Tag Archives: personal experiences

Rowing WOD 11/18/15: 5RFT – 300m Row, 15 Push Press – Post Time and Splits

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 Rowing WOD:

Renegades attacking their 2k Pace last year!

Renegades attacking their 2k Pace last year!

5 Rounds For Time

300m Row (@2k Pace)

15 Push Press (95/65 lbs.)

Today’s Rowing WOD is all about maintaining consistent pressure and efficiency of movement.  We did a similar WOD at the gym a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been meaning to work it in to the programming.  A good goal is to try to hold a 2k split for each row.  So if your current 2k takes 8:00, your split would be 2:00 /500m.  If you can hold your 2k split consistently or perhaps even go faster as the rounds go on you’ll be doing well.  Do your best to hold onto the barbell and go unbroken for the Push Press.  Be aggressive with your hips to assist/save your shoulders as much as possible.  Breathe, Push, and Have Fun!  This one is a great challenge!

Post your time and average splits for each row to comments!

Rowing WOD 11/13/15: “It’s all about the …” – 5RFT – 250m Row, 10 Goblet Squats – Post Time

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 Rowing WOD:

Break Parallel and Explode Up Through The Heels!

“It’s all about the …”

5 Rounds For Time

250m Row (@2k-2)

10 Goblet Squats to the Erg (25/15 lbs.)

Whether you want to win the Renegade Rowing Cup for your Box, take home the hammer from the CRASH-Bs, conquer the games, or just live a healthier life, you will need to be able to powerfully extend your hips.  In rowing specifically, we need to be able to turn on our glutes and hamstrings quickly in order to pick up the boat or flywheel before they die.  Getting our motor neurons to fire quickly in order to drive through the heels is the name of the game.  In today’s Rowing WOD use the erg seat, or the erg rail if the seat is to high, for goblet squats.  Focus on getting to the same depth every time, kissing the erg, and then exploding through the heels.  The weight is light, so focus on good foundational movement and generating speed with the legs and hips.  Cycle through the squats with good form as fast as possible.  If you think you have what it takes to go heavier, say 45/35 lbs., make sure you maintain the same explosive speed on the drive of the Goblet Squat that you have at lighter weight.  During the 250m pieces you can practice your 2k start and then fight to consistently hold a 500m Split that is 2 seconds faster than your current 2k average split.

Post your time and average splits to comments!  Also, would you wear a RR shirt that said that … “It’s all about the …”, strategically placed of course.  Let us know!

Rest Day 11/12/15: Got Skills? …Row and Get Some!

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Jodie from the 7am class challenging the BC Men's Crew Team!Rest Day:

How do you Master Skills?

As Winter starts to set in and you start working toward your goals, be aware of how you recover and master skills.  One goal you’ll probably set for the Winter is to master a new skill, like double unders, hand stand push-ups, or muscle ups.  I want to draw your attention to how you attack these skills and actually master them.

To master a skill is to know and have full control over every piece of a skill, both physically and mentally, when your fresh and your fatigued.  Lately we’ve been pushing the intensity in the gym and many people have found themselves sore and out of it for a few days. What would you do on the Monday following a solid week or weekend?

The days following a hard training day are perfect for mastering a new skill through active recovery.  Rather than going back for a second or third hard training day and not performing at full intensity, commit to an active recovery day focused on mastery of the skills you’d like to develop.

Coxswains pushing hard right alongside their rowers!

Rather than join in on the regular class at CFB, take 1 hour out of your day to actively recover, rather than sitting around and feeling sore.  Set the erg for 2,000m of work and 10min of rest.  Row an easy 2k and then spend 10 minutes working on goats, handstand push ups, pull ups, and Toes to Bar.  Three sets of this active recovery interval scheme will give you confidence with skills and prepare you for a hard training day on Tuesday.

