No Snow? No Problem!

By Greg Hammond

April 27, 2010

Back in the day, Nordic skiers looking for a break from the cold would bolt Concept2 rowing machines to walls and rig them to allow a movement similar to cross-country skiing. Concept2 decided to take that a step further and developed a SkiErg to better accommodate winter athletes indoors.

In Part 1 of this video shot in Vermont, Greg Hammond of Concept2 shows Pat Barber and Jon Gilson how to use the SkiErg. Just like the rowing erg, the SkiErg requires core-to-extremity movement for efficiency, and a few minutes on the machine will leave no doubt that it provides a full-body workout.

In Part 2, Gilson and Barber learn how a biathlon race is conducted. Skiers have to have great endurance, but they also need to be accurate with a rifle while their hearts are pounding. Most biathlons are won at the firing line because a penalty lap for a missed shot can put a first-place skier back in the pack. With Hammond on the stopwatch, the two CrossFitters do an indoor biathlon WOD using a SkiErg and a laser rifle. Instead of penalty laps for missed shots, Hammond has a special consequence for inaccuracy.

Yay, burpees?

Video by Again Faster.

Part 1: 4min 22sec
Part 2: 10min 30sec

Additional reading: The Power of the C2 Monitor by Judy Geer, published Sept. 19, 2008.

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4 Comments on “No Snow? No Problem!”

wrote …

Looking at the SkiErg I thought of a possible deadlift/jump type machine. Lay the SkiErg down and secure to the floor could you do full hip extentions pulls? In a way like a row but much more powerful and demanding.

wrote …

That looked like a pretty fun workout. Almost seems like something you'd see on a Wii, only with actual work.

wrote …

Tried the skierg at filfest,loved it and just bought one today. Very cool how they are super easy on floor space when wall mounted. Great to have another avenue for bringing pukey into the box.

Adam Kayce wrote …

When I first saw the SkiErg, I recalled an interview with Coach Glassman (assuming I'm remembering this correctly) where he talked about a drawback about ball slams - that they were hard to quantify consistently. It seems to me that the SkiErg replicates much of the benefits of that particular movement (and then some), while giving you the same "quantifiable-ness" of rowing.

Either way, it sure looks brutally fun!