Tag Archives: inspiration

Rowing WOD 5/6/14: Congrats BC Men’s Rowing! – 15 x :20 On, :40 Off – Post Fastest and Slowest Splits

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Rowing WOD:

Congrats to the Boston College Men's Rowing Team on taking the Team Points Trophy at the New England Rowing Championships on Saturday! Keep up the hard work!

Congrats to the Boston College Men’s Rowing Team on taking the Team Points Trophy at the New England Rowing Championships on Saturday! Keep up the hard work!

15 x :20 On, :40 Off

Max Pressure

  • Post your fastest and slowest splits to comments.

Elite fitness is all about developing power through high intensity.  Today’s Rowing WOD is an opportunity to push your boundaries and test the limits of your speed.  Catch your breath and focus on the 40 seconds off so that you can put every ounce of energy into suspending from the oar and going low on the split.  Compare your results to your 2k race plan.  Do you last through the first 7, but die soon after?  Could you go faster at the start of your 2k?  What happens to your focus in the last couple?  Use your results to adjust your race plan and goal for our next 2k which will be happening this Saturday.  The idea of suspension can be very powerful when you’re trying to pull low splits under fatigue.  Check it out below.

Try warming up with a couple of strap drills to feel and practice suspending from the oar.    Have Fun!

Rest Day 4/27/14: Go see a Regatta! Share your experience!

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Rest Day:

Big Regattas coming up this month! How many times will you race this weekend?

Big Regattas coming up this month! How many times will you race this weekend?

Go See a Regatta!

This weekend marks the beginning of the championship regatta season with many big regattas taking place around the country.  Find your nearest rowing center and see if there’s a race happening.  Set yourself up by the finish or start to see the best action.  Also check out the launching and landing areas to see the controlled chaos it takes to make a regatta happen.

Are you Ready to Race?

Share your experience!

Rowing WOD 4/22/14: 6 x 750m w/ 2min Rest – Post Splits

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Rowing WOD:

Matt Substituting a 2k Row for a 1 mile run at CFB last week!

Matt Substituting a 2k Row for a 1 mile run at CFB last week!

6 x 750m w/ 2min Rest

1st & 2nd @2k Pace (w/ Start)

  • 3rd @2k+5
  • 4th @2k+3
  • 5th @2k+1
  • 6th @2k (w/ Sprint Finish)

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 750m of work and 2 minutes of rest.  Use the first two pieces 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 six pieces.  Write down the splits you would like to hold (ex: 2:00, 2:00, 2:05, 2:03, 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.

Rest Day 4/20/14: Where should we gather during the stroke? – Share

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Gather just before sliding forward.

Where should we gather during the stroke?

When performing cleans or snatches in a wod with moderate weight it is possible to touch and go.  In order to touch and go there is a gathering point just above the knee when returning the weight to the floor where athletes lock in their posture and prepare their body for the next repetition.  When rowing on the water many coaches talk about body preparation by half slide to be ready for the catch.  This usually involves thinking about or feeling a gathering point as the bodies swing forward out of the finish so that everyone in the boat can get together and time the catch correctly.  When rowing by yourself on the erg it is possible to slow yourself down on the recovery and gather yourself and your body preparation as you start to slide forward toward the next catch.

Take 5 minutes today to row nice and slow and see where you tend to gather yourself.  Too often competitors or athletes in the gym gather at the finish and dump their weight to the floor.  Instead think about the finish as a continuous movement and put a gathering point just after you swing the body forward and begin your slide.  This will save energy, improve your sequencing, and make everything much smoother.

Rest Day 4/17/14: 5min SlowMo Rowing – Where does the stroke end?

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Where does the stroke end?

What daily drills do you utilize to be more efficient?

What daily drills do you utilize to be more efficient?

When thinking about the stroke should there be any stops or starts?  Does the handle and seat ever stop moving?  If so where is it ok?

Ideally the rowing stroke is a cyclical motion that is fluid and dynamic without end.  When thinking of the finish you should be thinking of releasing the pressure on the handle and smoothly changing directions quick and clean.  The only time the seat should pause is when you have pushed the legs down and are finishing the stroke.  A stable base is needed to swing the arms and body through with power and rhythm.  However, even as you swing forward to recover the seat will move a little bit as you push the hips backwards to prepare your body for the next catch.

If you have time today, take 5 minutes to row in super slow motion feeling and thinking about the timing of the seat and hands.  Your goal in developing an efficient stroke should be smooth, continuous motion without pause or hesitation.