with extra coverage in December. We require a six month commitment, barring extenuating circumstances.

We will be interviewing ASAP and hiring a new staff member for immediate training.
Please email charlie@crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com with your resume and availability.

Available shifts
Thursday- 5:45am- 11am
Friday- 4pm-7:15pm

DB Hang Clean + Reverse Lunges

Here’s a demo of today’s dumbbell exercise taken in the time of distancing. For the clean, think of moving your body in the same way you would to swing a kettlebell.

Workout of the Day

METCON

For Time:
24-20-16-12-8-4 Air Bike Cals
Alternating with
12-10-8-6-4-2 Chin-Ups

Notes
This workout should take around 12-16 minutes for most.

Chin-Ups
There are 42 reps in this workout. Keep the full volume and use a band or self assisted chin-ups to complete the full volume. Cluster sets are fine to get through the work. If you can go unbroken go for it. If that seems easy perform these as strict chest to bar or weighted.

Bike
The first round of 24 cals should take you around 2:00 or less. Otherwise can scale to 80% volume 20-16-12-10-6-3 cals

ASSISTANCE

3-4 Progressive Sets of:
12-15 Anchored Weighted Sit-Ups
12-15 DB Lateral Raises

Notes
Each set should be harder than the prior. Maintain extension on the sit-ups and hover 1″ above the ground at the bottom of each rep.
The final 1-2 sets of lateral raises should go near or to failure.

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK4/8)

The team of Olivia and Bea on their last round from Saturday’s press, lunge row triplet.

CFSBK’s Coven with Coach Cara meets again tomorrow!

Join Coach Cara and fellow CFSBK members for an hour of playful inquiry into building a healthy self-relationship through magical-creative means. Cara will also lead an intention setting ritual to help foster health and positivity going into the holiday season. All are welcome!

Workout of the Day

FLOATER STRENGTH

SA DB Row 4×8-10e

Bench Press 3×5-8

Back Squat 3×8-10

1 Power Clean + 1 Push Jerk

Notes
Perform 3–4 progressive warm-up sets for your chosen lift(s). Work within the prescribed rep ranges, leaving 1–2 reps in reserve.

Tomorrow we have Double Unders, Chin-Ups and Air Bike

METCON

3 Rounds for time of:
Run 270m
130m’ Farmer’s Carry
25 Box Jumps

Notes
Find an aerobic pace that allows you to keep moving the whole workout. The farmers carries should be challenging but unbroken.

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK3/8)

Why we don’t currently offer CrossFit Kids classes

In 2018, Michael Dalton produced a great video of us explaining our kids program at the time. If you’ve never seen it, check it out. We offered CrossFit Kids in different iterations with a variety of amazing coaches over 13 years. Shane, Janelle, David, Tori, Lynsey, Noah, Jess—plus Xela and Tulsi, our teen helpers—made these programs a reality. In its heyday, we offered four levels of kids classes, all described in the video above. We also ran CrossFit Kids birthday parties with a lot of success over many years.

This population was very dear to CFSBK, and we loved seeing multiple generations of members training together under one roof. We hope we made an impact on all the kids we worked with over the years. Parents still ask if we’re ever going to bring it back because they’d love for their kids to build a relationship with fitness at CFSBK. And we get it. But to run a successful program, you need a few things.

The right people with enough bandwidth
Working with children is far more demanding and nuanced than coaching adults. Kindness, leadership, patience, and strong child-communication skills are just some of the qualities needed. On top of that, programming, setting up and breaking down lots of equipment, and communicating with parents all take time and energy. I often said that running a 1-hour CrossFit Kids class took about as much out of me as running four adult classes. When children are involved, it’s more important than ever to have the right people with the right skills and temperament to take on such a demanding program.

Time, space, and equipment to offer kids classes
Offering a kids program in a facility that isn’t exclusively designed for children comes with obstacles. The best-case scenario is reserving the entire room for the kids class, but that can be disruptive to everything else—and impractical if there are only a couple of kids and 70% of the room goes unused.

Other adults working out nearby can increase distractions, create safety concerns for both adults and children, and even affect member conduct (for example, we didn’t let anyone take their shirt off when kids were around). Loud kids can also be an unpleasant distraction for someone just trying to get their workout in.

With our three spaces, we made it work for many years—often using the Annex, which was isolated but somewhat limited. While there’s more flexibility in the summer, during the school year it’s tough to find hours that don’t create a tug-of-war for space between programs.

