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All information about how to use your ERG monitor is available on the Concept2 web-page accessible here. Here below we propose an extract of the most important settings to consider when preparing your monitor for one of our training sessions.
DRAG FACTOR
DRAG FACTOR
The drag factor is a measure of fan load and not a gear to go faster. The split you see on your monitor is always a true measure of your effort regardless of the DF setting; still adjusting the drag factor is important to produce the right engagement with the ERG:
If the drag factor is too high you will not feel well the tension being created in the ERG chain when pulling the handle and it will be difficult to transmit into the spinning wheel the power generated by your muscles.
If the drag factor is too high instead you will find it too hard to pull the chain resulting in a less efficient stroke and you will get exhausted quicker.
It is hence important to check and set the Drag Factor before every ERG session. You can adjust the drag factor by moving the damper lever on the flywheel.
To view drag factor on the PM, on the Main Menu, select More Options then select Display Drag Factor. Begin rowing, the drag factor will be displayed after a few seconds.
NOTE: A brand new RowErg will have a drag factor of 90 or less at a damper setting of 1 and 200 or more at a damper setting of 10. Anyway, these drag factor ranges for new ergs assumes that the machines are at sea level. Elevation has a large impact on air density and therefore drag factor. The monitor will accurately detect environmental changes and adjust the drag factor to assure accurate data.
Which Drag Factor to use?
For Y7 to Y9, i.e J12 to J14, use a DF between 100 (for ERG sessions on long distances, e.g. UT2) and 125 (for ERG sessions requiring sprints on shorter distances, e.g. 500m) - that is, in a new or well maintained ERG, a damper lever setting between 1 and 3.
For Y11 and Sixth form, i.e J15, J16 and J18 use a DF within the range of 125 (for ERG sessions on long distances, e.g. UT2) to 140 (for ERG sessions requiring sprints on shorter distances, e.g. 500m) - that is, in a new or well maintained ERG, a damper lever setting between 3 and 5
KEEP THE MONITOR AWAKE
KEEP THE MONITOR AWAKE
The Performance Monitors are designed to power down after a couple of minutes of inactivity. To keep your monitor awake when you're taking a break during a long piece, periodically press Display or Units on the monitor face, this registers as activity for the monitor and will keep the monitor from shutting down.
Don't press Menu as that will end your workout.
WORKOUTS HISTORY
WORKOUTS HISTORY
Workouts longer than one minute or longer than 100 meters and preset workouts are saved to the PM automatically. After your last stroke of a Just Row workout, press Menu twice and the meters rowed will be saved to memory. This can also be achieved by waiting 6 seconds after your last stroke and pressing Menu once.
PM5 monitors store over 1000 workouts in memory. If you are using a USB flash drive with your PM, your workouts will be saved to those devices instead.
To view workouts in PM Memory, on the Main Menu, select Memory, choose how you want to see the workouts listed (List by Date or List by Type. If List by Type) then choose a specific type and select List Workouts. Use the up and down arrows to navigate to the workout you want to view, and select the magnifying glass icon (fourth button on the right).
THE FORCE CURVE
THE FORCE CURVE
Always use this graph on your ERG to control the quality of your stroke.
To view the force curve on the monitor, at anytime during a workout, either press Display or Change Display until you see the force curve at the bottom of the screen, or press the second button down on the right of the monitor.
The Force Curve is a graph of your force application during the stroke. It shows how your total force varies as you use your legs, back and arms in sequence during the drive. A smoother-shaped curve indicates a smoother application of force. The greater the area under the curve, the better your results for that stroke will be. In general, you should strive for a broad arching Force Curve, without any sharp peaks or wobbles. This will show that you are achieving a smooth, continuous drive.
Change the shape of your Force Curve by varying the relative timing and emphasis of the legs, the back and the arms during the drive phase of the stroke.
WORKOUT TYPES
WORKOUT TYPES
It is possible to select different type of workouts, here below those which we will be using the most.
Just Row
This type of workout has no set duration and the monitor counts up from zero. You must row for at least one minute for results to be saved in memory or on your LogCard.
Single Distance
You program the monitor for a certain distance (500 meters, 5000 meters, 10000 meters, etc.) and the monitor counts down from the number of meters programmed and displays the time to the tenth of a second at the finish.
Single Time
You program the monitor for a certain time (30 minutes, an hour, etc.) and the monitor counts down from the amount of time programmed and displays your total meters at the finish.
Intervals
These are workouts that have periods (intervals) of work followed by rest time during which you might stop completely or, more typically, keep the flywheel spinning at a very easy pace. Interval workouts can be time based, distance based or variable:
Time based—During each interval, you work for a predetermined amount of time and then rest for an amount of time before beginning the next work interval
Distance based—During each interval, you work for a predetermined distance and then rest for an amount of time before beginning the next work interval
Variable—The workout contains a mix of time and/or distance intervals each followed by rest time
Rest Time—Predetermined or Undefined
When setting rest time for an interval workout, you can either specify a set amount of time or set the rest time to undefined, which allows the rest interval to be undetermined. Undefined rest is helpful for workouts such as CrossFit workouts that combine indoor rowing/ with other activities off the indoor rower (box jumps, kettle bell swings, etc).
