Category Archives: Rowing

Rowing WOD 11/12: Double Pyramids – 2 x 19min w/ 2min Rest – Post Distances

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Final Survivor WOD of the day!

Double Pyramids

2 x 19min

w/ 2min Rest

  1. 4′ @18, 3′ @20, 2′ @22, 1′ @24, 2′ @22, 3′ @20, 4′ @18

  2. 4′ @20, 3′ @22, 2′ @24, 1′ @26, 2′ @24, 3′ @22, 4′ @20

Yesterday was the final day of competition at the Garage Games New England Finals.  Props to all those who competed and crushed those calories on the chipper.  I saw a lot of great form with athletes really trying to focus on efficiency and being ready to hop off the rower ready to go.  That being said there were a number of athletes that could use 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 an 18 stroke rating to a 20 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 you’re distance rowed to comments as well as your thoughts on Ratio.

***Also remember to throw in a few strokes where you focus on Suspension and what we covered on Saturday!

Rowing WOD 11/10: 5 x 500m w/ 1:30 Rest @2k+5, vary damper – Post Splits and Favorite Drag Factor

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Rowing WOD 11/10:

Suspension Drills

5 x 500m w/ 1:30 Rest

  1. @2k+5, Damper Set at 6

  2. @2k+5, Damper Set at 5

  3. @2k+5, Damper Set at 4

  4. @2k+5, Damper Set at 3

  5. @2k+5, Damper Set at 2

Check Drag Factor

Recently we’ve been reviewing the fundamental skills of posture, control, and connection.  Today we’ll take the idea of connection one step further as we feel what it means to suspend from the oar handle.  Suspension is all about using our body weight to hang on the oar and help accelerate the handle all the way through the drive.  The key is not to create any force Upward off the seat, but to just become weightless off your seat while keeping in contact with it.  Everything – forces, handle height, chain – needs to be HORIZONTAL when we row!  NO need to do extra Work (W = mgh) by moving stuff up and down every stroke, keep it horizontal!

Drills we’ll cover include the Stand Up/Sit Down drill to get the feeling of suspending above the seat.  Remember this is an exaggeration to get the correct sensation and feeling of good connection.  We will also do the Strap Drill where we statically hang and suspend from the handle while maintaining our body angles and strong postures.  Then we’ll do the Strap Drill dynamically by letting the strap out slowly and trying to hold suspension all the way through the drive.

In today’s Rowing WOD we’ll be varying the damper to find where we’re most efficient.  Over the next week play around with the damper to find where you’re most comfortable/efficient .  When you find a damper setting you like, check the drag factor so you can begin using a consistent drag factor.  For more information on Drag Factors read this article: http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/training/tips-and-general-info/damper-setting-101

For today’s 500m pieces, try to focus on good connection and suspension while keeping a consistent split for all 5 pieces.  After you’re done look back at the memory to see what your average stroke rating was for each piece.  Whatever piece felt comfortable/efficient and was done at a stroke rating of 28-32 might be a good drag factor for you.  Take a couple of minutes to set the damper to that number and check the drag factor on the monitor.  Remember that drag factor and try to use it next time you row to see if you still like it.

Post your average splits and favorite drag factor to comments!

********** IMPORTANT *************

The biggest thing to focus on and practice right now is the fundamentals!!!  Body Preparation by Half Slide is Key and Connection to move the handle with the seat out of the Catch is key!  If you can Prep and Connect, the suspension will come.  Whenever focusing on suspension ensure your abs are engaged and you have a solid hollow body!  Protect those discs!

If you have any questions let me know!  I look forward to seeing the Renegade Rowing Club on Saturday at 8am.

To see some of the warmup videos mentioned in this post check out the media page on the CrossFit Boston website:

http://www.crossfitboston.com/page/index.php?menu=media&page=videos

Rowing WOD 11/9: “It’s all about the …” – 5RFT – 250m Row, 10 Goblet Squats to Erg – Post Time

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Break Parallel and Explode Up Through The Heels!

Rowing WOD 11/9:

“It’s all about the …”

5 Rounds For Time:

250m Row (@2k-2)

10 Goblet Squats to the Erg (25/15 lb.)

Whether you want to take home the hammer from the CRASH-Bs, conquer the games, or just live a healthier life, you will need to be able to powerfully extend your hips.  In rowing specifically, we need to be able to turn on our glutes and hamstrings quickly in order to pick up the boat or flywheel before they die.  Getting our motor neurons to fire quickly in order to drive through the heels is the name of the game.  In today’s Rowing WOD use the erg seat, or the erg rail if the seat is to high, for goblet squats.  Focus on getting to the same depth every time, kissing the erg, and then exploding through the heels.  The weight is light, so focus on good foundational movement and generating speed with the legs and hips.  Cycle through the squats with good form as fast as possible.  During the 250m pieces you can practice your 2k start and then fight to consistently hold a 500m Split that is 2 seconds faster than your current 2k average split.

