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!
Weekly Training Plan:
Weekly Challenge:
Spend 5min working on Breathing Practice (4-count box breathing) in different configurations.
RR Social WOD:
Hike Harvard Stadium @6am on Thursday
Monday’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!
Renegade Rowing 
What is 4-count box breathing?
Hi Tom! Great question, glad you asked. It’s basically 4-count inhale, 4-count hold/pause, 4-count exhale, 4-count hold/pause. You can test this box pattern laying on your stomach, then on your back with feet planted, then sitting, then 1/2 kneeling, then standing. The goal is to breathe with your full diaphragm and fill your breath into your belly, your sides, and your back. Basically breathing through your full trunk/core. A test is to keep your hand on your chest and on your belly. If you can keep your chest hand quiet and not let it move first then you’re on the right track. Have fun!
Great thanks for the info, I’ll try it out
What is the purpose of doing this breathing exercise?
To be able to control your breathing and efficiently get oxygen to your system especially when things get tough. If you know how to breathe properly you’ll be able to maintain a stronger position longer and have something to focus on when you want to give up. Improper breathing can lead to poor form and reduced performance. Eventually you want to take this breathing practice into your regular practice and daily life.
Would I be doing this while on the Erg?
Great question Tom! Not necessarily the same count, but hopefully balanced breathing through the diaphragm and not the chest. The idea is to breathe well and not just inhale but exhale well. When we get fatigued it’s easy to revert to bad habits of breathing through our chest, neck, and mouth which causes us to get very tight, tense, and t-Rex like on the erg. We want to stay long and strong which can be done with good breathing patterns. Keep up the great work!