Monthly Archives: February 2013

Rest Day 2/24/13: Eat some veggies! Share your thoughts on Potatoes?

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Rest Day 2/24/13:

Thoughts on Potatoes?

Roasted Veggies fresh out of the oven.

Roasted Veggies fresh out of the oven!

Alex Black of Wicked Good Nutrition has given us a great recipe to try for roasted veggies.  Get after it and prepare them for meals later this week!  Also, white potatoes are usually a no-no in paleo challenges because of their glycemic index and starch.  They are a vegetable though, so what do you think?  In moderation?

Roasted Veggies with Herbs

This dish is a simpler adaptation of a recipe from a Weight Watchers cookbook. It takes 35-40 minutes to make including cook time. This recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian, and Paleo if your style of Paleo includes potatoes.   …Click Here For the Recipe …

Rowing WOD 2/23/13: 6 x 400m w/ 1:30 Rest – Post Avg Splits

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Rowing WOD 2/23/13:

6 x 400m w/ 1:30 Rest

Jack the dog watching for consistency!

Jack the dog watching for consistency!

  • Focus: Consistent Race Pace

Yesterday we worked on the start and finish of the 2k.  Today’s Rowing WOD is focused on the middle.  Specifically that third 500m into the last 400m of the race.  For those that did a 2k last weekend and didn’t quite hit their goal, you realized that we need to get better at consistency through the middle of the race.  The start and finish can set you up and seal the deal, but the middle of the race is where you must commit to  reach your goal.

Row each piece at your goal 2k split.  For example, if you want to row an 8:00 2k then your 2k split would be 2:00 and you should row every stroke of today’s workout at a 2:00 split.  When I say every stroke, I mean it.  You need to find a rhythm that you can hold while maintaining that goal split each and every stroke.  If you want to step your game up another notch you could even take video of your monitor and count the number of strokes you’re not at that goal spilt.  Perhaps you challenge yourself with a penalty and do 1 push up or 1 burpee every time the split reads something different during the workout.

Get consistent and get after it!

Post your average split for each piece to comments.

Rowing WOD 2/22/13: 800m Row; 4Rds – 4 Snatches, 8 T2B; 400m Row – Post Time

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Rowing WOD 2/22/13:

Renegades practicing their start and settle!

Renegades practicing their start and settle!

Complete All For Time …

800m Row (Like start of 2k)

then,

4 Rounds Of …

4 Snatch (115/85 lbs.)

8 Toes to Bar (sub V-Ups if no bar)

then,

400m Row (Like finish of 2k)

In the coming weeks we’ll be working on two parts of a 2k race.  The ends and the middle.  Today’s Rowing WOD is focused on the ends, meaning the start and the finish.  A good start can set you up for a personal best and a solid finish can seal the deal.  The key to a good start is getting the flywheel moving quickly without taxing your body.  That’s where a sprint start comes in.

A sprint start is usually a short stroke, followed by a longer stroke, followed by a full stroke.  We like to say 1/2 stroke, 3/4 stroke, full stroke, or 1/2, 3/4, full.  Some athletes will get even more precise and do a five stroke sprint start, 3/4, 1/2, 3/4, Lengthen, Full.  Once the fan is moving, keep it moving with 7 to 10 high strokes above a 36 stroke rating.  This will bring your average split down.  As long as you keep it quick and light your body won’t feel it.

Grab a training partner and get after it!

Grab a training partner and get after it!

However, as soon as you finish your high strokes it is important to settle to your race pace.  Otherwise lactic acid will start to build up and your legs will be on fire.  In today’s Rowing WOD be sure to settle to your 2k pace by 200m in so that you can be ready for the snatches and toes to bar.  Once you get into the last 400m be sure to paddle in at your 2k pace and then sprint all out at the 250m mark by negative splitting.  A good goal would be to have an average split for the last 400m that is faster than the average for the first 800m.

Post your time for the workout and average splits for each piece to comments.

Rest Day 2/21/13: Why Do A Paleo Challenge? – Share your thoughts!

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Rest Day 2/21/13:Fruit

Below is a great post from Alex Black of Wicked Good Nutrition on how to start a successful paleo challenge.  If you’re interested in learning more about rowing and nutrition, get in touch with either of us!  Renegade Rowing and Wicked Good Nutrition are teaming up to offer your Box a rowing/paleo challenge that will improve everyone’s performance and lifestyle.

How to Start a Successful Paleo Challenge

Why do a Paleo challenge?babysuccess

Probably because your CrossFit box is running one or you heard about it form a book/the internet/friends and want to try it out. However you got there, starting a paleo diet is no piece of cake (pun completely intended). There’s the question of what to eat and what not to eat. Then there’s the learning to cook paleo thing, and on top of that learning to cook paleo and still ENJOY it thing.

I do want to clarify that this doesn’t mean you have to eat exactly this way all the time. Like I’ve said before, a good diet is a healthful eating plan that works for you. So if you find you feel better when you eat some dairy, then add it back in after the challenge. But in general paleo challenges tend to be fairly strict, and if that’s what you’re doing, I can help! Read on for a crash course in planning for a paleo challenge.

Rowing WOD 2/20/13: 3RFT – 500m Row, 10 HSPU, 15 KB Swings – Post Time

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Rowing WOD 2/20/13:

3 Rounds For Time …RR KB Swing

500m Row

10 Handstand Push Ups

15 Kettle Bell Swings (1.5/1 pood)

This past Sunday at CRASH-B’s it was amazing sitting in the stands and watching the finals of the men’s and women’s open division.  In the last heat of the day the front row of ergs was filled with giants.  The top two athletes who fought tooth and nail to the finish line were holding a pace of 1:29 /500m every stroke for the whole race except the start and finish where they sprinted even faster.  It’d be interesting to see how they’d do in the Open, especially if a 2k row pops up this year.  They would probably crush the field with times around 5:50 for 2,000 meters.

However, it’d be interesting to see where they’d end up in all of the other workouts that might include snatches, muscle ups, double unders, thrusters, toes to bar, box jumps, and who knows what else.  They might do alright, but the more well-rounded athletes would no doubt take over.  So, all of you well-rounded athletes who can crush olympic lifting, box jumps, toes to bar, and any other functional movement … what will you do to make up ground on the elite rowers when a 2k pops up again?

Shane FarmerToday’s Rowing WOD is a good place to start.  Whenever a WOD pops up that includes rowing plus two or three additional movements it helps to have a game plan for the erg going in.  If you know the upper body and posterior chain will be taxed from the handstand push ups and KB swings then sitting down on the erg you should be ready to focus on suspension at the catch.  Stand up off the quads to get most of your power.  When you feel ready, start to bring in the posterior chain more.  Breathing will also be a good thing to focus on when you hop back on the erg.  You want to be recharged and ready to go for the next round of handstand push ups.

Pace and stroke rating will be key, because they can provide a target for you to focus on and hit.  If you know your 2k split, a good goal would be to hold that through the first round and adjust up or down from their depending on how you feel in the second and third round.  When your muscles start to build up metabolic waste and the pain creeps in, try to keep the stroke rating quick and light above a 30 (s/m) rather than long and heavy.

Post your time and focus to comments!