Tag Archives: healthy-living

RR Training Plan 4-6-15 and Rowing WOD: Double Pyramids!

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I hope everyone had a great weekend and you’re ready to fire it up for another solid week! Check out what’s in store in our weekly training plan below:

RR Training Plan 4-6-15

Rowing WOD:

Dave getting after it in Heat 3 of the Renegade Rowing League!

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

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.

Happy Easter and Rowing WOD 4/4/15: 8x500m w/ 2min Rest – Post Splits

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Happy Easter!

RRT practicing the release in singles!

RRT practicing the release in singles!

I hope everyone enjoys Easter Sunday tomorrow and can spend some time with family and friends.  Share if you do anything fun including family mobility or active recovery.  Perhaps challenging your family to an Erg Relay?

All the Best!

Coach Pat

Rowing WOD:

8 x 500m w/ 2min Rest

  • Race Pace
  • Race Focus

Today’s all about prepping for your next 2k.  Try to keep a consistent pace over all 8 or “negative split” toward the end if you’re feeling good.  Negative splitting means you pull a faster split than you did the last piece.

As a quick review for novice rowers, race pace over 2,000m will be at a stroke rating of 28 − 32 strokes per minute and a consistent 500m split.  The lower the split the better.  Good things to focus on include breathing, getting the knees down, driving through the heels, quick hands, and being smooth.  I also like to coach a smile or grin 10 just to take yourself out of your body for a second, have some fun, and then refocus with a fresh mindset.  Focus on one positive thought for 10 consecutive strokes and you’ll be that much closer to your goal.

Post your split for each piece and share what you focused on!

Video Review: Coach Pat – The Push Up, Pull Up, and Rowing – Are you taking advantage of Full ROM?

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Coach Pat Push UpsWhen’s the last time you performed a Push Up or Pull Up?  When’s the last time you Rowed?  Now that we’re on the water it’s probably every day.  Regardless, anytime you draw through the finish whether on an erg or in a boat, you are putting your upper body into a similar position and movement pattern as the push up and pull up.  It’s the strongest, most efficient way to get yourself off the floor and send a boat.  If you need to move more weight and create more power in a race you will need a strong position at the finish.  That is where we can take advantage of practicing and training full range of motion push ups and pull ups.

I believe that if you can learn to move your body weight from the floor to a plank position or from underneath a bar to touching the bar with good form, you can and will become a better rower.  The key is how you push, pull, and what you focus on.  Here is a video review of Coach Pat and what he thinks about in regards to push ups, pull ups, and rowing.  Check out what he does well and look for things he can do better.

What parts of these movements can we tie to the rowing stroke?  I always teach the skills of 1. Posture, 2. Control, and 3. Connection whether it’s rowing or strength training.

1. Posture – How am I doing at maintaining a solid brace through my torso?  Is there any movement within the vertebrae of the spine?

2. Control – Is my body in one straight line the whole time I perform the movement?  Am I in control of my body at all points in time? Can I stop at any point in time and be in a strong position?

3. Connection – How are my hands connected to the box/bar/or floor?  How are my feet connected to the floor?  Are my hips, torso, and shoulders connected and moving together through the whole range of motion?

After taking a look and answering some of these questions, think about your own stroke.  In the front end of your stroke, from 1/2 slide up to the catch and back, how do your joints move in relation to one another?  Can you stay connected?  Do you break or tense your arms early?  Is your shoulder and upper body strong enough to connect the power coming from your legs to your hands?  Do you feel or see any similarities when you perform push ups, pull ups, and rowing back to back?  How’s your posture and brace at the finish? Can perfecting these movements help improve your rowing?

Please share your thoughts to comments and I’ll get back to you with feedback.

Rowing WOD 3/28/15: 3k Row, 2.5k Row, 2k Row – Post Avg. Splits

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Who’s ready to get on the water? The ice on the Charles River in Boston is finally melted and we’re getting excited to make boats move fast.  If you’re interested be sure to schedule a consultation today!

