How to Find Your Optimal Drag Factor Setting

[@ibnadam1987]

Great explanation and quality content. I left Rowing at Gym as it was not offering significant resistance. Now after watching this video, I understand my Mistake. Keep it up

[@andysmith2202]

Excellent video(s) DRH. I am starting out on the erg (age 50+, right at the 75kg hwt/lwt cut-off) to replace running (ironman injury!) and want to compete at 2k indoor races (I need a goal!) so used this test to find my optimal setting. At the moment I use a damper setting of 6 (135) for my sessions typically 18-20 strokes per min rating for between 30 and 50 mins each. As the test progressed the 500m split/watts naturally increased as my rating increased (from a low 2:02 @10 damper (187) for 6 mins to 1:38 @ 1 damper (74) for 1 min). When I started I thought I might find a sweet spot for a 2k pace/setting but I'm not sure as I was able to keep the power on at a high rating without leaking, so all the settings felt fine. Interesting for me was that my power output for the first 6 mins (10 setting) was not far off the power I average for 40 mins indicating that 10 is way too high or I am too weak!! The 36 rating on damper setting 1 by contrast did seem slightly too high to maintain for longer than a minute or 2 but is around the target watts/split I have in mind for my 2k goal, however, the main issue would be breathing and recovery at this higher rating and of course my HR steadily increased as well, is this always a trade-off? From my triathlon experience (mainly the bike leg) what it did highlight was that the 10 setting seems more suited to engaging my strength/muscular system and maybe for longer durations vs the lower 1 setting which seems more for the cardiovascular system/anaerobic type work. I am guessing that training should be a mix of the 2 perhaps to develop speed and power, however, for a 2k test the sweet spot is obviously somewhere between the two extremes but at the moment I'm not sure what would be optimal?

[@MrHollick]

Another fantastic video with crystal clear explanation!

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Thanks MrHollick! Did you see the most recent one of Drag Factor Math?

[@DarkHorseRowing]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoeVnIWPbtJsZ6M

[@MrHollick]

Yes, I have! It's awesome as well!

[@LanceCampeau]

Depending on the length of the session, I've been having success with the damper set at 10 or 7. I like 10 for workouts over 7000m, (averaging about 170-185 watts @ stroke rate of 27-28). Then I'll set the damper to 7 for shorter workouts (averaging 190-205 watts @ stroke rate of 29 to 30). I've only been at this since January but I really like the 10k distance the best so far. Its the right blend of power output VS endurance for my body right now. I'm hoping to attempt a half marathon in a couple of months.

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Awesome. We love the feedback Lance. Let us know how the half marathon goes and keep us apprised on your training.

[@julikenn]

I have learned a LOT from your videos and am sure I will get better results now that I am concentrating on connection with machine and accelerating with the legs BUT your workout to see what is the best drag factor cannot but confuse and I dare say mislead people because if you want to compare drag factors surely you have to keep the other variables the same namely strokes per minute? Of course the rower knows if and when he or she is increasing the power so they need to try to be consistent in that. For me in sprints I get best results on highest drag factor (setting 10 or DF 180+) and strokes per minute and for 2K best is a medium setting for both e.g. drag factor 130 and 24-26spm.

[@RadioNul]

tl,dr; between 3 and 5

[@andynogueras]

You are a great teacher!

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Thank you Andy.

[@tgutier214]

Planning on doing this workout this week. Am I understanding this correctly, 6 minutes at a stroke rate of 16 at a damper setting of 10; 5 minutes with a SR at 20 with a damper setting at 8 and so on down 4,3,2,1? thank you! I got a rower a C2 a few months back and your vids are very useful!

[@DarkHorseRowing]

6min @D10@16s/m 5min @D8@20s/m 4min @D6@24s/m 3min @D4@28s/m 2min @D2@32s/m 1min@D?@??s/m Thanks for watching! We're glad you find them useful.

[@danl.2626]

@@DarkHorseRowing how do you track your stroke rate? Do you have count actively?

[@danl.2626]

@@DarkHorseRowing how do you track your stroke rate? Do you have count actively?

