ActiveConcept2 SkiErg review: Compact full-body cardio machine for low-impact workoutsThe Concept2 SkiErg is the cardio machine you never knew you needed, delivering a Nordic skiing experience in your home without taking up much spaceWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Concept2)T3 VerdictThe Concept2 Ski Erg is a top-quality strength and endurance cardio machine that delivers a joint-friendly, full-body Nordic skiing workout experience at home. Tall, compact, and reasonably priced, you’ll love the clear, easy-to-navigate PM5 monitor offering access to built-in and virtual workouts. A great tool for HIIT sessions and circuit training.Reasons to buy+Tall, compact design+Joint-friendly, low-impact workouts+Hardly any running costs+Amazing quality for a purse-friendly priceReasons to avoid-Might be too tall to fit some homesWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
ActiveConcept2 SkiErg review: Compact full-body cardio machine for low-impact workoutsThe Concept2 SkiErg is the cardio machine you never knew you needed, delivering a Nordic skiing experience in your home without taking up much spaceWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.(Image credit: Concept2)T3 VerdictThe Concept2 Ski Erg is a top-quality strength and endurance cardio machine that delivers a joint-friendly, full-body Nordic skiing workout experience at home. Tall, compact, and reasonably priced, you’ll love the clear, easy-to-navigate PM5 monitor offering access to built-in and virtual workouts. A great tool for HIIT sessions and circuit training.Reasons to buy+Tall, compact design+Joint-friendly, low-impact workouts+Hardly any running costs+Amazing quality for a purse-friendly priceReasons to avoid-Might be too tall to fit some homesWhy you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
The Concept2 SkiErg is the cardio machine you never knew you needed, delivering a Nordic skiing experience in your home without taking up much space
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Concept2)T3 VerdictThe Concept2 Ski Erg is a top-quality strength and endurance cardio machine that delivers a joint-friendly, full-body Nordic skiing workout experience at home. Tall, compact, and reasonably priced, you’ll love the clear, easy-to-navigate PM5 monitor offering access to built-in and virtual workouts. A great tool for HIIT sessions and circuit training.Reasons to buy+Tall, compact design+Joint-friendly, low-impact workouts+Hardly any running costs+Amazing quality for a purse-friendly priceReasons to avoid-Might be too tall to fit some homes
(Image credit: Concept2)
(Image credit: Concept2)
T3 VerdictThe Concept2 Ski Erg is a top-quality strength and endurance cardio machine that delivers a joint-friendly, full-body Nordic skiing workout experience at home. Tall, compact, and reasonably priced, you’ll love the clear, easy-to-navigate PM5 monitor offering access to built-in and virtual workouts. A great tool for HIIT sessions and circuit training.Reasons to buy+Tall, compact design+Joint-friendly, low-impact workouts+Hardly any running costs+Amazing quality for a purse-friendly priceReasons to avoid-Might be too tall to fit some homes
T3 VerdictThe Concept2 Ski Erg is a top-quality strength and endurance cardio machine that delivers a joint-friendly, full-body Nordic skiing workout experience at home. Tall, compact, and reasonably priced, you’ll love the clear, easy-to-navigate PM5 monitor offering access to built-in and virtual workouts. A great tool for HIIT sessions and circuit training.
T3 Verdict
The Concept2 Ski Erg is a top-quality strength and endurance cardio machine that delivers a joint-friendly, full-body Nordic skiing workout experience at home. Tall, compact, and reasonably priced, you’ll love the clear, easy-to-navigate PM5 monitor offering access to built-in and virtual workouts. A great tool for HIIT sessions and circuit training.
Reasons to buy+Tall, compact design+Joint-friendly, low-impact workouts+Hardly any running costs+Amazing quality for a purse-friendly priceReasons to avoid-Might be too tall to fit some homes
Reasons to buy+Tall, compact design+Joint-friendly, low-impact workouts+Hardly any running costs+Amazing quality for a purse-friendly price
Tall, compact design
Joint-friendly, low-impact workouts
Hardly any running costs
Amazing quality for a purse-friendly price
Reasons to avoid-Might be too tall to fit some homes
Might be too tall to fit some homes
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
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Concept2 SkiErg review TL; DR: a quality piece of space-saving kit that provides a low-impact, full-body workout at a reasonable price.
