deadlift

All posts tagged deadlift

Is Rowing Like a Deadlift?

Posted by ScullerX on April 4, 2013
Posted in: Crossfit, Crossfit Rowing, indoor rowing, Rowing. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I had a fellow CrossFitter tell me today that they had been coached as part of a CrossFit cert to keep their heels anchored when rowing since “rowing is like a deadlift.”  I smirked a little as this impressed me as an example of the old adage “to a carpenter, everything looks like a nail.”  The coach was somewhat right in that the last half of the drive uses the posterior chain, and the heels are anchored.  But I think the coach was wrong on two very important points:

1.  At the front of the drive, the quadriceps are the primary muscles used, and this switches to the hams/glutes only after half slide.  Explosive quad activation at the catch is one of the primary predictors of boat speed.  The level of compression in the legs is much closer to a deep front squat than to a deadlift, which requires more quadriceps activation.

2.  A deadlift is a slow, deliberate, powerful movement, usually with a pause between reps, that does not utilize eccentric/elastic contractions.  Rowing is a fast, dynamic, explosive, rhythmic movement that absolutely depends on eccentric/elastic contractions.  Pausing between strokes would cause loss of momentum and stored energy.  I believe rowing is closer in nature to unbroken thrusters, squat jumps, box jumps, or even double unders.  All of these are very different motions from the deadlift, and in none of them does one land on the heels or keep the heels firmly planted on the floor.  They all are done unbroken, at a high cadence, requiring rhythm and timing.  Deadlifts are seldom programmed during a metcon.

A very detailed explanation of the reasons for the combined quad/posterior chain motion in the rowing stroke is provided in the Rowing Biomechanics Newsletter.

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Correlating CrossFit Total with Rowing Peak Power

Posted by ScullerX on April 2, 2012
Posted in: Crossfit, Crossfit Rowing, Rowing. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

It’s been a while since I tested for either my CrossFit Total or my Concept2 peak power, but the time has come to start getting on track with both of these.  One of the key training goals for this season is to raise my peak power “ceiling,” thereby potentially allowing me to generate more power per stroke.  In a 125-stroke race, which is what Masters Nationals will be for me in August, I believe that focusing more on peak power than on traditional rowing conditioning will be an effective strategy for success, as the actual number of strokes possible in the race is limited.

Today I tested for CrossFit Total for the first time in maybe a year, doing it as a “by the book” test, all in one session.  The results were great:  new PRs in the Back squat (270) and deadlift (370), and staying the same in the press (125).  This resulted in my CrossFit Total going from 725 to 770. 

I now want to correlate this with my peak rowing power in watts to determine if there is a predictive relationship.  I put together a quick-and-dirty graph of my progress to date, based on what I know my 1RM lifts were at the time of previous peak power tests:

image

As you can see, at the times where I have increased my CrossFit Total, my C2 peak power has jumped correspondingly.  Based on this rough graph, my hypothesis is that my C2 peak power should jump from 787 up to about 850.  I will test later this week to see if this hypothesis holds!

Opinion–CrossFit Journal Video on Rowing “Quick Fix”

Posted by ScullerX on February 11, 2012
Posted in: Crossfit Rowing. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Hmmmm…I’m usually a big fan of CrossFit Endurance, but I have to hit the buzzer on some aspects of the new CrossFit Journal video on rowing “quick fixes.”  There is some really questionable rowing technique in this video.  There is no stored energy, flow, ratio, or concept of length, and there is a lot of stiffness and shooting the slide. 

I get the point about feet out of the straps, as that is a good drill to ensure you are maintaining force through the finish. 

I get the point about rotating the hip instead of flexing the lumbar spine. 

I am not an expert in deadlifting and I have a lot to learn from my CrossFit colleagues.  I do know enough to say that they are related motions, but not the same.  If anything, when deadlifting I want to find the shortest path for the bar, and perform the motion slowly and solidly. 

