13: When is your next 2k test? – 15min Mobility

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Renegade Rowing

Rest Day 1/17/13:

RRC getting after some Hamstring Mobility

When is your next 2k test?

CRASH-B’s are officially one month away! They are otherwise known as the World Indoor Rowing Championships and they’re held at Boston University’s Agganis Arena on February 17th. There will be hundreds of rowers and crossfitters from around the country and world descending on Boston to try to claim a hammer and a personal best. Many of these athletes have been training all winter. Knowing where their current 2k is and how they’ll respond to the pain and glory of competition is key. That is why they’ll test their 2k probably within the next week.

Here at Renegade Rowing we will be hosting an opportunity for athletes from around Boston to come experience the competition they’ll see at CRASH-Bs. The final race of this winter’s Renegade Rowing League will be a 2k from 8am-9am this Saturday, January 19th at CrossFit Boston Iron and Grit. Anyone wishing to compete and test their 2k can come on by 114 Western Ave and give it a go. The entry fee is $10 and winners of each event will receive a Renegade Rowing T-Shirt. To register just shoot Coach Pat an email at Pat@RenegadeRowing.com.

Below is a video of the last Renegade Rowing League. Take a look and then go take 15 minutes out of your day to focus on mobilizing your ankles, hamstrings, and hips!

Rowing WOD 1/12/13: 4 x 2:00 w/ :30 Rest – Post Splits

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Renegade Rowing

Rowing WOD 1/12/13:

Athletes from CFH2O getting after a partner 2k at the Renegade Rowing Workshop!

4 x 2:00 w/ :30 Rest

Race Pace
Execute Race Plan

Today’s Rowing WOD is all about executing your race plan and sticking to your splits. For the first piece come out fast with a good start and then 7 to 10 quick strokes. Then be sure to settle right to the pace you’d like to hold for the first 500m of a 2k. For the second and third pieces paddle into them and hold strong at your ideal race pace. Imagine they are the second and third 500m of the race. During the 30 seconds of rest paddle lightly, take deep breaths through your nose, and try to bring your heart rate down. For the last piece hold steady at your race pace and then sprint out the last 30 seconds like you’re sprinting for the finish line. Have positive mental cues ready for all 4 pieces just like during the race. There is no room for negativity or “I can’t…” phrases. They won’t help you. Just sit up, breath, push the legs down, swing, have quick hands, and attack. Each stroke is an opportunity to spin that flywheel a little faster and each piece an opportunity to get yourself that much closer to a personal record. Get hungry and get after it!

Post your average 500m splits for each piece to comments.

Rowing WOD 1/9/13: 5RFT – 250m, 10 PU on DB, 10 DB HSC, 10 DB StOH – Post Time and Splits

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Renegade Rowing

Rowing WOD 1/9/13:

5 Rounds for time…

250m Row
10 Pushups on Dumbbells
10 DB Hang Squat Cleans 45/30
10 DB Shoulder to OH 45/30

Checkout everyone’s preparation for the catch!

1:1 Work to Rest Ratio Each Round (Do the math each round!)

In order to develop elite fitness we must develop our core and powerful hip extension. An athlete must be able to hold a strong posture and move efficiently through the hips when transferring force through the core. Today’s Rowing WOD will not only train and test our core, but bring attention to the shoulders and lats, which must be strong to hold a good posture and transfer force efficiently. Be sure to grab a lacrosse ball afterward and roll out the front, side, and back of your shoulders for at least three minutes on each arm. You will be sore if you don’t.

The goal for the 250m pieces should be to hold your ideal 2k split or faster. Don’t worry, the 1:1 rest allows you to hit it hard and go all out each round. The push ups are meant to be a deficit push up, so your chest should touch the floor below your hands. If you are still developing your push up, add an abmat or two to limit the range of motion and scale down. Focus on keeping the shoulders away from the ears and lats engaged. On the Hang Squat Cleans and Shoulder to Overhead movements be sure to use your hips to move the weight in order to save your arms. Keep active shoulders overhead!