If you’re thinking about investing in an exercise machine to help you burn fat and shape up for good, you would do very well to consider the Concept2 SkiErg. It might not be a bike, or a treadmill, or a rower – and you might think it looks unlike any other kind of cardio machine you’ve ever seen before - but this training tool appears in our round-up of thebest exercise machines to lose weightfor a number of extremely good reasons.
Indeed, the SkiErg has been a prominent feature on the CrossFit scene for years and regularly makes appearances in WODs and in competitions, no doubt thanks to its reputation for being so damn tough (there’s a reason why Nordic Skiing became an Olympic event in 1924).
Aside from an update in 2014 to improve the monitor and cord wear – and allow for both ‘double-pole’ and ‘single-stick’ techniques - the SkiErg has remained largely unchanged since its creation. This, in my opinion, is because the SkiErg has never been broke, so it’s never needed fixing.
Of course, some critics say the SkiErg is boring and unengaging. Personally, I couldn’t disagree more. With a tiny bit of imagination, the SkiErg turns into a powerhouse of an exercise machine that opens up a world of training possibilities for all kinds of people (including wheelchair users and anyone suffering from lower-body injuries) so they can take their fitness to new heights - for a very reasonable price to boot! Want to know more? Read on.
Concept2 SkiErg review: Price and availability
The recommended retail price of the wall-mounted Concept2 SkiErg with PM5 monitor is £700 / $770 /US$1,540. The SkiErg Floor Stand is sold separately for £180 / $180 / AS$330. Both can be purchased directly fromConcept2 UK/Concept2 US/Concept2 Australiaand selected third party retailers worldwide.
The Concept2 SkiErg takes up little floor space – it’s quite a tall, though…(Image credit: Jo Ebsworth)
The Concept2 SkiErg takes up little floor space – it’s quite a tall, though…
The Concept2 SkiErg takes up little floor space – it’s quite a tall, though…
(Image credit: Jo Ebsworth)
Concept2 SkiErg review: Set up
The first thing you need to know about the Concept2 SkiErg is that it is tall, standing at 85 inches / 216cm, but not so tall that it doesn’t easily fit into a regular-height room. The SkiErg can be bought on its own and mounted to a wall so it takes up hardly any floor space, or used with the separate floor stand. Either way, it’s probably one of the most compact exercise machines around.
If it wasn’t for the dado rails fixed to every wall in my house, I would have happily housed the SkiErg in my bedroom. Not willing to engage in a spot of DIY, I chose to put the SkiErg in my garage-turned-gym instead and plumped for the free-standing option for ease.
The SkiErg and floor stand arrived extremely well-packed in two separate boxes, and the build was quick and simple (around 20 minutes with another pair of hands). The illustrated instructions and product manual were easy to follow, you get all the tools you need to build it, and the 12 screws are even colour-coded so you literally can’t go wrong (if you do, there’s an assembly video linked below you can watch).
In fact, I’d say this was the least stressful machine I’ve ever put together and the user experience was first class from the kick-off.
Concept2 SkiErg review: Features
The base of the floor stand measures 24 x 52 inches (61cm x 132cm) and it comes with an anti-slip deck and caster wheels at the rear so you can easily roll it out and wheel it back into place when you’re done with it. My concrete garage floor isn’t particularly even, but the stand manages to provide a rock-solid surface that never bounces or jostles around, and that impressed me a lot.
The flywheel is the heart of the machine, responding to your pulling action on the high-strength cords for a smooth and continuous motion that can be adjusted and intensified via the spiral damper. The damper quickly adjusts the airflow across 10 resistance levels so you can change the feel of the pull, depending on whether you want to feel like you’re on flat terrain or going on an uphill climb.
It’s also worth noting that wheelchair users can buyvarious accessoriesto make reaching the handles easier, including Handle Hooks which attach near the monitor to hold the handles in a lower position, and Handle Cord Extensions (watch PT and ex-professional swimmer Ben Clark fromAdapt to Performgo through a variety of movements on the SkiErghere).
The handles themselves (which greatly resemble Shrek ears) are ergonomic, strapless, suitable for all hand sizes and provide a really secure grip that doesn’t absorb sweat when you’re going hell for leather. The shape of the handle also has a ‘shelf’ at the bottom to rest the heel of your hand against and is surprisingly comfortable even over long periods of use.
