Concept2 Forum

Forgive the basic question I'm not really a rower I'm a racing cyclist & Iv just bought a C2, I'm completely new to this. What is meant by Rate 20 or R20 when talking about training workouts on the C2?

That means rowing at a rate of 20 strokes per minute.

Thanks thought that's what it was, but wasn't 100'/. So am I right in thinking that it is possible to row faster by keeping the Stroke rate the same & pulling harder assuming the setting on the C2 is the same also?

You are correct. The power you generate is a function of how hard you push/pull. Rate is somewhat orthogonal until you get to the really fast paces where you need both high rating and high power.

You can control (row a desired) stroke intensity either by pulling a harder stroke at a set stroke rate or pulling a stroke at a higher rate but lower muscle intensity (less hard). It will take you some time to learn what works best for you and on what length of pieces you are rowing. There is a certain amount of power expended moving the mass of your body back and forth along the rail which is essentially wasted work being done since it adds little to the work of the stroke. Many folks will stroke at a higher rate for shorter in time or distance pieces and slow their stroke rate for longer pieces. On longer pieces when my muscle endurance begins to wane I often up the stroke rate to compensate for the loss of "power" in my stroke.

You can monitor "power" in watts on the Performance Monitor and play with different stroke rates and muscle intensities and see how this works. In the end the name of the game and what determines the pace you achieve is the amount of work you do with your stroke which is the power you generate in watts.

completely new to this.

This video shows how it's done.
http://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/t ... que-videos

Don't pull too hard, you'll get tired and be forced to stop. Boats are moved using oars which are levers, so what counts is how far the handle travels, i.e. technique. The dynamics of the braked flywheel erg are the same. So long strokes, with a quick pull against low drag (boats move very easily). No hurry to the next stroke, boats and flywheels keep going anyway if we let them. And that next stroke is likely to be tough enough without rushing to get there; which is where the 20 rating comes from.

The long stroke is what makes the legs do the work - about 70% of the total; and it's low drag that gives us the speed and length needed for a good stroke.

Thanks guys that's really good info for me.