The Drag Factor

[[old] calvin.bailey]

Please can someone settle this argument as it is really bigging to annoy me.<br><br>My friend thinks that increasing the drag factor is like increasing the drag on your<br>boat, like increasing the incline on a running machine.<br><br>I think that the drag factor is like rowing with a bigger paddle, each stroke requires<br>more power as the oar is bigger, but the result of each stroke is greater.<br><br>If he rows at a stroke rate for a set time on level 10 he will travel X distance.<br>If I row with the same stroke rate on level 7 for the same time I will be well<br>short of X.<br>To acheive the same as him at level 10, is it not the case, that I have to increase my stroke rate to keep up with him? If this is so, then the big paddle case stands true.<br><br>Please help.

[[old] PaulS]

<!--QuoteBegin-calvin.bailey+Jun 29 2004, 07:18 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'><span class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></span> (calvin.bailey @ Jun 29 2004, 07:18 AM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Please can someone settle this argument as it is really bigging to annoy me.<br><br>My friend thinks that increasing the drag factor is like increasing the drag on your<br>boat, like increasing the incline on a running machine.<br><br>I think that the drag factor is like rowing with a bigger paddle, each stroke requires<br>more power as the oar is bigger, but the result of each stroke is greater.<br><br>If he rows at a stroke rate for a set time on level 10 he will travel X distance.<br>If I row with the same stroke rate on level 7 for the same time I will be well<br>short of X.<br>To acheive the same as him at level 10, is it not the case, that I have to increase my stroke rate to keep up with him? If this is so, then the big paddle case stands true.<br><br>Please help. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><br> Not likely to settle the argument, but I can answer a few of the questions.<br><br>Bigger Oar or Less sleek boat are both reasonable analogies.<br><br>However it would be possible to row the same pace at the same Stroke Rate at either a damper setting of 1 or 10. The difference would be that at a 10 the flywheel will not be spinning as quickly and the Drive time will be slightly longer than on the 1. The force on the handle will have to be higher on the 1 to create the same total power output (equal pace), as well as have to be applied much more quickly (two difficult things).<br><br>As a Rowing coach I'd just tell the rower that if they plan on rowing in slow boats (or Erging only), go ahead with the high DF, but if you want to move racing shells quickly, training at a low DF will be more applicable.<br><br>Erg on,<br>Paul Smith<br>