Just a quick reminder that we've cancelled ALL classes this weekend (both free beginners and WOD classes) because we're hosting the CrossFit Kettlebell with Jeff Martone on Saturday, February 28th and Sunday, March 1st.

See everybody on Monday bright and early--remember, additional weekday morning WOD classes at 6am & 8am start this coming Monday, March 2nd!

Brooklyn's new culinary movement
Students stand when called upon, and when not
"Most of the recommendations backed by cardiologists aren't supported by rigorous scientific testing"
Veggies don't have to be colorful to be good for you

Tripp is head over heels for kettlebells:

REMINDER! No classes this weekend as we host the Jeff Martone Kettlebell Certification.

Friday 090227 (44)

Compare to 040817.

The athletic cartel known as the NCAA
Krista calls bullsh*t on candy yogurt as a "health food"
What's eating our kids? Fears about 'bad' foods
The exalted olive
F*** you, rowing machine
Robb Wolf responds to the question, "what about vegetarians?"
French fry chemical may go on toxic list

Kevin P. locks it out on his push jerk:

Thursday 090226 (43)

Compare to 040613.

What does it mean to have an active shoulder?
The unusual suspects
Is food the new sex?
Strength without size: getting stronger without getting bulky
Essential cookbooks for low-carb cooking
"If it's important, do it every day"
The toning problem: why women are missing out when it comes to weight training
Fear and insecurity (and crossfit)

Alex, mid-push jerk:

Wednesday 090225 (42)

Post loads to comments.

Why do people take risks?
Interview with Robert LaValva of New Amsterdam Market
Another link between fructose, obesity and ill health
Bending from the hips is a learned skill
Hammering strength into the wrists
Founder of Niman Ranch won't eat Niman Ranch (via)
At 44, a running career in ascent
L.A. Times on fasting

Audrey front squats:

CONFIDENTIAL to all the lurkers out there reading this here blog who are thinking about trying CrossFit: we've got SIX (count 'em, six) different free beginners' classes a week with 5 different instructors: Sun @ 10am (Justin), Tues/Thurs @ 10am (Jacinto), Tues @ 7:30pm with Allison (i.e., me), Thurs @ 7:30pm with Dan D., and Sat @ 10am with Josh. So click here to pre-register! And remember, there's no limit on beginners' classes. PLEASE NOTE, however, that there are no beginners' classes this Saturday (Feb. 28) or Sunday (Mar. 1) here at our Manhattan location. (You can do beginners' this weekend at our Brooklyn location, however [1pm, both Sat. and Sun.].)

Tuesday 090224

Rest Day Make-up Workouts
7:00 AM: Instructor's Choice
12:30 PM: Instructor's Choice
6:00 PM: Rows & Push Presses or DB Snatches & L-pull-ups
6:30 PM: Front Squats
7:00 PM: Rows & Push Presses or DB Snatches & L-pull-ups
8:00 PM: Front Squats

In addition, tonight we've got:
CFE-NYC @ 630pm (with Brian H.)
Central Park, meet at Columbus Circle entrance.
A run warm up, some running drills then a running WOD and a cooldown.
Approx. 1 hour total.

Stop thinking about stretching specific muscles. We are mobilizing restricted ranges.
NYC Greenmarket due for some green veggies finally!
Not Eating Out In New York interviews my favorite local pig farmer
Mark's Daily Apple-approved primal bloggers on the net (including our very own Brynith!)
"We call this flexible strength"
Peanut allergy cured...with peanuts!
A new iPhone app to help you eat locally and seasonally, wherever you may be

We're THIS excited about crossfit!

Upcoming Elements Workshops
Elements #39 begins March 9th, MWF @ 10am
Elements #40 begins March 9th, MWF @ 7:30pm (only 1 slot left!) SOLD OUT!
Elements #41 begins March 16th, MWF @ 8:30pm

UPDATE! More new Elements Workshops!
NEW! Elements #42 begins March 23rd, MWF @ 7:30pm
NEW! Elements #43 begins March 24th, Tue/Thur @ 8:30pm (meets 2x week for 3 weeks)
NEW! Elements #44 begins March 30th, MWF @ 8:30pm

Important Notices for Members:

Next weekend (Feb 28, Mar 1) Black Box Manhattan will be hosting the CrossFit Kettlebell Cert with Jeff Martone. All regular classes are canceled.