In rowing I want to maximize the length of the stroke within the limits of biomechanics, and do so explosively and elastically.  You can’t explode off the stretcher without activating the quadriceps at the front of the drive, and you can’t store energy elastically in the torso by keeping the rigid position you would use when deadlifting. 

Don’t get me wrong, I believe the CrossFit and rowing communities can learn a lot from each other, and I’m all for being iconoclastic when the results support it.  On the point of rowing technique, however, I’m going to take my advice from the best in the world:

1.  Video of US Women’s double winning the world championships in 2011.  It’s smooth, it’s powerful, it exudes efficiency, and most of all, it’s LONG.

2.  Study by Dr. Valery Kleshnev on the biomechanics of the top scullers in the world, and the different schools of rowing technique.

Possibly the best rowing strength development workout ever

Posted by ScullerX on November 29, 2011
Posted in: Crossfit, Rowing. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

During November Crossfit Ignite has programmed a weekly set of strength and conditioning workouts to let people get comfortable with the movements and push themselves to improve week over week.  One of the WODs is perhaps the best rowing-specific strength workout I’ve ever done:

    WOD: 4 super sets, with 1 min rest of

    • Back Squat x 8 – deep and solid, nuff said.  Doing this week after week, I have almost equaled my 3-rep max for 8 reps, meaning a significant strength gain.  With this many reps I also get a pretty good upper back workout, and my squat technique has improved dramatically.

    • Romanian Deadlift x8 – this is scary at first, because it is almost a straight-leg deadlift, but once I got used to it I found that I can actually handle more weight than I can squat.  Hits the lower back and glutes hard.

        10 min AMRAP (as many rounds as possible):

        • 10 Single Leg Kettlebell Deadlift– 53/35 5R 5 L – done with a single kettlebell, alternating sides, to even out imbalances.  This is a hugely effective lower back exercise.

        • 10 Goblet Lunges (53/35) or Barbell Lunges 45# – this is a glute and quad ripper.

        Even though this is only a 45-minute workout, I feel like I just did a 25K erg piece at drag factor 180, followed by a “Buns of Steel” video!

        Coach Kaehler on Consistent Intensity

        Posted by ScullerX on September 24, 2011
        Posted in: Crossfit, Mobility, physiology, Rowing. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

        Last week I did an extensive post on the importance of precision in maintaining maximal intensity during short interval workouts on the Concept2.  I was pleased to see that I am not, in fact, a total nutter, because Bob Kaehler posted on a similar topic this week in his Coach Kaehler column on row2k.

        Although I am not in the same league as Bob as a rower, I did have the privilege of training with him at Undine Barge Club in the early 90’s.  He was in the “God Quad” while I was still in the development camp boat, before he went on to compete in 3 Olympic Games.

        He has a lot of great things to say in his column, and even CrossFitters who are not rowers may find it useful because a lot of his posts have to do with mobility, flexibility, and biomechanics, especially regarding the back and spine.  I have faith in his advice because he helped my wife achieve a successful outcome for a herniated disc without surgery.  As an example, in a recent post he compares the rowing stroke to a power clean, and is one of the few rowing coaches who seems to target the hamstrings vs. the quads as a key development area for rowers for both strength and flexibility.  This obviously makes a lot of sense to anyone who deadlifts.

        Thanks Coach for the great advice!

        Training less = big jump in Concept2 peak power?

        Posted by ScullerX on December 1, 2010
        Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . 1 Comment

        So I had a weird experience today.  Since mid-October when I did my last peak power test on the Concept 2 rowing machine, I rowed in the Head of the Charles regatta and then really dialed back my rowing time to do more running and strength/mobility conditioning at Crossfit Ignite.  Today it was storming and unrowable, so I did the Crossfit Endurance WOD indoors, followed by a peak power test at drag factor 160 (damper setting at about 7.5).  On my 5th attempt, I was able to nail a 1:17 split, which is about 760 watts, which means I’ve made about a 10% gain in 45 days over my October peak test of 682 watts!  This is a proportionately huge gain in a short period of time during which I’ve been doing a lot of non-specific training.  So why the good result?

