{"id":11304,"date":"2017-05-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-16T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkhorserowing.com\/test\/the-history-of-rowing-in-crossfit-what-the-data-says-and-how-it-can-improve-your-training-2017-edition"},"modified":"2020-06-02T02:09:27","modified_gmt":"2020-06-02T09:09:27","slug":"the-history-of-rowing-in-crossfit-what-the-data-says-and-how-it-can-improve-your-training-2017-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/darkhorserowing.com\/the-history-of-rowing-in-crossfit-what-the-data-says-and-how-it-can-improve-your-training-2017-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"The History of Rowing in CrossFit \u2013 What the Data Says and How It Can Improve Your Training (2017 Edition)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Let\u2019s be honest. When you think of CrossFit, rowing probably isn\u2019t something you think of right away. You likely think of barbells, box jumps, pull-ups, and maybe even things like wall balls and double-unders. But, what about rowing?<\/span><\/p>\n Unless you write your own programming, rowing tends to be one of those movements that just happen to pop up every now and then. You may not like it, but at the same time, you might think, \u201chey, it\u2019s not burpees!\u201d and proceed to sludge through it, not expecting to see it again for a while.<\/span><\/p>\n For whatever reason, rowing doesn\u2019t seem to leave that lasting impression on us in the way the pain of thrusters or the excitement of heavy deadlifts do. However, if you were to actually take notice of how integral rowing is to the CrossFit programming methodology, you might be surprised to recognize its importance as a staple to training.<\/span><\/p>\n Whether you work out to be healthy for everyday life or to compete, understanding the importance of rowing and how crucial it is to your training can help you not only embrace workouts with rowing in them\u00a0but help you improve your scores in those workouts, as well as make you a much better athlete overall. Let\u2019s take a look at the data\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Rowing as a sport goes all the way back to the early 1700\u2019s, and as an Olympic sport since 1900. Eventually, rowing machines were built for training by the ancient Greeks using the hydraulic damper setting design in the mid-19th century and the friction brake design in the mid 20th century, all the way to the 1980\u2019s when Concept2\u00a0introduced the first air resistance ergometers to the market.*<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Started in 1976, Concept2 is now celebrating their 40th year in business. By providing the ability to accurately measure performance combined with easy transportation, Concept2 has helped create the sport of competitive indoor rowing as well as revolutionize the training process for watercraft rowing.<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout the years, Concept2 has refined their machines:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As a low impact training method, rowing uses 87% of your muscles, making it one of the best full body exercises available. It is also one of the first pieces of workout equipment to measure exact power output.<\/span><\/p>\n By the time CrossFit.com showed up on the \u201cInformation Super Highway\u201d in February\u00a02001 Coach Glassman had\u00a0established a training program where improvements were constantly being made. But, one thing was for certain; it supplied constantly varied, functional movement at high intensity.<\/span><\/p>\n When you flip through 15 years of any training program you\u2019ll be amazed. But looking through the history of CrossFit, it\u2019s not the massive amount of information that is fascinating, but the evolution and improvement as a result of the endless work that went into it. Only a fanatic could put that much effort and thought into the big picture of such a structured program.<\/span><\/p>\n A few interesting facts from CrossFit.com programming:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n There have been more than 4,500 workouts in the past 16 years.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n 3 days on, 1 day off is the staple of the programming now. However, before\u00a02001, 6 on 1 off, was the norm. It then switched to 5 on 2 off in 2002, before the current rhythm of workouts were set.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Workouts often focused on a task and less on time domain. Sessions over an hour long were common.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n In the first week of CrossFit.com programming, the 4th workout of all time included rowing. On January 13, 2001, the following session was part of the workout:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFinally, how long can you maintain a 2:00 min. 500-meter pace average? Set the rower for \u201cAvg 500 meter pace\u201d and stop and record the time at the instant you fall under the 2:00 minute average (2:00 for men and 2:10 for women).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The CrossFit.com website has posted workouts every day for 195 months now. Out of those months, 168 included rowing. Meaning 85% of the time there was a Concept2 rowing machine involved in a workout in one way or another.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0In total, 412 of 4,454 workouts (as of 5\/15\/2016) have included rowing, meaning that at least 1 out of 11 workouts (9.25%) in CrossFit.com history include rowing. Of course, this is just an average. Below you can see that in 2001 and 2002, around 20% of workouts involved a little \u201csuffering\u201d on the erg. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the past few years, rowing workouts have averaged just below 12% and are continually increasing.<\/span><\/p>\n Since the start of The CrossFit Games in 2007, one year in particular sticks out regarding rowing. In the first 2 months of 2014, 12 workouts accumulating almost 50k meters on the rowing machine were published. Not surprisingly 2014 was the year rowing showed up in the CrossFit Games Open. Between the 2013 and 2014 Open, total rowing volume adds up to 100k meters showing that programming on the CrossFit website is a clear indicator of what is to come.<\/span><\/p>\n Breaking the years down by months, you can see the first six months typically include more rowing than the last six. You can see that in preparation for the CrossFit Games season the volume is higher and tapers by July. Baselines are then set again in September and October.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reading through almost 400 rowing workouts we can name a few personal favorites, but we’d rather give credit for the ones in the beginning of the online programming and give appreciation to Coach Glassman for the short, but rather descriptive objective. On April 14th in 2002, a simple 5k showed up with the objective of \u201cRow as though your life depended on it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\nThe History of the Indoor Rower<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
The History of Rowing in CrossFit<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Rowing in CrossFit By the Numbers<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n
Top Rowing Workouts in CrossFit.com History<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n