Drag...Total novice so be nice guys

[MountJoy22]

Hey Guys ,
I'm very new to rowing and at very most only get to row every 4th day .
I was just wondering how do you judge what drag factor to use ?
I've had the damper on 10 every time since I started with a DF of 180...
I'm 6 foot 4 and 120kg so not the fittest , my current PB is 10k in 45:16 but that includes 3×90 second
Breaks in between.
I've also beaten my PB each session every session with the last 4 sessions being
45.16
45:55
47:35
50.06...
I have been taken less breaks each session which helped to beat each PB.
Hope I've given enough info to go on to get some advice on the drag factor ,
Thanks guys

[Holly62]

Wow, that's an awesome pb on the 10k, I've been doing 10k regularly, in fact it's pretty much the only distance I do, so what are you doing 22/24 spm.
Well done, consistency is the key, one of the guys here told me that the majority of the population couldn't do 10k with a gun to their heads, so excellent work.
Drag factor, I keep mine between three and four, drag factor about 120 which is great for a 5'8" female, but would be totally rubbish for you.
One of the guys will be along in a minute to explain drag factor, but I don't think it has anything to do with benidorm drag Queens .
Anyway, welcome

[Tony Cook]

Hi Mountjoy, and welcome.
Others will be along with more info but in very simple terms 180df is too high for a 10k no matter who you are. 130 tops.
I do anything from 5k over at 120, sometimes 110. 2k TT at 130 and only short sprints, 500m and less, at anything higher.
Work on technique and practice with low df with a fast leg drive slow return. Plenty of technique videos available.

[jamesg]

Boats go fast, because they have low drag. Which is why its important to learn to row: we have to move fast too. Which can be done on the machine, but only at low drag.

[edward.jamer]

There is a lot of discussion around what is the "right" drag.
I'm FAR from an expert, but the best answer I've seen seems to be "it depends on your preferences"... with that said, 180 is still extremely high and probably not a great choice.

Most places seem to recommend using a drag factor between 100 and 130 depending on your size and gender, with heavy men using the higher end and lighter women on the lower end. Age also plays a factor in what you should likely target. If you are hoping to simulate rowing on water, I've seen a range of 115-125 drag factor thrown around.

It's worth noting that technique and form are often affected by drag factor. I've often seen recommendations to try rowing at lower drag as a way to improve how you are rowing. I suspect that the extremely high drag you are using creates a very different type of stroke than a "normal" drag factor would - and poor form that could lead to injury (especially over long distances) might be more likely.

You've probably already read a lot of the articles posted by Concept2, but if not then this might be a good starting point:
https://www.concept2.com/indoor-rowers/ ... etting-101

[btlifter]

You're on the heavy side, so you may find it difficult to create a strong connection with a low df. With that in mind, I'd recommend using the lowest drag factor you can, without feeling like you're sacrificing being able to connect well with the erg. A starting point of around 130 or so is likely wise.

As other have said, there is no universally "correct" drag. Additionally, there's no universally "incorrect" drag. While unlikely, it's possible that 180 is actually your optimal drag. In fact, I can promise that some people's best 10k will be performed at a drag factor >180.

[Dangerscouse]

As other have said, there is no universally "correct" drag. Additionally, there's no universally "incorrect" drag. While unlikely, it's possible that 180 is actually your optimal drag. In fact, I can promise that some people's best 10k will be performed at a drag factor >180.

I couldn't put it better. There's always a tendency to look for what's 'right' in almost everything, but drag is a means to an end, and if a higher drag feels right, and you are more efficient then it's the right drag.

I will caveat this with saying that you should thoroughly test a range of drag factors before you decide, because what you usually row with usually feels like it's the best option until you adapt and only then you can make a considered opinion.

[JaapvanE]

As other have said, there is no universally "correct" drag. Additionally, there's no universally "incorrect" drag. While unlikely, it's possible that 180 is actually your optimal drag. In fact, I can promise that some people's best 10k will be performed at a drag factor >180.

I am one of those people who found out that my best times are typically above DF > 180. But I was a semi-pro athlete and have a lot of muscle power, especially in my legs.

But I must warn people for these higher dragfactors as well. There is a significant higher injury risk, especially when technique isn't perfect when training on these higher DF's. When people start slamming into the drive, you really introduce the risk of hurting your back or arms. This can either be acute, where one wrong stroke can hurt you severely, or more long term. For me, it was the latter, as I was very careful about technique on higher DF's. Still, I overburdened my knees, elbows and forearms. Especially my arms couldn't take more than two trainings a week as they were systematically being overburdened: my legs created too much power to sustain that for a 5K or 10K more than two times a week. As long as I did one row in a week, there was no issue. So I took it down quite some notches and found out I can train 5 times a week at a lower DF and slower speed. If people are build like the Incredible Hulk, this might not be an issue, but not many people's body can take such systemic abuse for long. Could be that with the right training people can do this, but please watch out for the warning signs when doing this on a regular basis (i.e. overburdened joints and muscles).

[Tony Cook]

As others say, it’s a personal thing, but I think the high DF at longer distance people are more outliers than the majority of folk.
In my study of n=1: as a young, strong, fit rugby player I could do 6:3? 2k and 19:5? 5k at DF of 180ish. Found the 5k very hard and was just happy to get it done in under 20 mins.
As a less fit, weaker, approaching 60 yr old I did 6:3? 2k at 130df and 17:3? 5k at 120df.
Spend some time at the df’s you are not used to, and may find take some getting used to. You may be pleasantly surprised at the results.

[nick rockliff]

I've always used DF 123 since I discovered you could check it on a PM2 back in 2003.

Never did do much below 1k time trials but think my 500 PB was around 1.24 at DF123.

[Erik A]

im a similar size and weight and currently im at around the DF 125-130
seems to be ok for me for the 1-5km bits im doing at the moment.
although for the shorter faster pieces will pop that up a bit.