The damper lever on a rowing machine is often misunderstood by many peoples. Many people believe that the higher the damper lever is set, the harder the workout they will perform with the rowing machine. For example, an individual may set the damper lever to ten in an attempt to make the workout more difficultly.
However, setting the damper lever to a high number does not necessarily mean that the individuals is performing a workout that is designed to increase their power with the rowing machine. Furthermore, using a high setting on the damper lever can lead to lower back pains of the individual, as well as lead to a decrease in there stroke rate. The damper lever is not similar to the resistance knobs on a stationary bicycle.
How the Damper Lever and Drag Factor Work
The damper lever control the amount of air that enters into the flywheel cage of the rowing machine. By moving the damper lever to a higher number, more air will enter into the flywheel cage. The resistance provided by the rowing machine is referred to as a drag factor, which measures how quickly the flywheel of the rowing machine slow down between strokes.
While the damper lever is used to reach a general setting for the drag factor, the drag factor itself is the specific measurement of the rowing machines resistance. The damper setting and the drag factor of a rowing machine are not necessarily the same. Furthermore, the damper setting on one rowing machine will not necessarily have the same drag factor as another rowing machine.
This difference between the two factors is due to the fact that dust and lint can builds up within the flywheel cage of the rowing machine. The dust and lint that builds up within the flywheel cage of a rowing machine will block the airflow that enters into the flywheel cage. As a result of this blocked airflow, the drag factor will decrease.
In order to avoid this potential problem, it is recommended to clean the flywheel cage of the rowing machine every few week. If the flywheel cage is not properly cleaned, the rowing machine will underperform, and the individual will not be able to perform their desired level of training with the rowing machine. The setting of the damper lever should be based off the body mass of the individual who will be using the rowing machine, as well as their goals for that type of exercise.
Individuals that have a lower body mass should not use high drag factor settings with the rowing machine, as high drag factor settings are not the most efficient way for individuals with low body mass to exercise with the rowing machine, and may even be potentially detrimental to the body mass of those individuals due to potential development of lower back pain. In contrast, individuals that have higher body masses is more likely to be able to use high drag factor settings. However, even with high body masses, there is still a limit to the amount of resistance that is beneficial for those individuals.
Many individuals find that a moderate drag factor setting is the best for the rowing machine, as it mimics the feeling of rowing a double scull on the water. The training goals of the individual will impact their desired setting of the damper lever. For instance, if an individual wants to increase their stroke rate, a low setting for the damper lever should be used.
A low setting for the damper lever will force the individual to be efficiently with their stroke rate during the stroke, as well as prevent those individuals from relying upon raw muscular power to perform their strokes. In contrast, if an individual’s goal is to develop raw force when rowing, a higher setting for the damper lever can be used. However, in the case of a higher setting for the damper lever, the stroke rate should be low.
Furthermore, it is not recommended for individuals to attempt to perform their workouts at high race pace with a high setting for the damper lever. High race pace and high drag factor settings waste the energy of the individual, and can place stress upon their muscles in a manner that can potentially lead to injuries to those individuals. The drag factor of the rowing machine may also be affected by the environment in which that individual perform their workouts with the rowing machine.
Air is thinner at high altitudes, so increasing the altitude of the individual will lead to a decrease in the drag factor of the rowing machine. To compensate for this thinner air, the individual should increase the damper setting of the rowing machine by one or two notch. Otherwise, if the damper setting is not changed, the drag factor will be lower than at a low altitude.
The drag factor of the rowing machine can be checked with the monitor that is located on the rowing machine. This is the only true way to ensure that the setting of the damper lever is the setting that is being used to create the desired drag factor. To find the drag factor of the rowing machine, the individual should navigate to the utilities menu in the monitor for the rowing machine, and perform a few strong strokes with the rowing machine.
If the drag factor changes from that of the individual’s last workout, the individual should clean the rowing machine to remove the lint and dust that may be affecting the drag factor. In order to track the individual’s progress with the rowing machine, it is important for the individual to be consistent with their chosen setting for the damper lever. If the damper lever is altered for every workout, it is impossible to track the individual’s true progress with the rowing machine.
Instead, each individual should choose a target drag factor setting based upon their body mass and goals for their rowing machine workouts. Furthermore, those individuals should stick to that drag factor setting. If the numbers that indicates the individual’s strength with the rowing machine begin to increase over time, while the effort that the individual puts into rowing remains the same, the individual is becoming stronger.
Thus, if an individual can track their drag factor setting, they will be able to truly experience and track their progress in rowing with the rowing machine.
