Category Archives: Fitness

Rest Day 10/29/15: Head of the Fish, 2k Prep, and Renegade Rowing Club!

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Rest Day:

It was a solid end to the season! Time to turn it up for the Winter Season!

Head of the Fish is this Weekend!  I hope you’re planning on dressing warm because it’s going to be cold and wet.  I’ll be in town Saturday night and coaching on Sunday.  Hope to see some Renegades there!

Announcing the 2015/16 Renegade Rowing Club!

It’s that time of year again.  The weather has gotten cold and no one wants to row in the cold.  Now is the time to get pumped for training in the gym and crushing your 2k on the erg!  The 2015/16 Renegade Rowing Club will be held at 6:30am on Friday mornings at CrossFit Boston in Brighton, MA.  Practices will start the first Friday of December, 12/4/15.  The cost for the Renegade Rowing Club will be $177 for the whole winter.  We will be training for the Renegade Rowing League, which will be held in December, January, and February leading up to CRASH-B’s.  Who’s game?  Email me if you plan on joining the Renegade Rowing Club, pat@renegaderowing.com.  There are only 16 spots available in the club, so let me know sooner rather than later!

What’s your 2k Race Plan?

Get hydrated, eat well, and get a good sleep.  It’s been a solid three days of training/testing.  Be sure to take the time to mobilize those quads, hips, and hamstrings.  In training we ask a lot of our quads whether it’s rowing or running stadiums.  Show them some love even if it’s painful.  Do it!

For those that have been following the Rowing WODs you’ve probably noticed we are in the middle of a testing week.  We tested the 5k on Monday, the 1′ domain and 1 RM for our lifts on Tuesday, and our general fitness on Wednesday.  If you’ve missed those or are looking for the ultimate test, Friday will be a chance for you to attain 7 or 8 minutes of glory.  Start thinking of your goal and developing a race plan that will get you there.

Post thoughts on your 2k Race Plan, Goals, and if you will be joining the Renegade Rowing Club!

Rowing WOD 10/28/15: “The Renegade Benchmark” – Post Time and Strategy

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Rowing WOD:

The Men's Junior Light 8+ Fish Head courtesy of WW Crew - a.k.a. "Cindy"

“The Renegade Benchmark”

3 Rounds For Time:

500m Row

40 Air Squats

30 Sit Ups

20 Push Ups

10 Pull Ups

As a Renegade Rower you should be developing broad, general, and inclusive fitness as well as your competence in the sport of rowing.  Today’s assessment is a way to test your abilities in both.  It should give you an idea of your work capacity in the 12-15 minute range.  Try to row each 500m piece at a consistent pace to stay fresh for the other movements.

Post your time and strategy to comments.  What stroke rating and 500m split did you try to maintain?

Rowing WOD Demo with Renegade Rowing:

Rowing WOD 10/27/15: RR Rowing Total! – Post Scores

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Rowing WOD:K Deadlift

RR Rowing Total

Row 1′-1′-1′

Squat 1-1-1

Press 1-1-1

Deadlift 1-1-1

The RR Rowing Total is meant to test your power and strength in the 1 minute range on the erg.  It’s also an opportunity to test your functional strength.

After doing a dynamic warmup, do a good 10 minute warmup on the erg where you build up to race pace above a stroke rating of 30 for a few bursts.  When you’re ready to go, set the monitor for intervals time with 1 minute on, 4 minutes off.  The goal is to do as much work as possible in a minute.  Be sure to paddle for a minute after each attempt to help your body deal with any lactic acid that may start to build up.

The stroke rating is open, but keep good form.  Don’t compromise you’re body.  Maintain a strong posture at all times.  Anyone can pull hard for a few strokes, but those with functional rowing form can build throughout the minute test, stay safe, and produce the most power.

In rowing there are three things you can vary to go faster.  Force, distance, and time.  The best rowers know how to combine all three… row harder, row longer, and row faster.  Basically, put more force into the handle, row as long as possible every stroke without compromising your body, and increase the stroke rating.

After making three attempts on the erg, setup for and perform the three lifts.  Make sure to roll out your back, hips, and hamstrings as needed in between lifts.

How much Strength and Power do you have?  Your score for the RR Rowing Total will be Max Average Watts + CF Total Score.

Post your total as well as each individual result from the row, squat, press, and deadlift to comments.  Report the max average Watts for the best Row.

Rowing WOD 10/24/15: 5x1k w/ 3:00 Rest – Post Splits and SR

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Rowing WOD:

It's been a great fall on the lake in Wayland, MA! Good Luck to all crews competing at the Head of the Fish this weekend!

5 x 1k w/ 3:00 rest

  • Execute 5k-1 Pace
  • Row like it’s the middle of your 5k

While it’s good to constantly vary your training to push your boundaries, there is something to be said about repetition to build your confidence!  Today’s Rowing WOD is an opportunity to build your aerobic capacity and work on a couple of tactical and technique fixes.  Have a game plan for each piece including the split and stroke rating you want to hold.  Ideally each piece will be done consistently or a little bit faster.  If you’re working on efficiency or sequencing, focus on one fix each piece.  Perhaps you find your breath and rhythm on the first.  Or maybe it’s sequencing and body preparation that needs attention on the second.  If you choose the right pace it will build your confidence and you will be ready to tear up your next 5k and Rowing WOD.  Next week we test everything!  Get focused and pumped by crushing it today.  We did this Rowing WOD in September.  Look back and see if you can go faster!

Post your average splits and stroke ratings for each piece to comments!

Rowing WOD 10/23/15: “Farm Erg” – 4RFT – 1k Row, 100m Farmer Carry – Post Time and Splits

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Rowing WOD:

How will you carry the erg?

“Farm Erg”

4 Rounds For Time

1k Row

100m Farmer’s Carry (w/ Erg if Possible; otherwise {1.5/1 pd} each hand)

The Farmer’s Carry can be used to train core stability, grip strength, balance, and coordination.  Usually it’s done lifting odd objects like yokes, water filled pvc’s, sand filled kegs, or any other heavy objects lying around the gym.  Today we’re carrying the Erg.  Ensure you keep a solid core and let us know what you think is the most efficient way to carry an erg 100 meters!

It’s starting to get cold, but if you can get outside and you have an area to walk 100m with the erg then do it!  Otherwise you can sub a farmer’s carry with kettle bells in each hand.

The goal for each 1k Row should be to hold your average split for 2,000 meters plus 1 or 2 split seconds.  In other words, row each piece at a pace of 2k+1 or 2k+2.  Be consistent and work on improving one aspect of your form during each round.

Use this as an opportunity to test out the Undefined Rest feature on your Performance Monitor.  Select Intervals Distance, set the distance for 1,000m and then set the rest to “Undefined Rest”.  This will give you a running clock for the whole workout and allow you to sit down and row 1k each round without having to mess with the monitor.  If your monitor doesn’t have this feature you’ll have to use a stop watch.  Check here to find out how to update this feature on your monitor.

Post your time and splits.  Let us know how you carried the erg!