Very basic question pace vs strokes per minute

[LawlessMeg]

Hi all. I've been rowing almost daily for about a month now and I mostly have the hang of it after lots of rowalong workouts (on youtube) but I'm still a little muddled.
I try to keep a consistent stroke rate of about 24 spm during my 'rest' intervals and my pace at that stroke rate is between 2:30=2:40/500 meters. Am I correct that the only way to increase my pace with the same stroke rate is to make the drive part faster/more powerful and the recovery slower? I've found that I can't really vary my pace much without increasing my stroke rate and I have a hard time grasping the mechanics of this thing.

Would changing the damper make a difference? I have it between 3 and 4 now because any higher and I feel like it's too hard to pull. Overall, I feel like I'm getting a great cardio workout and I 'feel' the work mostly in my legs, a bit in my core, and a little in my arms and I"m not injuring myself, so I must be doing it at least somewhat correctly? What's a good stroke rate and pace to aim for in sprints? Steady state? Recovery?

[MPx]

Reads to me like you've got it all right. The machine measures the work you do - to get a faster pace requires more work. You do more work by increasing power in your stroke (push harder!) and/or by doing more strokes.

There are some other variables around the edges but they would more likely compromise your stroke and cause injury - eg increase your stroke length by leaning too far back and/or by pulling the handle up to your chin. Would work for a few strokes but would severely limit your eventual potential so its worth sticking with the classic form.

Try to use Drag Factor rather than damper position as DF is the same across machines wheres the effect of the lever will vary depending on how well maintained and clean the machine is. DF will have no effect other than make the stroke feel lighter (will need to be faster) or heavier (will need more muscle) - everyone will have their own sweet spot and for most people most of the time that will be in the 110-140 range. Its very likely that damper 3/4 on your erg is within that range...but it might not be.

Sounds like you're doing really well. Stick with it and it will get and keep you fit for a lifetime.

[iain]

I try to keep a consistent stroke rate of about 24 spm during my 'rest' intervals and my pace at that stroke rate is between 2:30=2:40/500 meters. Am I correct that the only way to increase my pace with the same stroke rate is to make the drive part faster/more powerful and the recovery slower? I've found that I can't really vary my pace much without increasing my stroke rate and I have a hard time grasping the mechanics of this thing.

You are correct. What you need to realise is that the "work" is all done on the drive which should typically be 1/3 or less of the time. So unlike the more even power output when cycling, running etc. the force generated during the power stroke needs to be significantly higher. In contrast we "let the boat run" between power strokes while we recover for the next drive. So other than when sprinting, we go up the slide (recovery towards the catch) slower than we come down the slide in the drive despite the latter being against the resistance of the flywheel. It does take some practice. Deliberately try and crawl back up the slide as slowly as you can without stopping on SS / recovery. I would say R24 is fast for recovery, I tend to use about R16 and do SS rows at between R16 and R20, although some prefer to go at R22 or so.

What's a good stroke rate and pace to aim for in sprints? Steady state? Recovery?

Pace depends on strength, but should obviously be as high as possible. For 100M some people manage 70+ Strokes per minute although that is using a compromised sprint stroke overlapping the elements of the stroke and even reducing the slide by not going as far forward. I would not recommend sprinting until you are comfortable rowing longer slow pieces as errors in technique can cause back injuries and the erg will jump due to uneven power application.

[mjhatten]

If you decide to bump up your stroke rate, be careful of your form. It's really easy to end up shortening your stroke (failing to extend at the catch or short changing your finish) and losing a lot of whatever your increased activity should have netted.

[jamesg]

the only way to increase my pace with the same stroke rate

is to pull a bigger stroke; where bigger means longer and/or at higher force.

Rowing starts with developing the stroke. The three factors we can juggle are handle Force, stroke Length, and Rating (strokes per minute). Doing this juggling is known as Learning to Row.

The C2 website shows the standard rowing technique and its sequences, which serve to fully engage the legs and hips without overload to other muscle groups.

Once you've found sustainable levels of force and length, by developing your technique, use them; there is no point in using lower values, save for warmup; and higher values can only force you to stop and may cause problems, if not injury.

[LawlessMeg]

Thanks all y'all for the advice! I've still got a lot to learn but I really enjoy rowing. I'm going to back off a little because I have some ankle tendinitis (I'm an old granny!) and continue to focus on good form and maybe improve my upper body strength.