Starting Monday, March 2, we will be adding two additional weekday morning WOD classes at 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM. This is in addition to our regular 7:00 AM weekday class.

Starting Saturday, March 7, we will be adding a 1:00 PM WOD class on Saturday and Sunday. This is in addition to our 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM weekend classes.

With these new WOD classes, we will have more than doubled our total classes since moving to the new location in December, from 22 per week to 46.

Monday 090223 (41)

Post time to comments.

Why fear strength?
Medball-o-rama
9 ways to deal with hunger on a diet
Pattern #1--study your mistakes
Health care you can't afford not to afford / For uninsured young adults, DIY healthcare
How to shop for meat
Physical therapy and the camaraderie of healing

The bench-pressing snowman. Maybe we can teach him to deadlift?

Sunday 090222 (40)

Post loads to comments.

Wounded warrior fitness
Using CrossFit to prepare for a 100-mile race
Great workout, forget the view
Heavy squats (video)

REMEMBER: The new Sat/Sun schedule here in Manhattan is 10am free beginners' class, 11am Workout of the Day (WOD) class, noon WOD class. If you're looking for a mid-afternoon WOD, I'd suggest heading out to our Williamsburg outpost CFBK (1pm beginners', 2pm WOD).

Important Notices:

Next weekend (Feb 28, Mar 1) Black Box Manhattan will be hosting the CrossFit Kettlebell Cert with Jeff Martone. All regular classes are canceled.

Starting Monday, March 2, we will be adding two additional weekday morning WOD classes at 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM. This is in addition to our regular 7:00 AM weekday class.

Starting Saturday, March 7, we will be adding a 1:00 PM WOD class on Saturday and Sunday. This is in addition to our 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM weekend classes.

With these new WOD classes, we will have more than doubled out total classes since moving to the new location, from 22 per week to 46.

Saturday 090221 (39)

"Joshie"

Compare to 080205.

Coach B wants to fix your cleans
Justin Lascek: "Do hard things"
The crying WOD
When we say jump, you ask, "how high?"

"Always do full squats" (click for larger version so that you may read the text):

but if you have a WOD from the most recent 3-day cycle to make up, here are your options:

Friday 090220

If you do one of these WODs today, post which you chose and how you did on it. If you're taking a Rest Day today, please post to comments what you thought of this 3-day cycle.

How to get your boss to allow a mid-day nap (for reals!)
'Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind' comes to real life? (via)
If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, the United States Department of Agriculture is an asphalt factory.
Speed work
Rapid health improvements with a Paleolithic diet
Can a trainer help with results?
Caveman cookies! (via)

Tony T. shows us the joy inherent to spending quality time with your barbell:

Free beginners' classes 6 times a week! (Taught by Jacinto, Dan D., Josh, Justin, and Allison--check schedule for details)
Upcoming Elements Workshops that have already sold out: Elements #37, #38
Elements Workshop #39 at the new 10am time slot! (5 slots left)
Elements Workshop #40 (3 slots left)
NEW! Elements Workshop #41
And don't forget we also offer private training with online appointment request capabilities

Thursday 090219 (38)

Compare to 071028.

Steve Cotter's spinning Sots press (video)
Dress, dial, flower: loosening up the mind for creative associations
When it comes to training, everything old is new again
Robb Wolf on man the hunter
Training with a newborn
The art of the finisher
At the production site of Risto WL shoes

Dress shoes and slacks are no impediment to Josh's butterfly kip:

Wednesday 090218 (37)

Compare to 081102.

How the city hurts your brain...and what you can do about it (via)
A promising treatment for athletes, in blood
Monsanto tries to woo the New Yorker's Michael Pollan-loving readers (via)
Eat cheaply without feeling cheap: get mezze!
Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit. (video)

Craig shows us his Turkish get up:

Tuesday 090217 (36)

Compare to 081028.

Why doesn't CrossFit use the kettlebell snatch? (via)
Salsa and chips? Nah--salsa and MEAT!
Fire breathers are one thing...crossfitting moms are another
K Star on simplicity, or how to be a coach, not just a trainer
"Non-habit forming"
Blood markers

CFE-NYC WOD: 630pm, meet at Columbus Circle entrance of Central Park

Members of CFNYC, CFBK, and CF Harlem came together yesterday as CFBK's first-ever Yearling Tournament. Photo courtesy of Justin, who teaches classes at both of our locations. For more of his pics of the event, click here. For Juan's pics from the Tournament (and CFNYC/CFBK in general), click here.

