I'm working out at a real gym again and that have a C2!!! I'm stoked, man. I'm gonna start using it as much as possible. Question: how do you know which damper setting is appropriate? Does it have to do with my height or arm length or is it just a level of resistance?
Hey whistledixie, great that you are joining the boating fraternity!
Generally speaking, damper should be set to a position that allows you to perform at your best. I've read a ton on setting the damper correctly. The answer is that there's not really one 'ideal' setting for any one person. It depends what you are trying to accomplish in your training.
If you have ever rowed a real boat, think of the damper setting as allowing you to simulate rowing in different kinds of boats: low damper settings feel more like rowing a sleek scull, whereas, higher damper settings feel more like rowing a heavier, less streamlined boat. In reality, this is only an approximation but it is useful. You can definitely produce your highest power output with the highest damper setting but you will be rowing more slowly and you probably won't be able to keep it up for long (akin to deadlifting). A lot of top rowers train with lower damper settings (<5) because they have good speed up the slide/track: v. powerful leg movement with each stroke (more akin to cleaning, where speed of movement is important too). If like me, you are a bit older, are categorised as a heavyweight and find it harder to maintain a stroke rate over 30-32 spm, then you might want to experiment with settings around the middle of the range and higher.
Unless you are doing short sprints, setting the rower on high settings (like 10) is unlikely to be the best setting for you. If you are doing short sprints (anything up to 500m) you will probably get a better time if you set the damper on 10.
The other thing to know about the damper setting is that it directly links to the more accurate Drag Factor reading—constantly being re-calculated by the C2 after every stroke. DF varies according to air humidity/density and how clean/dusty the erg impeller is even if you don't alter the damper setting. You can find the DF setting for any particular damper position by looking under the menu on the Performance Monitor (probably PM3 or PM4). It's under one of the sub-menus. I normally row with a DF around 150 if I'm doing a longer row and as high as I can get machine to go for shorter sprints (~220). My C2 currently has a DF range of 98-212. (If you know your favourite DF number, you can set up any C2 rower with that same number, irrespective of where it is in the world, and enjoy the same experience. If a rower is poorly maintained and has a very dusty erg, the DF range will be reduced.)
My advice is to row a bit on each damper setting and see how you get on.
To get a feel for different damper settings, try this:
Set the display to Watts so you can see your power output. Aim for a stroke rate of around 28-30 and a target power output of 200 watts for each setting.
Start with the damper on 4 and row for about two minutes at a comfortable rate (spm), checking your power output on the readout—keep it at around 200 watts.
Quick breather then Damper on 1 for 2 mins.
Quick breather then Damper on 10 for 2 mins (You'll probably find that you have to drop your stroke rate when the damper is set to 10).
Quick breather then Damper back down to 5 for 2 mins.
This should give you some idea of how you feel using a range of settings. You can fine tune by doing the same experiment with settings around what you feel is most comfortable for you.
Enjoy!
