Concept2 Forum

Hello all... can I get some help on some analytics?

I just rowed a piece at 128 drag, 22 SPM, for 1,348 strokes... an hour of rowing at 11,655.

If I lower the drag, and hold the SPM at 22... how can the total distance be effected?

Is there a relationship between all these things?

What counts is the Watts (i.e. Power) you produce. This is what determines the Pace (i.e. time per 500m, e.g., 2:00/500m) If you maintain the same Watts, you will maintain the same speed and go the same distance in the same time.

Decreasing the drag means that to maintain the same pace at the same stroke rating you must either (a) increase the length of the drive, or (b) increase the average force you apply to the handle, or (c) increase the handle speed of the drive.

Therefore, if you are like most people, when you maintain the same stroke rating and decrease drag, you would probably not go as far. That said, I personally like a low drag factor and if I like the pace I am going, without thinking I will increase the drive length, the handle speed and the force I apply to the handle and pretty much stay at the same pace.

I too prefer a lower df for all but short max work.
To go faster/further at a constant rate I accelerate thru the stroke
I say this so many times...... Use the force graph!!!!!....The most under-utilised and useful screen on the PM..... Screen 2 on ergdata useful too

Drag has to be set low enough to allow good technique, which is mostly sequence and posture allowing full length and fast action. These together give a big stroke, which is measured by Watts/Rating. Any change in style will produce effects that can be seen immediately using this ratio.

Then, when you have that stroke, use it to get endurance. This is what makes us fast over long distances.

11655 m in an hour at 22 means you were using a stroke worth 4.3 Watt minutes, which is very low for someone who can pull a 3:20 1k. What happened to you?

mmayzak wrote: ↑

August 19th, 2018, 7:33 pm

Is there a relationship between all these things?

I don't think there is a particularly strong relationship between stroke rate, 500 pace and DF as long as the resistance is within reasonable limits say between 115 and 140 for most distances between 1k and say 10k.

Mmayzak, I think there is an error in your assumptions which haven't been fully addressed. I think the answers already given will be easier to understand if this assumption error is cleared up:

You probably think of this as if when you have set a drag factor, there will be a fixed ratio between the number of meters you pull the handle, and the number of meters rowed. Just as when you select a gear on a bicycle, and there will be a fixed ratio between pedal RPM and bicycle velocity as long as you don't coast.

However, this is not the case for a rowing ergometer.

A hard, fast pull of 1.2 meter will give you more meters rowed than a soft, slow pull of 1.2 meters. Both the hard, fast pull and the soft, slow pull are possible with the same drag factor. It is only a matter of how hard you pull during the stroke. So a strong, experienced rower can row quite fast at a low drag factor and a low stroke rate, just by pulling harder during the stroke.

The drag factor is more about the "feel" you get in the handle while pulling, partly because the flywheel will have decelerated more between pulls when the drag factor is high.

mmayzak wrote: ↑

August 19th, 2018, 7:33 pm

Hello all... can I get some help on some analytics?

I just rowed a piece at 128 drag, 22 SPM, for 1,348 strokes... an hour of rowing at 11,655.

If I lower the drag, and hold the SPM at 22... how can the total distance be effected?

Is there a relationship between all these things?

Nomatter what spm, drag etc, your fitness is a given, to get the best result, you need to find the most optimal spm/drag. You get nothing for free, there is no free lunch.