BTSCF Newsletter - April 2019

Apr 17

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April showers bring….opportunities to run in the rain. It is finally getting warmer and now is the time to refocus after The Open, set new goals and begin to put in the work. At BTSCF, we have a lot of great things happening to help you continue on your fitness journey. Looking to get your journey started? We have you covered also.

$30 for 30 Days? Don’t Miss This Great Deal!

This month, we are offering an incredible deal! Not sure about CrossFit? Join us for 30 days of UNLIMITED training for only $30 and see what we are all about. No commitment is required. This deal expires at the end of the month and is for new members only. Call, email, or stop in during a class for more information or to get started.

Just Like That, The 2019 CrossFit Open is Over

Many people will agree that for most of us, The Open is a two year test. The first year is where you set a baseline for your ability, fitness level, and mental toughness. The second year is where you really see the magic happen. That’s the year for you to see just how far you’ve come and see the rewards for the hard work you’ve put in. The growth isn’t just for each individual athlete though, the growth is also for the Community, and BTSCF as a whole.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve been in The Open for years, if this was your second year, or if this was your first Open. The BTSCF process is the same. We offer our athletes the chance to improve a little bit each day, week, month, and year. We are looking to give our athletes the chance to set a foundation to live their lives with a level of fitness which enables them to move and be functional. In 10, 15, 20, 30 years and more, we want our athletes to move and feel better than they did 5 and 10 years ago. That is why we do not put emphasis on the leaderboard, but we challenge our athletes during the open to surpass their previous performances. The Open can be viewed in the same way you get tests done each year during a physical. Do the results show that you are healthier and fitter than you were last year? We believe by trusting the process, our athletes will find they are better. We don’t use blood pressure, cholesterol, and insulin levels to measure health and fitness, we use pull ups, burpees, and thrusters.

For some athletes, they’ve participated in The Open for several years. The thing is that the only two Opens that matter are the last one where a new baseline was set, and the next one. For other athletes, they just completed their second Open. Take a moment, did you improve? Great, now your first one doesn’t matter anymore. The only two Opens that matter are the last one and the next one. Then there are the athletes that participated in the Open for the first time this year. To these athletes, a special congratulations needs to be given. The Open is tough, and it takes getting outside of your comfort zone. For most, having a judge specifically telling you if your movement is good or not and counting your reps can be intimidating. It’s not easy. But you did it! Can you guess what I’m going to say next? This past Open matters, and so does the next one.

Trust the process, work hard, and you’ll see growth.

Our athletes demonstrated victories of all kinds during The Open. Again, we don’t emphasize the leaderboard, but we have athletes that jumped tens of thousands of places from last year. Outside of the leaderboard, we have athletes that set personal records. Some of those ranged from accomplishing a movement like their first chest to bar pull-up, hand stand push-up or bar muscle up. Others cleaned a heavier weight, or did more toes-to-bar than they were ever able to in the past. Some of our athletes went from scaling all of the Open workouts to getting an Rx in one of them. Some got two or three and some were able to Rx all of them. We have athletes that weren’t sure about participating, and they choose to show up. We have athletes that pushed themselves. They moved faster than they have in the past.

Every athlete is chasing something. We love seeing our athletes catch and surpass what they are chasing. Our process is the roadmap we put forth and our athletes trust. The next Open will be here soon, and we know our athletes will grow and make new accomplishments.

BTSCF Athletes competing in Open Workouts 19.4 and 19.5.

Beyond our individual athletes, BTSCF and our Community saw a lot of growth as well. We were thrilled this year to have 49 members represent themselves and our community in The Open, up from 31 participants last year. We are excited to see this number increase as more of our members choose to put themselves out there with the support of our Coaches, but most importantly their fellow athletes.

The community growth in The Open goes hand in hand with the growth of Burn the Ships. We may open the doors, but it is our athletes that come into the building, work hard, and support each other. The energy and push that everyone put forth for those around them is the icing on the cake for us. That is why this year, we recognized two of our athletes with “BTSCF Spirit of The Open” Awards.