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Currently, we don’t have enough of either of these things to consider running a kids program again, and unless things change considerably, we probably won’t. It’s not something you can force. Kids still train at CFSBK, but now in more of a one-on-one context. Coaches Erick, Steph, and Cara all work with members under 18 in private and semi-private sessions and are available if you want your kids to start training. But for now, no more kids classes. 🙂

Workout of the Day

PARTNER METCON

12 Rounds for time of:
8 Strict HSPUs (or Barbell Press)
12 Reverse Lunges +/50s/35s/25s
16/12 Cal Row

Notes
This workout will take around 25 minutes with each person alternating complete rounds until 12 total (6 each) have been completed. Each round should take around 2:00. Rounds need to be completed in under 2:30 consistently in order to finish under the 30 minute cap.

HSPU/Press (:20-:30)
Choose the exercise that will give you better workout.

Press loading should be around 95/75/65/45/- and be challenging but unbroken. modify to push press if you hit a wall mid set.

HSPU
+ Deficit/Full ROM Strict/1-2 Abmats Strict/Kipping (no box piked or negative)
Scale to 6 or even 4 reps if needed.

Lunges (:30-:40)
2 Dumbbells, unbroken every round, go heavy.

Row
This needs to be around :50-1:10 per round. Scale back to 12 cals if you can’t consistently hit 16 cals in about a minute.

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK3/8)

Yesterday’s 10am group class with a spectrum of members who have been part of the CFSBK community from a few months to 17 years! Listed next to each person is their start year
Top row: Tamson, Rickke, Stephen, Jared, Danae, coach Brett, Gilles, Miriam, Ellie, Matt
Bottom row: David, Yana, Eric, Louis, Manu, Ash, Yrthya & coach David

Workout of the Day

FLOATER STRENGTH

SA DB Row 4×8-10e

Bench Press 3×5-8

Back Squat 3×8-10

1 Power Clean + 1 Push Jerk

Notes
Perform 3–4 progressive warm-up sets for your chosen lift(s). Work within the prescribed rep ranges, leaving 1–2 reps in reserve.

Tomorrow we have HSPUs, Lunges and row

METCON

1/2 “Cindy”

AMRAP 10:00
5 Kipping Pull-Ups
10 Push-Ups
15 Air Squats

Notes
Today we’re doing a 1/2 time domain version of the benchmark “Cindy”. Goal would be 6-10+ rounds in the 10 minute window. Pull-ups should be 1-2 sets, push-ups 1-3 and squats unbroken. Aim for virtuosity in your movement quality on these basic calisthenics.

Push-Ups
Mature, knee push-up, elevated on box

Kipping Pull-Ups
5/3 Kipping Pull-Ups
5/3 Strict
5 Ring Rows, banded or jumping

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK3/8)

Some of our beloved Fit55 crew socializing before class

Push-Ups Standards and Virtuosity

Today’s workout contains 3 calisthenic movements. 6-10+ rounds is possible in this workout which provide ample opportunities to ingrain and develop the motor skills and strength required to successfully perform these seemingly simple movements. Will your first push-up look like your 50th? Will your 75th air squat include planted heels, full depth and a neutral spinal position? Range of motion is only one component of functional movement. When you initiate a movement, what happens between the start and finish dictate the adaptation you’re pursuing. Soft technique builds soft athletes. Lazy attention to details builds laziness inside and outside the gym. Virtuosity is defined in Gymnastics as “performing the common uncommonly well”. Will you settle for mediocrity today, or will you pursue virtuosity? No opportunity is too small!

Workout of the Day

STRENGTH

5 Progressive Sets of:
1 Power Clean + 1 Push Jerk

Notes
After 3–4 barbell warm-up sets, complete 5 working sets of 1 Power Clean + 1 Push Jerk. Build progressively in load across all 5 sets, aiming for crisp, technically sound reps. Focus on fast elbows into the rack position and an aggressive dip/drive on the jerk.

METCON

“GRACE”

For Time:
30 Clean and Jerks

Notes
“Grace” is one of CrossFit’s classic benchmarks — fast, heavy, and simple. The intent is an all-out sprint while maintaining crisp movement quality.

Benchmark loads for this workout are 135/95 but choose a load you can cycle for quick singles or small touch-and-go sets. Most athletes will do fast singles with very short breaks, aiming to never stand and rest more than a few breaths. If you go touch-and-go, keep sets short (3–5 reps) to avoid redlining.

Expect times between 2–6 minutes. Advanced athletes will finish under 3 minutes, with most finishing around 4–5 minutes. Scale the load so you can finish within the intended window and move consistently throughout.

Skill version
Using a modest weight, perform 1 rep, every :15-:20, capped at 8:00

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK3/8)

February 1st, 2010. We had JUST moved to from the Brooklyn Lyceum into 597 Degraw street and since we couldn’t bail weights without getting yelled at in the old space, we decided to make the inaugural workout in our new home “Grace”. Pictured above are Coach Fox, Nick, Snip, Sara, JMD, Anne and Coach David.

