Monthly Archives: February 2014

Rowing WOD 2/13/14: Peak Power and Tabata Starts – Post Max Watts and Fastest Start

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Rowing WOD:

So fast they're a just a blur on the drive. Renegades crushing the 2k in January.

So fast they’re a just a blur on the drive. Renegades crushing the 2k in January.

Peak Power Test

  • Post Max Watts to Comments.

Tabata Row for Lowest Split

8x :20 On/ :10 Off

  • Practice your Starting Sequence each round.
  • Post Lowest Split hit to Comments.

Strength WOD:

EMOM10

2 Power Snatch

  • Ascending to As Heavy As Possible
  • Post Load to Comments.

Superset:

4×6 Pull Ups

4×6 Dips

Conditioning WOD:

AMRAP7

50 Double Unders

15 Burpees

  • Post Rounds + Reps to Comments.

The focus of today is Power and Preparation for the 2k Start, so be sure to get in the Rowing and Strength WOD.  If time allows, choose the blocks that will help you improve as an athlete.  If you have enough time for all three blocks then attack them all!

For the Peak Power Test set the monitor for 20 seconds of work and 2 minutes of rest.  Start by paddling a couple of strokes to get the fan moving and then go for max watts.  It may help to video the test or have a partner watch to tell you the highest watts you pulled in just one stroke.  During the 2 minutes of rest paddle lightly or roll out.  Take 3 or 4 tries to find your max wattage starting with the damper set low and increasing the drag each successive try.  At some point you’ll find a drag that you like and gives you the most power.  Your score for the Peak Power Test is the Max Watts pulled in just one stroke.

Give us your best and share your results and experience to comments!

Who’s Ready to test the 2k Saturday or Crush It at CRASH-B’s on Sunday?

Strength and Conditioning WOD 2/12/14: 7×1 Back Squat, “Fran” – Post Loads and Time

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Rowing WOD:

The Men getting pumped for CRASH-Bs at last months Renegade Rowing League!

The Men getting pumped for CRASH-Bs at last months Renegade Rowing League!

5 x 15 Strokes – Start and Settle as follows w/ 20 Stroke Paddle (No Pressure) in between

  • 3 stroke start (1/2, 3/4, Full)
  • 7 strokes high (@34-40 s/m)
  • 5 stroke settle (immediately settle to race pace)
  • Post the number of strokes it took to settle to comments.

Strength WOD:

7×1 Back Squats

  • Post Loads to Comments.

Conditioning WOD:

“Fran”

21-15-9

Thrusters (95#/65#)

Pull Ups

  • Post time to comments.

Today’s Focus is Strength and Conditioning, so attack those Back Squats and get after Fran!  With CRASH-B’s coming up this weekend you want to make sure your start and settles are dialed in, so use the Rowing WOD as a good warmup for the Back Squats.  Try to settle immediately on the next stroke after your high 7.  In the Back Squats keep your chest up and load your posterior chain by pushing those hips back first.  If you can keep your hamstrings turned on throughout and not let your weight shift to the toes you will train the strength and power we need from the posterior chain through the middle of our drive.  If you have time give “Fran” a shot and try to beat your score from last week, it’s an awesome challenge.

Fran is a classic Benchmark WOD!  While Fran is similar in feeling to a 2k it is a beast unto itself.  How will you attack it?  What’s your game plan?  Have you thought about breaking it down into sections of focus like a 2k race plan?  Can you dig deep and go faster than last week?

Share your experience to comments!

Rowing WOD 2/11/14: 8x250m w/ 45sec Rest – Post Splits

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Rowing WOD:

The Ladies getting after their last 2k at the Renegade Rowing League in January!

The Ladies getting after their last 2k at the Renegade Rowing League in January!

8 x 250m w/ 45 seconds Rest

  • Race Pace!
  • Execute like Race Plan
  • Post Race Plan and Splits to Comments

Conditioning WOD:

AMRAP8

8 Wall Balls (20/14 lbs.)

8 Slam Balls (20/10 lbs.)

200m Run

Strength WOD:

Superset:

5×5 Toes to Bar

5×5 GHD Hip Extensions

The Open starts at the end of the month and it is time to start thinking about your game plan for certain WODs.  Those with experience know the benefit of pacing, gaming, and executing a plan to produce a personal best performance.  In the end a game plan facilitates mental toughness and focus to deal with pain when things get tough.

This Sunday, February 16th, we will be testing our 2k at the World Indoor Rowing Championships otherwise known as CRASH-B’s.  If you’re in the Boston Area come cheer on all the rowers at Boston University’s Agganis Arena.  If you’re an athlete from out-of-town and would like to come checkout CrossFit Boston and Renegade Rowing, please let us know in the comments and we’ll set something up.  Our gym is located at 114 Western Ave in Allston, MA directly across from Harvard Business School.  Hope to see you this weekend!

