OTW splits vs ERG splits

Rvanvoris · Post by **Rvanvoris** » May 2nd, 2014, 10:42 am

It has been by experience that my ERG split per 500 meters run 20 -25 seconds faster given the same effort.
Is that common?

I am 61 yo masters male- 225 lbs in pretty good shape. I consistently row 30k per week, ERG and OTW throughout the year.
201k for the Holiday challenge . On the ERG my cruising speed is 2:15-500m In the boat 2:35-2:40 -500 m

I row a King designed hvwt race single so I don't think it the boat.

Do other people find similar numbers?

Bob S. · Post by **Bob S.** » May 2nd, 2014, 1:53 pm

Wrong kind of boat. The virtual boat speed on the erg Is based on a 4, probably the 4x.

Bob S.

ArmandoChavezUNC · Post by **ArmandoChavezUNC** » May 2nd, 2014, 2:14 pm

I think the erg splits are "modeled" after a 4+. Could be mistaken though.

So it's normal that your splits OTW in a 1x would be significantly slower than your splits on the erg.

For comparison the fastest times ever recorded in the 1x by Olympians are right around 6:45, while on the erg they can go about a minute faster than that for the same distance (2k).

Rvanvoris · Post by **Rvanvoris** » May 7th, 2014, 9:49 am

that makes sense, thanks all

JLB123 · Post by **JLB123** » June 12th, 2014, 9:45 am

Yep, C2 erg is calibrated for a coxless 4, average crew weight 95kg. If your erg splits match your single splits, something is seriously wrong.

randallpatrickc · Post by **randallpatrickc** » June 20th, 2014, 2:02 pm

Is it possible to calibrate (does that mean fiddling with the fan?) an erg to give similar results to my Edon TS515 training scull (my best splits are 2:38 so it's not quite a racing shell).
Just curious.
I have just ordered an Oartec Slider and have spent less than a minute on a C2 D and am doing some reading/thinking.

Ralph Earle · Post by **Ralph Earle** » June 20th, 2014, 2:46 pm

Try this: http://www.biorow.com/RigChart.aspx

randallpatrickc · Post by **randallpatrickc** » July 1st, 2014, 1:05 pm

That was interesting Ralph - problem is I think the 1x option in this model is somewhat faster than my training scull which is quite draggy in comparison to a racing shell. (Edon TS515 see http://www.virginiarowing.com )

I suppose what I was looking for is some way of adjusting the fan (oartec Slider - similar to a C2) to make it "feel" more like the OTW trainer and to give me equivalent 500m splits (like I get from my Speedcoach). It arrives tomorrow hopefully so I'll be able to experiment a bit myself.

gregsmith01748 · Post by **gregsmith01748** » July 1st, 2014, 3:31 pm

I don't there will be anything that you can do on the rowing machine live, but I don't think it would really be necessary.

I row a racing single and I use a model D offseason. I adjusted the drag so that the feel is about the same. I ended up with a drag factor around 150 for the same feeling of heaviness that I have for how my single is rigged. As for the splits I started with the rig chart calculator that Ralph posted to see what the world's best rowers were able to achieve between erg and my single.

When I am in shape, I can pull a 6:40 2K. For my size and weight, the rigging chart says I should be able to row a 7:32 2K on the water. So the difference is 13 seconds (1:40 versus 1:53). My best 2K OTW is actually more like an 8:32 (2:08), so a 28 second difference. This is consistent with steady state rowing, which is about a 2:00 pace on the erg and about a 2:26 to 2:28 on the water.

So, now onto the next question. How much slower is an edon shell than a racing shell. I'm not sure. For Maas and Alden boats, they were about 30 seconds slower over 1K than racing singles at an event where I raced last weekend, but the folks in singles are probably better trained in addition to being in better boats, so I suspect that the pace delta is around 10 seconds per 500 for the same person in the different boats.

As long as you figure out the offset, it isn't too hard to keep it in mind when you work out. I would imagine that a pace delta of 30 seconds would be a good starting guess, so a 2:38 in a edon would turn into a 2:08 on the model D. A way to check it would be to wear a HR monitor and do 20 minutes in your single at 2:38 and then 20 minutes at 2:08 on your erg and compare the end HR. Then adjust the gap until you have the same end HR.

At the end of the day, when I am on the erg, I am really comparing to my prior erg results. When I am on the water I am comparing to previous OTW results and also trying to reduce the pace gap as my skills get better.

Sorry for the long winded reply. I've spent some time thinking this trough.

Ralph Earle · Post by **Ralph Earle** » July 2nd, 2014, 12:45 pm

Here's a discussion from the UK Forum that you may find interesting and helpful:

http://indoorsportservices.co.uk/forum/ ... TE#p620545

randallpatrickc · Post by **randallpatrickc** » July 2nd, 2014, 10:37 pm

gregsmith01748 wrote: A way to check it would be to wear a HR monitor and do 20 minutes in your single at 2:38 and then 20 minutes at 2:08 on your erg and compare the end HR. Then adjust the gap until you have the same end HR.

Sorry for the long winded reply. I've spent some time thinking this trough.

Thanks for the effort - I think this is a good plan and I'll start tomorrow

pearlofet · Post by **pearlofet** » January 20th, 2015, 9:10 pm

Thanks Boris, but they are in a totally different league to me. I would say there are a group of elite erg rowers that can post times sub 6:10 and then you have another group of the top OTW rowers going well under 6 mins.

I think that to get into the first group you either need a natural gift and reasonable level of traing or less gift and very high level of training. To get into the top group I think you would need both natural gift and high level of training.

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