Rowing WOD 11/19/13: 5x500m Equal Work:Rest – Post Avg Splits

Rowing WOD 11/19/13:

The Renegade Rowing Team!

The Renegade Rowing Team!

5 x 500m

Rest as long as it takes you to complete 500m.  

Row as follows:

  • Pieces 1 and 2: practice the start of the race plan
  • Pieces 3 and 4: practice holding race pace like the body of the race plan
  • Piece 5: practice sprinting out at 250m like the finish of the race plan

Before getting after today’s Rowing WOD I want you to recall two things.  What are you training for and who are you training with?  On Saturday we talked about setting appropriate goals, which is a big part of Renegade Rowing.  Along with goals you should be finding an appropriate training partner.  In terms of the psychology of training and performance, we will always push harder and focus more when there is someone right there next to us.  A training partner will make you faster just by being there and holding you accountable.  Training partners are huge, especially when that little voice starts to creep inside your head and tell you to stop pulling.

Today you should practice a few of the suspension drills we covered on Saturday and then really put that suspension to work in these 500′s.  Practice those drills once or twice with your training partner this week when you workout.

Rowing Together at CFB

Rowing Together at CFB

Along with suspension, today’s Rowing WOD is all about POWER!  P = Force x distance / time.

There are three ways to row faster:

1) Row Harder,

2) Row Longer,

3) Row Higher (increased s/m).

For most rowers it’s easy to learn to row longer and higher, but rowing harder doesn’t come easy.  That is why we work on General Physical Preparedness!  Gym’s like CrossFit Boston are what allows us to row harder, push ourselves, and produce more force each stroke.  Keep up with your WODS!  In order to row longer we need more compression with the legs at the catch while maintaining a tall posture and not lunging.  This requires us to have more flexibility, so keep working on that extra mobility!  Hips and Hamstring Flexibility are key!  Last, rowing higher means rowing at a higher stroke rating.  After playing with the damper setting and learning about drag factors, we have come to realize that we are more efficient at that higher stroke rating.  Remember when we need to sprint at the end of a piece we can  start to bring that split down by picking up the stroke rating!

Before starting today’s Rowing WOD you should review our race plan.  My idea for using this race plan is to keep it simple.  I’d like us to keep it simple and execute rather than coming up with some elaborate plan that we can’t execute.

Here is the race plan:

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

7 − 10 high strokes

Settle to race pace (your goal split, this requires a RATIO shift, take time to sit up and breath on the recovery!)

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

@250m sprint for the finish line!

Post your Average Splits for each piece to comments.

********** IMPORTANT *************

Keep practicing Body Preparation and Connection!  Have someone watch you and see if you’re getting your body angle set by 1/2 slide and keeping connected as you start each stroke.

To see some of the warmup videos from the past week check out the media page on the CrossFit Boston website:

http://crossfitboston.com/media/

Row Smart, Row Hard!

Rowing WOD 11/18/13: Double Pyramids – Post Distance Rowed

Representing at CRASH-B 2013!

Representing at CRASH-B 2013!

Rowing WOD 11/18/13:

Double Pyramids

2 x 19min

w/ 2min Rest

  1. 4′ @18, 3′ @20, 2′ @22, 1′ @24, 2′ @22, 3′ @20, 4′ @18
  2. 4′ @20, 3′ @22, 2′ @24, 1′ @26, 2′ @24, 3′ @22, 4′ @20

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 an 18 stroke rating to a 20 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 you’re distance rowed to comments as well as your thoughts on Ratio.

***Also remember to throw in a few strokes where you focus on Suspension and what we covered on Saturday!

Top 10 Reasons Erging is Better Than Training Outside in the Winter (even when it still sucks)

If you’re a runner or an athlete looking for good cross training options this winter checkout what one runner sent me even though she hates erging.  This was submitted by Alex Black of Wicked Good Nutrition … aka the Renegade Dietitian!  Share your thoughts!

Top 10 Reasons Erging is Better Than Training Outside in the Winter (even when it still sucks)

Three Renegades1. It’s cold outside. Today it was “feels like 16” in Boston. Running or rowing outdoors in that sucks.

