Damper follies

[zen cohen]

I did a moderate 30' row at the gym yesterday. The guy on the C2 next to me started and finished about the same time. Since the rowers are usually the most neglected items in the gym I thought I'd bond a little and said something like, "these rowers sure give you a great workout" He got up and said "you don't get a good workout unless this thing thing is all the way up here." and adjusted my damper from 3 to 10. Then he walked off. I looked over at his PM3 and my C2 comrade (a good 20 lbs heavier and 20 yrs younger and seemingly no less tired from his row) had logged something like 5994 meters for his 30 minutes (I'd done about 7300).

It's pretty amazing how misused these rowers are (when they're actually used). I sometimes look at the history on the PM3s and rarely see even short pieces under 2min/500 splits. Even 2:20 seems above average. Makes me feel like a pretty good rower. Then I log in here and get a dose of reality.

[gobrian77]

Oooohhh- if somebody adjusted a piece of equipment I was using like that to try to "prove a point" and knock me down a peg, I'd be fuming- I'm very respectful of others in the gym, and I acknowledge that (while I know a lot- 20+ years has taught me something ) I don't know everything, and I don't pull that kind of crap on anybody.

I think I would have pointed out that if we were out on the water I've have a hard time seeing him from my vantage point nearly a mile further down the river.

[Citroen]

"you don't get a good workout unless this thing thing is all the way up here." and adjusted my damper from 3 to 10.

Have you checked the drag factor on all the machines? Are they clean? Do the instructors have the first faintest clue about rowing? Did they explain how the rower works when they showed you how to use it?

It's not always the bozo, brain-dead, meat-heads that are promoting the myth that damper 10 means "better workout", sometimes it's the instructors and gym management who make it persist.

[TabbRows]

My favorite damper follies are committed by the women who push the lever to 8 because they don't want to get muscular with the setting at 10 , but can't get any resistance at 5. They then paddle with excruciating-to-watch form at high ratings for various short time periods with the PM3 on Calories! It's a good bar bet for me to pick any C2 at any time and bet that the monitor will display calories as the setting. And when you go to memory to record your work out, there are all these 2:35-6:48 pieces listed. What one woman told me when I asked was that she just did 100-300 calories on each type of machine (rower, elliptical, threadmill, bike,etc.) to get a "full body" workout and "burn" 600-1000 calories.

[zen cohen]

Oooohhh- if somebody adjusted a piece of equipment I was using like that to try to "prove a point" and knock me down a peg, I'd be fuming- I'm very respectful of others in the gym, and I acknowledge that (while I know a lot- 20+ years has taught me something ) I don't know everything, and I don't pull that kind of crap on anybody.

I think I would have pointed out that if we were out on the water I've have a hard time seeing him from my vantage point nearly a mile further down the river.

I'm so used to ignorant people like this I was more amused than upset. I was a little tempted to challenge him to a 5000 meter row at the damper setting of his choice, though. The funny thing is that if he used remotely proper technique he probably could have left in his "wake."

[zen cohen]

"you don't get a good workout unless this thing thing is all the way up here." and adjusted my damper from 3 to 10.

Have you checked the drag factor on all the machines? Are they clean? Do the instructors have the first faintest clue about rowing? Did they explain how the rower works when they showed you how to use it?

It's not always the bozo, brain-dead, meat-heads that are promoting the myth that damper 10 means "better workout", sometimes it's the instructors and gym management who make it persist.

Actually the machines recently had a cleaning so the DF is around 200 at damper 10. He may have been rowing at 10 before the cleaning but you'd think he would've noticed the difference after the cleaning.

[zen cohen]

....2:35-6:48 pieces listed....

Wow, I've never seen a 6:48. That's impressive in its own way. Musta been a petite woman rowing with one hand while talking into her cell phone with the other.

[PaulH]

A colleague was telling us that his new personal trainer has him row on 10 for 30 minute pieces. I conceded that my colleague is faster than I am, whether on 10 or otherwise, but notwithstanding that his trainer was wrong. I can't imagine doing that with some guy in the gym though.

[TabbRows]

In the UK Forum, Xeno Muller says that he recently removed the mesh around the fan to increase his drag!! Not sure how much more this added. Mind you Xeno is trying to make a comeback for the London Olympics and he's a big strong guy, even after Weight Watchers. But I find it interesting that someone who practices and teaches proper technique is racheting up the resistence. Can't wait to see how this translates to OTW speed.

[Nosmo]

In the UK Forum, Xeno Muller says that he recently removed the mesh around the fan to increase his drag!! Not sure how much more this added. Mind you Xeno is trying to make a comeback for the London Olympics and he's a big strong guy, even after Weight Watchers. But I find it interesting that someone who practices and teaches proper technique is racheting up the resistence. Can't wait to see how this translates to OTW speed.

He certainly wouldn't ratchet up the resistance without good technique!!!
He also did not say how often he is using the high resistance.

[rowmyboat]

In the UK Forum, Xeno Muller says that he recently removed the mesh around the fan to increase his drag!! Not sure how much more this added. Mind you Xeno is trying to make a comeback for the London Olympics and he's a big strong guy, even after Weight Watchers. But I find it interesting that someone who practices and teaches proper technique is racheting up the resistence. Can't wait to see how this translates to OTW speed.

He certainly wouldn't ratchet up the resistance without good technique!!!
He also did not say how often he is using the high resistance.

Or what distances he would use it for - I would think it would only be for short intervals perhaps - or practising starts.

[TabbRows]

zen cohen wrote:

TabbRows wrote:
....2:35-6:48 pieces listed....


Wow, I've never seen a 6:48. That's impressive in its own way. Musta been a petite woman rowing with one hand while talking into her cell phone with the other!

Aha! You saw her too!!! Those are total times on the machines, I didn't venture to open up and see what meager distances/watts were covered. I hit one accidentally once when it was right below my warmup piece and I scrolled down too far, and the watts were 75! I thought you could get 75 watts out of a C2 just sitting on it and breathing, lol.

Re: Xeno. Good points Nosomo and rowmyboat. I'm sure Xeno will tell us if it works and give us a DVD to watch how it's done. Otherwise, we'll see something else soon.

[iain]

....2:35-6:48 pieces listed....

Wow, I've never seen a 6:48. That's impressive in its own way. Musta been a petite woman rowing with one hand while talking into her cell phone with the other.

I watched a lady who didn't look unfit, probably in her mid to late 30's pulling under 400 cals/hour for about 15 mins. Given that 300 are for living and going up and down, that is around 4:00/500m at around 30SPM. I must admit to being fascinated at the achievement. Her technique involved sliding slowly backwards with her body actually bending forwards, then breaking her knees and using her arms to pull her back up the slide.

- Iain