Concept2 Forum

Hello all!

Just ordered my Concept2 rower today…hoping to be rowing by the end of the week. I have been interested in a rower for quite some time, and the amount of choices out there is staggering. But everything seems to come back to the Concept2, I am hoping it is as amazing as it sounds.

The ErgData really interests me, and that is how I stumbled on this forum. Hoping this is a forum that offers tons of info!

Ruz

Welcome to the forum, and I can 100% assure you if you want to learn and improve, there's a wealth of knowledge in previous posts / threads and future comments that will keep you busy for many many hours

Welcome to the campfire. You made a wise choice! The C2 will outcast you, your children and grandkids.

Hi and Welcome,

Hope you get to love (and hate) your erg as much as the rest of us

Welcome
Bought mine in January '22 and it has roughly 7.9 million meter on it since then. No sign of wear yet. When I clean the rail and cage, it looks like new. The machine itself feels great when in use.

The ErgData stuff, logbook logging, ranking pieces is a good motivation for me. That doesn't work for everyone, but if you are a data guy or competitive (or both), it keeps you coming back
Ergzone is a 3rd party app, which can also program the monitor for workouts, but it hosts a bunch of other plans and competitions. If you like such stuff, it's worth looking into that as well.

Thanks for the warm welcome! Can’t wait to getting started…

Welcome to the C2 family! Hands down you have made an excellent choice. You will be amazed by the community support.

Welcome! I only started two months ago, and I almost bought a treadmill instead. However, I'm satisfied I made the right choice and I hope you are too. Where are you from?

So my rower arrived today, was able to sync up with the ErgData app and gave it a whirl…and I am very excited and have some questions now.

Relatively healthy, 53 years old. Are there suggestions for data I may be looking at more important than other data? I was taking (what I thought) was a relatively relaxed 2k row just to try it out.

Ave pace was 2.34/500m
Ave stroke/min was 24
Drag factor was 123

What are some other numbers I should focus on? Honestly, I have heard about drag factor, but no idea what that number means compared to my row.

I am hoping to row 5 times a week, and I am thinking for something to start off about 20 mins a session.

Any tips are appreciated!

If you haven't signed up to log.concept2.com, do so now. ErgData will upload your results there.

There are challenges from time to time, and a daily workout. Also, you can join a team. If you poke around you can find a list.

I started rowing around 1989 on a Model B in the gym. Then I bought an AirRow (no longer produced) that I used until 2003, when its clutch bearing went out. Unfortunately, the manufacturer was out of business by then and there was no online support or source of replacement parts. So I bought a Model D in its first year of production. I still have it. Along the way, I've acquire another Model D, a BikeErg, and a SkiErg. Love them all.

It is great to see rowing getting more attention. I have been quite an evangelist for rowing forever, but now I see its popularity catching on.

I really don't know how many million metres I've rowed. More than 10 million. And 16 million on the bikerg. Still haven't hit 1 million on the SkiErg.

P.S. I recommend getting a chest-strap heart rate monitor. I have many, and the Coospo 808S delivers the best bang for the buck, in my opinion. It'll connect to your PM5.

Congrats on that first row! As to your drag factor question this is what you need to know. It’s all personal preference. Most recommend a damper setting between 3-5 and your 123 drag factor falls between there on a new machine. To see your drag factor on the PM5 hit Menu > More Options > Display Drag Factor. Pull a few strokes and it will display for you. As you move the damper setting up the fan will feel heavier on your stroke as you are allowing more air into the fan and it is slowing quicker after each stroke. There is no good or better drag factor. It’s just what feels good for you and most will prefer something between the 3-5 setting on your damper settings. As machines accumulate dust etc… in the fan less air will get through and a higher damper setting will be required to achieve the same drag factor. Play with it and see what feels good for you. 123 drag factor is a good place to start. Just know that rowing at 100 is not an easier row than at 150.