2. Rowing is good for building power and strength in your legs, but is lower impact than running. Come row indoors and give those bones and joints a break.

3. Your nose won’t get as runny indoors.

4. It’s a bit tricky to row on the water when the water is ice. Unless you can put wheels on your boat. If you do, you should patent that.

5. You can’t slip and crack your spine on black ice when you’re rowing inside!

6. Rowing can help build strength and stability in your knees, just in time to prepare you for a good winter of skiing/boarding.

7. If you get too hot rowing in a heated gym, you can use the fan on your neighbor’s erg to cool off.

8. Forgot your shoes at home? No problem, you can row barefoot!

9. Rowing burns lots of calories in a short time. That means more sleep for you!

10. Rowing is good for the abs (seriously). If you do it right, you might just close out the winter with a 6-pack. Who doesn’t want a 6-pack?

If you’re interested in rowing this winter then you should join the Renegade Rowing Club.  We row together at 6:30pm at CrossFit Boston every Monday night starting December 2nd.  We’ll get you a training partner and before you know it you’ll be crushing life.  Email me, pat@renegaderowing.com, if you’re interested in joining us!

Rowing WOD 11/16/13: 5x500m w/ 1:30 Rest – Post Splits and Favorite Drag Factor

Rowing WOD 11/16/13:

Suspension Drills

Recover to Strength in order to Suspend!

Recover to Strength in order to Suspend!

5 x 500m w/ 1:30 Rest

  1. @2k+5, Damper Set at 6
  2. @2k+5, Damper Set at 5
  3. @2k+5, Damper Set at 4
  4. @2k+5, Damper Set at 3
  5. @2k+5, Damper Set at 2

Check Drag Factor

Recently we’ve been reviewing the fundamental skills of posture, control, and connection.  Today we’ll take the idea of connection one step further as we feel what it means to suspend from the oar handle.  Suspension is all about using our body weight to hang on the oar and help accelerate the handle all the way through the drive.  The key is not to create any force Upward off the seat, but to just become weightless off your seat while keeping in contact with it.  Everything – forces, handle height, chain – needs to be HORIZONTAL when we row!  NO need to do extra Work (W = mgh) by moving stuff up and down every stroke, keep it horizontal!

Drills we’ll cover include the Stand Up/Sit Down drill to get the feeling of suspending above the seat.  Remember this is an exaggeration to get the correct sensation and feeling of good connection.  We will also do the Strap Drill where we statically hang and suspend from the handle while maintaining our body angles and strong postures.  Then we’ll do the Strap Drill dynamically by letting the strap out slowly and trying to hold suspension all the way through the drive.

In today’s Rowing WOD we’ll be varying the damper to find where we’re most efficient.  Over the next week play around with the damper to find where you’re most comfortable/efficient .  When you find a damper setting you like, check the drag factor so you can begin using a consistent drag factor.  For more information on Drag Factors read this article: http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/training/tips-and-general-info/damper-setting-101

For today’s 500m pieces, try to focus on good connection and suspension while keeping a consistent split for all 5 pieces.  After you’re done look back at the memory to see what your average stroke rating was for each piece.  Whatever piece felt comfortable/efficient and was done at a stroke rating of 28-32 might be a good drag factor for you.  Take a couple of minutes to set the damper to that number and check the drag factor on the monitor.  Remember that drag factor and try to use it next time you row to see if you still like it.

Post your average splits and favorite drag factor to comments!

********** IMPORTANT *************

The biggest thing to focus on and practice right now is the fundamentals!!!  Body Preparation by Half Slide is Key and Connection to move the handle with the seat out of the Catch is key!  If you can Prep and Connect, the suspension will come.  Whenever focusing on suspension ensure your abs are engaged and you have a solid hollow body!  Protect those discs!

If you have any questions let me know!

Here is a quick video of the strap drill.  It’s a fun challenge to do dynamically. If you like what you see, come try it and train with the Renegade Rowing Club!  The Renegade Rowing Club starts December 2nd at 6:30pm at CrossFit Boston.  Let me know if you’re planning on coming… pat@renegaderowing.com

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

Rowing WOD 11/15/13:

Break Parallel and Explode Up Through The Heels!

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!