Monday 090216

Rest Day Make-ups

Please post chosen workout and score to comments.

If you're lucky enough to have the day off from work and are looking for a change of pace, I'd suggest a visit out to our sister gym for their Yearling Tournament today at noon. It will feature the Bingo Hopper Wheel of Doom. What more could you want, really?

10,000 hours
The other half of CF NorCal is blogging: Nicki Violetti
Paleo + IF + CF--it works
Great article on Coach B (via)
CrossFit Three Rivers has some stuff for your reading list (via)

CAPTION CONTEST! Whatever could Zach (left) and Brett be discussing, with jump rope and screwdriver in hand? Please do let us know in the comments...

Just a friendly reminder: if the thought of an 11am or noon workout strikes you as way too early for a Sunday, then consider heading out to our sister gym for the 2pm WOD. (As a member of CFNYC, you have access to CFBK, too--you did know that, yeah?)

And if you're a newbie looking for a free beginners' class who is too tired for our 10am weekend beginners' classes here in Manhattan, then hop the L train out to CFBK for their Saturday and/or Sunday beginners' classes at 1pm.

Sunday 090215 (35)

Compare to 040501.

We all know by now that the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. So in keeping with yesterday's theme of what do you love about CrossFit and/or CFNYC, please post to comments the thing you are now most indifferent about when it comes to working out --what useless crap have you abandoned from your previous training and/or eating habits? (It has to be a thing you once held dear and valued.) How has cutting out that thing (or action, or mindset) helped you focus on what really does make a positive difference in being truly fit?

Burger bound, from corner to shack
The maggots in your mushrooms
Say it ain't so: Electronic gear shifts for bicycles
The path of the buttercup
Report from the first chess biathlon (via)

Happy birthday, Brian K.!

REMINDER for newbies: Free beginners' classes every Saturday and Sunday at 10am.

REMINDER for members: 2 Workout of the Day (WOD) classes every Saturday and Sunday (11am, noon).

Saturday 090214 (34)

Compare to 080228.

Tribes and CrossFit (via)
The truth is you just need to get on with it
Rhabdo--the blog
Predictors of endurance training performance
The story of Cupid and Psyche

Friday 090213 (33)

"Fran"

Compare to 081203.

Our sister gym CFBK has info on how to help out a fellow CrossFitter in Australia who lost all of his worldly possessions in the brush fires happening over there. Please click through and help if you can. Thanks.

Sagittal plane barbell junkies need dynamic mobility work like this (video)
Forget about survival of the fittest / The complete works of Darwin online / The origin of Darwin / 200 years
Low-carb battles in your brain
Shana goes for the Games (via)

Overhead squat with an 81 millimeter mortar tube, courtesy of Lt. Gabe (who will be visiting our fair city this weekend):

Reminder of our new free beginners' class schedule: Tues/Thurs at 10am and 7:30pm (yes, that means there are free classes today and tonight) and Sat/Sun at 10am (as usual).

UPCOMING ELEMENTS WORKSHOPS:
Elements #37 MWF 7:30pm, starts February 23rd (one slot left) SOLD OUT!
Elements #38 MWF 8:30pm, starts March 2nd
Elements #39 MWF 10am, starts March 9th
NEW! Elements #40 MWF 7:30pm, starts March 9th

MEMBERS! Don't forget we now have 4 WOD classes a night (6, 6:30, 7, and 8pm) and 2 WOD classes on Saturdays and Sundays (11am, noon). See the full schedule on MINDBODY.

Thursday 090212
Rest Day Make-up Schedule:
7am Instructor's choice
12:30pm Instructor's choice
6pm: 7x1 deadlifts or "Cindy"
6:30pm: double-unders/cleans/ring dips
7pm: 7x1 deadlifts or "Cindy"
8pm: double-unders/cleans/ring dips

ANNOUNCEMENT for all CFNYC members: If you're lucky enough to have off this coming Monday, February 16th (Presidents' Day) and are looking for some friendly CrossFit competition on what is a scheduled Rest Day, I'd highly recommend you head out to our sister gym, CrossFit Brooklyn, for their first-ever Yearling Tournament. So don't worry if you're not a Fire Breather (yet). Want more details? Email them at blackboxbrooklyn@gmail.com. (And if you'd like to sign up for their monthly newsletter, let them know that, too.)