[@jnachowicz]

@@danl.2626 you'll see in the top right corner of the monitor # s/m. That's your "strokes per minute"

[@dermotbalaam5358]

@@danl.2626On a C2 erg it’s on the screen

[@dermotbalaam5358]

Get someone who knows about rowing technique to check your before you try anything over 5 or 6 at the most. Otherwise injuries await. I’ve a rower for a few decades longer than C2 ergs existed. I’ve seen a ton of injuries caused by poor technique on ergs. Also worth noting that C2 ergs have a value called drag factor that you can see through the display. The damper setting affects drag factor but is not itself drag factor.

[@GTE_Channel]

A how to access and use the memory tutorial video would be nice in addition to this video

[@JoseFernandez-sl2ek]

When doing this workout...are we giving a 100%, time trial effort for each time period or should the intensity be more of a long row effort?

[@wp262]

Did this workout today - thanks for the explanation. Just to confirm, do you choose the drag factor that gives the best split/watt or the drag factor that feels best? For example at drag factor 10 (about 150 on the gym machine i was using) I pulled about a 2 minute split while at the open position my split was around 1:40. I felt more "connected" at a drag factor of about 130 though. Also - could you do a video about "connection" - you talk about it a lot but its never really defined - i have a bunch of subjective ideas of what it means but would love to hear your view. Thanks for the videos!

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Thanks IPU! It's a bit of both, the wattage is to help you identify areas that you may not have recognized otherwise but Feel is such a huge part of it too that it's a balancing act between them. On the "connection" front, I know it's a bit vague but it's kind of like a definition-less adjective here mostly because solid connection can only be felt.

[@JeffC-fq1be]

What is an open stroke rate?

[@Peter-ue5hp]

Dark Horse Rowing, I am hoping for your assistance in interpreting the following results: I modified your Drag Factor settings workout to perform equal 4 min rows at each levell: Drag 10 Stroke 16/min Watt 118 Drag 8 Stroke 20 Watt 138 Drag 6 Stroke 24 Watt 157 Drag 4 Stroke 28 Watt 180 Drag 2 Stroke 32 Watt 200 Then Open Rowing at different levels Drag 10 Stroke 24 Watt 178 Drag 8 Stroke 28 Watt 211 Drag 7 Stroke 32 Watt 236 You mention that a lot depends on "subjective" feel of what feels good or right. My subjective feeling is that while it is significantly easier to row at the Drag Factor of 2-4, I have a personal limit of how many strokes I can make per minute, even at low drag factor. At around 32-33 strokes per minute I hit my limit, so in order to have faster times (increase my watts) I have to increase drag factor. At Drag 7 my limit was about 32 strokes, so again while 7 feels easier than a drag of 8-10, I am going to have a rough time getting more watts at 7 because my stroke rate can not go higher than 32. I would appreciate any insights you may be willing to share based on the data above. Do you see the numbers pointing towards an optimal drag factor for me. By the way, the "water" resistance setting on my machine is at a Drag factor of about 5.5. Thank you for the great videos.

[@DarkHorseRowing]

The interpretation will be completely up to you Peter, but what I can say is that the stroke rate is mutually tied to the drag factor. It's still possible to row at a 16s/m and a Damper of 2, you just need to be faster at the catch in order to match the speed of the flywheel so don't consider a high stroke rate a limitation on the damper settings, this is why I say it's still subjective because any damper can work with any stroke rate.

[@Peter-ue5hp]

Thanks DHR!

[@srenfiilvisby7592]

I made this workout yesterday, but don't know how to analyse the results. Average watts was: 10 = 189; 8 = 219; 6 = 237; 4 = 271; 2 = 289; 0 = 340 (~36 s/m) It felt best around 4, which is at bit higher than I normally set the damper, but is the data saying 0 is best?

[@cometopoppa1]

What is the distance for rowing 1 minute if your rowing for 30 minutes, I am get just over 200m per minute

[@bullychris]

Just did this but realised that my Concept2 Model D PM5 doesn't show watt/power when looking back on the workout. Even with the Erg App on my iPhone.

[@DarkHorseRowing]

Hey, Bullychris: it should if you go into the memory and pull up the workout, from there if you press change units Watts should display for you!

