SkiErg Ski Machine Workouts - Indoor Nordic Skiing | Concept2

First Workouts

Once you’re comfortable with technique on the SkiErg, gradually begin increasing the duration and intensity of your workouts. Here are workouts to try. We recommend doing them in the order listed.

Before trying these workouts, please read our liability disclaimer.

Workout 1

Resist the temptation to ski for too long the first time on the machine—we recommend starting with no more than 3–5 minutes at a time. We also recommend starting with the double-pole technique as it uses more muscle groups and gives you a great overall workout. After 3–5 minutes, take a break to stretch and walk around. If you feel good, do up to four of these short intervals of skiing.

Workout 2

Begin experimenting with cadence and power. Cadence is displayed in strokes per minute (spm) in the upper right corner of the Performance Monitor. Power is how hard you are pulling. It is displayed in a choice of units in the central display area: watts, calories, or pace. Try some 3 minute intervals of skiing, varying your cadence and pace, as described below.

  • 3 minutes at 35 spm, comfortable effort; 1 min rest
  • 3 minutes at 37 spm, harder effort; 1 min rest
  • 3 minutes at 39 spm comfortable; 1 min rest
  • 3 minutes at 41 spm, harder effort; 3 min rest
  • End with 10 minutes of steady state skiing at your choice of power and stroke rate. Make note of what pace you settle on, because you will use it in your next workout.

Workout 3

This workout introduces longer skiing with cadence variation.

  • Do four 5 minutes pieces, varying the cadence rate as noted below. Try to ski at a pace that is a faster than your 10 minute pace from Workout 2.
    • 35 spm for the first 2 minutes
    • 38 spm for the next 2 minutes
    • 41 spm for the last minute
    • Rest: ski very easily for 2 minutes before starting the next 5 minute piece.

Workout 4

This workout focuses on longer, steady skiing.

  • Do two 10 minute pieces with 3 minutes rest in between. Try to go a little faster than you did for the 10 minute piece in Workout 2. Your stroke rate should be between 35–41 spm.

Workout 5

This workout features short intervals for variety. This is the workout to see how fast a pace you can achieve.

  • Ski 1 minute hard, 1 minute easy for a total of 20 minutes. Watch the central display for your pace. Aim for a cadence of 39–45 spm. Record your pace after the workout using the recall/memory function on the Performance Monitor.

Benchmark Piece

Once you complete Workout 5, do a benchmark piece of 30 minutes nonstop. Record your total metres, and repeat this workout every few weeks to see how you are progressing. You can also enter it in the Concept2 Online Ranking!

Next Steps

Now that you’ve completed the first few workouts, begin building an exercise plan that works for your schedule and goals. Visit our Workout of the Day page for ideas.