Our Spirit of The Open awards were awarded to Jason Vicchiariello and Lauren Newnam. These awards were in recognition for “Exemplifying what it means to be a BTSCF Community Member by putting forth their best effort towards personal growth while maintaining a supportive attitude throughout the 2019 CrossFit Open.” Not only were both athletes recognized during our Open Wrap-Up Party, they were also awarded a special “WOD Programmer for a Day” coupon. With the help and approval of our staff, each athlete will be able to program a WOD for all of our members. We are proud of both athletes, and would like to once again congratulate Jason and Lauren.

BTSCF Athletes and BTSCF Spirit of The Open winners Jason Vicchiariello and Lauren Newnam showing off their new awards shortly after completing Open Workout 19.5.

Another important part of the community during The Open is the team of volunteers who took the Judges Course and helped guide all of our athletes through The Open. Our Friday Night Lights Throwdowns and the logistics of moving 49 members through these workouts for 5 weeks is not possible without their help. Beyond giving their time, each and every judge wants to see all of our members succeed, so it can become very challenging to “No Rep” their friends, family, or workout buddies. We pride ourselves on holding our judges and athletes to the highest of movement standards that have been provided, so we would like to offer a special thanks to all of those who volunteered to judge.

To officially close the book on the 2019 CrossFit Open, we celebrated with our Annual Open Wrap-Up party. During the party, all of our athletes were able to relax and enjoy the accomplishments and company. We said it during the party, but we would like to once again thank and honor our athletes: you are the glue that holds it all together. Your efforts inspire, and we are blown away by the trust you have put in Burn the Ships to help guide you on your journey. You are part of our journey and with the process in place, we are excited to see where you go and what you do next.

BTSCF Athletes celebrating their many amazing accomplishments throughout the 2019 Open at the Annual BTSCF Open Wrap-Up Party.

Handstand Foundations Class

On April 13, 2019, we invited BTSCF Member and Owner of 108 Lotus Yoga, Meagan Kameen to help guide our members through the foundations and development of the handstand. The class focused on increasing mobility, core stability, and practicing breathing techniques. Meagan also took the class through progressions to increase body awareness and comfort while upside-down.

At BTSCF, we always stress the importance of differentiating between practice, training, and competing. This class was a great opportunity for our members to have fun while dialing down the intensity and practicing to achieve proper handstand mechanics.

Meagan Kameen guiding the class through exercises and providing instruction to use the wall as a tool in developing the handstand. BTSCF Athlete Paulie B. performing a handstand on the wall.

March PR’s

BTSCF Athletes continue to break their own barriers and rise to new heights! Keep working hard!

Karen Q. - 1st Box Jump

Cassie - 103 lbs. x 1 Back Squat

Morgan S. - 1st BMU, 130 lbs. x 1 Split Jerk

Melissa - 205 lbs. x 1 Back Squat

Addy - 165 lbs. x 1 Overhead Squat

Erin L. - 1st Pull-Up

Trish. - 10 Double-Unders

Kristin B. - 113 lbs. x 1 Back Squat

Colleen - 113 lbs. x 1 Back Squat

Heather S. - 30 Double-Unders, 125 lbs. x 1 Overhead Squat

Morgan G. - 103 lbs. x 1 Back Squat

Dee - 125 lbs. x 1 Clean, 100 lbs. x 1 Overhead Squat, 245 lbs. x 1 Deadlift

Jeanne - 11 T2B, 11 Pull-Ups

Hans - 1st BMU

Walt - 3 RMU, 58 Double-Unders

Mike L. - 5 Rope Climbs, 30 T2B

Jenn K. - 115 lbs. x 1 Overhead Squat

Sara M. - 83 lbs. x 1 Overhead Squat, 93 lbs. x 5 Back Squat

Christie - 95 lbs. x 1 Power Clean

RD - 103 lbs. x 1 Overhead Squat

Alex B. - 133 lbs. x 5 Back Squat

Bonnie - 115 lbs. x 1 Overhead Squat

Pete V. - 5 BMU

Jamie - 185 lbs. x 5 Back Squat

Jon T. - 155 lbs. x 1 Overhead Squat, 2 Strict HSPU, 1st BMU

Jon H. - 157 lbs. x 1 Overhead Squat, 25 Double-Unders

What Else is Going on at BTSCF?

Competition Corner

On April 27, 2019, BTSCF has a number of members competing in the Festivus Games Co-Ed Partner Competition. This competition is taking place at CrossFit the Rack in Paramus, NJ. Morgan Slimskey and Connor Schall will be making up one team. The other team will comprise of Robb Ruiz and Lindsay Carroll.