Tyler sez: get bent
The physics of rugby
Right to play: when children play, the world wins
ExuberantAnimal.com
500+ pound deadlift at 75 years old
How to taste chocolate
Getting over the afternoon slump

Diego deadlifts 225 295 pounds while Levi and I watch in the background:

Wednesday 090211 (32)

For time:
45 Double-unders
135 pound Squat clean, 45 reps
45 Ring Dips
45 Double-unders

Compare to 080628.

Only a fool hires himself as a coach
The Mic'd Instructor: the handstand pushup
Your poor lats: instructions for care and feeding
You already know almonds are good for you. Now find out why.
Milking it

Coach Court's got your squats and milk right here:

Tuesday 090210 (31)

Compare to 080819.

I wish the word "bulk" were stricken from the English language, because it seems like all you have to do is utter it in the presence of a woman who is tentatively dipping her toes into the much-misunderstood world of strength training and she'll run screaming for the Spinning studio, never to be seen again.
Tainted food draws little urgency
A pinch of science to go with your salt
Coffee, diabetes, and weight control
Foodoro (via)
Avocados go sweet--avocado shakes in Manhattan
Learn it don't burn it: food classes in NYC

Recent birthday-boy George in the middle of his birthday workout:

UPCOMING ELEMENTS WORKSHOPS:
Elements #36 (Mon/Wed/Fri at 8:30pm) begins a week from today (2/16)
Elements #37 (Mon/Wed/Fri at 7:30pm) begins on 2/23
Elements #38 (Mon/Wed/Fri at 8:30pm) begins on 3/2
Elements #39 (Mon/Wed/Fri at 10:00am) begins on 3/9

You don't have to do a free beginners' class before enrolling in an Elements Workshop, but we do encourage you to do so. (You can also continue to attend these free classes while waiting for your Elements Workshop to begin and/or while attending Elements.) And now that we offer so many different days and times for free beginners' classes, why not?

Monday 090209 (30)

Compare to 081221.

Go Yelp us: CFNYC, CFBK. Thanks in advance.
The amazing journey to the first-ever women's rugby World Cup in Dubai
Science is hot
A good reason not to take "weight-loss products"
A new paleo treat
Eating habits and memory function
"Cracked, shattered, broken, completely destroyed"?--yeah, that sounds like a CrossFit Endurance workout

Please excuse the blurriness of the photos and say hello to some of our newest Elements Workshop graduates!

From Elements #29, taught by yours truly, we have (from left to right) Steven, Roger, Matt, Gennady, Dan B., and Mike:

From Elements #31, taught by Court, we have (from left to right) Kwasi, Rickke, and Adam L.:

Sunday 090208

Post workout chosen and score to comments.

Whole grains don't stop you getting fat
Head faults revisited

Jon needs photographic evidence of his beach muscles:

Saturday 090207

Post rounds and fractions of rounds completed to comments.

Meditating in the garden of self-loathing
Rip on hip drive in the low-bar back squat
Dieting? Put your money where your fat is

REMINDER: Beginning tomorrow, we now have 2 Workout of the Day (WOD) Classes on Saturday and Sunday (at 11am and noon). Beginning Monday, February 9th, there are 4 weeknight evening WOD classes at 6, 6:30, 7, and 8pm. (Please note there will no longer be a 7:30pm WOD.)

More dates and new times for Elements Workshops!

More free beginners' classes than you can shake a stick at!

Friday 090206 (28)

Compare to 081229.

Imagination can improve performance in sport and other skilled behaviors
The benefits of bone broth
Purpose, revisited
Statins and sprints
Head to hoof: inside the new carnivore movement
Finally, some good uses for those stupid heart-rate monitors
When in doubt, blame New Jersey

Jacinto and Joe S. go for weighted pull-ups:

Evening Elements Workshops:
Elements # 36, M/W/F 8:30pm: Feb. 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27
Elements #37, M/W/F 7:30pm: Feb. 23, 25, 27; Mar. 2, 4, 6
Elements #38, M/W/F 8:30pm: Mar. 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13

First-ever 10am Elements Workshop!
Elements #39, M/W/F 10am: Mar. 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20

Not ready for Elements yet? Try a free beginners' class!

Thursday 090205 (27)

Compare to 080523.

