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At which resistance (1-10) should the 2000 metre test be done?
"At which resistance (1-10) should the 2000 metre test be done?"
Terry O'Neill: People carry out the 2000m test over the whole range of 1-10. It is totally dependent on you. When you change the position of the damper lever, what you are doing is controlling the airflow into the fan cage. With the damper setting on level 1 there is less fresh air allowed into the fan cage and so the air already there starts to circulate. This momentum means that less power is needed to spin the flywheel.
With the damper lever set on level 10, the maximum amount of fresh air is drawn into the fan-cage and blown straight out through the perforations. No momentum is created by circulating air and so the flywheel decelerates at a greater rate and requires more power to keep it spinning. The monitor measures the power developed by calculating the acceleration and deceleration of the flywheel, which it then converts into a time for 500m.
So what does this mean in real terms? Well if you are very strong and can handle the heavy load then you will get your best score on a high damper setting. If you are not so strong but have good endurance and rhythm then a lower damper setting will allow you to exploit these qualities. Some confusion reigns because rowers tend to use a setting of 3-4. This is because on these settings the machine closely mirrors the feel of a racing boat. As they spend most of their time training in this medium then it makes sense for them to set the machine up to feel like a boat. For the indoor rowers who have never been in a boat, you shouldn't necessarily follow the rowers strategy. What you should do is to find the setting that best suits you, even if it is nothing like the setting a rower would use.
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