On May 11, 2019, Connor Schall, Robb Ruiz, and Mackenzie Decker are teaming up to compete in the 2019 CrossFit Rejunals competition hosted by NEPA CrossFit in Wilkes-Barre, PA. They will compete in 5 events throughout the day.

If anyone is interested in going to either of these competitions to show support, reach out to any of the athletes for details. Please join us in wishing all of them the best of luck.

Murph Is Coming

Burn the Ships CrossFit will host The 2nd Annual Murph Workout and BBQ on May 27, 2019. Heats will begin at 8 am, 9 am, and 10 am followed by a BBQ with food, games, and good company. Bring your friends and family!

“Murph” is a Hero Workout completed by thousands every Memorial Day to honor Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL who was killed in action in 2005. This workout, originally called “Body Armor” was Murphy’s favorite.

The workout starts with a 1 Mile Run, followed by doing 100 Pull-Ups, 200 Push-Ups, and 300 Unweighted Squats. This portion of the workout may be partitioned as you wish. Once these movements are completed, the workout concludes with another 1 Mile Run. If you have a weighted vest, wear it. Of course like all CrossFit workouts, movements and volume can be scaled based on your fitness needs.

BTSCF Feature Athlete

Meet Kevin Mesnick: I Feel Better Now Than I Did In My 20’s

Greg Glassman, Coach and Founder of CrossFit has said, “The needs of an Olympic athlete and our grandparents differ by degree not kind.” While a champion powerlifter needs to be able to pick up an object that weighs hundreds of pounds, the goal of CrossFit is to allow people as they age to be able to pick up a bag of groceries, get up from the couch with ease, and not have to rely on the assistance of others to accomplish basic daily tasks to live.

BTSCF Athlete Kevin Mesnick is far from being considered advanced in age, but his body was starting to break down in ways due to previous injuries. By all appearances, when he began CrossFit at BTSCF about a year ago, Kevin was healthy and in good shape, but experienced numbness in his right leg and constant agonizing leg cramps stemming from herniated discs in his lower back. He was encouraged by his wife to give CrossFit a try, and he immediately became addicted.

Kevin’s addiction to CrossFit can be seen in his level of commitment. BTSCF Owner, Mike Simmons says “Kevin is a model of hard work.” Some of the technical aspects of CrossFit didn’t come easy to Kevin at first, but he doesn’t let that get in his way. “He works hard at the movements he is not proficient at and does not make excuses. He improves the class he attends by being a great example for other members,” adds Simmons.

After a while, Kevin began bringing his son with him to CrossFit, yet again, setting an example of what it means to work hard and emphasize the importance of taking care of your body.

“Kevin is meticulous in practicing and improving his movements and technique. He takes pride in his work and doesn’t care about leaderboards or comparing his results to anyone else,” said BTSCF Coach Walter Albro. Adding to that, Simmons notes that Kevin “is very smart about his weight choices and does not let ego affect his decision making.”

BTSCF Athlete Kevin Mesnick doesn’t like the bike, but he doesn’t shy away from it.

The hard work and dedication Kevin has displayed has lead to many great accomplishments. He has tackled movements and heavier weights. He works tirelessly, sometimes for weeks just to get one movement. An example of this is the muscle up. Albro adds, “Kevin is humble and will take coaches cues and advice to heart. You can see him immediately begin implementing what is being taught to improve his mobility, strength, capacity, and movement quality.”

Looking at the bigger picture though, the biggest accomplishment is Kevin has improved his quality of life. He has learned about humility and being humble, as well as a lot about himself and what his body is capable of. The time spent practicing and training with functional movements has allowed Kevin to feel great. As an electrician, he has to work in a number of varying positions. He has found with increased mobility, now he can squat while working rather than kneeling or sitting in positions that add stress to joints. He can now move heavy and awkward objects that he once struggled with. This is what we want to see in all of our athletes. When we talk to our athletes about general physical preparedness (GPP), Kevin’s story is exactly what we are talking about. Kevin shared, “I feel better now in my 40’s than I did in my 20’s.”

When Kevin is not tearing up a workout in the gym or working, he enjoys spending time with his family and coaching his son’s baseball teams.

