[quote]isr wrote:
Whats your take on this. Is there a certain spm where, if I’m going over that, I should think about reducing the damper from 10 (for best results)?
PS: from this question, you can obviously deduce that I haven’t been disciplined enough to check all the damper settings, to see which one works best with my spm
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Rather than approaching the erg with the damper set on ten, and working out until you can sustain a certain rating at that setting, build up your ability to sustain ratings at lower damper settings and then build from there.
If your new to the erg, I really suggest starting with the drag set on a 3-5, and just learn how to work with the machine. It will be novel and fun at first- then once you starting getting comfortable enough to really push yourself, you’ll see how evil a machine it is.
Regarding damper settings- there is more than one way to skin a cat. We had a few lightweights go in the 6:20’s for 2000m sustaining high stroke rates on the erg, with more moderate damper settings, while at the same time I’ve seen guys go in the 6:20’s with their ratings in the 20’s, with the damper set on a 7-8.
While there isn’t really any inherent advantage of one damper setting over another, a setting which allows you to properly activate all your energy systems is important. 80% of of energy expended in a 2000m erg piece is aerobic, so you don’t want a drag setting so high that you quickly reach and exceed your lactate threshold/heart rate. Its really all up to your physiology.
For 2k and shorter pieces, I’d try typically to hold a base rating of around a 30-32, which would allow me to boost my rating at the end for a sprint.
For longer pieces 5-6k, I’d stay around a 28.
For steady state pieces- usually nothing over a 22.
I’d also second Cprimero’s advice about the tabata workouts. When I was trying to keep things fresh and balanced between aerobic and strength work, I’d throw in a workout where I’d do something along the lines of this:
A: Front squat x 5 reps
B: 500m sprint. (repeat)
Alternate between the two, no rest. I’d do something like 5 total sets, pretty brutal. Its a once a week workout for sure.