Preset Workouts
Preset Workouts are pre-programmed workouts—workouts that are already set up in the Performance Monitor. The PM includes five standard workouts and five custom workouts.
PRESET WORKOUTS
PRESET WORKOUTS
The monitor is pre-programmed with five standard workouts, and five custom workouts.
To select a workout from the Standard List, on the Main Menu, choose Select Workout then select Standard List and select one of the five standard workouts: 2000m (a set distance of 2000 meters), 5000m (a set distance of 5000 meters), 10000m (a set distance of 10000 meters), 30:00 (a set time of 30 minutes) and 500m/1:00r (an interval workout consisting of 500 meters of work followed by one minute of rest, repeated until you stop rowing - your last complete interval is the last one recorded).
To select a workout from the Custom List, on the Main Menu, choose Select Workout then select Custom List and select one of the five custom workouts: :30/:30r (an interval workout of 30 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of rest, repeated until you stop rowing/skiing - your last complete interval is the last one recorded), v1:00/1:00r...7 (a variable interval workout consisting of seven intervals - select the workout to view the interval details), v2000m/3:00r... (a variable interval workout consisting of four intervals - select the workout to view the interval details), v1:40/:20r...9 (a variable interval workout consisting of nine intervals - select the workout to view the interval details) and 42,195 (a set distance of 42,195 meters, which is considered a marathon).
SETTING OUR OWN WORKOUTS
SETTING OUR OWN WORKOUTS
SINGLE TIME WORKOUT
SINGLE TIME WORKOUT
On the Main Menu, choose Select Workout.
Select New Workout.
Select Single Time.
On the Set Time window, set the workout time, split length as desired:
Choose plus or minus to increase/decrease the values as needed.
Choose the right and left arrows to navigate through the various digits.
Select the checkmark icon to save the workout.
SINGLE DISTANCE WORKOUT
SINGLE DISTANCE WORKOUT
On the Main Menu, choose Select Workout.
Select New Workout.
Select Single Distance.
On the Set Distance window, set the workout distance, split length as desired:
Choose plus or minus to increase/decrease the values as needed.
Choose the right and left arrows to navigate through the various digits.
Select the checkmark icon to save the workout.
TIME INTERVAL WORKOUT
TIME INTERVAL WORKOUT
On the Main Menu, choose Select Workout.
Select New Workout.
Depending on your firmware version, either:
Select Intervals and then select Intervals: Time, or
Select Intervals: Time.
Set the workout time, split length, rest interval as desired:
Choose plus or minus to increase/decrease the values as needed.
Choose the right and left arrows to navigate through the various digits.
Select the checkmark icon to save the workout.
NOTE: The PM5 allows a maximum of 50 intervals in a single workout.
DISTANCE INTERVAL WORKOUT
DISTANCE INTERVAL WORKOUT
On the Main Menu, choose Select Workout.
Select New Workout.
Depending on your firmware version, either:
Select Intervals and then select Intervals: Distance, or
Select Intervals: Distance.
Set the work interval distance, rest interval time as desired:
Choose plus or minus to increase/decrease the values as needed.
Choose the right and left arrows to navigate through the various digits.
Select the checkmark icon to save the workout.
NOTE: The PM5 allows a maximum of 50 intervals in a single workout.
VARIABLE INTERVAL WORKOUT
VARIABLE INTERVAL WORKOUT
On the Main Menu, choose Select Workout.
Select New Workout.
Depending on your firmware version, either:
Select Intervals and then select Intervals: Variable, or
Select Intervals: Variable.
For Interval 1, select Distance or Time for the type of interval you want to define.
Set the distance/time for the work interval, the time for the rest interval as desired:
Choose plus or minus to increase/decrease the values as needed.
Choose the right and left arrows to navigate through the various digits.
Select the checkmark icon to save the interval.
Repeat steps 4–6 for the number of intervals you want to define. When you are finished defining intervals, select No More Intervals.
NOTE: The PM5 allows a maximum of 50 intervals in a single workout.
WORKOUT WITH UNDEFINED REST
WORKOUT WITH UNDEFINED REST
The Undefined Rest feature allows you to program an interval workout where the length of the rest time is not predetermined. This is helpful for workouts that combine indoor rowing with other activities like for example in a cross-fit circuit.
On the Main Menu, choose Select Workout.
Select New Workout.
Select Intervals: Distance. The Intervals: Distance screen will display the default settings of 500m distance and 1:00 minute of rest time.
Select the right arrow until “Set Rest Time” is blinking on the screen.
Select the plus button. “Undefined Rest Time” is displayed.
Select the checkbox icon and begin your rowing interval.
Continue rowing until the monitor prompts you to stop. This is the beginning of your first undefined rest time where you will complete any other activity. When you are ready to start the next rowing interval, select Continue and resume rowing.
When you have completed all intervals, press Menu or Menu|Back until the Main Menu is displayed.
NOTE: Undefined rest can be up to 10 minutes in length. You can program up to 29 undefined rest intervals. It is not possible to save undefined rest interval workouts as favourites or custom workouts. If you ReRow/ReSki an undefined rest interval workout, the rest time will be defined by the amount of rest time you had when you originally did the workout, rounded down to the nearest five seconds.
You can also set up time and variable interval workouts with undefined rest intervals.
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