Concept2 Forum

I bought my rower a couple of months ago now and have been using it reguarly but I don't know what 500m split pace is good to maintain. I prefer to row on resistence 10 because I like to do more resistence type rowing rather than a faster pull speed type rowing. I am currently sitting on a 2:07 500m split pace with resistence 10 what would be a good split pace to set as a goal for further down the road that is attainable?

Long story short, it depends on your goals. You might also ask, how good is a running pace of 9 minute mile - at marathon pace this is good, as a 100m sprint, not so much. So define what success looks like for you first and what you want to work towards.

Some metrics to consider: How long you row, the SPM (strokes per min) of your row, and your intended intensity. Factors that affect this are your age, height, weight, previous fitness experience, etc.

A lot of rowers train for the 2K, others train for marathons or higher. As a beginner my 2K was/is 1:55/500m roughly, which is about 7:45 total. If you're rowing casually after work or as an augment for the workout, your speed matters less than your exertion - 10 or 15 minutes as a cardio augment during a different workout will be good for you regardless of how fast you go.

You maintain a 2:07 split but for how long? 1' ? 5' ? 45' ?
Split and damper setting are not really linked.
By the way, nobody would advise you to set it on 10.

As the C2 the damper setting just sets the drag - not the resistance - the difference is therefore purely the rate of deceleration of the fan.

Generally speaking, unless you're doing very short sprints, a drag factor between 100-140 is where most people end up; I personally use ~120 whether I'm going at 17spm or 40spm.

Others have covered that your question has insufficient information for any-one to make any recommendations for you though I'm afraid.

Although I will say that if you're thinking about rowing as a pull, then you might want to reset and think of it as a push - most the effort is from the legs, then trunk, and finally arms; the pull part is the smallest and weakest component of the stroke.

FYI my HM pace is 2:16@r20 I did a 2k at ~2:00@r20 - both are on/were PB pace so for me it's very good, compared to some others, it's snail like - it's all about context

Firstly: on a C2 *you* create the resistance, not the damper. In other words: a rower with decent technique rowing at a damper setting "1" can be rowing with higher resistance than a beginner rowing at damper setting "10". My advice: stop training with these excessive damper settings.

Secondly: if you are competitive and a speed target motivates you, you might do what I did wen I started indoor rowing. I set a target pace of 2:00 /500m and tried to maintain that pace over ever longer pieces. A 500m in less than 2:00 proved relatively easy, but it took quite some months of training before I rowed a 5k in less than 20 minutes. Via a 6k and a 10k at sub-2:00 pace I reached a >15k in an hour-of-power. Now (years after I started indoor rowing) I am landing a 2:00 pace half marathon. A full marathon at this pace I will probably never reach.

The UK C2 Training guide has a training pace table on page 75 for the various training intensity bands and training programs for various goals nearby. The paces work for me more or less.

Firstly learn about "Drag factor" its not all about where the damper is set, that can be irrelevant and changes dramatically with dust build-up inside the fan housing.

2:00 pace has always been the benchmark for me on longer rows, anything that starts with a "1" is a real bonus