Tag Archives: functional movements

Rowing WOD 11/14/15: 5x500m w/ 1:30 Rest – Post Splits and Favorite Drag Factor

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 Rowing WOD:

Suspension Drills

Recover to Strength in order to Suspend!

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!

Here is a quick video of the strap drill.  It’s a fun challenge to do dynamically. If you like what you see, come try it and train with the Renegade Rowing Club!  The Renegade Rowing Club starts December 4th at 6:30am at CrossFit Boston.  Let me know if you’re planning on coming… pat@renegaderowing.com

Rowing WOD 11/13/15: “It’s all about the …” – 5RFT – 250m Row, 10 Goblet Squats – Post Time

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 Rowing WOD:

Break Parallel and Explode Up Through The Heels!

“It’s all about the …”

5 Rounds For Time

250m Row (@2k-2)

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

Whether you want to win the Renegade Rowing Cup for your Box, 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.  If you think you have what it takes to go heavier, say 45/35 lbs., make sure you maintain the same explosive speed on the drive of the Goblet Squat that you have at lighter weight.  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!  Also, would you wear a RR shirt that said that … “It’s all about the …”, strategically placed of course.  Let us know!

Rest Day 11/12/15: Got Skills? …Row and Get Some!

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Jodie from the 7am class challenging the BC Men's Crew Team!Rest Day:

How do you Master Skills?

As Winter starts to set in and you start working toward your goals, be aware of how you recover and master skills.  One goal you’ll probably set for the Winter is to master a new skill, like double unders, hand stand push-ups, or muscle ups.  I want to draw your attention to how you attack these skills and actually master them.

To master a skill is to know and have full control over every piece of a skill, both physically and mentally, when your fresh and your fatigued.  Lately we’ve been pushing the intensity in the gym and many people have found themselves sore and out of it for a few days. What would you do on the Monday following a solid week or weekend?

The days following a hard training day are perfect for mastering a new skill through active recovery.  Rather than going back for a second or third hard training day and not performing at full intensity, commit to an active recovery day focused on mastery of the skills you’d like to develop.

Coxswains pushing hard right alongside their rowers!

Rather than join in on the regular class at CFB, take 1 hour out of your day to actively recover, rather than sitting around and feeling sore.  Set the erg for 2,000m of work and 10min of rest.  Row an easy 2k and then spend 10 minutes working on goats, handstand push ups, pull ups, and Toes to Bar.  Three sets of this active recovery interval scheme will give you confidence with skills and prepare you for a hard training day on Tuesday.

The erg is a great tool to use as active recovery.  A few hard training days back to back will leave your body depleted and full of metabolic waste.  In order to replenish your energy and clear out the metabolic waste it helps to eat well, move, and keep the blood flowing.  The erg provides a stable platform and is low impact,  perfect for recovery at a sub-maximal effort.  Next time you’re feeling sore or a workout absolutely crushes you, go sit down on the erg and row for 10 minutes.  It doesn’t have to be hard.  Enjoy it!  Row at about 40% effort, just hard enough to breathe a little bit.  You should be able to maintain sentences and tell your training partner what you’ll be doing to master your next skill!

If you have any fun methods to master skills please share!

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

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Rowing WOD:

“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.

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 750m Row.

Post your time to comments and share your mental cues!

Rowing WOD 11/10/15: 1k, 6x250m, 4x:45 On, :15 Off – Post # of Strokes at Goal Split

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Rowing WOD:BC Men Launching at Riverside

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 ideas and skills of 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.  The goal is to 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.  How many strokes did you take at your goal 2k split?