Barrie-Jon Mulder, Author at Breaking Muscle

Practice Makes Power: 3 Drills for World-Class Rowing

Barrie-Jon Mulder — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 13:00:00 +0000

At the CrossFit Games, it’s not uncommon to witness world-class rowing times with pretty poor technique. That’s not a bash on CrossFit. I just wonder why so little attention is paid to rowing as a skill, compared to Olympic weightlifting and gymnastics. Just as you work hard to become efficient at your butterfly pull ups and squatting, you should also be aiming for efficiency on the rowing machine.

I won’t get into the fitness aspects of why you should use the rowing machine in your training. But let’s remember training – or practice, as I prefer to call it – is about improvement. Here are some easy-to-implement tips to improve your rowing efficiency and make sure your practice yields results.

We’ll start by looking at the two key phases of a rowing stroke, and finish off by learning how to put everything together and smooth it out. You’ll get an analysis of three common errors, along with three awesome drills to fix your firing patterns along the way.

The Recovery Phase

During the recovery phase, you prepare to take the next stroke. The aim of a good recovery is to get ready for the drive phase of the stroke. It is also a time to recover from fatigue. The recovery sets the rhythm of the stroke and allows you to set up the length of the next stroke. A good recovery will set you up for a relaxed but sharp pick up from the legs at the front, with little slippage of the seat.

The sequence of movements for the recovery phase is as follows:

Your hands come away from your body smoothly, with your knees held down.
As your hands pass over your knees, your shoulders follow your hands forward, followed by your body rocking forward from the hips and moving smoothly up the slide. The body angle for the catch position is achieved through a quarter slide forward.
The speed up the slide remains constant to the catch, with no jerky movements or pauses at any point.

The aim of the recovery is to get you ready for the drive phase.

Pause Drills

Error: Poor body position

Solution: Pause drills

Pauses are an excellent starting point for addressing concerns about body position during the recovery phase.

Pausing after pushing your hands away is good if you do not sit back at the finish and do not hold your knees down when your hands move away from your body. This drill will also aid anyone who has an issue with timing.

Pauses are an excellent starting point for addressing concerns about body position during the recovery phase.

Pausing at the body swing position is a perfect exercise for those who don’t have much hip rock forward. Without this position, your body will not be correctly set up for the drive phase. It is also good for those who do not hold their knees down while their shoulders come forward. Holding the knees down while the hips rock the trunk forward allows for a more efficient and powerful body position.

Pausing at the body swing position is a perfect exercise for those who don’t have much hip rock forward.

The Drive Phase

The aim of the drive is to impart maximum work (force x distance) by driving your legs down against the footplate. The leg drive should be initiated directly after the end of the recovery, with your shins vertical. The drive involves force transfer through your heels, legs, body, and arms working together.

The drive is initiated with your heels. This ensures your upper body and shoulders remain over your knees while your heels press into the footplate. Your body will be “suspended” between the handle and the footplate so your legs can work. Your arms are not exerting any force at this early stage of the drive. The leg drive needs to accelerate throughout the entire stroke.

Midway through the drive phase, maximum force is applied by continuing to suspend, or hang, body weight between the footplate and the handle. Then the hip drive enables you to push against the foot plate without pulling against the handle with your arms. Once your body is almost fully back, your arms come into play. Continue to work on pushing through the heels.

The aim of the drive is to impart maximum work (force x distance) by driving your legs down against the footplate.

Stand Up Drill

Error: Bum shove/Slide slippage

Solution: Stand up drill with tie

This drill is great for demonstrating the hang necessary during the drive phase. Inadequate ability to hang during the drive phase will result in the seat slipping out from underneath you. This drill will correct and assist anyone who struggles to feel the hang from the handle while their legs produce the necessary force.

Move up to the front of the rowing machine.
Have your partner stand at the front of the machine and hold the handle, so that you cannot pull it back towards yourself, or attach a tie to do this.
Push with the legs so that your bum feels light on the seat, allowing your body weight to be suspended between the balls of your feet and hands.

The Force Curve

Are you paying attention to the force curve? You can find this function on the Concept2 RowErg monitor (versions PM3 and later) by using the change display button. The shape of your force curve is dictated by the firing pattern of your heels, legs, trunk, and arms during the different phases of the rowing stroke.

Are you paying attention to the force curve?

The first display shows a broad, flat curve, demonstrating smooth force application and an efficient stroke.
The second display shows a high power output at the start of the stroke, with power tailing off and a disjointed stroke pattern between the legs, back, and arms.
The third display shows an incorrect sequential firing pattern during each phase of the stroke.

Legs-Only Rowing Drill

Error: Body opening at the front end

Solution: Legs-only drill

The body angle must remain fixed to allow the legs to work maximally as you pivot from the hip.

Legs-only rowing lays the base for a smooth stroke. When pushing from the front, the body angle must remain fixed to allow your legs to work maximally as you pivot from the hip. If this does not happen, your stroke will be disjointed and inefficient.

