Rowing for Crossfitters Series Volume 1

Marc Monplaisir

Rowing Machine Basic Setup

Table of Contents

Objectives: ...........................................................................................2 Types of Rowing Machines ................................................................2 Foot Position and Shoes .....................................................................2 Setting the “Resistance” – Damper and Drag Factor ......................4 Setting up the Performance Monitor for Interval WODs ...............8 Seat Comfort and “Butt Pads”........................................................ 12 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 12

Objectives:

Introduce Crossfitters to the basics of rowing, recognizing that rowing is not their

primary sport.

Address the most common questions and mistakes in simple, direct terms, using

examples from the CrossFit world to illustrate points.

Provide real-world advice from an experienced rower who is also a Crossfitter.

Types of Rowing Machines

Crossfit boxes have standardized on the Concept2 indoor rower as the standard machine for

WOD programming. Concept2 makes 3 models: Model C, Model D, and Model E, with a

variety of performance monitors and accessories. These are all basically the same machine on

the inside, and scores are interchangeable. If you use a lot of different machines, you can even

use the drag factor adjustment to calibrate each machine to the same resistance (covered later

in this document). This gives you an apples-to-apples comparison of performance regardless

of which machine you are using.

Most rowing WODs are a variation of distance intervals or timed intervals, so if you have access

to a different type of rowing machine (e.g. Concept2 Dynamic, Waterrower, or RowPerfect),

you can still use it for rowing WODs. The most important thing, as with all Crossfit exercises, is

to maintain proper technique and the correct prescribed intensity, regardless of which brand of

equipment you happen to be using.

Foot Position and Shoes

The Concept2 rower has a footboard with adjustable heel cups and foot straps.

If you are wearing shoes, set the heel cup height so that the strap is directly above your toe

joint.

If you are not wearing shoes, or are wearing toe shoes such as Vibram FiveFingers, set the heel

cup about one notch higher so that the foot strap is on the toe joint of your outside toe. This

is because your heels will lift up during the stroke and experience shows that without the

stiffness of regular shoes, your foot will tend to slide down a little in the harness.

The foor straps should be firm but it’s not critical that they remain totally tight. If you are

rowing with good technique, you should be able to row without any straps at all because the

force of your leg drive should keep your feet planted on the footboards. It’s a good drill to

sometimes loosen the straps and try to row without being “strapped in!”

Figure 1: I set the heel cups so that the strap is on the toe joint of my little toe so that my heel can hinge up

at the front end of the stroke while keeping the ball of my foot on the footplate for a powerful pushoff.

With minimalist shoes, this is on the 4th hole for me. In regular shoes, it's on the 3rd hole.

Should you wear shoes or not?

Experience shows that wearing a minimalist shoe with a rubberized

bottom is the best option. Examples: toe shoes, “aqua socks,” sandals, or

yoga shoes.

Traditional running shoes have too much of a heel wedge, which reduces

your biomechanical advantage and absorbs some of the power on each

stroke.

Weightlifting shoes tend to be too inflexible to allow your heels to raise

during the stroke.

Socks without tread on the bottom tend to slip and slide in the foot

harness, which makes the straps work loose and is a distraction.

Bare feet work well for short pieces but tend to get blisters from the strap

buckles pretty quickly.

Setting the “Resistance” – Damper and Drag Factor

One of the most common questions is how to set the “resistance” on the Concept2 rowing

machine.

“Resistance” is determined by a damper handle on the side of the machine that restricts the

airflow into the flywheel cage. For this reason, the “resistance” acts differently from a weight

machine or spinning bike, in that it’s more like riding a bike into a headwind – the faster you

are moving, the higher the aerodynamic drag. This is why you can set the damper to 10 and it

still feels too easy when you are rowing slowly, but rapidly gets hard as you apply more power.

Figure 2: Concept2 damper handle set between 4 and 5.

It’s important to point out that the damper setting is the LEAST important factor in your

rowing performance. Technique, fitness, and mental toughness all have a much greater impact

than the damper setting. During normal WODs, it’s just not a big factor unless you are doing a

competitive piece for time and you are already highly skilled.

The Bottom Line

Most people should set the damper between 3 and 6.

“Big/strong” body types will likely prefer the higher end of the range,

“light/quick/gymnastic” body types will likely prefer the lower end.

Settings in the 8-10 range are not recommended for non-rowers due to the possibility

of back/ribcage overuse injuries. Even if you can deadlift 500 lbs., your body is

probably not used to doing the hundreds of reps that rowing represents.

Settings in the 1-2 range require impeccable technique and timing to generate good

results, and will probably frustrate non-rowers because it will feel easy but your split

times will be poor.

A good way to think about how resistance works on the C2 is to use a Crossfit WOD analogy:

Say the WOD is to deadlift 10,000 pounds of cumulative weight in as little time as

possible.

Athlete #1 chooses to complete the WOD by doing 32 reps at 315 lbs. He/she will

likely have a slower cadence, and the speed of each rep will be deliberate and powerful.