Beautiful Sunset rowing in Jacksonville.

Beautiful Sunset rowing in Jacksonville.

Rowing WOD:

3k Row

6min rest

2.5k Row

5min rest

2k Row

Why is rowing fun?  One reason is that it provides a challenge in learning technique to be as efficient as possible while working everything from your head to your toes.  Elsewhere in sports and training, if you’ve tried the Pose Method of running you may understand the beauty of focusing on technique and the perception of what your body is doing in space. Focusing on form and technique gives your mind something to work toward rather than complaining about how much your legs burn.

Today’s Rowing WOD is a good opportunity to focus on one or two form fixes but get after it as well.  Set the monitor for Intervals Variable and enter the work/rest accordingly.  This WOD has the potential to build your confidence in the 2k.  Come up with a plan and execute.  Be consistent with your splits and stroke ratings for all three.  If possible go a little bit faster on each piece.  Vets might try for a pace of 2k+5, 2k+4, 2k+3 for each successive piece with a stroke rating of 28-32.  Find your efficient stroke.  Novices should focus on one form fix for each piece and work hard to maintain a consistent split.

Post your Average 500m Splits to Comments along with an answer to this question…

Why is Rowing Fun?

Where’s the fun in life? Our Reason for Competition in Rowing, Fitness, and Strength Training

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The morning crew at CRASH-B 2015. Great racing everyone!

The morning crew at CRASH-B 2015. Great racing everyone!

Last week I shared my belief that life is all about motion and learning.  To live and survive, we must be able to move from place to place and interact with the world around us.  That’s great, but how does fun fit into that line of thinking?  I recently had an epic weekend with my college buddies and they reconfirmed my love for competition and sport, which is where I find fun in life.  Competition turns some people off, but let me explain why I think it’s an integral part of our daily lives that everyone should embrace.

Competition is the basis for all sport.  People play sports because they’re fun.  Sports are fun because every participant is given a chance to compete.  It’s not the outcome or the opponent that matters.  People enjoy competing because they’re given an opportunity to test themselves and their abilities in order to experience the thrill of an improvement toward a goal.  Competition can be both individual and team oriented.   By incorporating competition into everyday practice, Renegade Rowing allows us to track progress toward our goals, but more importantly to have fun and experience the journey.

Pat UVM CrewIn order to compete, athletes must develop mental toughness.  Firsthand athletes are developed through competition when they harness the power of the mind.  Our thoughts affect our feelings and our feelings affect our actions.  Anyone can develop an ability to do work with regards to fitness and rowing, but when work capacity is combined with mental toughness, athletes can control their actions and reach their goals.  Mental toughness is an athlete’s ability to commit to competition with a belief in oneself, to have a positive focus on the things they can control, and to embrace challenge as an opportunity for learning and self-improvement.

While the thrill of intrinsic motivation should be what drives us, we should not forget about the power of the opponent or the teammate in competition.  We can push ourselves asCFRowing Trainer Courseindividuals, but the opportunity to push ourselves against others will only make us better.  I’m a competitive guy and I like being pushed and challenged and testing my abilities against others.  There’s honesty in giving it all you have against others, especially knowing they’re doing the same.

Rowing is an Olympic Sport that elite athletes train for year round.  Some athletes may only compete 5 to 6 times per year and of those competitions they might only peak for one race.  Most other sports have seasons filled with games allowing for learning and development during competition.  Renegade Rowing incorporates daily competition so that athletes have the same opportunities that other sports have.  Renegade athletes will have the confidence needed to perform on race day.  By providing many opportunities to experience race day competition in practice, athletes will have a wealth of experiences to draw from when race day arrives.

If you enjoy the thrill of competition and are looking for a community of like-minded individuals who push each other to be better, Renegade Rowing is for you.  Share your thoughts, comments, and questions below.  We’d love to hear from you and compete alongside you!

Here is the training plan for the week:

RR Training Plan 3-16-15