Rowing WOD 8/6/14: AMRAP25min – Row, GtO, Push Ups – Post Rounds + Reps

Rowing WOD:

As Many Rounds As Possible in 25min of…Renegade Rowing League December

Round 1

  • 250m Row
  • 5 Ground to Overhead (135/95 lbs.)
  • 5 Push Ups

*Every Round double the distance and add 5 reps to each movement

Round 2

  • 500m Row
  • 10 GtO
  • 10 Push Ups

Round 3 

  • 1k Row
  • 15 GtO
  • 15 Push Ups

Round 4

  • 2k Row
  • 20 GtO
  • 20 Push Ups

etc…

Today’s Rowing WOD is an opportunity to practice mental toughness and pacing.  When you feel fresh in the beginning try to remain efficient and don’t blow up.  The goal is to keep an even pace all the way through.  Try to pick one split and hold it for each erg piece.  Also have a game plan for the clean and jerks and push ups.  Try to touch and go unbroken, but know exactly how many you’ll do before taking a short break.  Manage your rest and keep moving.  When things start to get tough and painful through the middle focus on form and have a couple of positive thoughts ready to go.  Stay focused on making each rep clean and staying in the moment.

Row well and work hard.

Post your score, rounds + reps, to comments.

Rowing WOD 8/5/14: 3x2k w/ 5min Rest – Post Goal and Experience

Rowing WOD:

3 x 2k w/ 5min rest

Checkout the Renegade Rowing Membership if you'd like to row in Boston!

1st 2k: 

  • 750m @ 2k+5
  • 250m @ 18 spm (paddle light)
  • 750m @ 2k+3
  • 250m @ 18 spm (paddle light)

Rest 5min

2nd 2k: 

  • 750m @ 2k+4
  • 250m @ 18 spm (paddle light)
  • 750m @ 2k+2
  • 250m @ 18 spm (paddle light)

Rest 5min

3rd 2k: 

  • 750m @ 2k+3
  • 500m @ 18 spm (paddle light)
  • 750m @ 2k+1

Have you ever wished you could get a feel for Fran before competing so that you know what to plan for mentally and physically?  If you’ve been trying to break a 7 minute or 8 minute 2k, you’re probably wondering, what will it feel like?  How should it be paced?  What can I do to improve upon my last 2k?

Today’s Rowing WOD is a great way to test out the race pace you’d like to hold on your next 2k.  Set the monitor for 2,000m of work and 5 minutes of rest.  During the first 750m hold the prescribed pace and really execute with form and efficiency.  Then paddle out for the next 250m .  At the 1000m mark build back up and row the next 750m at the prescribed pace.  Finish with a  paddle to recover.  The second and third 2k will be executed similarly.

To see your consistency during the race pace portions set the monitor to record split lengths of 250m.  This is done on the screen when you enter the work and rest.  After the workout go into the memory and check it out.

Post your goal 500m Split and how you executed the 750m portions of today’s Rowing WOD.

Rowing WOD 8/4/14: “The Castle” – 21min Row, Varying Rates – Post Distance

Rowing WOD:

Imagine doing this on the water!  You can with a Renegade Rowing Membership.

“The Castle”

Row for 21min as follows…

3′ @20 s/m, 3′ @24, 3′ @28, 3′ @26, 3′ @28, 3′ @24, 3′ @20

  • Focus on Rhythm and Ratio

As we start to look forward to the fall head racing season, many athletes will need some extra time on the erg to focus on rhythm, timing, and overall form.  Today’s Rowing WOD is a great opportunity for any athlete, experienced or not, to get a sense of form and rhythm without the pressure of intensity and competition.  Sometimes it’s good to slow down for an active recovery day in order to go harder and faster later on down the road.

Rhythm and Endurance are two necessities for successful competition in longer WODs.  A great example would be the KB Swings and Pull Ups found in “Helen”.  Those who find a consistent rhythm can flow through the movements naturally and rely on their aerobic endurance without dipping into their anaerobic energy supply.

In today’s Rowing WOD the focus is developing rhythm and endurance.  Another word for rhythm in rowing is Ratio.  By varying the ratio of the drive to the recovery rowers can maintain the same pace or split, but work more efficiently and make the stroke feel lighter or heavier.

When going from a 20 stroke rating to a 24 you should focus on more pressure with the legs and quickly redirecting the hands through the finish.  This will help increase the stroke rating while leaving you the same amount of time to sit up, breathe, and relax as you slide forward on the recovery.

Post distance rowed to comments along with songs that helped you stick to each rating!

A project that I’ve started thanks to Renegade Rower Mike T. is how to help people feel the proper rhythm and ratio by rowing to music.  Music can motivate us to push hard and row longer, but it can also give us a sense of timing.

If you have Spotify, I’ve created a playlist for each stroke rating.  Each playlist is named “Renegade Rowing @(insert stroke rate)”, so for songs that you could row to at a 20 the playlist is named “Renegade Rowing @20″.  If you have favorite songs that go well at certain stroke ratings please feel free to add to the playlists on Spotify.  Thanks Mike T. for kick starting this project and I hope this helps motivate everyone to find better rhythm and ratio!

20 s/m: Renegade Rowing @20

22 s/m: Renegade Rowing @22

24 s/m: Renegade Rowing @24

26 s/m: Renegade Rowing @26

28 s/m: Renegade Rowing @28

30 s/m: Renegade Rowing @30

32 s/m: Renegade Rowing @32

34 s/m: Renegade Rowing @34

36 s/m: Renegade Rowing @36

Rest Day 8/3/14: Good Luck Pan Mass Challenge Riders! – Shout out if your’e riding!

Rest Day:

Good Luck Pan Mass Challenge Riders!

Long time PMC rider!

Every August thousands of cyclists from all over come to Massachusetts to participate in the PMC and raise money for the Jimmy Fund and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.  My family began participating when I was 13 and I’ve ridden or volunteered almost every year since.  Big shout out to my Mom and Dad who are riding together this year!  Have Fun!

Drivers please be careful and Riders be safe!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the beach if you can or go for a row!

Rowing WOD 8/2/14: 500m Test – Post Time, Avg Split, and Stroke Rating

Rowing WOD:

Bringing it home in the sprint! Checkout the Renegade Rowing Membership!

500m Test

Today is the day!  We’ve been focusing on improving our 500m time all month.  Now is the time to get it done.

How well does your body operate at max effort for 2 minutes?  How much power can you maintain before pain and metabolic waste slows you down?  Today’s assessment will give you an idea of your work capacity in the 2 minute time frame using all three metabolic pathways – phosphagen, glycolytic, and oxidative.  You’ll be pulling from both anaerobic and aerobic energy systems.

Set your monitor for 500 meters and get after it.  Be sure to record your time and average stroke rating.

Whether you’re a Vet or Novice, the goal should be to have a strong start, settle for 10 to 20 strokes, and then sprint all out for the last 200m.  Stroke rating should be high, above 30 s/m.  A good goal would be 5 split seconds faster than your 2k split.

Let us know how you do!  Post your results to Comments.