Hunting for your dinner
Just say no to taco (or why you should keep your chin tucked on low-bar back squats)
Why is tower running so popular? / Stair races all over the world / Climb to the top of Rock Ctr & raise money to fight MS
Fun with functional circuits

The softer side of CrossFit: Jessica R. and Jon enjoy some post-WOD stretching and chatting.

ELEMENTS WORKSHOP UPDATE:
Great news if you're thinking of signing up for an Elements Workshop. We've got new dates and times on offer and we also offer an easier way to pay for it. The workshop costs $300 but now instead of having to pay the entire $300 up front, you can put down a $125 deposit to reserve your space. (Just be sure to pay the $175 balance one week before your workshop begins so as to not lose your spot.) To sign up, click below:

Evening Elements Workshops:
Elements # 36, M/W/F 8:30pm: Feb. 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27
Elements #37, M/W/F 7:30pm: Feb. 23, 25, 27; Mar. 2, 4, 6
Elements #38, M/W/F 8:30pm: Mar. 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13

First-ever 10am Elements Workshop!
Elements #39, M/W/F 10am: Mar. 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20

Still unsure about whether CrossFit training is for you? Come to one of our free beginners' classes!

Wednesday 090204

REST-DAY MAKE-UPS:
7:00, 12:30 : 5 x 5 squats, "Kelly" or 30 muscle-ups
6:00: "Kelly" or 30 muscle-ups
6:30; 5 x 5 squats or "Kelly"
7:30 5 x 5 squats or 30 muscle-ups

Jon Gilson on Fortitude
How to protect your wrists without tape
Are doctors over-diagnosing food allergies?
Eat your kiwi!
The mind of a winner
Body comp numbers and what they mean
I LEGO N.Y.

As part of my ongoing quest to show you the awesome stuff our members do BESIDES CrossFit, may I present Rickey's story: "I thought I might share this with you guys. This morning I raced in the Empire State Building Run-up. Finished 44th out of 171 runners. I have only been crossfiting for 2 months and am still doing scaled workout but this morning but I definitely felt the benefits of all those squats and box jumps. My legs felt really explosive going up and did not start to give out till the last 20 floors. I can't wait to see what happens in next years race after a full year of crossfit. Thanks, guys."

Tuesday 090203 (26)

Compare to 081224.

Rollerderby reborn--this time as sport, not theater
Are you a Tough Guy? (you don't need to be male to be one)
Peanut scare a new crisis of deregulation (via)
Amusing yourself on a hundred bucks a month
Hunting, gathering, and starving
Skateboarding in Afghanistan
Adaptation paranoia
Another amazing feat of strength from Steve Cotter (video)

Court and Coach!

Effective next Saturday, February 7, we will add a second (12:00 Noon) WOD on both Saturday and Sunday.

Effective one week from Monday, February 9, we will eliminate the 7:30 PM WOD and add both 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM WOD's, making the evening WOD's at 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, and 8:00.

We are considering adding additional morning and/or afternoon classes. Two questions:

1) If you attend or are likely to attend weekday morning classes, which of the following would you prefer:

(a) 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM
(b) 6:30 AM and 7:30 AM
(c) 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM.

2) If you attend or are likely to attend weekday lunch classes, which would you prefer:

(a) 12:30 and 1:30
(b) 12:00 and 1:00

Monday 090202 (25)
30 Muscle-ups for time

Compare to 080926.

Fall in love with Coach all over again: part 1, part 2, part 3
Make over your brain and stop watching makeover shows
CrossFit Radio is looking for a few good noobs!
Chin-up world record (via)
"The most dangerous weapon in America is not a handgun, it's the fork."
When she/he doesn't "get it"

Effective next Saturday, February 7, we will at a second (12:00 Noon) WOD on both Saturday and Sunday.

Effective one week from Monday, February 9, we will eliminate the 7:30 PM WOD and add both 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM WOD's, making the evening WOD's at 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, and 8:00.

We are considering adding additional morning and/or afternoon classes. Two questions:

1) If you attend or are likely to attend weekday morning classes, which of the following would you prefer:

(a) 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM
(b) 6:30 AM and 7:30 AM
(c) 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM.

2) If you attend or are likely to attend weekday lunch classes, which would you prefer:

(a) 12:30 and 1:30
(b) 12:00 and 1:00

Sunday 090201 (24)

Compare to 080409.

Beat the flu for $4 a month
Dietary protein increases lean mass
The latest scare du jour: mercury in HFCS