SkiErg Pace: Understanding Metrics, Factors, and Improvement

What's a Good SkiErg Pace?

A "good" SkiErg pace is highly individual, determined by your fitness level, technique, and specific workout goals, rather than a universal benchmark. It's about optimizing your power output and efficiency relative to your objectives, whether that's building endurance, developing power, or achieving a personal best.

Understanding SkiErg Metrics: Power Output vs. Pace

The Concept2 SkiErg provides immediate feedback on your performance through its Performance Monitor (PM5). Understanding these metrics is crucial for interpreting your "pace":

• Pace (min/500m): This is the most common metric for gauging SkiErg performance and is analogous to pace on a rowing machine. It represents the estimated time it would take you to complete 500 meters at your current intensity. A lower number indicates a faster pace.
• Watts: Watts measure your instantaneous power output. This is a direct measure of how much work you are doing. Higher watts indicate greater power. While pace and watts are related (higher watts generally mean a faster pace), focusing on watts can sometimes be more precise for power-focused workouts.
• Calories/Hour: This metric estimates the caloric burn rate if you were to maintain your current intensity for an hour. It's useful for general tracking but less precise for performance analysis than pace or watts.

For most discussions about "pace," we primarily refer to the min/500m metric.

Factors Influencing Your SkiErg Pace

Several key factors converge to determine your SkiErg pace:

• Fitness Level: Your aerobic capacity (cardiovascular endurance) and muscular endurance significantly impact your ability to sustain a given pace. A higher VO2 max and greater fatigue resistance will allow for faster, more sustainable efforts.
• Technique and Efficiency: This is perhaps the most critical factor. Proper SkiErg technique involves a powerful, coordinated full-body movement, engaging the lats, core, triceps, and glutes. Efficient technique minimizes wasted energy and maximizes power transfer, allowing you to achieve a faster pace with less perceived effort.
• Strength and Power: The ability to generate force quickly and repeatedly, particularly in your lats, core, and triceps, directly translates to higher watts and thus a faster pace.
• Body Composition: While not as pronounced as in sports like running, body weight and muscle mass can play a role. Heavier individuals with good technique might be able to generate more absolute power, but the power-to-weight ratio is also important.
• Workout Goal: Your intended workout dictates what a "good" pace is. A recovery pace will be vastly different from an all-out sprint pace.
• Damper Setting: The damper controls the amount of air resistance to the flywheel. A higher damper setting (e.g., 8-10) feels heavier and requires more muscular force per stroke, potentially leading to higher watts but often a slower stroke rate. A lower setting (e.g., 3-5) feels lighter, allows for a faster stroke rate, and emphasizes cardiovascular endurance. The "best" damper setting is usually one where you can maintain your desired stroke rate and power output comfortably and efficiently.

Defining "Good" Pace: Context is Key

There is no universal "good" SkiErg pace. What's excellent for a beginner might be a warm-up pace for an elite athlete. "Good" is inherently relative to your:

• Personal Goals: Are you training for endurance, power, general fitness, or a specific event?
• Current Fitness Level: Your starting point dictates realistic expectations.
• Workout Type:
  • Recovery/Warm-up: A very light, conversational pace (e.g., 2:30-3:00 min/500m or slower).
  • Steady State Endurance: A challenging but sustainable pace you can maintain for 20-60 minutes (e.g., 2:00-2:20 min/500m for many intermediate users).
  • Tempo/Threshold: A harder effort, just below your anaerobic threshold, sustainable for 10-20 minutes (e.g., 1:50-2:00 min/500m).
  • Interval Sprints: Maximal effort bursts (e.g., 1:30-1:45 min/500m or faster for advanced users), followed by recovery.
  • Max Effort (e.g., 500m sprint): Your absolute fastest possible pace for that distance (e.g., sub-1:40 min/500m for competitive athletes).

Instead of comparing yourself to others, focus on:

• Relative Improvement: Are you getting faster or maintaining pace more easily over time for the same effort?
• Consistency: Can you maintain your target pace for the duration of a workout?
• Personal Bests (PBs): Challenging yourself to beat your own previous times for specific distances or durations.

