Pace, time, distance, and Calories might all be familiar metrics when training on your Concept2 cardio Erg (RowErg, SkiErg, or BikeErg), but what about watts? Watts are a unit of power that quantifies the rate at which you exert energy while performing a physical activity. Unlike pace, or split time, which gets harder to improve the faster you go, watts increase in a consistent, linear way—making them a powerful tool for training smarter to maintain a target workload and tracking real progress and efforts. Key Benefits of Training with Watts: Power, Not Just Pace Watts are a direct measure of how hard you are working. They give a simpler picture of effort and output than pace alone. Always Consistent A 10-watt gain is always a 10-watt gain, no matter your fitness level. Pace gains, by contrast, require more effort as you get faster. Let’s look at this a little more closely. For example, improving your pace from a 2:30 split to a 2:00 split requires an increase of approximately 100 watts (from 104W to 203W). However, to improve your pace by only half that time, from a 2:00 split to a 1:45 split, requires a nearly identical 100-watt increase (from 203W to 302W). This demonstrates that the effort required to improve your pace is not linear; each second of improvement at a faster pace demands a larger increase in power. Granular Output Visibility Watts give a better visibility for variation of output. For example, one second in pace increase is equal to multiple watts increased, although the exact number depends on output. Targeted Training Zones Use watts to dial in intensity and target the right training zone—whether you are building aerobic capacity, working on threshold, or sprinting. Real-Time Technique Feedback Small improvements or slips in form show up in your wattage output. Use this to fine-tune your stroke. Mental Focus Tool Holding a steady watt target gives your mind something clear and simple to aim for. Better Data for Smarter Workouts Training with watts makes it easier to compare workouts over time, track trends, and see if you are improving. Pace Yourself Effectively Setting watt targets helps avoid redlining too early—especially useful in interval workouts. Use our pace to watts calculator and Ergdata watt pacer to help you properly pace during your next workout. Clear Progress Markers Whether it is a long steady row or a sprint, watts make improvement measurable and motivating. Compare Across Durations Tracking wattage output across different intervals or distances helps identify strengths and weaknesses. Instant Effort Feedback Unlike heart rate, which can lag behind effort, watts respond immediately. Cross-Machine Compatibility Watts carry across all Concept2 cardio Ergs, making it a universal tool for conditioning. Training with watts gives you clearer insight into your effort and progress. Whether you are chasing a PR on the water, pushing your limits in a WOD, or simply trying to get fitter, watts let you train with purpose and precision. Five Watt Based Workouts to Try Looking to push yourself with a workout based on watts? Give the workouts below a try, knowing wattage outputs for steady state and sprint efforts will be a helpful guide. Use our Pace calculator to see what watt ranges you typically use. Comparing your pace vs. watts on 5k, 2k and 500m efforts will be helpful in trying these workouts. The workouts can be completed on any Erg. Using ErgData add a field of avg watts/watts, or hit the ‘units’ button on your PM to get to watts. 1. Power Building Similar to a step test in cycling, start at a wattage you can hold for a 5K and add 10W a minute until you can’t hold the prescribed wattage for a minute. You can do this workout once through, or repeat a few times after resting four minutes. Be sure to warm up 10 minutes easy before starting. Workout with example power outputs: 10 min easy warm up Min 1: 200w Min 2: 210w Min 3: 220w Min 4: 230w Min 5: 240w Rest 4 min, and repeat as many times as you can. ErgData link: Power Building Watt Workout 2. Power Pyramid In this workout we’re going to build up in watts every 30 sec and then go back down for a total of 3 min 30 sec with 2 min rest, three times through. Start at 120% of your 5k pace and adjust your starting point as needed. Workout with example power outputs: 10 min easy warm up 30 seconds at 240w 30 seconds at 260w 30 seconds at 280w 30 seconds at 300w 30 seconds at 280w 30 seconds at 260w 30 seconds at 240w Rest 2 min Repeat three times ErgData link: Power Pyramid Watt Workout 3. Sprint Ladder For this workout, you will be building watts similar to that of the first workout, however these will include rest at a 1:1 ratio. You will alternate every 30 sec from working to resting. Start these 30 sec efforts at 5K power output and add 10-20w each interval. As always, adjust based on what feels doable. Repeat a few times after resting four minutes for extra credit. Workout with example power outputs: 10 min easy warm up 30 sec at 200w, rest 30 sec 30 sec at 220w, rest 30 sec 30 sec at 240w, rest 30 sec 30 sec at 260w, rest 30 sec 30 sec at 280w, rest 30 sec 30 sec at 300w, rest 30 sec 30 sec at 320w, rest 30 sec 30 sec at 340w, rest 30 sec ErgData link: Sprint Ladder Watt Workout 4. Steady Jumps In this workout you will focus on quick power jumps in 1:30/30 sec workout segments. Use your 5k power output for the 1:30 pieces and 500m power output for your 30 second pieces. Rolling directly from steady state into a sprint will allow you to settle into 500m quickly. The final :30 sec should be challenging. Use our watt calculator to help you calculate this. For example, if your 5k is a 2:00/500m pace (~200w) and your 500m is 1:30/500m pace (~480w) you