The erg is a great tool to use as active recovery.  A few hard training days back to back will leave your body depleted and full of metabolic waste.  In order to replenish your energy and clear out the metabolic waste it helps to eat well, move, and keep the blood flowing.  The erg provides a stable platform and is low impact,  perfect for recovery at a sub-maximal effort.  Next time you’re feeling sore or a workout absolutely crushes you, go sit down on the erg and row for 10 minutes.  It doesn’t have to be hard.  Enjoy it!  Row at about 40% effort, just hard enough to breathe a little bit.  You should be able to maintain sentences and tell your training partner what you’ll be doing to master your next skill!

If you have any fun methods to master skills please share!

Rowing WOD 10/30/15: Peak Power and 2k Test – Post Peak Power and 2k Time/Split

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Rowing WOD:

The Ladies getting after it at the Renegade Rowing League last year!

Peak Power Test

then

2k Row

If there were one Rowing WOD that could show you how far you’ve come in the forging of Elite Fitness, this would be it.  The Peak Power Test will give you a sense of the raw power you can put into one stroke.  The 2k test has been referred to as the “Fran” of rowing due to the burning lungs and legs it leaves you with.  The 2k row is like nothing else in sport.  It requires both power and endurance.  Do you have what it takes to push through the pain?

For the Peak Power Test set the monitor for 20 seconds of work and 2 minutes of rest.  Start by paddling a couple of strokes to get the fan moving and then go for max watts.  It may help to video the test or have a partner watch to tell you the highest watts you pulled in just one stroke.  During the 2 minutes of rest paddle lightly or roll out.  Take 3 or 4 tries to find your max wattage starting with the damper set low and increasing the drag each successive try.  At some point you’ll find a drag that you like and gives you the most power.  Your score for the Peak Power Test is the Max Watts pulled in just one stroke.

For the 2k Test, set the monitor for 2,000 meters and execute a race plan.  The most successful race plans are the simplest.

Try this…

Starting 3 strokes (Half, 3/4, Full)

7-10 High Strokes

Settle to race pace (your goal 500m Split, this requires a Ratio shift – take time to sit up and breath on the recovery!)

Pull a consistent spit +/- 1 split second through the body of the race

@250m to go, Sprint for the Finish Line!

Post your Peak Power (Watts produced in 1 stroke) and 2k time to comments!

Rest Day 10/29/15: Head of the Fish, 2k Prep, and Renegade Rowing Club!

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Rest Day:

It was a solid end to the season! Time to turn it up for the Winter Season!

Head of the Fish is this Weekend!  I hope you’re planning on dressing warm because it’s going to be cold and wet.  I’ll be in town Saturday night and coaching on Sunday.  Hope to see some Renegades there!

Announcing the 2015/16 Renegade Rowing Club!

It’s that time of year again.  The weather has gotten cold and no one wants to row in the cold.  Now is the time to get pumped for training in the gym and crushing your 2k on the erg!  The 2015/16 Renegade Rowing Club will be held at 6:30am on Friday mornings at CrossFit Boston in Brighton, MA.  Practices will start the first Friday of December, 12/4/15.  The cost for the Renegade Rowing Club will be $177 for the whole winter.  We will be training for the Renegade Rowing League, which will be held in December, January, and February leading up to CRASH-B’s.  Who’s game?  Email me if you plan on joining the Renegade Rowing Club, pat@renegaderowing.com.  There are only 16 spots available in the club, so let me know sooner rather than later!

What’s your 2k Race Plan?

Get hydrated, eat well, and get a good sleep.  It’s been a solid three days of training/testing.  Be sure to take the time to mobilize those quads, hips, and hamstrings.  In training we ask a lot of our quads whether it’s rowing or running stadiums.  Show them some love even if it’s painful.  Do it!

For those that have been following the Rowing WODs you’ve probably noticed we are in the middle of a testing week.  We tested the 5k on Monday, the 1′ domain and 1 RM for our lifts on Tuesday, and our general fitness on Wednesday.  If you’ve missed those or are looking for the ultimate test, Friday will be a chance for you to attain 7 or 8 minutes of glory.  Start thinking of your goal and developing a race plan that will get you there.

Post thoughts on your 2k Race Plan, Goals, and if you will be joining the Renegade Rowing Club!