Tag Archives: water

Rowing WOD 7/24/15: 4x10min Spicy Steady State – Post Distance

Posted on by
Reply

Rowing WOD:

Lauryn and Terese getting in their warm up at CRASH-B 2015

4 x 10 min Spicy Steady State w/ 1 min Rest

10′ @ 18 s/m**

10′ @ 20 s/m**

10′ @ 22 s/m**

10′ @ Increasing Stroke Rating as follows – (5′ @24, 3′ @26, 2′ @28)

**First 3 Pieces – Row 4min Steady, 1min @-3 split seconds, 4min Steady, 1min @-3 split seconds

**Hold the same stroke rating all the way through each piece, but vary the pressure with your legs depending on whether you’re rowing steady or 3 split seconds faster

This is a great opportunity to work on the rhythm and consistent effort needed in long WODs with movements like kettlebell swings and sumo deadlift high pulls.  Focus on maintaining consistent pressure through each stroke and every piece.  Rate of Perceived Exertion should be around 60% – 70%.  Effort level on the last piece is open and should be based on how you feel.  Set the monitor for intervals-time with 10 minutes of work and 1 minute of rest. During the rest stand up and stretch out your back and foam roll any areas that feel overly tense.

Novice rowers should focus on one part of the stroke for each piece, like a horizontal handle path or trying to row feet out.

Vets should be dialing in their consistency.  During the last piece Vets should be focused on bringing their 500m split down as the stroke rating increases.

Post the total distance rowed to comments.

What are you doing to help move your boat? – Video Review

Posted on by
Reply

Rowing on the water involves moving boats.  What are you doing at each end of the stroke to help move your boat and maintain maximum boat speed?  Here are two video reviews to help you find opportunities to move your boat better.  One video is of steady state rowing and one video is of race pace rowing.  Take a look and see how they can help you.  What is going well?  What areas can you also work on?  Are you focused on rowing on the erg as if you were going to row on the water?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section and consider joining Renegade Rowing.

Rowing WOD 7/20/15: “Snow Drifts” – Post Distances

Posted on by
Reply
Remember when it was cold out?

Remember when it was cold out?

“Snow Drifts”

2 x 17min w/ 4min Rest

as follows …

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

4min Rest

5′ @20 s/m, 4′ @24, 3′ @28, 2′ @30, 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.

Slingshot Hands Away will be key when we get on the water!

Slingshot Hands Away will be key when we get on the water!

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

Rowing WOD 7/18/15: 3k Row, 2.5k Row, 2k Row – Post Avg. Splits

Posted on by
Reply

Would you like to row with Renegade Rowing?  On the water or in the gym?  If you’re interested be sure to schedule a consultation today!

Beautiful Sunset rowing in Jacksonville.

Rowing WOD:

3k Row

6min rest

2.5k Row

5min rest

2k Row

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 has the potential to build your confidence in the 2k.  Come up with a plan and execute.  Be consistent with your splits and stroke ratings for all three.  If possible go a little bit faster on each piece.  Vets might try for a pace of 2k+5, 2k+4, 2k+3 for each successive piece with a stroke rating of 28-32.  Find your efficient stroke.  Novices should focus on one form fix for each piece and work hard to maintain a consistent split.

Post your Average 500m Splits to Comments along with an answer to this question…

Why is Rowing Fun?

Video Review: Coach Pat – The Deadlift and Rowing – Can you row without deadlifting?

Posted on by
Reply

Coxswains getting after the Deadlift last winter!When’s the last time you performed a Deadlift?  When’s the last time you picked the boat up out of the water?  For many of you in Boston and the Northern states it’s been a while, but that ice is almost gone and regular water practices will be happening in no time.  Regardless, anytime you pick something up you should be deadlifting, because that’s what a deadlift is.  It’s the strongest, most efficient, most powerful way to pick something up off the floor or out of the water.

I believe that if you can learn to hip hinge and deadlift correctly you can and will become a better rower.  The key is how you deadlift and what you focus on.  Here is a little video review of a pre-elite rower I’ve started working with.  This is her form before any coaching. Check out what she’s doing well and what she can do better.

Now take a look at my hip hinge and deadlift below.  What parts of the deadlift can we tie to the rowing stroke?  I always teach the skills of 1. Posture, 2. Control, and 3. Connection whether it’s rowing or weightlifting.

1. Posture – How am I doing at maintaining a solid brace through my torso?  Is there any movement within the vertebrae of the spine?

2. Control – Is the bar traveling in a straight line over the middle of my foot?  Am I in control of my body and the bar? Can I stop at any point in time and be in a strong position?

3. Connection – How am I connected to the bar?  How am I connected to the floor?  Are my hips, hands, and shoulders connected when the bar is below the knee?

After taking a look and answering some of these questions, think about your own stroke.  In the front end of your stroke, from 1/2 slide up to the catch and back, how do your joints move in relation to one another and what does your body angle look like?  Does it stay the same?  When does your body start to swing open?  Do you feel or see any similarities when you deadlift and row back to back?  Can perfecting one movement help improve the other?

Please share your thoughts to comments and I’ll get back to you with feedback.