Drag Factor Explained: Setting Your Concept2 Properly

The damper is the lever on the side of a Concept2. It runs from 1 to 10, and most people assume it works like gears on a bike. It does not. What matters is drag factor, and once you understand it, setting up your erg takes a minute.

What drag factor actually is

Every stroke, you spin the flywheel. Between strokes, the flywheel slows down because air resistance drags on it. Drag factor is a number that describes how fast it slows down.

• Higher drag factor: the flywheel slows quickly. The next stroke feels heavy, because you restart a flywheel that has lost more speed.
• Lower drag factor: the flywheel keeps spinning. The stroke feels lighter and quicker.

The damper changes how much air gets to the flywheel. A higher damper setting lets more air in, so the drag factor goes up. But the number you get from a given damper setting also depends on the conditions.

Why the damper number misleads

A damper at 5 does not mean the same thing on every machine, every day. Two things change the result:

1. Air density. Air that is cooler, denser or at a different altitude produces different drag.
2. Dust and debris. Dust that clogs the air outlet screen in the flywheel housing lowers the drag, so the same damper setting produces a lower number.

That is why the free 8-Week 2k Plan says to check the number rather than the lever. The monitor measures the real figure for you.

How to read it on a PM5

On a Concept2 with a PM5 monitor:

1. Press the menu button and choose More Options.
2. Select Display Drag Factor.
3. Start rowing at a normal effort. The figure appears after a few seconds.
4. Read the number on the screen, then adjust the damper and repeat until it matches your target.

The PM recalculates the figure as you row, so you may see small changes between strokes. Look for the stable number. On a PM3 or PM4, the menu path is the same.

What number should you choose?

There is no single correct answer, and nobody should tell you there is. As a rule of thumb, a sensible starting range for most home rowers is about 110 to 130. That is coaching judgement, not a Concept2 figure: Concept2’s own starting advice is a damper setting of 3 to 5.

Rower	Where to start
Smaller or lighter, or newer to rowing	Towards the lower end
Taller or stronger, with good technique	Towards the middle or top
Rowing mainly steady, longer sessions	Often lower, for a lighter, more rhythmic stroke
Sprint or short piece specialists	Some choose higher, others do not

Try a figure for a couple of weeks and see how it feels. If you find yourself heaving with your arms and back on the drive, the number may be too high. If the stroke feels empty and you cannot get a good push off the foot-stretcher, it may be too low.

Do not change it for every session. Changing the drag factor changes your pace for the same effort, so your paces and tests will not match from week to week.

Does a higher setting make you fitter?

No. A heavier stroke is not a harder workout by itself. Your effort comes from how hard you drive and how long you keep going, which the pace and rate on the monitor reflect.

A very high setting can hurt your rowing. It tends to slow the stroke rate, load the lower back and encourage poor technique. A moderate setting usually allows a better, more repeatable stroke.

Think of the damper as setting how the machine feels, not how hard you work.

Drag factor and your 2k test

Use the same drag factor for every test. A change of a few points will not ruin things, but a large change makes comparisons useless. In the 2k test guide we recommend noting the drag factor with each result.

For races and tests, rowers often choose a figure they have trained at, so it feels familiar. For pacing, 2k erg pacing strategy assumes you hold the same setup throughout.

Drag factor and stroke rate

At a higher drag factor, each stroke takes more effort to restart, so rates tend to be lower for the same pace. At a lower drag factor, rates tend to be higher. That is why you cannot compare stroke rates across people without knowing their set-up. See the stroke rate guide for how rate and pace fit together.

Keeping the machine consistent

A few habits help:

• Check drag factor at the start of each session. It takes a few strokes.
• Clean the machine. Dust in the flywheel housing lowers the reading. Concept2 says to check inside with a torch every 250 hours of use and vacuum if needed.
• Note it in your log. Write down the drag factor with every test.
• Test on the same machine. Different machines can read slightly differently.

Other rowers

Water rowers, magnetic machines and others do not report drag factor in the same way. If you use one, pick a moderate setting, keep it fixed and test on that machine each time. Our best rowing machine guide compares the main types, and the Concept2 RowErg review covers the PM5 in more detail. Newer rowers might prefer the best rowing machine for beginners guide.

Summary

• Drag factor is how quickly the flywheel slows. The damper is just one input.
• Read the number on the PM5 under More Options, Display Drag Factor.
• A starting range of roughly 110 to 130 suits many people, but use what suits you.
• Pick a number, then keep it fixed for training and tests.

More training guides are on the training hub.