Deliberate practice is key to success and mastery of any sport. It’s been said you need to spend at least 10,000 hours to master a discipline whether it’s athletic or otherwise. While this may be the case the more quality and purpose you bring to your practice the more you’ll get out of it.
Today’s Rowing WOD is an opportunity to bring deliberate practice to your erging. Row the first four minutes at a pace of 2k+10, row the next three minutes at 2k+7, and then finish the last minute at Race Pace in regards to stroke rating and splits. Meaning if your 2k split is 2:00 /500m (8:00 2k) then you would row the first four minutes at 2:10, the next three minutes at 2:07, and the last minute at 2:00. Pick 3 things you want to improve about your technique and fix one per piece. Things you can focus on are keeping level hands, initiating with the legs, smooth tension on the chain, keeping the feet attached to the footboards, or keeping the chest up/big at the catch.
Post your technique focus and average splits to comments.
I hope everyone had a great weekend and you’re ready to fire it up for another solid week! Check out what’s in store in our weekly training plan below:
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.
I hope everyone enjoys Easter Sunday tomorrow and can spend some time with family and friends. Share if you do anything fun including family mobility or active recovery. Perhaps challenging your family to an Erg Relay?
All the Best!
Coach Pat
Rowing WOD:
8 x 500m w/ 2min Rest
Race Pace
Race Focus
Today’s all about prepping for your next 2k. Try to keep a consistent pace over all 8 or “negative split” toward the end if you’re feeling good. Negative splitting means you pull a faster split than you did the last piece.
As a quick review for novice rowers, race pace over 2,000m will be at a stroke rating of 28 − 32 strokes per minute and a consistent 500m split. The lower the split the better. Good things to focus on include breathing, getting the knees down, driving through the heels, quick hands, and being smooth. I also like to coach a smile or grin 10 just to take yourself out of your body for a second, have some fun, and then refocus with a fresh mindset. Focus on one positive thought for 10 consecutive strokes and you’ll be that much closer to your goal.
Post your split for each piece and share what you focused on!
Look Familiar? If you can do a pistol you can get into a rowing shell!
Two very important skills required of elite athletes and rowers are balance and strength. Have you ever seen a standing shove? That’s the level of balance we need. Have you ever seen good scullers take the Weeks Turn or the Elliot Turn super tight during the Head of the Charles Regatta? That’s the type of strength we need to combine with balance and we need to have it in both legs independent of one another.
Mastering a pistol, or single legged squat, will help you develop both balance and strength. In order to do a good pistol mobility is super important. Be sure to work on mobility everyday. Below is a video I put together of all the different progressions I will use to help an athlete develop their pistol. See where you fall and then start working from there.
Have Fun training and let us know what you think of pistols!
When’s the last time you performed a Push Up or Pull Up? When’s the last time you Rowed? Now that we’re on the water it’s probably every day. Regardless, anytime you draw through the finish whether on an erg or in a boat, you are putting your upper body into a similar position and movement pattern as the push up and pull up. It’s the strongest, most efficient way to get yourself off the floor and send a boat. If you need to move more weight and create more power in a race you will need a strong position at the finish. That is where we can take advantage of practicing and training full range of motion push ups and pull ups.
I believe that if you can learn to move your body weight from the floor to a plank position or from underneath a bar to touching the bar with good form, you can and will become a better rower. The key is how you push, pull, and what you focus on. Here is a video review of Coach Pat and what he thinks about in regards to push ups, pull ups, and rowing. Check out what he does well and look for things he can do better.
What parts of these movements 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 strength training.
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 my body in one straight line the whole time I perform the movement? Am I in control of my body at all points in time? Can I stop at any point in time and be in a strong position?
3. Connection – How are my hands connected to the box/bar/or floor? How are my feet connected to the floor? Are my hips, torso, and shoulders connected and moving together through the whole range of motion?
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? Can you stay connected? Do you break or tense your arms early? Is your shoulder and upper body strong enough to connect the power coming from your legs to your hands? Do you feel or see any similarities when you perform push ups, pull ups, and rowing back to back? How’s your posture and brace at the finish? Can perfecting these movements help improve your rowing?
Please share your thoughts to comments and I’ll get back to you with feedback.
Renegade Rowing 