[@Олексій-Куц]

And in the ErgData app you can open your workout results on the third screen by tapping on it and then if you will tap the red-coloured text, it will change the output units :) hawe a nice workout

[@МыколаНетребко]

@@Олексій-Куц thanks for this. I'm seeing that I have more watts at higher s/m rowing at lower damper setting. I'm not sure what this tells me. Because per the test, I was rowing 6 mins at hard setting but at slow speed, and then my speed had to pick up as s/m increased. WIth increased s/m, my watts went up.

[@Олексій-Куц]

@@МыколаНетребко Николай, можно на русском/украинском?

[@МыколаНетребко]

@@Олексій-Куц Можно на русском.

[@uplanduk]

So ... are we looking at 6 rows (6 to 1 minutes), each at 6 different stroke rates, then each of those 36 combinations at 6 different damper settings? ie a total of 216 rows (not in one session of course).

[@DarkHorseRowing]

6min @D10@16s/m 5min @D8@20s/m 4min @D6@24s/m 3min @D4@28s/m 2min @D2@32s/m 1min@D?@??s/m

[@adamroberts8726]

what kind of workouts should we do to improve 1 min tdistances

[@PhatPhrank]

adam roberts 250m intervals. 10x250m. 90 sec rest. 32 spm, or whatever gets you to the top range of your aerobic bpm range.

[@E.S.Franck]

Shane, it was a little unclear if/what the rest period are between intervals. Can you confirm? Thanks!

[@madhockeyman]

As I understood it, "equal rest" means that after your 6 min row, rest for 6 mins, etc.

[@brendanmanson6705]

Thank you much. Related to this, I have a drag factor of only 100 at a damper setting of 4 which seem really low to me. I am 6'3, 190 pounds and in decent shape. I'd need to have the damper at about 5 1/2 to get to a drag of 115 which I understand is the low-end of what is recommended. Can ya help? Thank you

[@E.S.Franck]

Is your flywheel interior clean without built-up dust? A cleaner unit will result in better drag factor range.

[@kbc213700]

SR Zen. Nice.

[@ronnie9671]

Hi Shane. I did the Dark Horse drag factor test 5x2/4:00r starting at 10 on the damper working down to 2 with a 20 to 24 stroke rate. I did it for two consecutive days and I did the best at 10 on the damper. I am new to rowing. Should I use 10 or be more cautious?

[@monarchham]

Interesting workout and I will try it. I did a series of long rest 100 meter sprints at 1,2,3...10 damper settings. I got my highest power and fastest 100 on a drag setting of 10.....thoughts???? I normally row on about 5 (about 135 df) for nearly all of my "normal" training.....2 k race tomorrow....

[@DarkHorseRowing]

monarchham, it may be due to you being a more strength based athlete, or it could have to do with that you find it easier to connect with the tension found at a 10 damper setting. The only other thing to consider is that you're doing 100 meter pieces instead of anything longer in which you might find that a 10 would be too fatiguing over longer time.

[@DaveNeve]

Hello. I like your videos in general but I'm not convinced by this one at all. Firstly, each machine has a different "resistance"" due to dust. That means that a setting of 5 on one machine is not the same as a 5 on another machine, so you can't have a workout to find out your best setting on all Concept 2 rowers (as you have to vary the setting Linked to this, you don't mention the drag factor read out on the console. The fact that you try to determine an optimal setting without this important feature tells me that you have not quite got it right this time.

[@I_Am_Killer_B]

Did you bother watching the videos he said to watch at the beginning? They explain all of that beforehand.

[@DaveNeve]

Don't need to. He is saying here that we all have an optimal setting to work out with like setting 5 for instance But setting 5 varies from one machine to another. So already, that does not work And then he never goes and shows how to set the drag factor on the Concept Monitor (many men row around a drag factor of 130-140) So he's misunderstood how drag factor is really set on a Concept 2 and that the damper itself (1-10) does not offer the same "resistance" on all Concept 2s.

[@ticonice1745]

I feel the best on my recliner drinking a cold beer 🍺🥰

[@peterdobos1606]

you should have done this in a dress