Drag Factor and Workout Type

[JoeMoho]

Hello,

Since getting my C2 in early June, I've kept the drag factor between 110-120 for all workouts. I'm near the end of the Beginner Pete Plan (finished week 18 today), so I've done a variety of workouts - the short intervals, longer intervals, and the single distance workouts.

My question(s): how would changing the drag factor change the stimulus received from these workouts? Are there general guidelines that one would recommend for drag factors based on specific workouts?

Thanks in advance for the guidance.

[Citroen]

Pick a drag factor that works for 2000m and stick with it for everything.

There's some rules of thumb to get you started (depending on gender, height and weight) but there are no prescriptive rules for where you set the drag (unless you're training for a squad on the water).

[hjs]

High drags, say the 140/210 region is only used for pure fast sprinting. Almost nobody is strong enough to get drag 200 round, for 2k and above 130 plus is never needed.

[flatbread]

I'd like to know what the experienced erg-ers say about this, as well.

I've been using 115 for "just pull" workouts, and 118-120 for "go harder." Good idea? Dumb idea?

[Dangerscouse]

I have tried many different drag factors over the years, but I have settled on 115-120 for more or less everything I do. Even with my recent 16 x one min sprints, I used it at about 135 I think.

[Cyclist2]

DF is just a "how it feels" thing. You can get intense or easy workouts at any drag factor. The 120 plus or minus mentioned is generally what feels good to most people, including me, with other DFs used for specific training purposes. For example, I row to cycling workout videos a lot, and I use DF to replicate hills - row steady state at about 120, then reach down and bump the lever up near 10 while the hill is in progress, then back down for the "level" or "downhill" parts. Puts some variety into the mostly steady state stuff we do on a regular basis.

Be careful with very high DFs - you can easily injure something with the hard resistance at the catch if you aren't prepared for it.