Want to take your circuit training to the next level at home or in the gym? Try combining your favorite Concept2® cardio Erg with your go to functional fitness movements and the StrengthErg™. If your circuit training has been feeling a bit “blah” lately, these five workouts are sure to spice things up. Use your cardio Erg of choice, the Concept2 StrengthErg, and the recommended off Erg movements. If you don’t have equipment to use, we also recommend alternative movements that are just bodyweight. Go-To EMOM 12 Cal cardio Erg of choice 45 seconds wall balls or jump squats if you don’t have access to equipment 10 rep StrengthErg chest press 45 seconds burpees Perform each movement every minute on the minute (EMOM). Rest for the remainder of the minute. Go through each movement five times. Make things extra spicy with a 200 Cal cardio Erg of choice finisher. 3x3x3 3 min cardio Erg of Choice 3 min box step ups w/ dumbbells (DB) 3 min StrengthErg (cycle through leg press, chest press, and seated row every minute) Repeat three rounds. The Burner 10 Cals cardio Erg of choice 10 reps StrengthErg leg press 10 reps DB incline bench press or push-ups if you don’t have access to equipment 20 reps StrengthErg chest press 10 reps lat pull down or pull ups if you don’t have access to equipment 20 reps StrengthErg seated row Reapt five rounds. Strength Bath 1 min Erg of choice into 20 Reps StrengthErg Leg Press directly into 10 burpees 1 min Erg of choice into 20 Reps StrengthErg Chest Press directly into 10 squat jumps 1 min Erg of choice into 20 Reps StrengthErg Seated Row directly into 60 seconds plank Repeat each three times. 20 Minute Erg AMRAP 10 StrengthErg Leg Press 10 Push-ups (all modifications welcome) 10 air squats 10 Cal cardio Erg of choice 10 burpees Repeat each movement as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes.
There are many ways that technology can add variety to your routine. In addition to our free app, ErgData, there are a number of apps that connect with the Performance Monitor 5 (PM5) via Bluetooth and ANT+.While these apps are not developed, serviced or supported by Concept2, we’re excited to share these details because we know that the features and functions interest athletes of all abilities. We will continue to share our favorites via social media, so follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates. EXR brings the indoor rowing community together in virtual worlds like Henley-on-Thames or Boston’s Charles River. Besides Just Row and Training Mode, the app offers a wide range of motivational features that help you get fit on the RowErg. The more you row, the higher your level, the better your streak, and the more X-Coins you earn to unlock gear for your avatar. All while sharing the virtual waters with rowers from all over the world. EXR is for beginners and pro rowers alike, with multiple indoor rowing champion Ward Lemmelijn spearheading the long list of ambassadors, such as Nanna Vigild and Philip Doyle. Thanks to his data-focused training, Ward won the 2025 World Rowing Indoor Championships with a time of 5:39.2: “I train with EXR because it just makes erging more exciting. I can focus on the splits and the seconds and don’t have to think about anything else”. During a training session, you get real-time performance feedback including your force curve, stroke rate, and power output shown in watts and split time. Afterward, a comprehensive report is generated. Your data automatically syncs with platforms like the Concept2 Logbook, Strava, and TrainingPeaks, making it easy to track progress. EXR is updated every month with features based on user feedback. The app is available for free on iOS, macOS, tvOS, Android and Windows. It connects to the PM5, PM4 and PM3 and a heart rate monitor. Find out more about EXR and download the app. EXR comes with a 14-day trial (no payment information required), offering free access to all of its features, including the following: Explore 3D locations with several routes, including fantastic and real sights. Follow weekly training plans to improve your sprints, endurance, or weight loss journey. Train online with friends and join group rows or races with rowers from all around the world. Crush challenges together with custom weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. Concept2 Verified Workouts to verify and rank EXR sessions in the Concept2 Logbook.
