Confused About Rate

[[old] Cat7]

Hi all -<br><br>I'm new to rowing and to the erg, so I'm trying to digest everything I read here in the context of my own (limited) experience.<br><br>I am a little confused about rate. It seems to me that a faster rate is by definition going to yeild a faster pace if the resistance is held constant. However, I have noticed that I can slow the rate a little and accelerate the drive and get a faster pace at a lower rate - but only in a narrow band. For instance I can go a 1:55 at 28 spm or at 31 spm depending on the drive.<br><br>Today I did 10,000m in 37:55.1<br><br>I used a constant resistance of 50% on the fan, I started out at a rate of 31-33 spm and a pace around 1:50 and then started to fade between 5k and 2k to go with my rate slowing to 28-30 spm and a 2:00 pace. I did a 200m sprint after each 2500m with a rate of 32-35spm and a 1:45 pace. The last 2000m I just went as hard as I could and by then it was 28-32 spm at 1:50.<br><br>Then I vomited.<br><br>I am really a cyclist, so I may have subconciously associated rate with cadence and in cycling a high cadence is usually better. It seems natural to me to use a mid-level resistance with a higher rate. What REALLY helps to 'hang' off my shoulders during the drive and let my legs do the big work.<br><br>Should I try something different? Higher resistance and a slower rate, or same resistance, slower rate, stronger drive?<br><br>Help!<br><br>

[[old] John Rupp]

Your rate is fine.<br><br>Nice 10k. You're going to be under 37 very soon.<br><br>Sounds like you have a good conception of the stroke.<br><br>Regarding resistance, the drag factor doesn't matter, except a lower resistance means the fan takes longer to slow down.<br><br>This is similar to climbing a long grade on a bike. You can push faster with a big gear but it's tiring. In the long run it's easier to spin a smaller gear faster. On the erg, this means the drive is faster, but the rating stays very close to the same, regardless of the damper setting.