Watts and Damper Setting

[hampshirelad]

I'm 50 years old and use my erg to help with mental health issues and fitness. 30 mins each day seems the optimum duration for me and I have tried different combinations of damper settings over the years. I have found that I produce more Watts at Damper 10 than I can at say Damper 6. 220 Watts is my average & I cover 7700 meters a session each day. I'm fairly sure my technique is good but am curious why I seem to struggle so much on lower settings?

[Citroen]

Measure the drag factor. It's probably full of crud and cruft.

[Dangerscouse]

I think that a lower drag factor is reliant on better technique, (I'm still not entirely sure why) you may also be more strength than aerobic dominant, so you're using that to power through.

As you mention it's your erg, I assume you're not using a gym erg, and that you fairly regularly clean it?

[jamesg]

I'm fairly sure my technique is good but am curious why I seem to struggle so much on lower settings?

Whatever, 220W for a ½h is plenty and cannot fail to keep you fit.

Suggest you check the drag factor, not just the lever position. 130 is high enough.

Low drag factor (100 to 130) lets us pull a long stroke hard and fast, using the legs. These strokes are hard work, so are usually pulled, in training, at ratings 20-23.

If you're rowing at high ratings (30 or more) on high drag factor, you'd need a radical technique change to deliver the same power on low drag factor and at lower rating, probably using a much longer stroke, engaging the legs at the catch to do most of the work.

[Tsnor]

THIS -->

Measure the drag factor. It's probably full of crud and cruft.

If your erg gets a lot of use then over time the flywheel vents fill with dust and the rowing effort gets weaker. You set the damper higher to compensate.

Please post the drag factor you use, if the machine is old and has not been cleaned a damper 10 might only be a drag factor of 100.

https://www.concept2.com/service/monito ... rag-factor

"...To view drag factor on the PM:

On the Main Menu, select More Options.
Select Display Drag Factor.
Begin rowing, skiing or riding. The PM will display the drag factor after a few seconds.
A brand new RowErg will have a drag factor of 90 or less at a damper setting of 1 and 200 or more at a damper setting of 10.... "

Plenty of videos on how to remove dust from flywheel housing and how to oil the chain. Leaving the dust in the flywheel is not a problem, but running the chain without oil is a safety problem. https://www.concept2.com/service/indoor ... aintenance

[YamR1Rider]

I'm fairly sure my technique is good but am curious why I seem to struggle so much on lower settings?

I struggled with this for a very long time after years of 'set it to 10', simply for not knowing any better. My fastest lifetimes rows were all done with the damper somewhere between 8 and 10 (back then I didn't know too much about drag factor but I dare say 180+). Coming back to erging after something of a break a few years ago, I made a concerted effort to drop the drag factor (based on true wisdom of it) and finally, I think I have become used to it and adapted my technique to suit. Putting it up to 8-10 now feels like hard work, and I don't feel I have had to give up too much, if anything at all, by settling on a DF of 135 and I think it will be much better for me in the long run. When I was younger I'd say I was also pretty strong upper body/back through years of competition waterskiing so it always just felt right to me to have to deal with heavy pulls on the erg as well.

So if I was you I'd do a bit of experimenting to see what you have to do to pull the same watts at a lower DF - most likely you will find you will have to put more into it with your legs and a faster stroke rather than a slower (but still very solid) pull which I suspect is the case now.