Who's the real sub: SDHP vs Rowing

[Lonnie Johnson]

Although SDHP's are the usual sub for rowing, perhaps SDHP should be the standard, with rowing as the sub.

SDHP is a functional movement done with minimal equipment. Rowing is a workout like no other, however, how often do you move your body with that ROM besides when you're rowing? SDHP engages common movements while standing on your feet.

Many people dread more SDHP's in place of rowing. I suppose they lack the "fun" factor that a C2 has... but if we DON'T want to do it, isn't that often a sign that we should?

[Katherine Derbyshire]

What are your goals?

Part of the point of rowing (as an exercise) is that you're *not* standing on your feet. That means you have to apply leverage in a completely different plane relative to gravity.

"Fitness across broad time and modal domains" is a central idea of Crossfit. Rowing expands the range of modal domains more effectively than SDHPs do.

Another central idea of Crossfit is that full body movements are better. The large ROM of rowing is an advantage, not a disadvantage.

Rowing also has a fairly large number of potential real world applications.

Katherine

[Lonnie Johnson]

In giving more thought about this, I suppose it's silly to pit exercises against each other (SDHP vs Row), as if they are in some sort of "battle". The truth is that both are great, but achieve different results depending on your goals. Asking about goals really hits the nail on the head for any decision between exercises. For general fitness, doing BOTH can't be beat. CF employs both in many WODs. If you have a specific goal that would benefit more from one over the other, than employing that one more often makes more sense.

Also, subbing gives people with limited abilities and/or equipment options to keep them moving forward. So it really doesn't matter which is the "sub", as long as you can get going on them in some form appropriate for you.

As I mentioned in my other post regarding the GHD, I tend toward simplicity. So, SDHPs are more appealing to me in that regard because I don't have to interface with complex equipment. But that's just personal preference and is only one aspect when comparing cost/benefit of different movements in relation to personal goals, ability, and access to equipment.

[Lincoln Brigham]

SDHP is a functional movement done with minimal equipment.

The barbell SDHP is not all that functional. It's been said that the SDHP is the most efficient way to move certain objects up to shoulder height, but even if that was true clearly the barbell is not one of them. The clean is by far the most efficient way to move the barbell to shoulder height. Therefore the barbell SDHP is a somewhat artificial construct. Rowing, on the other hand, has been a functional movement ever since the invention of the boat.

[S.S.]

Originally Posted by Lonnie Johnson

but if we DON'T want to do it, isn't that often a sign that we should?

No, that mentality is for people who look at exercise like it's a punishment.

You should do exercise that achieves your goals.

I don't want to do SDHP and I shouldn't do it either because it has nothing to do with my goals.

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

I give up.

[Graeme Howland]

I see no purpose to SDHP, never use them, why not just do a power clean or kettlebell/dumbbell swing. And it is nothing like rowing on a C2.

[Joey Powell]

The "point" of each exercise is to develop the wave action the body needs to generate power. (Much like the swing is)

Rarely is the SDHP used in Main Page WODs, except at very light loads at high reps. Sort of like swings.

Further, SDHP is used as a "Gateway Movement" to transition from Deadlift to clean...much like the Push Press is used to transition the press to the jerk.

The SDHP also has a bad rap because of Shoulder impingements. The problem is that the athlete is using arms to literally pull or row the bar up, however it is actually a hip snap, much like the swing, that is supposed to lift the bar, with the arms guiding the inertia. This is also a flaw in many athletes push presses as well where they will try to press the weight more than snap the hip in order to move the weight. With either movement, the hip snap should be the focus, in order to prepare for their big brothers, the CLEAN and JERK as you will see with any effective Olympic lifter, the arms are not the center peice, rather they guide the inertia created by the hip acting on the weight into the catch position.

Are there better exercises to train this bridging movement from the deadlift, to the clean? Many would say so, but I will encourage others to chime in as to their favorites and why.

[Lincoln Brigham]

The hang clean is a much better gateway movement from the deadlift to the clean. Compared to the clean the SDHP has a different, wider foot stance, a narrower grip, a lower bar position at the end of the pull, no pull under (aka third pull), a different finish position and the loads are much lighter. The specificity isn't there. When performing the SDHP, most lifters are naturally inclined to do everything we tell them not to -- overemphasis of arm contribution to the movement, bar too far away from the body, no rebend of the knees, overly long second pull, hesitancy to get under the bar, no hook grip. To me it's like trying to cure alcholism by taking a job as a bartender. Frankly it baffles me as to why anyone would think the barbell SDHP makes a good gateway movement to the clean. I think it's good for learning how to participate in Fight Gone Bad and that's about it.

[George Noble]

Originally Posted by Joey Powell

Are there better exercises to train this bridging movement from the deadlift, to the clean? Many would say so, but I will encourage others to chime in as to their favorites and why.

EZ bar preacher curls are better at bridging the gap between the deadlift and clean than ****ing sumo deadlift high pulls.

Nobody in the real world uses them and the CrossFitters who happen to be good at weightlifting almost certainly did an actual weightlifting progression.