Establishing Your Baseline Pace

To understand what a "good" pace is for you, you need to establish a baseline:

1. 2000-Meter Time Trial: This is a standard test of aerobic capacity and pacing. After a thorough warm-up, complete 2000 meters as fast as you can, aiming for a consistent pace throughout. Your average min/500m for this test is a strong indicator of your current fitness.
2. 500-Meter Sprint: This tests your anaerobic power and top-end speed. After a warm-up, go all-out for 500 meters. This will give you insight into your maximum short-burst potential.

Record these times and use them as benchmarks for future training.

Pacing Strategies for Different Workouts

• Longer Endurance Pieces (e.g., 30+ minutes): Aim for a consistent, steady pace that allows you to maintain a conversation, or a Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) of 5-6 out of 10. Avoid starting too fast.
• Mid-Distance Efforts (e.g., 5-10 minutes): Target a challenging but sustainable pace that pushes your aerobic threshold. You should be able to speak in short sentences, RPE 7-8.
• Interval Training (HIIT): During "work" intervals, push to a maximal or near-maximal effort (RPE 9-10), focusing on power and speed. During "rest" intervals, maintain a very light, active recovery pace.
• Sprint Work (e.g., 100m, 250m, 500m): These are all-out efforts. Focus on an explosive start and maintaining power throughout. Expect a significant drop in pace after the initial burst.

Improving Your SkiErg Pace

Consistent effort, smart training, and a focus on fundamental principles will lead to improvements in your SkiErg pace:

• Refine Your Technique: Focus on the "triple extension" (ankles, knees, hips) at the start of the drive, a powerful hip hinge, strong core engagement, and a long, powerful pull with the arms, finishing with the hands past the hips. Watch instructional videos and consider filming yourself.
• Build Strength: Incorporate strength training exercises that target the muscles used in the SkiErg:
  • Core: Planks, dead bugs, anti-rotation exercises.
  • Back and Lats: Pull-ups, lat pulldowns, bent-over rows.
  • Triceps: Dips, overhead triceps extensions.
  • Glutes and Hamstrings: Deadlifts, good mornings, kettlebell swings.
• Enhance Cardiovascular Endurance: Include longer, steady-state SkiErg sessions (20-60 minutes) at a moderate pace to improve your aerobic base.
• Incorporate Interval Training: High-intensity intervals push your anaerobic threshold, improving your ability to sustain faster paces for longer periods.
• Vary Your Workouts: Don't just do the same workout every time. Mix long endurance pieces with tempo work, intervals, and technique drills.
• Consistency: Regular practice is key. Aim for 3-5 SkiErg sessions per week, allowing for adequate rest and recovery.

Safety and Technique Considerations

Prioritize proper technique over raw speed, especially when starting out. Incorrect form can lead to injury and hinder your long-term progress.

• Engage Your Core: A strong core is fundamental for power transfer and spinal stability.
• Hip Hinge: Initiate the movement with a powerful hip hinge, sending your hips back, rather than squatting down.
• Long Pull: Aim for a long, powerful pull with your arms, driving the handles down past your hips.
• Controlled Recovery: Allow the arms to extend upward naturally, then engage the core and hips for the next powerful drive.
• Damper Setting: Experiment with damper settings (usually 3-7 is a good range for general fitness) to find what feels most efficient for your body and workout goals. A higher damper isn't necessarily "better" or faster.

The Importance of Consistency and Tracking Progress

The SkiErg's PM5 monitor is an excellent tool for tracking progress. Make it a habit to log your workouts, including distance, time, average pace, and average watts.

• Review your data: Look for trends. Are your average paces improving for similar efforts? Are you able to maintain a faster pace for longer?
• Set SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. For example: "Improve my 2000m SkiErg time by 10 seconds in 8 weeks."
• Celebrate small victories: A 1-second improvement on a sprint or a minute longer at a steady pace are all signs of progress.

Conclusion

A "good" SkiErg pace is a dynamic target that evolves with your fitness journey. It's less about hitting a specific number and more about understanding your personal capabilities, setting realistic goals, and consistently working to improve your efficiency, strength, and endurance through proper technique and varied training. By focusing on these principles, you'll not only enhance your SkiErg performance but also elevate your overall fitness.