I would call it a stroke. A ski stroke. I own a Ski Erg and a rower, but after 15 months and about 1 million meters on the Ski Erg I'll have to say that I find it tougher than rowing. If I have limited energy on any particular day, I'll skip the Ski Erg in favour of the rower... but it's particularly useful if my back is tired from rowing as it works the spine in the opposite way. I often do both in a cardio session.
@@DarkHorseRowing It certainly is! Here's an example of an interval session I do. I set up the Skierg for 500m intervals with undefined rest periods and set up the squat bar at a comfortable 15 rep weight. I do sets of squats after each 500m interval for about 7 rounds. I increase the squat weight a little for each circuit. Sometimes I do pushups and inverted rows (1 set of each - 15 - 20 reps) between 500m Skierg intervals. That's really tough because I'm using the same muscle group (lats) on the Skierg. Sometimes I'll also add a set of DB lateral raises and DB presses, for 4 exercises between 500m Skierg intervals. It really helps with the boredom of it and adds up to a decent number of Skierg meters while I'm at it. Just a word or advice from an old guy (nearly 60). I often have a bit of pain in the elbow while Skierging as it can be hard on the triceps tendon. It helps to lock the elbows at a slightly bent position so there isn't any movement in the elbow. This also helps to keep the focus locked on the lats and trunk, thinking of the arms as a hinge rather than a force producing part of the movement. All the force comes from the lats and trunk, eliminating elbow movement. It's also very important for me to warm up for about 5 minutes before I start working hard.
Any recommendations on damper settings? Other than that, terrific information on elbows (~4:00), lats (~4:40), getting "on top of the handles" (~6:40), pushing the ground away (~8:30), and "changing direction" (~12:45). Thank you!!!
I call it a stride. I do xc skiing throughout the winter months on top of the rower. This ski erg machine helps for the double pole technique. The diagonal stride (classic form) is alternating pushing left and right arms. My only downside to this item is that it does not incorporate the kick and glide like that on a Nordic Track. Still a good introduction to this machine.
On skis, when I'm on a flat section of snow, I refer to the action where I'm using my arms/poles to pull/push myself along (when skiing or skating) as "polling". I've never heard anyone refer to the ski erg action by any name.
That's exactly where I got caught up. I used to race slalom downhill skiing and we would "pole" to add to our push however I froze when I was in the middle of the video haha realizing I had never tried to put the action into words.
Thankyou Thankyou THANKYOU!!!...Such a brilliant explanation - Your very clear instruction has given me hope that I will no longer be daunted by the SKi Erg parked opposite my gyms Concept 2 rowers...that thing has been staring me down...not any more!!!
It's called polling - double polling to be exact. When I instruct folks on the SkiErg I tell them to imagine digging the "polls" into the snow and push off.
"Skate" is with your feet. It is very important to real world skiing. The Ski Erg does not train that part of the motion. It is all about what a skier does with the polls. It is a push with the feet. "Push don't pull". The polls push against the snow moving the body forward.
In this video you only double arm pull which is not skiing technique at all. The Row Erg matches rowing rather substantially. The Ski Erg has independent handles which can be pulled individually to match actual skiing motion more accurately. Do you also train on the machine with this style? I will search other videos to see.
Alternating arms could work the obliques more and could restructure "recovery". Pushing with left, while recovering with right. Pushing with right, while recovering with left.
Thanks. I've been struggling with this for a while. Now that I know what I was doing wrong I can correct myself and start to work towards getting better. I hope that you continue making more tutorials for the skierg. Thanks again.
Newbie to C2 skierg and starting alternating between C2 erg Ecas a former crewman. Thank you for the in-depth posture! Looking to invest in DH 1year sub built on your rep here backed up by your insightful and thoughtful videos.
Hi great video, I’ve just got a skierg, I think I’ve got the right technique, but when I’ve finish the workout I go dizzy, it’s like motion sickness, it’s lasting a couple of days. Have you any ideas. Cheers
Just wondering if there is a universal agreed drag factor for the a SkiErg ??? Ie: I use 130 Drag Factor on my rower to keep training consistent, and vary SPM THANKS
When you are X Country skiing and moving your legs (inside or outside the tracks) that's a walking stride or diagonal stride. It is basically a leg movement. When you are on the Ski Erg you can mimic the leg movement by bending your knees at the same time or alternatively, but you leave your feet more or less flat on the ground. Since you are not moving ahead (just pulling the handles and feeling like gliding once you finish the stroke) the whole set is called a stride. I believe it can be called a stroke also and everybody would understand it.
Thanks for the vid! Would appreciate info on using the skierg for upper body and core work only (i.e as a means to crosstrain for a competitive cyclist). On off days I’d like to leave my legs be but work on becoming stonger up top. Interested also in your thoughts on using a traditional rower vs skierg to achieve that goal - both with an adapted upper body focused stroke, preferrably with legs locked. Cheers!