Grab the handles and start pulling(Image credit: Concept2)
Grab the handles and start pulling
Grab the handles and start pulling
(Image credit: Concept2)
Concept2 SkiErg review: How to use it
The double-pole movement engages your triceps, lats, core, glutes and hamstrings as you pull the handles in a downwards ‘crunch’ movement (you’ll get the idea watching thistechnique video). The harder you pull, the faster the flywheel spins to create more resistance for a harder workout and, obviously, the better your technique, the more you’ll get out of the workout.
But one of the things I love most about the SkiErg is that you really can’t f**k it up or injure yourself, even if you’re a complete novice to exercise and never skied in your life. This means you still get a great calorie burn from the beginning, unlike some other sports like running or rowing which really require good form to maximise calorie burn and avoid injury.
Another thing I love is the fact that it’s a standing form of exercise. If you’re anything like me, the last thing you want to do is sit down on an exercise bike or rower after a long day sitting at a desk. But the SkiErg really opens up your body from top to toe, including the hips and shoulders (which is why a lot of weightlifters like to use it as a warm-up before squatting or lifting overhead) and effectively works your posterior chain – an area of the body that can really weaken over time from always sitting down.
However, if your lower body is limited and you do need to sit down, you can easily slide onto a chair or stool to work your upper body and core from a seated position (I tried it, and it’s tough!)
Burning calories with the SkiErg is a straightforward ordeal(Image credit: Concept2)
Burning calories with the SkiErg is a straightforward ordeal
Burning calories with the SkiErg is a straightforward ordeal
(Image credit: Concept2)
Concept2 SkiErg review: Workout performance
The Concept2 SkiErg really stands head and shoulders above cheaper copycat machines, thanks to the PM5 Performance Monitor. The backlit screen is super clear and easy to read in all light levels, springing into action when the flywheel starts spinning (there’s no start/stop button). Additionally, the navigation of the menu-driven system is so simple and functional, you could probably forgo reading the instruction manual completely, but I suggest you do to avoid missing out on the many workout options.
The PM5 provides reliable, comparable data across a range of metrics including distance, speed, pace, calories and watts for every workout you do, and you can choose between five display options depending on what metrics you’re interested in seeing. From the menu, you can access preset workouts, save favourite workouts and review past workouts which are stored in the internal memory, but you can also use a USB flash drive so your data is portable, allowing you to upload it to the Concept2 Online Logbook and Rankings so you can compare your performance against others.
Additionally, the PM5 supports both ANT+ and Bluetooth so you can connect to a wide range of wireless devices including heart rate belts, fitness trackers and your smart phone - there’s a phone holder above the monitor - allowing you to access apps such as ErgData, ErgRace Online (where you can take part in online races for free anywhere in the world), and other third-party apps like Zwift, Asensei and Regatta for live and on-demand classes.
With all this in mind, I honestly don’t know why some people say the SkiErg is boring, especially once you add a bit of imagination into the mix. Because while you can just grab the handles and aimlessly pull along for 20-30 minutes or 5,000m, in my opinion it’s much more fun, stimulating and less painful to use the SkiErg as an interval training or circuit training tool, i.e., several rounds of 400m on the SkiErg, 20 kettlebell swings, 20 squats and 20 ab crunches. Trust me, your lungs will be burning, and you’ll be gasping for air in no time!
Best of all, you don’t need to clip in and out of a SkiErg, unlike a rower or bike, or wait for a treadmill to slow down, meaning your transitions are seamless – just let go or grab onto the handles and go.
(Image credit: Concept2)
(Image credit: Concept2)
Concept2 SkiErg review: Verdict
The Concept2 SkiErg might not work as many muscles as a rowing machine, but it comes very close to providing a full-body workout with hardly any impact. Safe, simple to use and accessible to all, you can push yourself really hard in a short space of time using this machine with little risk of injury, so it’s brilliant for upping fitness levels and burning calories.
A solid, quality piece of kit at a very reasonable price, the SkiErg is ideal if you’re short on floor space, and it’s also great for people who are worried about potential injury or already have an existing lower-limb injury. Moreover, you won’t need a PhD in Sports Science to put it together or put it into action because it’s so easy and fool-proof to use.
Concept2 SkiErg review: Also consider
If the Concept2 SkiErg is a bit out of your budget, you might want to check out theBraingain CrossFit SkiErg. However, it only comes with a six-month warranty (think of that what you will).
Alternatively, theXebex SkiErgoffers 16 resistance levels and more display options on the LED screen but for a much heftier price tag. It’s slightly smaller in terms of height and depth, but the width of the floor stand is wider and bulkier.
Concept2 Ski Erg: Price Comparison
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