Today’s focus is executing a 2k race plan at high intensity.  Set the monitor for intervals distance with 250m of Work and 45 seconds of Rest.  Row every piece just as you would during your 2k this weekend.  Get off to a good start and settle on the first one.  Stay consistent from pieces 2 − 4.  Fight for that split on pieces 5-7.  Bring it home in the last 250m.

This should not be an all out 250m Max Effort, but rather a calculated effort at a split close to what you think your current 2k split would be.  The goal should be to pull the lowest split possible, consistently through all 10 intervals.  For example: alternating between splits of 1:50 and 2:00 is inefficient.  Instead consistently pull 1:55 every interval.

Use the mental cues that you practiced last week to be positive and attack!  You want to be in control of your 2k, embrace the pain, and enjoy the glory.  It all starts here.  Final preparation.  Do it!

Strength WOD 2/10/14: 7×1 Deadlift and 10+ RM Retest – Post Loads

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Rowing WOD:

All of the Competitors from the last Renegade Rowing League. Can't wait to see them compete again on Sunday!

All of the Competitors from the last Renegade Rowing League. Can’t wait to see them compete again on Sunday!

2 x 15′ w/ 5′ Rest

(5′ @ 20 s/m, 5′ @ 22, 3′ @ 24, 2′ @ 26)

  • Post Distances to Comments.

Strength WOD:

7×1 Deadlift

Then wait at least 5 minutes,

10+ RM Retest of heaviest load from last 3×10 DL

  • Post Loads to Comments.

Conditioning WOD:

AMRAP12

12 Air Squats

6 Handstand Push Ups

400m Run

  • Post Score to Comments.

CRASH-B’s week is here!  This Sunday all of our hard work gets put to the test.  Get in some solid work each day, but be sure you’re recovered, feeling good, and ready to compete whether you’re retesting your 2k on Saturday or racing at CRASH-B’s on Sunday.

Today’s Focus is Strength and we are testing both our 1 Rep Max as well as retesting our 10+ Rep Max at the heaviest weight we did for 3×10 Deadlifts six weeks ago.  Today’s Rowing WOD is a chance to work on Rhythm and Timing and is also a great warmup for our Strength WOD.  Every five minutes the rating will change to keep you focused.  Try to fix one part of your stroke each five minutes.  Your effort level on this should be such that you can get out sentences to a neighbor, but breathing is labored.  In the last five minutes keep your efficiency but really try to bring the split down as the stroke rating increases and start to get fired up for those Deadlifts!

Get after it and have a solid start to the week!

Rest Day 2/9/14: Thanks and Congrats to our Renegades in Texas!

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Renegades are ready for CRASH-B's! Bring it on!

Renegades are ready for CRASH-B’s! Bring it on!

I hope you all get to have a restful Sunday and enjoy watching some awesome competition at the Winter Olympics with your family and friends.  It has been a great winter of training hard and inspiring more and more people to not just row, but row well and row hard.  With all of the rowing that takes place in Boston it has been a privilege to interact with Renegade Rowing Athletes following the blog and training across the world.  It’s especially been amazing interacting with all of the athletes finding rowing in the state of Texas.  Recently I received an email from Ward who has been training right along with the Renegade Rowing Club this winter.  He’s a masters rower who competed at the Dallas SWEAT’s Indoor Rowing Competition (Southwest Ergometer Amateur Tournament) and he’s made some awesome gains.

Thanks Ward and every Renegade Rower in Texas for pushing hard this winter and sharing your experience with us!  Keep up the hard work!

Here’s what Ward had to say about his Renegade Rowing Experience:

” Coach Pat,

Thank you for letting me tag along with your merry RRL band of athletes. Via internet, YouTube, programming and perhaps most importantly – the explanations of why we are doing and what we hope to accomplish from each WOD – you have taken me from not having a clue to actually having the confidence to create a 2K game plan.  I print out all of the WODs and occasionally go back and re-read the explanations – more than once a light bulb goes off; agh, this is what he means.

There is no doubt that had I been in Boston with your group, or even had a training partner vs training solo in Dallas I could have made greater physical gains, but that does not diminish the incredible job you have done in effectively teaching concepts, encouraging effort and making this a fun journey.

This morning I had a 2K PR at SWEAT: 7:37.4 (Masters 65+).
Thanks Pat!  Good luck at Crash B’s.

-Ward ”

You’re the man Ward!