Brooke Wells does 155lb Grace in 3:18

Workout of the Day

METCON

4 Intervals of:
6 Weighted Chin-Ups (50/35/20)
24 Tuck-Ups
75 Double Unders

Rest as needed between rounds. Capped at 20:00

Notes
Each interval should be attempted unbroken.

Chin-Ups
Hold a Dumbbell between your feet or thighs for loading
Bodyweight chin-ups
Partner assisted chin-ups
Banded or self assisted

Double Unders
1:00 AMRAP or attempts
No Single Unders!

STRENGTH

Back Squat
3×8-10 reps

Notes
Perform 3–4 progressive warm-up sets then complete 3 progressive and challenging sets of 8-10 reps. Rest 3-4 minutes between sets. Leave 2–3 reps in reserve each set. Weights should feel tough but doable.

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CrossFit Group Class Programming Template (WK3/8)

Bring a friend to the gym day with Alex and Casey

How to Be a Good Bar Partner

By Chris Fox (June 2014)

We’re not speaking about how to help a friend get lucky by being a good wing man or woman here—we’re going to discuss seven ways you can be a solid bar mate when paired up with others during one of the lifting segments of a group class at CFSBK.

1. Be ready to lift. This seems simple enough. After all, that’s what you’re going to do in a moment. Have your lifting gear—shoes, wraps, tape, belt, sleeves, special clean and jerk PR shirt, whatever—on you by the time your coach pairs you out to lift.

2. Have your numbers planned. Obviously you need to know this so a coach can pair you on a rack, and this goes especially for the slow lifts where there shouldn’t really be any guessing. This is where good journaling comes into play. Knowing what you squatted last week, what you plan to hit this week, and what your warm up sets will look like will help you be efficient during the warm ups so you can rest between work sets. I’m always amazed when it’s 10 minutes into lifting time and a rack is still warming up. If you don’t know what you’re loading on the bar, then at best you’ll waste some of your lifting time. Even worse, you’ll waste your classmate’s time. This is by far the biggest time suck we notice during classes. Having a plan for your warm up sets will allow you to make practical decisions for your warm ups and also be flexible for the sake of keeping the flow moving. 

3. Be present, especially if you are spotting someone. I don’t think I need to explain why you should be present when spotting but I’ve seen people drift off while doing it. I once had to “ask” someone not to be on their phone when spotting the bench press. Related to this, understand how to spot a lift. We’re only talking about the bench press and the back squat here. What we expect might be different than what you learned in the high school weight room, so if you’re not sure how we spot these lifts at CFSBK, ask a coach. Even while not spotting, being present with your rack mates is a good idea. You’ll often lift with the same few people for a cycle on a lift. It’s nice to know a bit about them and enjoy the time. I don’t mean you need to force idle chitchat, but an extra pair of eyes can be helpful, as can words and cues of support. Additionally, being present ensures that you’re being mindful of things around you and your partner’s rack. Extraneous bumpers lying in the way of a potential bail can cause a bar to take an unpredictable path, as can someone walking into a heavy bar on someone’s back. Being aware of your surroundings can head off avoidable injuries. Be in control instead of wondering what’s going to happen. 

4. Keep it in bounds. While we expect people to be engaged and help their partners, remember that you are not a coach and shouldn’t take over all the cueing adjustments/programming in your platform. It’s a fine line to find for some people but when in doubt ask a coach and always defer to the advice given by staff. We’ve heard people with great intentions give bad cueing or suggestions to rack mates. Know thyself.

5. Be ready for your set. When you’re not ready, you push the person behind you further back on the clock. In busier classes when there are three or even four people in a rack, someone should just about always be lifting. Don’t miss your turn or make your rack run out of time. 

6. Be clean, at least relatively. If the air around you suggests you may not have seen a bar of soap since the X-Files went off the air, it can be unpleasant and distracting to those around you. We work out together in pretty close quarters and get sweaty and sure, we all stink a bit every now and then (like me a few Thursdays ago, sorry!) but do your best to make that the exception, not the rule. Please note that some exercise apparel, especially that tech/wicking stuff, does not wash well—and all exercise gear has a shelf life.

7. Help load and unload the bar. Another pretty self-explanatory one. Share the workload on setup and breakdown—even going as far as to help another rack put stuff away if you’re done. You can’t really do too much here, but you can certainly do too little.

These are just a few things that can help your experience and that of your peers be more effective and enjoyable. Your fitness doesn’t happen in a vacuum at CrossFit South Brooklyn and the stronger we all get, the stronger we all get.