Now that you’ve taken your first strokes, you probably have a few questions. Please take a
short break to read the following:
How do I know how fast I’m going?
The best way to monitor your speed and power output is to watch the
central display of the Performance Monitor.
You can choose the units you like best: watts, calories, or pace (expressed
as time per 500 meters). Let’s take pace as an example. The smaller the
number you see, the faster you are going, because it’s taking less time for
you to row 500 meters.
Watch this number and try to make it smaller without letting the spm
(strokes per minute) creep up higher than 30. This requires relaxing on the
recovery phase of the stroke. The recovery should take longer than the drive phase.
What do all these numbers mean?
The :29 in the upper left corner is elapsed time. The 33 is strokes per
minute (spm), which is simply a measure of your stroke cadence. It is not
a measure of your output.
The middle display, where you see 2:26, is the stroke output display. In
this photo, the 2:26 means that this person was rowing at a pace of 2:26
per 500 meters.
The 85 in the lower left is meters rowed so far.
The lower right shows Heart Rate, which will be displayed only if a
compatible heart rate system is in use. (Heart rate receivers are available
through Concept2.)
To go faster, do I need to increase stroke rate or intensity?
To get faster times, you should focus on building intensity rather than stroke rate. Keep the
strokes per minute (spm) in the range of 24-28. Damper setting should be between 3 and
5. This may feel easy at first, but give it some time. It’s important to understand that the
resistance is generated by the speed of the flywheel. So, to increase your score, you need
to get the wheel spinning as fast as possible. This same idea applies when rowing in a
boat, where the boat is moving so you have to be quick with your application of power.
How do I increase the resistance?
Resistance on the Concept2 Indoor Rower is determined by the speed of rotation of the
flywheel. It’s wind resistance. The faster the wheel spins, the more resistance you will feel,
regardless of the spm or damper setting. So, the resistance depends on how fast you can
accelerate the flywheel, not how many strokes you take per minute or your damper setting.
For the best, and longest aerobic workout, keep the damper setting between 3 and 5. If
you go higher, it will be less exhilarating, and more like a strength-building workout, and
probably harder to row for a longer period of time.
Focus on how fast/hard you accelerate the flywheel. This number is indicated in that
central display.
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