Tag Archives: mental toughness

Rest Day 7/25/13: What Split would you hold for 21,097m? – Share

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Rest Day 7/25/13:

Excited to see Coach Shane Farmer crush it in the Team competition. Hopefully something like the half-marathon pops up for him!

Excited to see Coach Shane Farmer crush it in the Team competition. Hopefully something like the half-marathon pops up for him!

What Split would you hold for 21,097m?

The CrossFit Games have begun and this year rowing has burst on to the scene!  Yesterday the individual competitors had to row a half-marathon, 21,097 meters.  It was not rowing on the water in a shell, but it was just as epic.  They actually had to make a decision on how hard they would start.  The first 2,000m were up for grabs and points, as well as the points for the overall half-marathon.  What would your strategy be?  Would you go all out and try to grab the 2k points or settle in and start chipping away at the half-marathon?

Share your game plan and thoughts on the WOD to comments!

Rowing WOD 7/23/13: Max Pressure – 15 x :20 On, :40 Off – Post Fastest, Slowest, Avg Splits

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Rowing WOD 7/23/13:

Rowing Warmup at CFB

Rowing Warmup at CFB

15 x :20 On, :40 Off

Max Pressure

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 500m race plan.  Do you last through the first 7, but die soon after?  Could you go faster at the start of your 500m?  What happens to your focus in the last couple?  Use your results to adjust your race plan and goal for our next 500m test which will be happening in two weeks.  The idea of suspension can be very powerful when you’re trying to pull low splits under fatigue.  Check it out below.

Post your fastest, slowest, and average splits to comments.

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

Rest Day 7/18/13: Are you a Firsthand Athlete?

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Rest Day 7/18/13:

One of the First Renegade Rowing Athletes to become a Firsthand Athlete!

One of the First Renegade Rowing Athletes to become a Firsthand Athlete!

Are you a Firsthand Athlete?

Please share any thoughts or experiences to comments!  Here are my thoughts on what I mean by Firsthand Athlete.

The Firsthand Athlete

A firsthand athlete has the competence and confidence to rely on personal experiences to prepare for, execute, and learn from a performance both as an individual and as part of a team.  Rowing is a unique sport in that there is no coach calling plays, talking you through the pre-race warm-up, or cueing you on that one technical or tactical fix during a race.  The same goes for fitness, when an athlete is away on vacation there is no coach to walk them through a workout.  When a rower shoves off the dock on race day or goes home for vacation it’s up to them to know what to do, what to think about, what to fix, and what to focus on.  The firsthand athlete actively communicates with their body, teammates, and coaches to continually learn and work towards their goals.

The Renegade Rowing Team Goal

One of the main goals of the Renegade Rowing Team will be to develop Firsthand Athletes.   We have 8-weeks to learn to row together in an 8+.  Saturday, September 14th is the Rumble on the River at Community Rowing Inc.  We will be racing other mixed crews with similar experience.  In order to be successful we’ll need a team full of Firsthand Athletes that can work hard together and stay focused on what they must do as individuals to make the boat go faster.

If you’d like to be part of the Renegade Rowing Team and experience the adrenaline of making a shell go fast with eight other crew mates, please sign up for Tryouts, taking place this Friday at 6:30pm.  Practices start next week!

Rest well and be ready to work hard tomorrow!

Rowing WOD 7/16/13: Max Pressure – 2x1k, 3x500m – Post Avg Splits

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Rowing WOD 7/16/13:

Max Pressure

2 x 1k w/ 4:00 Rest

3 x 500m w/ 2:00 Rest

Have you ever seen a WOD posted in your gym like 5-5-5-5-5 Back Squat and that’s it?  Did you think that would be a good day to take off because there’s not much to it and you’d rather go to a session with more stuff?  Well snap out of it and hit that WOD hard next time.  High Intensity is your ability to push your boundaries a little further everyday.  If you never test your limits you’ll never know what you’ve got.

Todays Rowing WOD calls for Max Pressure and is a test of your ability to consistently perform at your highest intensity.  Set the monitor for Intervals Variable and input 1k, 4min rest, 1k, 4min rest, 500m, 2min rest, 500m, 2min rest, 500m, 2min rest.  Pick a 500m Split and a Stroke Rating you plan to hold for each distance.  The first time you perform that distance execute that pace (split and s/m) as consistently as possible.  When you repeat the distance try to be even more consistent and go a little bit faster.

Remember, the goal is to row at max pressure for every piece.  Focus on your split and stroke rate and row at high intensity with good form.

Post your average 500m splits to comments.

Rowing WOD 7/13/13: 8 x 250m w/ 1min Rest – Post Splits

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Rowing WOD 7/13/13:

Thoughts on Bladework? Come learn all about it on the Renegade Rowing Team!

Thoughts on Bladework? Come learn all about it on the Renegade Rowing Team!

8 x 250m w/ 1min Rest

  • Last 2 @500m Goal Split

We will be retesting our 500m in three weeks to see if we’re progressing and pushing ourselves.  Today’s focus is executing all 8 pieces at high intensity with negative splits.  Set the monitor for intervals distance with 250m of Work and 1 minute of Rest.  Row every piece with your 500m retest in mind.  Get off to a good start and settle on the first one.  Stay consistent from pieces 2 − 4.  Fight for that split on pieces 5-6.  Bring it home on 7-8 with a split at or below your 500m goal.  Take a look at your previous results for this Rowing WOD and the last 250m piece from yesterdays workout to find a good starting split.

Also, we have one more week until Tryouts for the Renegade Rowing Team.  I hope everyone’s getting excited to get on the water!  We’re still looking for at least 3-4 people to sign up and join us.  This is your opportunity to get out on the Charles River, learn to row, and race!  Practices will be on Tuesday and Wednesday nights from 6:30-8pm at Community Rowing.  Come participate in the Throwdown at CrossFit Boston next Friday night at 6:30pm to learn more, meet the team, and kick off the program!

Post your Splits to comments.