Category Archives: Strength

Rowing WOD 1/27/16: “Clean Your Erg!” – 500m Row, 5 Cleans, 5 Push Ups, … – Post Time

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Rowing WOD:

“Clean Your Erg!”

For Time (15min Cap) …

500m Row, 5 Cleans (155/105 lbs), 5 Push Ups

Stick that landing with elbows up!

400m Row, 6 Cleans (135/95), 6 Push Ups

300m Row, 7 Cleans (115/85), 7 Push Ups

200m Row, 8 Cleans (95/65), 8 Push Ups

100m Row, 9 Cleans (95/65), 9 Push Ups

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

Quick transitions will be key in today’s Rowing WOD.  Practice a few quick releases from the erg and be sure to have the proper plates setup on your bar so you can strip them each round.  The focus of today’s workout should be to move with efficient power.  As you get fatigued focus on really using your legs and hips to generate power on the erg and in the clean.  Since the weight on the clean gets lighter you should be able to move faster and start catching the bar in a higher power stance.  Keep that bar close, resist pulling with the arms, and really extend those hips to generate speed through the middle.  Try to feel the barbell float weightless with your arms acting like ropes or cables.

For each rowing piece today try to mimic your start and settle of the 2k.  Get after the first 10 strokes, but then settle to your 2k race pace.  This will allow you to get the average split down, but maintain fresher legs for the cleans.  If you go all out, max effort, you may fly and die.  Of course on the last round you should push it.  A good challenge would be to try to pull 100m in 10 strokes.

Remember efficiency of movement and transitions are key!  Post your time and experience to comments!

p.s. – If you haven’t cleaned your erg in a while, Clean It!

Rowing WOD 1/25/16: Double Pyramids – 2x19min w/ 2min Rest – Post Distance

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Rowing WOD:

Double Pyramids

2 x 19min as follows …

Both Mike and Bob have really started to develop suspension and ratio, keep it up guys!
  • 4′ @18 s/m, 3′ @20, 2′ @22, 1′ @24, 2′ @22, 3′ @20, 4′ @18

2min Rest

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

Going into the Games season many athletes need to work on their rowing efficiency.  Taking a little extra time before the Open to focus on rhythm, timing, and overall form will go a long way in performance come game day.  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.

Rowing WOD 1/23/16: 5 x 800m w/ 2min Rest – Post Avg 500m Splits

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Rowing WOD:

5 x 800m w/ 2min Rest

Thanks again to the rowers of North Shore CrossFit for coming down to compete last weekend!

1st @2k Pace (w/ Start)

2nd @2k+3

3rd @2k+2

4th @2k+1

5th @2k

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.  Use the first piece to practice the start of your 2k and the last to practice the finish.  There should be a focus on power per stroke and solid intensity across all five pieces.  Write down the splits you would like to hold (ex: 2:00, 2:03, 2:02, 2:01, 2:00) prior to starting and make a commitment to attack each piece and execute every stroke.  Know what mental cues you will go to when it gets tough – breath, legs down, sit tall, swing, smooth, breath…

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

Rowing WOD 1/22/16: “Farm Erg” – 4RFT – 1k Row, 100m Farmer’s Carry – Post Time and Splits

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Rowing WOD: 

“Farm Erg”

How will you carry the erg?

How will you carry the 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!

I know this might be hard in the colder parts of the country, but if by chance it’s warm enough 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!

Rest Day 1/21/16: Get out and do something different! – Share your experience

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Rest Day:

Some friends doing something different on a Saturday morning! Competing against another gym!

Get out and do something different!

It’s to easy during the winter months and during training in general to become narrow-minded and trapped in a routine of the same old, same old.  Sometimes we need to break the cycle, even if the cycle is going well, to refocus and make even more progress toward our goals.  Today’s challenge is to enjoy some active rest and recovery.  Get out of your gym or house and do something different.  Go for a walk/hike, cross-country ski, run, bike, swim, play a game/sport, try yoga, walk up and down the stairs in your building, treat a friend to a hot meal, or simply stop everything, lay down for 5 minutes, and do nothing but relax and focus on your breathing without thinking about anything else.

If you have any revelations, great experiences, or you simply had some fun, share it with the community in a comment!