Rest Day 8/2:Our ability to sit up and maintain a solid core through the stroke has a lot to do with our hamstring flexibility. Use today as an opportunity to stretch out those hamstrings, increase your flexibility, and watch the best rowers in the world compete at the Olympics in London!
Share your favorite hamstring stretch!
Rowing WOD 7/31:Do you bring the intensity needed to get results to every workout? Regularly pushing your limits will challenge your body to be better than it currently is. Today’s Rowing WOD is all about consistent intensity and getting results. The only way to get used to race pace is to practice at race pace, both in terms of stroke rating and effort. Below are some goals for you to keep in mind. If you can consistently complete each interval in the noted amount of time you’ll be on your way to achieving the associated 2k time. The work to rest ratio in this workout is less than one, so really focus on breathing and recovering. Be ready for the challenge. Get after each interval and go for your goal.
Post your Fastest and Slowest Interval!
Interval Time = 1:18; Goal 2k Time = 6:30
Interval Time = 1:24; Goal 2k Time = 7:00
Interval Time = 1:30; Goal 2k Time = 7:30
Interval Time = 1:36; Goal 2k Time = 8:00
Interval Time = 1:42; Goal 2k Time = 8:30
Interval Time = 1:48; Goal 2k Time = 9:00
Rowing WOD 7/30:Deliberate practice is key to success and mastery of any sport. It’s been said you need to spend at least 10,000 hours to master a discipline whether it’s athletic or otherwise. While this may be the case the more quality and purpose you bring to your practice the more you’ll get out of it.
Today’s Rowing WOD is an opportunity to bring deliberate practice to your erging. Row each 8 minute piece at a pace of 2k + 10 seconds. Meaning if your 2k split is 2:00 /500m (8:00 2k) then you would row each piece today at 2:10 /500m. Pick 4 things you want to improve about your technique and fix one per piece. Things you can focus on are keeping level hands, initiating with the legs, smooth tension on the chain, keeping the feet attached to the footboards, or keeping the chest up at the catch.
To finish up the workout make 3 attempts at 10 strokes to see how far you can go and how efficient you can apply your power.
Post your technique focus and distance rowed in 10 strokes. What stroke rating did you row at?
Rest Day 7/26:Changing the height that your heels are set at on the Concept2 Erg can greatly influence the comfort level and efficiency of your rowing. If you have tight hamstrings or hips, and have trouble compressing all the way to vertical shins at the catch, you may want to lower your feet one or two numbers on the footboard. This will allow you to stay in a more upright and strong position at the catch. However, we do want to create force in the horizontal direction and if the feet are to low you’ll be standing up off the seat every stroke. If you tend to come up off your seat too much try raising your feet. Raising the feet allows you to push and apply force in a more horizontal direction. Keep in mind that the closer your heels are to your seat the more flexibility is required in the hips, hamstrings, and ankles to get full compression at the catch with your chest up.
Play around with where your feet are set and share what works for you.
Rowing WOD 7/23:In order to develop elite fitness one must develop and continually practice a wide variety of skills. By learning to row efficiently the elite athlete will develop many of the same movement patterns and skills they seek in the daily hunt for health and fitness. Rowing itself provides many skills to focus on and develop, like control, posture, timing, balance, and connection to name a few.
Today’s Rowing WOD is a perfect opportunity to practice those skills and improve your efficiency. After warming up, perform 5 starts with about a minute of rest in between. A start is usually a set of shorter strokes that progressively lengthen out to get the flywheel or boat up to speed. A common start sequence begins with a stroke from 3/4 slide, then 1/2 slide, then 3/4 slide, then a lengthen stroke, then a full stroke. After each start assess whether or not you were precise in your movement. Have a friend watch you. See if you can dial in the length of each stroke and get your split down as far as possible by the fifth start.
After that pick three or four aspects of your technique that you want to focus on and row at steady pressure for twenty minutes. The stroke rating should remain around 18 − 22 strokes per minute. About every 10 strokes cycle through a different focus whether it be level hands, body preparation, connecting the seat with the hands, or slide control. By the end of the twenty minutes you should be more consistent and more efficient with every stroke.
To end the day perform two 500m pieces. The first should be performed with the starting sequence you practiced in the beginning. The second should be consistent from the beginning and finish with a sprint.
Post your technique focus and 500m times to comments.
Renegade Rowing 