Congrats again to all the finalists in the Helen Challenge. Awards to be awarded today!

WOD: 2 K row

This distance is just short enough to get you met-con tired and just long enough to start taxing some other metabolic pathways. Rowing is an excellent metcon activity, employing vast amounts of muscle mass and moving it through a wide range of motion. In addition, the movement requires co-ordination, balance, rhythm and synchronisation in order to be effective and efficient. It is arguably one of the toughest sports to compete in!

There are a number of very good resources on the web that give an in-depth discussion of how the rowing stroke is executed. Rather than repeat that here verbatim, I will refer you to three links in particular:

http://www.concept2.com/us/training/technique.asp

http://www.concept2.com/us/training/muscles_used.asp

http://www.concept2.co.uk/training/technique_video.php

The first link gives a basic breakdown of the stroke with the four fundamental segments of the stroke – the catch, the drive, the finish and the recovery (leading back into the catch for a repeat of the cycle).

Most Common Mistakes

• Rowing with bent arms or bent wrists
• Leaning back too much, drawing the handle too high
• Shooting the slide
• Opening the back angle to early
• Breaking the knees to early on the recovery
• Over reaching at the catch
• Not being relaxed
• Not maintaining adequate pressure on the foot stretcher
• A pronounced handle thump at the finish