All about Rowing

Some call it the "torture device" others perhaps embrace it, but we all know that the rowing machine can pop up in a WOD on any given day. Technique is of course vital, and we wanted to highlight 2 great videos that explain the technique and common errors (and how to fix them)

The rowing technique



Common errors

• Over gripping the handle (squeezing too hard, bent wrists)
• Breaking arms at the catch.
• Arms too wide (hunched shoulders)
• Lunging at the catch (leaning too forward)
• Over reaching at the catch (hands too close at the fly wheel)
• Pulling with the back instead of using the legs first.
• Excessive layback (leaning back too far)
• Bending knees too early on recovery.
• Moving too quickly forward
• Sliding too far forward --> Keep shins vertical.
• Body shooting backwards before legs.

Below, all summarized errors are explained:

What damper setting?
The damper setting either increases or decreases the flow of air into the fly wheel.
More airflow in = more resistance.

The catch position

Often people assume that the higher the damper setting, the better the workout, but that is not correct.
What controls the intensity of your workout, is simple how hard you pull on the handle. More about the damper setting can be read here.
The closest setting to actual water resistance is 3-4, and is used a lot by actual rowers. For people outside of the rowing sport, the damper setting can be used in a broader sense. Usually, the heavier/stronger users will use a higher damper setting (towards 10), while lighter/less stronger users will use a lower setting.

More on this:




In case you are interested in how your times score compared to others, sign up for the Concept 2 free logbook here.

#wodsaroundtheworld: S2S Crossfit Bali

Guest post by: Sabine Weijers

Traveling is one of my favorite things to do next to crossfit, and combining the two is even better! This time, my travels took me to Bali, Indonesia.
Usually when I travel, I always look up if there are any boxes in the area where I'm going, and this time it wasn't very hard; S2S Crossfit Bali is the only one on Bali to date.

My schedule was pretty full, so unfortunately I was only able to squeeze in 1 session. Sent an e-mail beforehand (drop-in etiquette) and Crissilia wrote back very welcoming and with directions.

The box is small, but fully open on one side. Luckily there's a fan to provide some cool, but prepare yourself for a sweaty session. Crissilia also warned that if you're not used to the temperature, you most likely won't be able to perform as usual (and she was right!)
Drink plenty of water, the heat and humidity can't be quite hard to deal with.

Sometimes there are also WOD's on the beach, but this time it was in the box:

Link to the WOD here.

After a warm-up (although it feels like you don't need one)
we got going, and after 1 round I had to decrease the weight already...

Crissilia was great coaching our little group, everybody was suffering from the heat & thrusters combo, but we all made it through!

S2S has a small group of regular members, but there are always people dropping in from all over the world, making classes very international.

Currently they are working on extending the box, progress can be tracked on their Facebook page.

Had a blast, thanks guys!

Product Review: WFit Nutrition

This time, we are reviewing WFit Nutrition.

To quote from their website:

A complete line of advanced, all natural, clean nutrition engineered for the Cross-Functional Training Athletes to provide essential nutrients and synergistic formulas that support every stage of training and development, both inside and outside the box. 

We received a few samples of the Beyond Protein with flavor Vanilla Coconut.
Again, we are looking at the 4 most important criteria:

1. As little ingredients as possible
   
2. mixes well (without blender)
3. tastes good
4. extra bonus: tastes good when mixed with water

Tastes good?? Sounds logic, but even the other day we ran into a sample of whey casein that basically tasted like chocolate flavored chalk.

First off, ingredients.

Less than 10, not a bad score.

For the more paleo minded athlete the milk & soy might be a turn-off, but then again, we are talking about whey protein here. 

The soy is usually soy lecithin to bind the product a bit.

The mix

Priority is that it mixes in a shaker bottle, since there is no way we are carrying a blender everywhere we go. Using a shaker bottle with a metal ball works excellent. No lumps and nice and creamy.

The taste

The label says vanilla coconut, it tastes like vanilla coconut. Full and rich, this is a pretty darn good tasting protein shake. Add rum and you've got yourself a protein packed pina colada.

We tried it with only water, so that concludes point 4 straight away, it tastes good mixed with water.

The protein is sold in tubs of 2.59 lbs, at a price of $ 69.99

Not cheap, but in our opinion, a very good protein supplement worth the investment.

Visit them at www.wfitnutrition.com and use code VIP20 at checkout.



(We didn't get bribed or paid to write this review. If we think a product is shit, we'll write that too. However, if you order through any of the links provided, we'll earn a small commission. With that money, we can keep this blog going. Or buy bacon)

Brushing? Squatting!

Even though squatting is one the most natural things a human can (and should) do, due to sitting lifestyles (desks, cars, etc.) a lot of adults will lose their ability to squat. This is mostly due to the shortening of the hipflexors and poor ankle mobility.

You did this too... once

Good news is, that this problem can be solved, simply by squatting more. And what kind of activity do most of us at least twice a day that requires a few minutes of our time? Brushing our teeth!

So next time when you brush, squat. If in the beginning it's a bit hard to stay balanced, just hold on to the doorframe, edge of the bathtub, etc.
In time, you will be able to squat deeper and be more balanced in the bottom position.

Check this video by California Strength on lower body flexibility:





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