Monthly Archives: December 2014

Rowing WOD 12/9/14: 5x800m w/ 2min Rest – Post Splits

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Don’t forget to checkout the Renegade Rowing Training Plan for this week and choose which blocks you will hit – RRTP 12-8-14.

Rowing WOD:

Greg is ready for the Catch!

5 x 800m w/ 2min Rest

1st @24 s/m (2k+5)

2nd @26 (2k+3)

3rd @28 (2k+1)

4th @30 (2k)

5th @32 (2k-1)

Some of our best results are found when training at high intensity.  In order to develop as an athlete you’ll need to develop an ability to go hard and bring your “A” game.  Today’s Rowing WOD provides an opportunity for just that.  Set the monitor for 800m of work and 2 minutes of rest.  While the stroke rating starts out low, there should be a focus on power per stroke and solid intensity across all five pieces.  The increasing stroke rating will give you a chance to see where you’re most effective.  Ideally whenever the stroke rating is increased the split should decrease.  Try to pick a split for each stroke rating and commit for the whole piece.  The last 3 should be around race pace.

Post your Average 500m Splits for each piece to comments.

****Renegade Rowing Club****

Today we will work on goblet squats to the erg in the warmup to complement the explosiveness we want in the legs at the catch.  We also reviewed the strap drill to feel suspension through the whole stroke.  Keep working to turn the legs on and suspend at the catch.  Here is a picture of Renegade Rower Thor getting after that suspension and explosiveness.

Keep Crushing It Thor!

Keep Crushing It Thor!

S&C WOD 12/8/14: 4Rds for Max Reps – 1′ Row, 1′ KB Snatch, 1′ DU, 1′ KB Snatch, 1′ Rest – Post Score

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Check out the Renegade Rowing Training Plan for this week below.  It’s going to be a solid week, so be sure to hydrate and sleep well.  Have your meals and pre/post workout snacks ready to go!  You will need them!

RRTP 12-8-14

Strength and Conditioning WOD:

Snapshot of the Renegade Rowing Training Plan for the week of 12-8-14

Snapshot of the Renegade Rowing Training Plan for the week of 12-8-14

4 Rounds for Max Reps of …

1min Row for Calories

1min Left Arm Kettle Bell Snatch

1min Double Unders

1min Right Arm Kettle Bell Snatch

1min Rest

Today’s Rowing WOD will be a good burner to  get your lungs going and allow you to really focus on a solid core.  The double unders and kettle bell snatches are technical and require a higher focus on skill and efficiency.  For the double unders try to keep your wrists loose and get into a good flow that you can maintain.  A good goal would be to go unbroken for a minute.  With the one arm kettle bell snatch focus on driving through the heels and getting good hip extension to move the weight.  A bonus for the KB Snatch is that it requires you to keep a stable core and not allow your torso to rotate.  Any movement that involves an anti rotation component and stabilizing of the core is good for rowing.  Every time we reach out to the rigger in sweep rowing there is both a compression and rotation on our spines, which can lead to disc injuries over time.  By strengthening the core and resisting rotation we can prevent those injuries from happening. So keep that chest up and don’t let the shoulder drop too much through the bottom!  Here is a good link from Rogue Fitness on the Kettle Bell Snatch: http://youtu.be/6l2Iu26oWW8

Post your total score and thoughts to comments!

Rowing WOD 12/6/14: Max Pressure 2x1k, 2x500m, 2x250m – Post Splits

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Rowing WOD 12/6/14:

Greg of the RRC getting after it!

Max Pressure

2 x 1k w/ 5:00 Rest

2 x 500m w/ 3:00 Rest

2 x 250m w/ 1:30 Rest

Have you ever seen a WOD posted in your gym like 5-5-5-5-5 Back Squat and that’s it?  Did you think that would be a good day to take off because there’s not much to it and you’d rather go to a session with more stuff?  Well snap out of it and hit that WOD hard next time.  High Intensity is your ability to push your boundaries a little further everyday.  If you never test your limits you’ll never know what you’ve got.