Right now just concentrate on good form to develop good habits. Ease into longer distances as time goes. No rush. Lots of good videos on YouTube to help you learn what a good stroke looks like. Would suggest you follow RowAlong John for good info.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGYcAo ... M9jZkXxoPg

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGYcAo ... M9jZkXxoPg

Plenty of other good sources as well. Many appreciate Dark Horse Rowing as well.

Ruz wrote: ↑

June 4th, 2025, 5:18 pm

What are some other numbers I should focus on?

Congratulations!

At this point I wouldn't worry too much about the numbers - as was mentioned above, getting your technique right is probably the single most important thing.

Regarding the DF, anywhere around 120 +/- 10 is fine to get you started. You can tweak that later if you like.

This isn't exactly "numbers" per se, but a graph: One good way to get a feel for your technique is to set the PM to display the force curve. It should look like a nice smooth haystack. Issues with your motion will probably show up as something different in the curve. See the C2 site link below for more info:

https://www.concept2.co.uk/indoor-rower ... orce-curve

I appreciate all of the responses!

Ruz wrote: ↑

June 4th, 2025, 5:18 pm

So my rower arrived today, was able to sync up with the ErgData app and gave it a whirl…and I am very excited and have some questions now.

Relatively healthy, 53 years old. Are there suggestions for data I may be looking at more important than other data? I was taking (what I thought) was a relatively relaxed 2k row just to try it out.

Ave pace was 2.34/500m
Ave stroke/min was 24
Drag factor was 123

What are some other numbers I should focus on? Honestly, I have heard about drag factor, but no idea what that number means compared to my row.

I am hoping to row 5 times a week, and I am thinking for something to start off about 20 mins a session.

Any tips are appreciated!

If you already have a reasonable basic fitness level and want to build up your rowing ability in an efficient way it might make sense to follow a training program? I just completed the beginner pete plan (not to be confused with the regular pete plan or the 5k pete plan), which is a well known training schedule for beginners, and I can definitely recommend it.

This is the plan: https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/
And you can find a topic about the plan (pondering the beginner pete plan) on this forum

Joris wrote: ↑

June 5th, 2025, 5:33 am

Ruz wrote: ↑

June 4th, 2025, 5:18 pm

So my rower arrived today, was able to sync up with the ErgData app and gave it a whirl…and I am very excited and have some questions now.

Relatively healthy, 53 years old. Are there suggestions for data I may be looking at more important than other data? I was taking (what I thought) was a relatively relaxed 2k row just to try it out.

Ave pace was 2.34/500m
Ave stroke/min was 24
Drag factor was 123

What are some other numbers I should focus on? Honestly, I have heard about drag factor, but no idea what that number means compared to my row.

I am hoping to row 5 times a week, and I am thinking for something to start off about 20 mins a session.

Any tips are appreciated!

If you already have a reasonable basic fitness level and want to build up your rowing ability in an efficient way it might make sense to follow a training program? I just completed the beginner pete plan (not to be confused with the regular pete plan or the 5k pete plan), which is a well known training schedule for beginners, and I can definitely recommend it.

This is the plan: https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/
And you can find a topic about the plan (pondering the beginner pete plan) on this forum

123 drag factor is OK, though I personally use lower DF for steady state (90 something). It’s down to personal preference as long as you do not set it to 10.

The spm seems somewhat high - I presume this is steady state? I usually steady state from 18-20 but many have gone higher and been fine.

As others have said, how does the force curve look like? I personally found RowAlong pretty helpful for force curve and form help. I sent a video and he had a pretty detailed explanation!

I like the BPP - though one criticism I had of it was that sometimes the steady state may not be long enough. Another criticism is (for me) somewhat insufficient guidance to pace. Otherwise - I also recommend it!

Strength & Conditioning was integral to my rowing - working on weaknesses and improving that element to stack the cards in my favor. I personally do 5/3/1 Wendler program, along with at least 4 sessions rowing + 1 crosstraining (working back).

Good luck with your rowing journey!