The athlete will rely on strength and consistency to achieve this. This is like using a C2

damper setting of 6 or 7.

Athlete #2 chooses to complete the WOD by doing 75 reps at 135 lbs. In order to

compete with Athlete #1, he/she will need to do twice the number of reps in the same

amount of time. The cadence will be much faster, and each rep will need to be much

quicker and more dynamic. The athlete will rely on quickness, precision, and superior

conditioning more than pure strength. This is like using a C2 damper setting of 3.

Both athletes can complete the WOD in exactly the same amount of time, using different

strategies and techniques best suited to their body type and conditioning level. Similarly, on

the C2 the most effective damper setting is really dependent on your body type and comfort

level. The goal is to make you feel comfortable so that you can focus on technique and power

without having to worry about the machine setup. For on-water rowers, different damper

settings are used to simulate rowing in different boat types. For Crossfitters, this is irrelevant

so comfort level is the primary consideration.

Drag Factor is the actual number representing the aerodynamic drag that is working on the

flywheel. An older machine may register a higher drag factor at the same damper setting than

a newer machine because of the accumulated dust and dirt in the flywheel cage. If you travel a

lot or use many different C2 machines, you can ensure a consistent “feel” by displaying the

drag factor on any machine you are using and adjusting the damper so that the drag factor is

at your known comfort level. Drag factor is a more reliable way to measure the resistance on a

given machine than the damper setting number.

To display the drag factor:

Figure 3: From the Main Menu, select "More Options"

Figure 4: Select "Display Drag Factor"

Figure 5: Row about 5 strokes at about half pressure to determine the drag factor.

You can experiment with moving the damper handle and rowing for another 5 strokes to see

how it changes the drag factor.

Remember, if you are using different machines and want to have a constant baseline of

resistance between them, set the drag factor to the same number, regardless of where that

puts the damper handle.

Setting up the Performance Monitor for Interval WODs

There are a few tips that Crossfitters need to know about how to set up the performance

monitor display.

There are 3 types of measurements that the performance monitor can display. Use the

“Change Units” button to toggle between them:

Split time/pace per 500m (most common): Each second lower you drive the split time

counts for:

o 2 seconds off a 1K piece

o 4 seconds off a 2K piece

o 12 seconds off a 5K piece

Watts: equivalent to, but more granular than, 500m splits, can be compared to power

output from other sports.

Calories: used for scoring “reps” in Fight Gone Bad and other Crossfit WODs.

In setting up for intervals, you want to use the detailed display that shows both meters rowed

and the average split time for each interval (use “Change Display” button to select this):

Figure 6: Detailed display - best option for interval WODs.

To set up intervals, you can choose timed intervals, distance intervals, or a mix of distance

intervals with timed rest. The latter is the most common format for Crossfit Endurance

workouts (e.g. 6 x 500m work with 2 minutes rest), and it’s not well-known how to set up the

performance monitor to handle this, so I’ll walk you through it:

Start at the Main Menu and select “Select Workout”

Select “New Workout”:

Select “Intervals: Variable”

Set up the work interval as a distance interval (if the WOD were something like “30 seconds

on” instead of “500m on” then you would select “Time” instead).

Enter the work distance and rest time. Optionally, you can enter a goal split and the machine

will display a “pace boat” view so you have a visual on whether you are beating your goal split

during the work interval. Hit the check mark button when you are done.

Repeat for as many intervals as prescribed, or select “No More Intervals” to begin the WOD.

Seat Comfort and “Butt Pads”

The Concept2 seat is slightly contoured for comfort, but is made of pretty hard material and

does not contain holes for your “sit bones” to rest in as the seats in rowing boats do. This

means that some people, depending on anatomy, get blisters and chafing on their rear ends.

This is also a common problem when doing abmat situps, as many Crossfitters know.

There are a variety of “butt pads” on the market, but most of them are either too expensive

(over $30!) or too flimsy to last. The best pad is a homemade one. Go to any camping store

and buy a simple, thick foam sleeping pad. Cut it square to the dimensions of the C2 seat. If

it’s a thin pad, do two cutouts and glue them together. Voila! You have a great pad that will

last forever, will not slide around on the seat, and can be used BOTH for rowing and for abmat

situps. If you are doing long rows and still experience chafing, try a little simple jojoba oil in

the right spots before you row – this is the best anti-chafing treatment I know of.

Conclusion

Crossiftters should focus on the following basics when setting up Concept2 rowing machines

for Crossfit WODs:

Wear minimal shoes and adjust the heel cups so that the strap in on your toe joint.

Set the damper handle between 4 and 6 – whatever feels most comfortable, don’t

worry too much about it.

Use the detailed display for most WODs, and learn how to program intervals to make

your WOD tracking easier.

Use a simple homemade butt pad if the rowing machine seat causes chafing.

CrossFit is a registered trademark of CrossFit, Inc.

Concept2 is a registered trademark of Concept2, Inc.