At 24 strokes per minute you are producing 0% more watts than at 16 strokes per minute.
That is about 0 watts instead of 0 watts, enough to take roughly 0 seconds off every 500 metres.
Going faster always costs more energy because of how the flywheel works. Good timing on the catch just makes sure none of that energy is wasted, so the same effort gives a faster split.
Watch the flywheel speed and the force each stroke produces.
Early catch Snatched
The athlete pulls before the flywheel is ready
Catch
Estimated watts *
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500m split
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Flywheel speed
Force this stroke
The athlete pulls before the wheel is ready, so part of that effort turns into a sudden hit instead of speed. That wasted push means more effort is needed to get the same watts on the screen.
You grabbed the handles and pulled before the wheel was ready, so it feels like a clunk or a snatch in your arms. That first bit of effort goes into your body as a jolt instead of making the wheel spin faster, so you work harder for the same number on the screen.
"Hook on, don't hit. Match the wheel's speed before you pull."
Perfect catch Sweet spot
The athlete connects exactly as the flywheel arrives
Catch
Estimated watts *
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500m split
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Flywheel speed
Force this stroke
The athlete connects exactly as the wheel arrives, so the pull feels smooth, not sudden. Every bit of that effort turns into speed, with nothing wasted and nothing to make up.
With a perfect catch, none of your effort leaks away. There is no clunk to absorb like an early catch, and no lost wheel speed to buy back like a late catch, so every bit of your push becomes flywheel speed. That is why the watts are higher and the split is faster, yet your heart rate stays lower and the pace feels like something you could hold for a long time. You are not pushing harder, you are wasting less.
The athlete isn't pulling harder, they're wasting nothing. There's no clunk to soak up like the early catch, and no lost wheel speed to buy back like the late catch. Every bit of their effort goes straight into the wheel, so the screen shows more watts and a better split while the stroke actually feels easier.
Late catch Delayed
The athlete pauses at the top while the flywheel slows down
Catch
Estimated watts *
–
500m split
–
Flywheel speed
Force this stroke
The athlete pauses at the top, so the wheel slows down for free while nothing is happening. The next pull then has to work harder just to get that speed back before any new speed can be added.
You paused too long at the top. The wheel slowed down while you waited, so the first part of your next pull is spent getting it back up to the speed it already had. That is effort spent for nothing, like taking your foot off the gas and then having to floor it again to get back to the same speed.
"No pause at the top. Reach and go, keep the wheel alive."