To perform legs-only rowing:

The upper body is left in the position it was set during the recovery, i.e., rocked over from the hips. Drive your legs to full extension.
This drill can also be done with feet out of the straps. This variation challenges your ability to maintain leg drive throughout the entire stroke and also prevents you from pulling back up on the machine with the foot straps.

The legs-only drill is instrumental in smoothing out your stroke.

Practice Makes Power

Practice these skills, and you will see how they benefit your workouts and improve capacity, especially when the fatigue factor starts to set in.

The longer you can exert maximal effort, the more power you can produce with your new and improved stroke.

More Like This:

References

1. Kleshnev, V. (2011). Biomechanics of rowing. Rowing Faster.

2. Kleshnev, V. (2001). Rowing Biomechanics News Letter.

3. Youtube. (2014). Legs Only Drill. [Online Video].

4. Youtube. (2014). Pause Drill. [Online Video].

5. Youtube. (2015). Technique. [Online Video]

Photos courtesy of Barrie-Jon Mulder.

The post Practice Makes Power: 3 Drills for World-Class Rowing appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Keep It Simple: Classic Tools for Smart Training

Barrie-Jon Mulder — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 14:00:00 +0000

In this day and age of accessibility for everything from strength training and nutrition, to mobility and recovery, I find myself wondering where the simplicity has gone. If you are reading this you are most likely a fan of strength training in some form, or on a quest to increase your knowledge base as a coach or enthusiast of the iron game. But have you answered the simplicity question yet?

I have laid out some simple practices to maximize your efforts both in and out of the gym. I think of these practices like the contents of a toolbox. You can either have useful, fundamental tools that form a strong practical foundation, or you can keep jumping from one program or practice to the next, constantly looking for the magic bullet.

Tool #1: Sleep

Yes, I know you know this. Every week another article on sleep comes out, yet it is one of the most mismanaged components in our daily lives:

The impact of chronic sleep deprivation can be seen through the negative impact on glucose tolerance and the appetite.
The vital and complex physiological processes that take place during sleep are essential to your recovery and growth.
The research indicates poor sleep results in poor cognitive performance and increased risk of injury.
And if we are ingesting calories we do not need due to being in a sleep deprived state, it is clear where those calories are going to land up.

Do yourself a favor and develop a sleep ritual. Sleep is your reset button to ensure you get up and perform at a high level both inside and outside the gym. Putting all research aside for a moment, get seven hours sleep minimum per night and watch how your productivity develops.

Tool #2: Therapists

The role of therapists is becoming ever more important in today’s fitness and strength training communities, so ensure you have access to some good ones. Aches and pains or injuries are not a matter of “if” but “when”. Having a handful of people you trust and who can get the job done is essential to you getting back to training. The body is a complex system, ever changing and in need of a regular check-up, just like your yearly medical check-up or quarterly dental appointment. The body gets beaten up as volume and intensity shift toward competition preparation, not to mention during the stress of competition itself.

“Your training toolbox should contain simple tools to ensure your training journey is a productive and enjoyable one.”

The wear and tear on your body’s tissues needs to be addressed and looked after. For example, I have a sports massage therapist, a physio, and an osteopath as my go-to team if I have any issues. These tools are essential to getting you back into the gym quickly and keep you there through any rehab or assistance work that you need to do to fix underlying movement concerns or firing patterns. Make sure the therapists you choose are not just a string of credentials; they need to meet your requirements and get the job done every time.

Tool #3: Preparation

Movement preparation is quite the buzz phrase at the moment. Dynamic warmups are nothing new, but there are plenty of great moves for your warmup routine that not only aid in movement preparation but also serve as great prehabilitation tools. Some of my all-time favorites include:

Are you experiencing movement issues in a particular lift? In the words of world-renowned strength coach and trainer Eric Cressey, “trying to fit a round peg into square hole” is the approach most trainees take. There is a reason you are experiencing these issues. Don’t blame the movement or the program if your body gets wrecked due to your woefully poor movement quality and preparation.

Tool #4: Environment

One of the defining points in your training will be your environment. You need to consider a few important things when looking for a training venue:

Coaching staff. You are, after all, paying a fee to be in an environment to get results. This does not entitle you to results, as you have to earn the results through hard work, but the coaching staff play a role in those results. Are the staff knowledgeable and invested in your success. Are they practicing what they preach?
Facility. No point going to a globo gym if you are planning on being a powerlifter or if you need to do a thruster and muscle up WOD as part of your CrossFit preparation. Does the facility ask you to put your weights down gently?
Mindset. Do those around you allow you to float through sessions, or is it a place where those who go there go to train hard and achieve a change in body and mind? Are the members and environment motivating and results driven? You should consider your gym your temple, a place you can go no matter how challenging your work day has been and still get a high quality workout done.

Tool #5: Equipment

You do not need a gym with the latest gadgets to get the job done. Ronnie Coleman and Dorian Yates achieved phenomenal results training in hell holes – but hell holes that served their needs. Paul Anderson trained in his garden with a hole in the floor and oil drums for squat training. When it comes to strength and conditioning or CrossFit, you will need space, rigs, racks, platforms, and an array of traditional dumbbells, kettlebells, sleds, and barbells.

