WOD - 100222

Complete 3 sets each:

1 Embedded BL + 5 Tempo XR Elevated Rows

1 Embedded Straight-arm Fly + 5 Tempo XR PPP plus

1 Embedded FL + 5 Tempo Half Cranks

Finish the workout with 10 Bridge Wall Walks

notes:

1) Warm-up by performing 2-3 easier Row/Pushup variations prior to beginning your working sets. The variations used should initially begin with one that is quite easy and then get progressively more difficult from warm-up set to warm-up set.

2) Choose a body position for the embedded static strength variation that allows you to hold the position for 15 seconds per rep.

3) Please note that Straight-arm Flys can be very challenging. It may be necessary to hold the bottom position of the Straight-arm Fly from your knees. Whichever position you choose to perform the Straight-arm Flys from, make sure that your elbows are completely locked at all times.

4) Rest 10-20 seconds between the embedded static and the subsequent exercise. Rest 1-2 minutes in between giant sets.

5) Use a tempo of 313 for the basic strength sets. For the pull-ups, this equates to a 3 second ascent, followed by a 1 second pause at the top, then a 3 second descent.

6) You may scale the workout as necessary by substituting another exercise from the same movement family as necessary.

7) DO NOT skip the Bridge Wall Walks at the end of the Workout.

Man, I've always liked the exercise that is pictured in this WOD, but I've never had the equipment to even do it correctly, but now that I have the rings and looking at the picture I can now set it up easily. I once made a wooden frame-sort-of thing and put it on my parallel bars, but it didn't go well.

What is this exercise called? Elevated rows?

But what I've really wanted to know is it's variations, if it has any, how to set up the height of the (in this case) rings and where you place your feet, the distance between what you're hanging from and where you put your feet then, and how to do it properly.

How is this exercise compared to l-sit pullups or with tuck FL pullups (FL rows?)? Easier? Harder?

It's different. Elevated XR rows are most similar to FL rows, but because the body is moving in an arc(due to the feet being stationary and the rest of the body moving) there is a different muscle emphasis. The elevated rows tend to work the scapular and subscapular muscles more than the lats, whereas the FL rows depend more heavily on the lats.

The variations are really based on foot height. The hardest variation would be where your feet are at a height that puts your body parallel to the ground at the top of the row, at full contraction. When the feet are lower than this, the difficulty decreases as the feet get lower. When the feet are higher in this, the exercise slowly turns into an inverted curl, with emphasis on the curl growing along with the height of the feet.

slizzardman said:

It's different. Elevated XR rows are most similar to FL rows, but because the body is moving in an arc(due to the feet being stationary and the rest of the body moving) there is a different muscle emphasis. The elevated rows tend to work the scapular and subscapular muscles more than the lats, whereas the FL rows depend more heavily on the lats.

The variations are really based on foot height. The hardest variation would be where your feet are at a height that puts your body parallel to the ground at the top of the row, at full contraction. When the feet are lower than this, the difficulty decreases as the feet get lower. When the feet are higher in this, the exercise slowly turns into an inverted curl, with emphasis on the curl growing along with the height of the feet.

I tried putting the rings at the same level with where I put my feet, and it was harder than if I placed them higher like in this WOD picture.

What about the posture? Most of the time I feel like I bend a little during the movement, I don't think I can keep my whole body straight throughout the movement. What do you think about this?

As far as posture goes, do the best you can. Ideally, you want to have a straight body so strive for that!

It SHOULD be harder the way you describe, because that's where you have the least mechanical advantage. The WOD picture is showing the exercise slightly toned down. As your feet get lower than the rings, your lats start working a little more, but still not as much as the FL rows.

The most important thing is to stick to the tempo. Do as many perfect reps as you can, and if you need to rest-pause for the last rep or two that's fine. If not, try to at least be perfect on the negative. The ability to perform the exercise better will come with time and regular perfect practice!

slizzardman said:

As far as posture goes, do the best you can. Ideally, you want to have a straight body so strive for that!

It SHOULD be harder the way you describe, because that's where you have the least mechanical advantage. The WOD picture is showing the exercise slightly toned down. As your feet get lower than the rings, your lats start working a little more, but still not as much as the FL rows.

The most important thing is to stick to the tempo. Do as many perfect reps as you can, and if you need to rest-pause for the last rep or two that's fine. If not, try to at least be perfect on the negative. The ability to perform the exercise better will come with time and regular perfect practice!

Yeah, right now I can do 10 with "correct" form, I'm not bending that much now.

slizzardman said:

The elevated rows tend to work the scapular and subscapular muscles more than the lats, whereas the FL rows depend more heavily on the lats.

I'm watching the 2008 rings Olympic finals right now, and the gymnasts look to be very protracted in the shoulders to me. A reasonable speculation is a lack of scapular retraction.

Although after front lever rows I have been sore in-between the scapula's. I'd like to see some EMG done on front lever rows.

Either way, I suspect some face pulls or isolated scapular retraction (to keep work off the lats and posterior delts) would be warranted for individuals with protracted shoulders.

Oh, I'm sure that they are working as hard or harder than they do in foot-supported rows. I'm just saying that on a percentage scale, the scapular musculature ends up doing more work than the lats and forearm flexors, whereas that situation gets a bit reversed with the FL rows. That's what I feel going on in my body, at any rate.