We hit Kevin with some rapid fire questions:

Q: If you could be any animal, what would it be?

A: Lion

Q: If a movie was made about your life, what actor would play you?

A: Russell Crowe

Q: What super power would you give yourself?

A: Flight

Q: What is your favorite healthy food?

A: Broccoli

Q: What is your favorite not so healthy food?

A: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Q: What TV Sitcom family or group would you be a member of?

A: The Office

Q: If you were famous, what would you be famous for?

A: Being stubborn

Q: What is your favorite quote?

A: “Be the best in the room, every time.” - The Rock

Q: If you could write your own fortune cookie fortune, what would it say?

A: You will live a long healthy life with your family.

Q: Who do you look up to for inspiration at BTSCF?

A: My regular coaches, Mike, Walt, Connor, and Morgan…but every member is inspiring in different ways.

Q: What is your favorite and least favorite movement?

A: Favorite is the Squat Clean, least favorite is the assault bike.

Q: What is the one thing you’ve done at BTSCF that your old self wouldn’t ever believe?

A: That all of the back and joint pain that I used to have has gone away. I can play with my kids and not be in pain.

Q: What would you say to someone who is on the fence about starting CrossFit?

A: I would tell them about how my body and mind feel now thanks to BTSCF and doing CrossFit.

Hack Your WOD: Building Push-Up Capacity

Since we are a little over a month away from Murph, now is a great time to refresh push-up technique to help increase your capacity. Here is a checklist to help guide you through improving your push-up:

Don’t Be A Worm: Your body is designed to transfer energy. To best do this, you need to activate all of the muscles in your body. Doing so will allow you to reduce energy loss. Think of your body as a loop of old-fashioned holiday lights. As you move through your push-up, the energy moves up and down the lights. If you remove a bulb at your core though, the lights stop and the energy cannot flow back to your shoulders, back, and chest. To relight the bulbs at the top, it will require much more energy expenditure. To prevent energy loss, tighten everything. Squeeze your quads, hamstrings, glutes, stomach, and back.
Grip the Floor: There are four major points of contact with the floor when doing a push-up. Using them to maintain every bit of stability that you can will help with your push-ups. With your hands, keep your fingers spread apart. Try to squeeze the floor with your fingers and the base of your palm. With your feet, try to grab the floor with your toes.
Don’t Flap Your Wings: Keep your elbows in tight on the sides of your body. The closer you can keep your elbows, the more efficient you’ll be able to use your arms and chest to press.
Check Your Angle: At the top of a push-up, your hands should be stacked under your shoulders. As you descend though, your body should slide forward slightly. At the bottom of the push-up, your hands should be slightly below your shoulders, more in line with your chest. As you push up, press up and back so you return to a position with your shoulders stacked over your hands. Think of it like the bar path of a bench press.
Stay Neutral: We don’t lift, jump, squat, or run with our necks crimped and heads yanked back. Keep your head and spine neutral, with your gaze fixed on the floor a few inches in front of your hands.

Looking for ways to increase your strength? Here are some drills to help build push-up capacity:

Planks: A strong core is vital to increasing capacity. Practice straight arm planks and work to increase the plank hold time to 60 seconds or more.
Plank Shoulder Taps: Once you can hold the plank for at least 60 seconds, practice holding a straight arm plank while alternating tapping your shoulders with the opposite hand. This will help improve core strength and it will isolate each side of your body to help build strength and body control.
Elevated Push-ups: Use a box, stacks of weights, couch, or stairs. Find a height for your hands above your feet where it is doable, but also a challenge to complete 15-20 consecutive push-ups. As you practice and the push-ups become easier, reduce the height of your hands to a lower box or stair. Continue to repeat this until you are able to do push-ups with your hands and feet on the ground.
Pausing Push-ups: Slowly perform push-ups with a brief 1-2 second pause at 3 points. Pause at 1/3, 1/2, and 3/4 in both directions. This will help increase body awareness and control, as well as your strength. It is important that you continue the full range of motion all the way to the top and bottom of the push-up.
Wash, Rinse, Repeat: There is really no way around it. Push-up capacity will not just come to you. Put in the time, practice quality repetitions, and over time the capacity will increase.

BTSCF Newsletter - April 2019

$30 for 30 Days? Don’t Miss This Great Deal!