Good quality bumper plates and flooring go a long way in ensuring an environment not only allows you to train, but has well maintained equipment, too. Alternative kit such as tires, sledgehammers, battle ropes, and the like are important within in these facilities as they add another dimension to training that you won’t find in most standard gyms.

Building Your Training Toolbox

Your training toolbox should now contain some additional simple tools to ensure your training journey is a productive and enjoyable one. These tools are classics – timeless gems in the ever-changing, overcomplicated world of strength and fitness. Put them into practice and feel free to share your thoughts and comments below.

Check out these related articles:

Supersets: Beware the Line Between Training and Recovery
The 5 Best Strength Training Finishers
How to Increase Power Output With Better Programming
New On Breaking Muscle Today

References:

1. Chennaoui M, et al., Sleep and exercise: A reciprocal issue? Sleep Medicine Reviews (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2014.06.008

2. Eric Cressey, The High Performance Handbook (United States: Cressey Training Systems, 2013) PDF Version.

3. Marty Gallagher, The Purposeful Primitive: From Fat and Flaccid to Lean and Powerful (United States: Dragon Door Publications, 2008), 66-67.

Photo courtesy of Breaking Muscle.

Teaser photo courtesy of CrossFit Impulse.

The post Keep It Simple: Classic Tools for Smart Training appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

5 Tools You Need In Your Strength Training Arsenal

Barrie-Jon Mulder — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 12:00:00 +0000

I have laid out some simple practices to maximise your efforts both in and out of the gym. I think of these practices like the contents of a toolbox. You can either have useful, fundamental tools that form a strong practical foundation, or you can keep jumping from one program or practice to the next, constantly looking for the magic bullet.

Tool #1: Sleep

Yes, I know you know this. Every week another article on sleep comes out, yet it is one of the most mismanaged components in our daily lives:

The impact of chronic sleep deprivation can be seen through the negative impact on glucose tolerance and the appetite.
The vital and complex physiological processes that take place during sleep are essential to your recovery and growth.
The research indicates poor sleep results in poor cognitive performance and increased risk of injury.
And if we are ingesting calories we do not need due to being in a sleep deprived state, it is clear where those calories are going to land up.

Do yourself a favour and develop a sleep ritual. Sleep is your reset button to ensure you get up and perform at a high level both inside and outside the gym. Putting all research aside for a moment, get seven hours sleep minimum per night and watch how your productivity develops.

Tool #2: Therapists

The role of therapists is becoming ever more important in today’s fitness and strength training communities, so ensure you have access to some good ones. Niggles and injuries are not a matter of “if” but “when”. Having a handful of people you trust and who can get the job done is essential to you getting back to training. The body is a complex system, ever changing and in need of a regular check-up, just like your yearly medical MOT or quarterly dental appointment. The body gets beaten up as volume and intensity shift towards competition preparation, not to mention during the stress of competition itself.

“Your training toolbox should contain simple tools to ensure your training journey is a productive and enjoyable one.”

The wear and tear on your body’s tissues needs to be addressed and looked after. For example, I have a sports massage therapist, a physio, and an osteopath as my go-to team if I have any issues. These tools are essential to getting you back into the gym quickly and keep you there through any rehab or assistance work that you need to do to fix underlying movement concerns or firing patterns. Make sure the therapists you choose are not just a string of credentials, they need to meet your requirements and get the job done every time.

Tool #3: Preparation

Tool #4: Environment

One of the defining points in your training will be your environment. You need to consider a few important things when looking for a training venue:

Coaching staff. You are, after all, paying a fee to be in an environment to get results. This does not entitle you to results, as you have to earn the results through hard work, but the coaching staff play a role in those results. Are the staff knowledgeable and invested in your success. Are they practicing what they preach?
Facility. No point going to a leisure centre if you are planning on being a powerlifter or if you need to do a thruster and muscle up WOD as part of your CrossFit preparation. Does the facility ask you to put your weights down gently?
Mindset. Do those around you allow you to to float through through sessions, or is it a place where those who go there go to train hard and achieve a change in body and mind? Are the members and environment motivating and results driven? You should consider your gym your temple, a place you can go no matter how challenging your work day has been and still get a high quality workout done.

Tool #5: Equipment

Good quality bumper plates and flooring go a long way in ensuring an environment not only allows you to train, but has well maintained equipment, too. Alternative kit such as tyres, sledgehammers, battle ropes, and the like are important within in these facilities as they add another dimension to training that you won’t find in most standard gyms.

Building Your Training Toolbox

Check out these related articles:

References:

1. Chennaoui M, et al., Sleep and exercise: A reciprocal issue? Sleep Medicine Reviews (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2014.06.008

2. Eric Cressey, The High Performance Handbook (United States: Cressey Training Systems, 2013) PDF Version.

3. Marty Gallagher, The Purposeful Primitive: From Fat and Flaccid to Lean and Powerful (United States: Dragon Door Publications, 2008), 66-67.

Photo courtesy of Breaking Muscle.

The post 5 Tools You Need In Your Strength Training Arsenal appeared first on Breaking Muscle.