Todays Rowing WOD calls for Max Pressure and is a test of your ability to consistently perform at your highest intensity.  Set the monitor for Intervals Variable and input 1k, 5min rest, 1k, 5min rest, 500m, 3min rest, 500m, 3min rest, 250m, 1min30sec rest, 250m, 1min30sec rest.  Pick a 500m Split and a Stroke Rating you plan to hold for each distance.  The first time you perform that distance execute that pace (split and SR) as consistently as possible.  When you repeat the distance try to be even more consistent and go a little bit faster.

Remember, the goal is to row at max pressure for every piece.  Focus on your split and stroke rate and row at high intensity with good form.

Post your average 500m splits to comments.

Strength and Conditioning WOD 12/5/14: 500m Row, 5MBC, 400m Row, 10MBC, … – Post Time

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Strength and Conditioning WOD:

Focus on fully extending the hips! A Med Ball Clean would be a good scale for beginners.

Focus on fully extending the hips! A Med Ball Clean would be a good scale for beginners.

For Time …

500m Row, 5 Medicine Ball Cleans (20/14 lb)

400m Row, 10 Med Ball Cleans

300m Row, 15 Med Ball Cleans

200m Row, 20 Med Ball Cleans

100m Row, 25 Med Ball Cleans

The ability to work at high intensity depends largely on mechanics and consistency.  If your rowing is smooth and efficient you should be able to push this Rowing WOD and hold sub-2k pace for every piece.  A good goal might be to hold your 2k split for every piece or negative split so that each piece is one split second faster.  Same goes for the medicine ball cleans.  If you can focus on using the legs and hips to move the ball, then your arms will remain loose and fluid providing a greater efficiency of movement.  This will allow you to push the pace and go unbroken for every round.  Try to only pause for brief breaks in between exercises if you have to.  If you don’t have a medicine ball to clean than you could modify with a loaded back pack or just make the movement a Dumbbell Clean.  No matter what focus on good overall movement and ensure you have the mechanics and consistency dialed in during your warmup.

Post your time to comments!

Video Review: How can Stan help you? and Skill Transfer between Olympic Lifting and Rowing

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Howdy Renegades!  I hope you all had a good start to the week and you’re getting fired up for the weekend.  Here is a little video review and feedback for Stan.  Take a look and see if there is something you can improve or think about in your rowing.  If you have questions or would like to join the Renegades let me know.  Right now we practice on Tuesday mornings at 6am and Wednesday evenings at 6pm.  If you’re interested in other times let me know and we’ll keep it growing!

Olympic Lifting and Rowing?RR Snatch Setup

What do you think about using Olympic Lifting in training to be a Rower or using Rowing to be a better Olympic Lifter?  Both require speed and power and incorporate similar movement patterns.  However, in rowing you sit down and are in contact with three surfaces.  In Olympic Lifting you are only in contact with two.  In Olympic lifting the goal is to transfer forces vertically and in rowing the goal is to transfer forces horizontally.  Where do you see the most benefit in training with both?  Are there downfalls?

One skill, concept, and idea that I keep coming back to is Connection.  Coaching people in the gym and on the water allows me to see many different movement patterns and levels of ability.  Athletes that grasp this idea of connection from one joint to another and one external object to another are able to learn faster, create more power, and transfer skills to other movements.  Learning to connect the hips to the hands as you initiate a movement or connect your feet to your hands at the catch, both in rowing and snatching, is invaluable.  Once this skill is perfected the possibilities are endless.

Last month I introduced the snatch to the BC Men’s Crew Team.  While we only worked with PVC pipes to begin with and 45# bars in the workout, the importance of generating speed through the middle of the drive and being turned on at the catch became apparent.  Those that had explosive hip extension from rowing and knew how to create speed on the oar through the middle of the drive in the boat had a lot more success transferring that skill to the barbell.

Using the Clean and the Snatch to generate speed on the drive through good connection is a lot of fun.  Rowers become athletes and are empowered to push harder by learning new movements and finding power they never knew they had.  It’s also a lot of fun seeing olympic lifters and other athletes learn to row because it helps them to find more connection and speed in their lifts.

Post your thoughts to comments!  Any experience transferring skills from one sport to another?