Drag Factor Calculator
Get the Concept2 drag factor that actually fits your weight, experience and training goal. The damper lever number is not your drag factor - the same lever position gives a different drag on every erg, and most rowers are training at the wrong load because they have never checked the actual figure in the PM5 menu.
What drag factor should I use on a Concept2 erg?
Most adult openweight club rowers land well at drag 130-140, which approximates the feel of a heavyweight shell and suits 2k testing. Lightweights and women typically work best in the 110-120 range to match the lighter shell load their racing involves. Juniors and beginners belong lower still, at 100-115, while they are still building their catch timing and body posture. Drag 200 is not harder training - it is just a heavier load that shifts the stroke profile toward more force and fewer strokes per minute, often at the cost of technique and lower-back health. The damper lever is not the drag factor: always verify the actual number via the PM5 menu before any test piece.
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Recommended drag factor
Why this number
Drag factor primer
| Profile | Drag range | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Lightweight / women openweight | 110-120 | Matches the lighter shell load. National-level lightweight 2k testing typically happens at drag 110-120. |
| Heavyweight openweight | 130-140 | Heavyweight shell feel. Rowing NZ senior men typically test 2k at drag 130-140. |
| Distance / endurance | 110-130 | Long steady-state sessions - 5k, 6k, 10k. Lower drag protects stroke rate sustainability and spares the lower back. |
| Sprint / max power | 130-140 | 500m, 10-stroke blasts, 1-minute max-power tests. A small drag increase lets you peak wattage on short bursts. |
| Juniors / beginners | 100-115 | Technique before load. Build the catch, posture and leg connection at low drag before adding resistance. |
Drag factor myths
Myth: Higher drag = harder training = better results
Not true. High drag shifts the stroke toward a slower, heavier pattern - more like a deadlift, less like race rowing. Most Rowing NZ squad members train at 130-140 because that matches their shell class, not because it is somehow more elite. Grinding at drag 200 produces fewer strokes per minute, a different muscle-fatigue profile, and no meaningful aerobic advantage over a well-designed programme at race-specific drag.
Myth: Damper level 10 = drag 200
Wrong. The damper lever (numbered 1-10 on the flywheel cage) controls the volume of air entering the housing. Actual drag factor depends on damper position, flywheel dust, the age of the erg, altitude and ambient humidity. Damper 10 might produce drag 175 on a clean erg at sea level and drag 220 on a dusty machine at a higher altitude boat shed. Always read the actual drag factor from the PM5 menu under More Options, and adjust the damper lever until you hit your target.
Myth: Drag factor changes your watts at a given split
It does not. Watts at any 500m split are set by the Concept2 power formula: watts = 2.80 / (split_in_seconds / 500)^3. A 1:50 split is about 263 watts at drag 110 or drag 140. What drag changes is the feel of each stroke, the rate you settle at, and which muscles tire first.
Myth: Boat-class drag factor perfectly replicates the shell feel
Approximately, not exactly. Concept2 publishes indicative mappings (single 1x around drag 100-110, men's eight 8+ around 130-140) and these are useful starting points. But an erg flywheel and a rowing shell in moving water involve different physics - the erg cannot reproduce the rhythmic unweighting through the recovery that on-water rowing creates. Use boat-class drag as a sensible reference, not as gospel.
How drag factor works
What drag factor measures
Drag factor quantifies how quickly the flywheel decelerates after each drive phase. Concept2 calculates it on every stroke and shows the running average in the PM5 menu. A higher drag factor means the flywheel sheds speed faster between drives, so more force is required at the next catch to restore it. The Concept2 ergometer computes this from flywheel physics - it is independent of which lever position you happen to have set.
How to set drag factor
From the PM5 home screen, press Menu, select More Options, then Display Drag Factor. Take a few strokes and the current drag figure will appear on screen. Move the damper lever (1-10 on the flywheel cage) up or down to nudge the number toward your target. Let the erg settle for a minute of rowing before you treat the reading as stable. The same lever position can drift across sessions as dust accumulates on the flywheel - always confirm before a test piece.
Boat-class equivalents
Concept2's published guidance maps rowing shells to approximate drag ranges: single sculls and lightweight shells around drag 100-110, men's coxless pair and four around 115-125, men's eight around 130-140. These are useful starting points for replicating on-water feel during winter ergo training. Once your drag is set, feed your goal pace into the training pace calculator for zone-by-zone session targets, and use the erg pace calculator to translate any split into watts and projected 2k time.
Frequently asked questions
Is drag factor 130 the same on every Concept2 erg?
Yes - drag factor is an absolute measurement of flywheel deceleration, calibrated consistently across every Concept2 erg ever made. Drag 130 on a brand-new Model E at a Hamilton club produces the same training load as drag 130 on a 15-year-old Model D in a Dunedin boat shed. What differs is the damper lever position needed to reach drag 130, because older or dustier flywheels often require a higher lever setting to hit the same number.
Should beginners train at drag 200?
No. Beginners should stay at drag 100-115 while they develop their catch timing, posture and leg-drive sequence. Training at high drag before technique is established is one of the most reliable routes to lower-back injury in novice rowers, and it reinforces arm-pulling habits that are very difficult to correct later. Build the stroke pattern first, then increase drag once the movement is clean and consistent.
What drag factor do Rowing NZ and national-squad athletes use?
Rowing NZ senior men typically test 2k at drag 130-140. Senior women and lightweights test at drag 110-120. These ranges appear consistently across national-team training documentation and Concept2 athlete profiles. The athletes land there because it matches the feel of their racing shell class - not because it is a special elite setting.
Does drag factor affect calorie burn?
Only indirectly. The Concept2 calorie formula is built on watts and session time alone, and watts at any given split is fixed by physics regardless of drag. So at identical split, drag does not change the calorie figure on the PM5. However, drag does influence the rate you naturally settle at and the stroke length you default to, which shifts your average watts across a session and therefore the calorie total.
How often should I check drag factor?
Before every test piece and ideally at the start of any session after equipment has been idle for a week or more. Flywheel dust builds up gradually and can shift the relationship between lever position and drag factor without any obvious warning. Vacuuming the flywheel cage every couple of months keeps the drift minimal. For regular steady-state training, setting drag at the session start and trusting it for the workout is fine.
What is the difference between damper lever and drag factor?
The damper lever (1-10) controls airflow into the flywheel housing - it is an input variable. Drag factor measures the actual rate of flywheel deceleration - it is the output. The same lever position gives different drag factors on different ergs, at different altitudes, and as the flywheel accumulates dust. The damper lever is the control knob; drag factor is what you actually set training loads against. Use drag factor, not damper position.
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Set drag. Log the piece. Coach with real numbers.
Row HQ stores drag factor, split, stroke rate and watts for every erg piece against every athlete on your roster. Coaches at New Zealand clubs finally know whether the training load the squad is logging matches the plan they wrote.