Rest Day:
Can you imagine a Games Event on the Water?
Wouldn’t it be epic to watch the Games WOD from Friday with a 3,000m row on the water instead of the erg? I don’t know if it’ll ever happen, but I hope I’m there if it does. Let us know how you think they should incorporate rowing on the water into the Games!
Post your thoughts about a Games Event on the water!
Rowing WOD:
10 x 1:00 On, :45 Off
One Week until our next 500m Test! You’ve been training hard all Summer with a goal in mind. Today is the day to attack it and dial it in. Those with experience know the benefit of pacing, gaming, and executing a plan to produce a personal best performance. In the end a game plan facilitates mental toughness and focus to deal with pain when things get tough.
Next weekend we will be testing our 500m. Get ready to crush it and recruit a friend to do it with you. Someone to compete against will push you even harder!
Today’s focus is executing the prescribed pace at high intensity. Set the monitor for intervals distance with 1 minute of Work and 45 seconds of Rest. Row the first 5 pieces as if they were the body of a 2k. Row the next three pieces as if they were the body of a 1k. Row the last two pieces as if they were your 500m test next Saturday.
This should not be an all out Max Effort until the end, but rather a calculated effort. PIck your goal splits for each piece and execute!
Post your overall average split and your fastest split to comments.
Rowing WOD:
4x10min w/ 1 min Rest
Working the Dock Box!
As Follows:
1. 4min @18 s/m Steady, 1min @20 s/m Pressure, 4min @18 Steady, 1min @20 Pressure
1min Rest
2. 4min @20 Steady, 1min @22 Pressure, 4min @20 Steady, 1min @22 Pressure
1min Rest
3. 4min @22 Steady, 1min @24 Pressure, 4min @22 Steady, 1min @24 Pressure
1min Rest
4. 4min @24 Steady, 1min @26 Pressure, 4min @24 Steady, 1min @26 Pressure
Do you know what your strengths and weaknesses are? Are you good at long distance pieces or do you lose focus and consistency? Are you strong during 500m pieces but can’t maintain power for anything longer? Or perhaps your peak power needs improvement?
In Training and Rowing we are constantly trying to improve our skills and strengthen our goats. Take a look at your performances and accomplishments since the start of the year. What needs work or could use some improvement? Take that to heart and if you can only fit in a couple of Rowing WODs per week, focus on the ones that will strengthen those weaknesses.
Today’s focus is developing the consistency and aerobic base to maintain pressure at race pace. During the Steady State portion try to pull the same 500m Split every stroke. Effort should be such that you can hold a conversation, but you are aware of your breathing. During the Pressure portion ensure the split drops as the stroke rating increases. It should be harder to get out full sentences during the one minute of Pressure.
Post your Distance for each piece and what you plan to focus on in the coming weeks!
Rest Day:
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 Goal
One of the main goals of Renegade Rowing is to develop Firsthand Athletes. In order to be successful, rowing teams must be 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.
Rest well and be ready to work hard tomorrow!
Rowing WOD:
Imagine doing today’s Rowing WOD on the Water?
2k Row
3min Rest
1k Row (@2k-3)
3min Rest
500m Row (@2k-5)
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 will give you an idea of where you might need to focus your training in the coming months. At the end of today you’ll have three benchmark rowing times that can be used to game other Rowing WODs. These three times will also come in handy if you’re trying out for the Renegade Rowing Team on July 17th! Sign up for tryouts here and input your scores from today!
Come up with a plan and execute. You want to have mental cues on form, breathing, and effort to fall back on the second your mind starts to wander. If possible grab a friend and take turns coxing each other through each piece. Be consistent with your splits and stroke ratings through each piece. The stroke rating for this workout should be around a 28-32, but everyone needs to find what works. Find your efficient stroke. Novices should focus on one form fix for each piece and work hard for consistency.
Post your Times, Average 500m Splits, and Average Stroke Ratings to Comments along with an answer to this question…
Why is Rowing Fun?
Renegade Rowing 