Last week in our GPP classes, we used a unique drill as part of our warm-up: a 500m row on the erg with the monitors out of sight. The goal was to row, and a moderately fast pace, as close the 500m as possible. The challenge was that you had no screen to tell you how far you’d gone or how much further you had to go.

The goals of the drill were twofold.

First, it’s a fun drill, and a bit more challenging than you may expect (try it!).

Second, it gave students an opportunity to bring awareness to their movement without the aid of something external. Now, there’s nothing wrong with using the feedback of the data on the monitor (pace, stroke rate, distance travelled, time, etc.). We keep our monitors on 99% of the time when we row, bike, or whatever else, because they provide us with valuable information. But if you never take away the external feedback, you are left with an incomplete understanding and movement awareness.

We are inundated with tech and data. Mirrors, monitors on the bike or erg, video, stats on your Apple Watch, even time on the clock — these are all bits of technology that bring you one step removed from the task. They are incredible tools for learning, and should be used accordingly; but if you’ve never taken the chance to understand your movement without the aid of some piece of tech telling you what you’re doing, you have a missing link. Develop your internal feedback loop, and you may be wowed at how it improves your performance.

- PS

10/1/19

• Front squat - in 10 minutes, work up to a heavy set of 3

Then...

• AMRAP 15

• 30 wallballs (20/14)

• 30 push-ups