Damper Settings

[old] Tom_Pinckney · Post by **[old] Tom_Pinckney** » January 19th, 2005, 7:08 am

I am new to this sport and have rowed since September. I have followed the instructions and have set the damper at #3. I'm wondering if those of you that get the better times (sub 7:00) have continued to use those settings or have you stepped it up a bit? Thanks

[old] Sir Pirate · Post by **[old] Sir Pirate** » January 19th, 2005, 7:22 am

This question does get asked a lot by newbies, Hope this helps- The settings 1-10 on the Indoor Rower are not work level settings or fitness level settings. The intensity of your workout is controlled by how hard you pull on the handle and is calculated and displayed by the electronic monitor as you row. Your accomplishment is indicated by the monitor, not the setting of the wind damper. As your fitness level and rowing skill improves you will be able to achieve better scores... i.e. faster pace, higher watt output, or greater rate of calorie consumption... regardless of the damper setting in which you choose to row. Think of the Indoor Rower as your boat. If you row at low intensity you can row for a long time. To make the boat go faster you pull harder; and if you try to make the boat go very fast you will be exhausted in a short time. Air resistance on the flywheel fan works just like the water resistance on a boat. Now that you are thinking in terms of a boat on the water, let's examine the effect of the damper settings 1-10. In the lower numbers 1-4 the feel of the Indoor Rower is like a sleek racing shell. In the higher numbers 6-10 the feel is like a big, slow rowing boat. Either boat can be rowed hard; and as you try to make either boat go fast, you will need to apply more force. Making the sleek boat go fast requires you to apply your force more quickly; and when trying to make the big boat go fast you will feel a high force but at a slower speed of application. Here is a link that explains how to change the drag on a PM2 & PM2+ monitor <a href='http://www.concept2.com/update/S2002/drag.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.concept2.com/update/S2002/dr ... br> For me I row on a drag of 125, (4.5 on my Model C) I row this for ALL workouts including low rate work. Sir Pirate

[old] Tom_Pinckney · Post by **[old] Tom_Pinckney** » January 19th, 2005, 7:56 am

OK. I am using a similar drag on my machine. So, it sounds like what "feels right for you" is the way to go and also to ensure that other machines you use can be adjusted to ensure a similar drag setting by moving the damper? Thanks

[old] afolpe · Post by **[old] afolpe** » January 19th, 2005, 8:09 am

Another question about drag factor: I've been experimenting with slightly higher drag (128, previously always around 118). No really good reason- just thought I'd see how it goes. Anyway, although the higher drag seemed really good for a 2K, I have found it to be tiring on my usual workouts, 10K or 2 x 5K. My times seem to be slightly worse than with lower drag, and I feel more muscular tiredness at the end. Would it make sense that lower drag is more CV and higher drag is more strength oriented? If I keep up the slightly higher drag rowing, could I expect to get stronger over time, faster than with the lower drag? The confounding variable here is that I am getting over a horrific bout with influenza, so maybe some of the tiredness is still related to that (1 week after real symptoms stoppped, but still coughing a lot after the workout). Any thoughts? Andrew

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » January 19th, 2005, 4:40 pm

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (afolpe @ Jan 19 2005, 04:09 AM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Would it make sense that lower drag is more CV and higher drag is more strength oriented? </td></tr></table> Yes. The drag factor is a measure of revolutions of the fan. Faster speeds need more revolutions per stroke, whereas that would be too tiring at lower speeds. <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> If I keep up the slightly higher drag rowing, could I expect to get stronger over time, faster than with the lower drag?  </td></tr></table> Yes you would get stronger over time, but that doesn't necessarily translate to more power (being faster). The DF that gives you the most power (speed) for your effort, for that distance, is the one to use. If you use a 120 DF at 1:30 pace, for example, this would translate to a 90 DF at a 2:00 pace.

[old] afolpe · Post by **[old] afolpe** » January 19th, 2005, 4:46 pm

Thanks. I understand that the DF that gets me the fastest splits is the best to use if my goals are erging related (which they are in part). I use the C2 heavily as a cross training tool for kayak/ surfski, which is arguably less CV oriented, and more strength/endurance oriented. So might erging at higher DF (presumably building some muscle?) be good for cross training, or do you think that "power" is still the thing to shoot for? The more I think about it, the more I think the latter is the answer, but I'm not sure. Andrew

[old] PaulS · Post by **[old] PaulS** » January 19th, 2005, 5:18 pm

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (John Rupp @ Jan 19 2005, 12:40 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> If you use a 120 DF at 1:30 pace, for example, this would translate to a 90 DF at a 2:00 pace.  </td></tr></table> This is a new one. How did you come up with this "translation"? In what way are you considering the DF to be "a measure of revolutions of the fan"? How am I doing here, becz? (It usually starts like this. Well, maybe I'm being a bit nicer than usual, but like I said, this one is "new".)

[old] Nuts & Bolts · Post by **[old] Nuts & Bolts** » January 19th, 2005, 6:00 pm

I agree with you PaulS, HOW did he come up with that? I would be interested to see the math behind this statement.

[old] Godfried · Post by **[old] Godfried** » January 19th, 2005, 6:57 pm

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (John Rupp @ Jan 19 2005, 10:40 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>If you use a 120 DF at 1:30 pace, for example, this would translate to a 90 DF at a 2:00 pace. </td></tr></table> I know I can do 2:00 pace at 90 DF or 1:30 pace at 120 DF , but I really cannot do 1:00 pace at 180 DF or 0:45 pace at 240 DF. What is wrong with me?

[old] John Rupp · Post by **[old] John Rupp** » January 19th, 2005, 7:13 pm

Godfried, You're not strong enough.

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