Post your time and average splits to comments!

Rowing WOD 11/7: “Row For It!” 3RFT – 750m Row, 15 Deadlifts – Post Time

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Melissa from CFB demos the setup for a Deadlift

Rowing WOD 11/7:

“Row For it!” (AKA – Fight For It)

3 Rounds For Time:

750m Row (Race Pace)

15 Deadlifts (40% 1RM)

In a 2,000m race the pain really starts to kick in after the first thousand.  If you can be prepared with mental thoughts to stay strong and Fight for your goal split, every stroke for 750m after that first 1k, then you’ll be able to open the flood gates and sprint at 250m to go.  A key to having solid mental thoughts is building confidence in your training leading up to the race.  Have cues to repeat, especially cues that you can attach to specific moments in time or sessions you crushed like today.

Drive through the heels!

In today’s Rowing WOD build and settle to your current 2k split right away.  You want to be in full control of your stroke rating, breathing, and split.  Hold solid, consistent pressure every stroke of each 750m piece.  Know that when things get tough and the pain tells you to stop, you can hold strong and fight for every stroke.  Bring that same focus to your Deadlifts.  Keep a neutral spine and focus on efficient movement through the hips.  Push through the heels and build the speed on the bar as you extend your hips.  Focus on keeping tight abs and feeling the connection of the hips and hands as you pry the bar off the floor.  Try to bring the feeling of a solid deadlift to your rowing and use the cue “heels down” as one motivational thought during that 75om Row.

Post your time to comments and share your mental cues!

Fully extend the hips at the top

Rowing WOD 11/6: 1k Row, 6x250m, 4x:45on :15off – Post # of Strokes at Goal Split

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Rowing WOD 11/6:

1. 1k Row @26 s/m

– Moderate Intensity (Row like you’re out for a steady jog)

*Note your average split for 1k

2. 6 x 250m Row w/ :30 Rest

– Row each piece at the average split from the 1k above

– Stroke Ratings are as follows:

@25 s/m, @23 s/m, @21 s/m, @26 s/m, @28 s/m, @30 s/m

3. 4 x :45 On, :15 Off

**Practice each piece as if it were the start of a 2k

**When you settle count the # of strokes where you hold your goal 2k split

For the first part of today’s Rowing WOD, row at an intensity similar to Jogging focusing on Smooth Form and Body Preparation by 1/2 Slide.  Try to incorporate the work we did on Saturday with Posture, Control, and Connection.  Today we’ll be working on ratio at different stroke ratings and varying the pressure we exert each stroke.  At lower stroke ratings like 20 − 24, the ratio should be 1:2 or 1:3, 1 count on the drive, 2 or 3 counts on the recovery.  By controlling our seat as it slides forward we can make sure we’re preparing our bodies for the catch and turn our force and momentum around without any extra effort.  Remember, we want to drive our body weight backwards toward the finish line, not throw it forward toward the Catch/Start of the Race.

When varying stroke rating during a piece use the pressure with the legs on the drive and the speed of the hands through the finish to vary the rating.  If you want to increase the stroke rating and maintain power, think “drive the legs down faster and quick hands away” out of the finish.  If you want to decrease the stroke rating without losing power, keep the same pressure on the drive and hand speed through the finish, but slow the seat down as it slides forward on the recovery, this is what I mean by “Control the Recovery”.

The goal for these pieces is to learn how to vary the pressure at different stroke ratings while maintaining the same split.  The idea being that eventually we’ll find an optimal stroke rating where you just keep spinning the flywheel every stroke without letting it slow down to much and thus save energy and avoid fatigue.  What we’re ultimately working towards is Efficiency!  Instead of slogging along and duking it out at a slower stroke rating like a 24 for our 2k, we want to be able to row quick and light between a 28 − 32 when needed.

For the third part of the workout you’ll row like the start of a 2k race.  Perform a 3 stroke starting sequence (Half Stroke, 3/4 Stroke, Full Stroke) then a High 10, then settle to your 2k race pace for each of the 4 pieces.  The goal is to learn how to get the flywheel moving and the split down without jacking up your legs.  Then the even bigger goal is learning how to settle immediately to you’re race pace and be consistent.  Count how many strokes you can take at your 2k pace once you settle, no higher, no lower.
In terms of preparing to race 2,000 meters, the goal is to continue building our confidence in maintaining a consistent split as well as develop the ability to change our Ratio/Rhythm as we row at different Stroke Ratings.  We want to get a taste of what the start will be like and what is required to settle to race pace so we don’t Fly and Die!
Post your best :45 second start and settle and how many strokes you take at your goal 2k split.