Drag Factor Setting and Why You Shouldn’t Set it at 10

Dr. Jay goes into detail about drag factor and why a lower setting is optimal for most of the work we do on the rower.

[liverleef]

Thank you for this. I've watched multiple videos about drag factor and damper settings and your explanation was by far the easiest to understand.

[hXhXhX]

The pm5 monitor on the c2 rower has a drag factor test that you can use to find the correct flywheel damper setting.

[sirmarkyp]

Great explanation, easily the clearest I’ve found so far. Thank you. Liked and subscribed

[finneganmagee]

Thank you been struggling with this. Played around with it and a 5-6 with a 25 s/m seems right to me too. Thanks for the confirmation and explanation.

[Tuggerme]

I see this all the time in my small local gym, it has just got 1 used C2E from another centre to replace an LF GX water rower - which we still have 1 left. So we now have one of each, what you also need to factor in but people don't is the drag factor as this governs where the resistance lever should be. Concept advise that men row between 120-140 i think and women row 100 - 120 again I think. I am more an endurance rower for general fitness after heart bypass surgery and so am working my way from 5mins 1000mts to 10k and then hopefully 1 HM this year, currently about to start for Mar 22 Mon 6k Wed 7k Fri 8k for 4 weeks then increase month after by another 1k on each day. Really have it in my head to reach a 2.30min split time but unsure if even poss on this machine maybe 3.00 more doable, I did reach 2.30 on the LF GX but diff animal. I find a stroke rate of 30 and over is sprint pace for me and very hard to do a full stroke at that pace but not impossible.

[wjtruax]

Here’s my explanation. Hopefully it is complementary rather than confusing:

Your damper setting (lever on the flywheel) is directly proportional to your drag factor. If you have the new C2 ErgData app, you can set one of the fields to display Drag Factor. What is Drag Factor (DF)? Think of it as a numerical representation of the resistance of the air to your “oars.” What is optimal DF? That all depends on you - not only the length of your arms and legs, but also the amount of power you can consistently put into your stroke. The higher the DF, the more resistance the air places on your “oars.” But, that resistance also indicates how much air you’re trying to move at a given time. If you were on the water, the face of your oars would move a uniform amount of water on every stroke (with perfect form, of course). The C2 Damper Setting essentially allows you to adjust the face of your “oars” based on your unique physiology. On the water, you could have oars with faces the size of barn doors, but because of the heavy resistance, you wouldn’t be able to move water with any speed. Conversely, if you had oars with the faces the size of soup spoons, you could move them really fast, but you’d never be able to move the water fast enough to build up any speed. The adjustable Damper Setting allows you to find a setting (quantified by the DF number) that is optimal for how your body puts work into the machine. World-class indoor rowers appear to win their races with DFs around 125-130. Why the difference between the numbers by the Damper Setting lever on the side of the C2 flywheel and the DF figures? Because a Damper Setting of “5” on one C2 might yield a DF of 120 whereas a “5” on another might only yield a DF of 108. I do my training rows with a DF of 130 and each machine I use (two at my gym and one at home) requires a different Damper Setting to get that DF of 130. Knowing the DF you’re most comfortable with allows you to “tune” any C2 indoor rower to your body.

Easy, right?

[stewroo]

I had never considered that the increased wind resistance would cause the flywheel to stop so quickly but it makes perfect sense. I will try my next 10km at setting 6 and hopefully I'll be able to breath afterward this time. Thanks so much for the video.

[adzmc]

Thank you for explaining this very clear. I've always been using 10 every time. I can do 2.1K at 10 mins. I'm 5'9, 130KG's. If I go to 5 to 6 could I do 2k at 8.30. I will keep you updated.

[burns]

The problem with the 1K is that it's SO hard to get down to 1:30/500m pace at a lower fly wheel setting than 10. BTW, professional rowers are doing 36 SPM for 2k.

[malcolmhavens]

Dr. Kenneth Jay. How do I get in touch with you?

[christ]

Hello I am thinking of buying concept 2 rower. I am afraid I will max out the maximum resistance level and the machine is useless.

[chidlowt]

Good video. But I think drag factor should be mentioned. Not all Row Erg's are maintained to the optimum. Especially in public gyms. Find your drag factor and stick with that as well as spm. Love RowForge.

[DaveNeve]

Hello. App or not, I don't think you have fully understood how the drag factor works on a Concept 2 and the evidence for this is that you do not speak about the drag factor readout that helps you set the lever on each machine ('cos each machine is actually different due to dust and maintenance)