        In the same period I have logged both a new deadlift PR (340 lbs.) and a new back squat PR (255 lbs.).  I believe that racing this fall in team boats has improved my technique to eliminate a little early back opening at the catch, and the strength work has helped me be strong enough to make this effective at a relatively high drag factor on the erg.  In the past I believe I compensated for lack of strength in the shoulder girdle by engaging the back a little early with the heavier loads on the erg, and looking at my stroke in the mirror today I noticed a much better and more horizontal connection.  Plus, the fact that my lats felt the same as after a session of heavy deads would seem to confirm this.

        I look forward to entering winter training at a high level of strength and fitness, instead of using winter training to compensate.  For the second time, I need to revise my 1-year goal on the whiteboard to hit a 1:15 peak power split by New Years !

        How to break 300 on Fight Gone Bad

        Posted by ScullerX on September 24, 2010
        Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

        So this weekend is the big Fight Gone Bad 5 fundraising workout to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project and Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation.  I had to do my WOD on my own a day early, and my goal was to break 300, after scoring 283 last April.  I was successful in hitting 313!  Here’s what worked for me, hope it helps others to outperform their goals tomorrow:

        1.  Have a strategy.  It’s important to know your strong and weak exercises.  This puts you mentally in control when the pain hits.  At Crossfit Ignite, the sequence was:

        3 rounds of:

        • Row 1 minute with the Concept2 on the calories setting
        • 75# push press 1 minute
        • 75# sumo deadlift high pull (SDLHP, known to rowers as “upright rows”) 1 minute
        • 20-inch box jumps 1 minute
        • 20-lb. wall ball shots 1 minute
        • rest 1 minute

        Add up the total number of calories/reps completed and that is your score.

        2.  Raise some money!  That’s what this is all about, after all.  I raised a small amount, but it’s something, and Microsoft generously matched the donation so I doubled its impact.  I like to think this gave me some good karma for the WOD.

        3.  Know that you need to average 20 reps per exercise in order to hit 300.  Don’t try to blast out your strong points, but rather try to pace yourself to get a few extra points on your strong exercises, while not exhausting yourself too much and crashing on your weak ones.

        4.  Keep a steady pace, don’t get rattled, don’t go nuts on the first round and kill yourself for the rest of the WOD.

        For me, rowing and sumo deadlift high pulls were known strengths, and push press was my big weakness.  Box jumps are normally a strength for me, but the sequence of them in FGB right after the SDLHPs for some reason makes them hard for me.  Wall balls were a weakness for me in April.

        Most rowers don’t use the calories setting on the Concept2 much, so I tested it out at different damper settings for 30 seconds at a time in the warmup.  I wanted to hit about 25 calories per row, and I figured I needed to keep it at about a 1500 cal/hr pace to do so.  The first time I did FGB, I maxed the row (32 calories, well over 2000 cal/hr pace), but then was dead for the next exercises which were my weaknesses, leading to a big dropoff in performance.  I also rowed at a damper of 4 and 40+ strokes per minute, which put my heart rate through the roof.  This time I felt that a setting of 8 and a rating of 32-34 was a better bet – using more strength and less cardio so that I wouldn’t be gasping for breath while trying to do push presses.

        It worked – my row calories were lower but I was able to click out the push presses in a smooth rhythm.  Ditto for the SDLHPs.  When I hit about 23 reps on an exercise and still had 5 seconds left, I dumped it and set up for the next station, so that I had those extra seconds to spend on the weaker exercises, which reduced my attrition rate overall.  This helped me do better on the push presses and box jumps, and especially on the wall balls.  The wall balls were much better this time, and I was able to push out a couple extra reps each round because they were at the end of the round.

        I hope this helps everyone in FGB5 this weekend, and good luck!