It’s a late July morning and the mist is slowly starting to burn off Great Hosmer Pond in Craftsbury, Vermont. Soft, cheerful laughter can be heard as campers for the A Most Beautiful Thing Inclusion Fund’s Arshay Cooper Camp work together to bring boats and oars down to the water for morning practice. Athletes have traveled here from across the world to attend camp. They do not know each other yet, but they are all unified by the commonality of rowing and the new bond of Arshay Cooper bringing them together with his advocacy work. While each athlete is training in the single, they are all working together as a team. By the end of the week, they will leave as family, connected for life by their experiences and memories shared. Arshay Cooper is an author, motivational speaker, and cofounder of A Most Beautiful Thing Inclusion Fund (AMBTIF), which was founded after the success of his award-winning book and film, A Most Beautiful Thing. He leads AMBTIF’s efforts to build a diverse, inclusive, and equitable sport in rowing. AMBTIF aims to equip young people with the tools to become champions in their communities, on the water, and in life. Since its inception, AMBTIF has impacted 19 rowing programs in historically underserved communities by helping raise over $3 million dollars through a combination of AMBTIF grants, in kind donations of Ergs, oars, and boats, and fundraising efforts. Parallel to these programs, Cooper has been working diligently with partners in the rowing community to create opportunities for young athletes to gain leadership skills. This initiative aims to help the programs they came from blossom and to provide them with the tools to help others succeed. That is where the AMBTIF Arshay Cooper Camp at Craftsbury comes into play. Over the last five years, diverse and underserved youth rowers from all over the world have been coming to Craftsbury Outdoor Center to learn, grow, lead, and share their stories with Arshay Cooper’s Camp. The annual camp has been made possible by the hard work, organization, and funding from AMBTIF, Concept2, Craftsbury Outdoor Center, and Concrete Foundation, Inc. “Being able to take kids from seeing dirt and concrete everyday… and experiencing physical, mental, environmental, emotional and social wellness at Craftsbury…It made kids feel complete,” says Cooper. Seeing the change and growth that athletes had in just one week at camp is truly incredible. Jo Victorio-Sharma, Deputy Director of AMBTIF saw this firsthand. “I expected teamwork, but I wasn’t prepared for how boldly this new generation steps up – willing to take risks, hold themselves accountable, support each other, celebrate new skills, and recognize every small win. It reminded me that sometimes community can form faster and stronger than we expect when people feel safe, seen, and encouraged,” Victorio-Sharma said. Seeing this evolution over a greater period of time is even more profound. Curtley Anthony van Wyk, who was a camper in 2024 and then returned as an intern in 2025 said, “Camp sparked a genuine curiosity in me to dive deeper into the sport—not just to row, but to truly understand it. I’ve been motivated to bring that knowledge back to my rowing club so I can guide and educate others. In short, camp lit a fire under me.” Zach Williams, also a camper in 2024 and an intern in 2025, had a similar experience. He told us this year that he wants to use his experience in other sports to help others and also shared his developing mentorship with RowLA, a youth-girls club in Los Angeles, California. He says, “With this relationship (with RowLA), I want to help promote their mission by welcoming young women, especially black young women to become empowering leaders and competitive student-athletes. I would also want to use my track and field background to have runners and rowers learn from each other, which not only promotes physiological diversity but also creating expanded social spaces for athletes.” Van Wyk and William’s stories are just two of the over 100 athletes who have now been impacted by the AMBTIF Arshay Cooper Camp. It goes beyond just the athletes that are impacted though – their families and communities also see the returns. Cooper says, “It’s life changing for the parents and caregivers too… They’re like, ‘I don’t know what happened to them this week, but they’ve changed!’” It is of significance to note that 100% of athletes who have attended camp have gone on to graduate from high school and attend college. Cooper says, “We use education and rowing to help honestly break the cycle of poverty for some of these families. We believe that education combined with rowing yields a powerful return.” Concept2 is honored to be a part of the AMBTIF Arshay Cooper Camp and help his mission to transform the lives of young people, their communities, and the sport of rowing. 2025 in particular marks many milestones for Arshay Cooper, AMBTIF, Concept2, and the Concrete Foundation, Inc. In March, the Concrete Foundation established by Concept2 Founders Dick Dreissigacker and Judy Geer would become the fiscal sponsor of AMBTIF. July marked the five-year anniversary release of the highly acclaimed feature film, A Most Beautiful Thing. This summer also marks five years since the launch of AMBTIF and the partnership with Concept2 to help fund the AMBTIF Arshay Cooper Camp at Craftsbury Outdoor Center. Cooper explains how the cumulative effect of these milestones added up to impact the campers, “Being able to travel, being able to be in that environment, being able to meet the founders after spending so much time on the Erg and being able to visit Concept2 is a huge deal for them”. So, what’s next? AMBTIF plans to continue expanding their partner programs even further- increasing to 23 rowing programs in total this October. Ultimately, they want to help give the athletes, coaches, and leaders the tools to excel and expand diversity on the biggest and most competitive stages of rowing, at higher learning institutions, organizations, and at major businesses. Cooper
