Hi Crew- Michelle here!
A large part of what makes a Sweat Fixx class fun, challenging, and addicting is the chance to watch your numbers improve as you become stronger and faster on the rower. As instructors, we love giving our clients goal times, goal distances and encouraging them to push their split time a little lower with each drive.
If you have taken one of Jeanette’s Saturday morning Row Fixx classes lately, you may notice some different row circuits she has been mixing in to the workout. During these pushes on the rower, Jeanette has the class focus more on the power – slow powerful strokes where you aim to hold your stroke rate at a certain number (i.e 28) while trying to keep a steady split time.
Let me tell you firsthand; this is a challenge. We are so used to sprinting our hardest when we get on the rower that actually slowing our stroke down is difficult. It took me a couple tries (okay, maybe more than a couple) to master this form and focus. It is a much slower stroke than we are used to — a 1 count drive back with a pause and then a 2 count return back to your catch position. You really need to focus on the drive and power from your legs in order to keep your split-time at a steady pace, but also hold that proper form to keep your stroke rate at a 28.
My hamstrings were on fire, especially after the 3rd round of a 1 minute sprint holding a 20 stroke rate and a split time under 2:00 minutes.
In this type of circuit, we aren’t focusing on the meter goal as much, as we are focusing on holding our power.
Usually in a minute, we coach the crew to aim as close to 300 meters, but depending on the set strokes per minute, it’s not a sure thing that they will hit the total amount of meters that they usually do in a typical one minute sprint.
Eventually, when you get the control and rhythm, it starts to equalize. (as seen below)
Now what does this all mean? When explaining to clients the difference and what these two numbers mean, I try to use this analogy: Imagine you are running with a friend, the two of you are going the same distance but your friend is running in long powerful strides while you are running with shorter steps in a quick fast-feet type of motion. You will end up exerting more energy to eventually go the same distance.
So basically, you can still try to hit your meter goals, even if you slow down your stroke! You just need to make the effort to get that full extension and control (endurance) vs going fast and short with sprints.
We want to find a perfect balance between our speed and our power, and focusing on those two numbers on your monitor can help do that.
Want to give a circuit like this a try? Sign up for Jeanette’s Row Fixx classes on Saturdays!
