Tag Archives: personal experiences

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.

Rowing WOD 4/14/14: “The Castle” – 21min of Work with Ratio Shifts – Post Distance

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Rowing WOD:

RR Rowing Workshop at Newport Navy Base last week!

RR Rowing Workshop at Newport Navy Base last week!

“The Castle”

Row for 21min as follows…

3′ @20 s/m, 3′ @24, 3′ @28, 3′ @26, 3′ @28, 3′ @24, 3′ @20

  • Focus on Rhythm and Ratio

As we head into Regionals and the Games, many athletes will need some extra time on the erg to focus on rhythm, timing, and overall form.  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 a 20 stroke rating to a 24 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 distance rowed to comments along with songs that helped you stick to each rating!

A project that I’ve started thanks to Renegade Rower Mike T. is how to help people feel the proper rhythm and ratio by rowing to music.  Music can motivate us to push hard and row longer, but it can also give us a sense of timing.

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

Rest Day 4/13/14: Do you have a gym or boathouse pet? Share!

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Rest Day:

Meatball!

Meatball!

Do you have a fun companion that hangs around the gym or boathouse?  They can help make everyone smile, laugh, and stay positive.  Always a good thing during tough workouts!

Share your gym or boathouse pet!

Rowing WOD 4/7/14: 1k, 3×3′ w/ 1′ Rest, 2×3′ w/ 1′ Rest – Post Total Distance and Experience

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Rowing WOD:

Checkout everyone's preparation for the catch!

1k Row

  • @24-26 s/m (note average 500m split)
  • 4′ rest

3 x 3’ On 1’ Off as follows

  • Hold 1k split
  • 3′ @26 s/m, 25 s/m, 24 s/m (rate changes every minute)
  • 3′ @25, 24, 23
  • 3′ @24, 23, 22
  • 4′ rest

2 x 3’ On 1’ Off as follows (holding 1k split):

  • 3′ @26, 24, 22
  • 3′ @24, 22, 20

One thing that all good athletes have in common is a sense of efficiency.  The athlete that can maintain proper mechanics and spend the least amount of energy to complete a task will be able to push harder and farther compared to the athlete that just flies and dies.  Todays Rowing WOD introduces a key concept to being efficient in rowing and may improve your efficiency in longer wods.

Start the workout by rowing 1,000m at 24-26 strokes per minute.  Effort should be about 60% – 75% as if you were jogging a half-mile, don’t go all out.  The average split for the 1k will be your goal split to hold through all of the 3 minute pieces.  Set the monitor for 3′ of work and 1′ of rest.  Each 3-minute piece is broken into 1-minute sections that should be rowed at the designated stroke rating.

In order to hold the goal split while decreasing the stroke rating you must perform a ratio shift.  A ratio shift changes the timing of the stroke on the drive and the recovery.  For example, shifting from 1 on the drive: 2 on the recovery, to 1 on the drive: 3 on the recovery.  This is a challenging workout.  Use it to develop a sense of efficiency.  A proper ratio shift maintains the power per stroke but allows the rower time to breath and prepare for the next stroke.

Post Total Distance and your Experience with ratio shifts.

Below are some pictures of Mike T. after working on staying connected through the finish.  What does your finish look like? Is it efficient?  How fast do your hands move through the finish?  … Just a few things to think about as we continue to work on suspension through the stroke and balanced finishes.

Rowing WOD 4/1/14: Row Individual Marathon – 42,195m – Post Time and Experience

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Rowing WOD:

Imagine doing this on the water! You can with a Renegade Rowing Membership.

Imagine doing this on the water! You can with the Renegade Rowing Team and RRL1k.

Row Individual Marathon

42,195m Row

… Or Row a 10k for form, rhythm, and timing at steady state pressure. No matter what be sure to get some good mobility for the hips and hamstrings. It is April 1st after all. We’ll throw in a Marathon someday … or if you make it to the CrossFit Games maybe you’ll have to do a half-marathon!

Post Time and Split for a 10k to comments, as well as your thoughts on rowing a marathon.