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What drag factor should I train at?
Tony Watts: "When ever I set the Damper to give a Drag Factor much over 150 I struggle badly, get instant Lactic build up and my training times drop off sharply. Should I train above this on some sessions and try to adapt to it or just train at whatever Drag Factor gives the best times?"
Terry O'Neill :As far as the drag factor is concerned, what you have to realise is that rowing is a question of power. Speed is a component of power, so if you can pull a full length stroke in 0.7 seconds at a drag factor of 150, this represents a certain power output. If you increase the drag factor and maintain the speed then you are generating more power, but if you increase the drag and it takes you 0.9 seconds to pull a stroke, then you could be developing less power. Every person has what is known as muscle threshold. This is the speed at which the muscle can contract. To achieve your best performance you would need to row at your muscle threshold and the only way to find this is by trial and error with the damper setting. [NOTE: To display the Drag Factor, to display the drag factor press READY and REST together and then row a few strokes. For more information about how the damper setting works, checkout the Indoor Rower FAQ on http://www.concept2.co.uk/rower]
As to the benefits of training at different damper level settings, there is a rationale here. By increasing the drag factor you could improve your basic strength, which you could then convert to more power. A relatively small improvement in strength could produce a significant improvement in power, but don't forget that speed also has to fit into the equation. Therefore, you could incorporate into your programme sessions where you increase the drag above your optimum for strength gains, then drop it below optimum for speed gains, then place at the optimum for specific power training. You could try this twice a week with short interval training, moving the damper between intervals. Try 9 x 1 minute pieces at (level 10, level 1, level 5) x 3 and see how it goes.
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