Anja and Alex pushing each other!

Last but not least you will need to do some math. The biggest improvement you can make in rowing and racing a 2k is mastering your mental capacity. If you can stay sharp and use your mind even when fatigued, you can execute a race plan and push yourself through the pain. Today’s workout requires a 1:1 Work to Rest Ratio. That means after the first round look at the time on the clock and rest that amount of time. For the second round, remember what time you start and note what time you finish. You’ll need to subtract your start time from the finish time of round two in order to calculate the rest needed after round two. Have a piece of paper or a whiteboard handy. Be ready to control your breathing and think!

Post your time and average splits for the 250m pieces!

For those that have been following the blog or are new and looking for some helpful tips, below is a video I took yesterday of the Renegade Rowing Suspension Drill. We like to use this drill to really feel what it means to suspend from the oar during the drive. Whenever there are short pieces in a WOD suspension is key and can really be a game changer!

Rowing WOD 1/8/13: Max Pressure 15 x :20 On :40 Off – Post Fastest and Slowest Split

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Renegade Rowing

Rowing WOD 1/8/13:

15 x :20 On :40 Off

Max Pressure

CFH2O at the first Renegade Rowing Workshop Sunday! More details to come!

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 on January 19th at the third race of the Renegade Rowing League here at CrossFit Boston.

Post your fastest and slowest splits to comments.

The Renegade Rowing Club will be warming up with a couple of strap drills to feel and practice suspending from the oar. If all goes well I’ll try to get some video of the drill up for everyone later this week. Have Fun!

Rowing WOD 1/7/13: “Snow Drifts” – 2 x 17min w/ 4min Rest – Post Distance

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Renegade Rowing

Rowing WOD 1/7/13:

“Snow Drifts”

2 x 17min w/ 4min Rest

as follows …

5′ @22 s/m, 4′ @24, 3′ @26, 2′ @28, 3′ @26

Last week we hit “The Castle” to focus on ratio and rhythm. Today’s Rowing WOD is another opportunity for everyone to keep working on a sense of form and rhythm without the pressure of intensity and competition. Sometimes it’s good to slow down and dial in that technique. Pressure should be a moderate to hard steady state. That means you can get out short sentences but it’s difficult to maintain a detailed conversation.

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 a 26 stroke rating to a 28 you should focus on more pressure with the legs and quickly redirecting the hands through the finish. Think of a slingshot as you pull the hands in and release them quick and smooth away. 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. When the rating shifts down from a 28 to a 26 be sure to perform a ratio shift and try to maintain the same split. Focus on pushing a little harder and take an extra second to breath on the recovery to bring the stroke rating down.

Post distance rowed to comments along with songs that helped you stick to each rating!

Music can motivate us to push harder and row longer, but it can also give us a sense of timing. We might have to start calling it Music Monday’s if this catches on, but for now just have some fun trying to row to the rhythm of the music. Please add to the playlists any songs that help you stick to a certain rating and keep pushing hard!

Below is the start of a list of songs for various stroke ratings. If you were to use a music editing program like garage band to clip the songs into segments then you could perform today’s Rowing WOD completely in time to your favorite jams.

If you have Spotify, I’ve created a playlist for each stroke rating. Each playlist is named “Renegade Rowing @(insert stroke rate)”, so for songs that you could row to at a 20 the playlist is named “Renegade Rowing @20″. If you have favorite songs that go well at certain stroke ratings please feel free to add to the playlists on Spotify. Thanks Mike T. for kick starting this project and I hope this helps motivate everyone to find better rhythm and ratio!

20 s/m: Renegade Rowing @20

22 s/m: Renegade Rowing @22

24 s/m: Renegade Rowing @24

26 s/m: Renegade Rowing @26

28 s/m: Renegade Rowing @28

30 s/m: Renegade Rowing @30

32 s/m: Renegade Rowing @32

34 s/m: Renegade Rowing @34

36 s/m: Renegade Rowing @36