Damper setting

[Shanemhobbs]

I’m a 70 yr old male, 76kg in weight, I am competing in my first indoor rowing competition (500m) what would the best damper setting be . I still actively compete in surfboat competition here in Aus. And have done so for the past 52 yrs, I usually set the erg on 7 for out of season training, but as this comp will obviously be a sprint what would be the best damper setting for this. Thanks

[Sakly]

Hi, there is no best damper setting, as this is highly individual and related to what feels best for you.
Based on your strength and speed capabilities, there is a tipping point, where you slow down so much in your stroke, that the higher reward of the higher drag does not compensate for it. You need to find this point (and this point is probably different for long and short distances).

Another hint: the lever setting is not giving any information about the real drag. To get this value, you need to look into menu -> more options -> show drag factor.

[Dangerscouse]

I usually set the erg on 7 for out of season training, but as this comp will obviously be a sprint what would be the best damper setting for this. Thanks

What does out of season training consist of? It would be good to know what your actual drag factor is, as a setting of 7 could be quite high, but if the erg doesn't get cleaned very often then it might be quite a low drag factor.

[iain]

I’m a 70 yr old male, 76kg in weight, I am competing in my first indoor rowing competition (500m)

Nothing to add to previous responses, but it is unusual for someone to row at 76kg given the lightweight cutoff is 75kg. THat said, it may be that you get more competition in the Open category.

[Rowan McSheen]

... it is unusual for someone to row at 76kg given the lightweight cutoff is 75kg ...

Well yes, but for some of us shifting that last kg or two ain't so easy ... I've been trying for years

[iain]

... it is unusual for someone to row at 76kg given the lightweight cutoff is 75kg ...

Well yes, but for some of us shifting that last kg or two ain't so easy ... I've been trying for years

My weight fluctuates by more than a kilogram. Turning up a bit less hydrated without a high fibre cereal breakfast would do it for me. That said, ideally I liked to have a light day followed by a day off before races and that would mean putting on a kg if I wasn't careful what I ate!

[Dave Neve]

Hello everyone

I have a question about drag factor. When you check it by bringing it up on the console, what damper setting should you be at?

Does it not matter if you are at 1, 5 or 10 when you try to find the drag factor of the RowErg you are on?

Thanks in advance for any explanations as to how this works

[Dangerscouse]

Hello everyone

I have a question about drag factor. When you check it by bringing it up on the console, what damper setting should you be at?

Does it not matter if you are at 1, 5 or 10 when you try to find the drag factor of the RowErg you are on?

Thanks in advance for any explanations as to how this works

The damper setting is totally linked to the drag factor as this controls the amount of air that gets into the flywheel to slow it down, to a greater or lesser extent. So you might as well start on five and see what it is, and what happens when you go up or down by one or two.

[Sakly]

Hello everyone

I have a question about drag factor. When you check it by bringing it up on the console, what damper setting should you be at?

Does it not matter if you are at 1, 5 or 10 when you try to find the drag factor of the RowErg you are on?

Thanks in advance for any explanations as to how this works

To add some data to Stu's answer: a clean machine should show drag factor between ~70 and 220 from lever 1 to 10.
On a very dirty machine this could go down to below 100 on damper 10.

[Tsnor]

... I have a question about drag factor. When you check it by bringing it up on the console, what damper setting should you be at?

Does it not matter if you are at 1, 5 or 10 when you try to find the drag factor of the RowErg you are on?

Hi Dave, Drag Factor is the universal damper setting scale. So yes, the DF will change when you move the damper and it matters whether you are at 1 or 5 or 10. Move the damper where you want, display the drag factor.

If you go to another erg you can move the damper on that erg until the Drag Factor is the same one you use and the other erg will feel the same as your erg.

For this post, by replying in Drag Factor the forum can say where they think the erg should be set for the 500m race and the original poster will be able to set his machine up that way. "given you told us your current drag factor is 95, try increasing your drag factor to 115"

People could also reply relatively in damper position, and that would work too. For example saying "try setting your damper 1 or 2 numbers higher for a short sprint and see if your split time improves" works just as well as saying "given you told us your current drag factor is 95, try increasing your drag factor to 115".

The other value of DF is it gives more data. For example, someone can reasonably be rowing on an old dirty-cage erg at damper 9 and a DF of 120. In my opinion no one should be rowing on a clean erg at damper 9 with a DF of 180 to 200. By saying DF instead of damper you give more information and get more valuable responses.

[MPx]

I'm not much younger than you but considerably heavier at just under 95kg. I'm better at short term power than anything involving endurance. Those factors contribute to my usual DF of 140-145 which is too high for most on here, but suits me. I use that DF for everything including short intervals with the exception of TTs of 500m or less. 500m 165-170, 1min 180-185, 100m (max) which was 204 on my freshly cleaned machine this morning. (My erg is wedged into an alcove, which is great for avoiding unwanted movement on a sprint, but the cage is only 10cm from the wall which I suspect is too close for optimal air flow hence the low max on a clean machine.)

My guess is you'll be used to a lower DF than 145 for most of your erging. You don't need to go much, if any, higher than normal for an optimal 500 - its just too long for continuous banzai mode unless you're Phil Clapp. If you are already over 150 DF be cautious in going any higher and definitely try it out before competition day. May also be worth offering that most 500 records have been set with a controlled fade (fly and die!) as a race plan. You can gain more from going out a bit too fast for the first 300 than you lose in the last 200 if you get the balance right. But is does hurt! Best of luck.

[jamesg]

but as this comp will obviously be a sprint what would be the best damper setting for this.

500m is no sprint, it takes 1:40 to 2 minutes at age 70. Suggest you try it a few times, after a good warmup, there can be multiple surprises.