2000m SkiErg

The 2000m SkiErg is a conditioning workout done on a SkiErg machine, where you "ski" with your arms for 2000 meters. It mainly trains your lats and triceps, while your core and glutes help transfer power from your legs through your torso. It is a bilateral, full-body cardio challenge that builds upper-body endurance and a solid hip-hinge pattern.

Stand facing the machine with your feet about shoulder-width apart; you can use a slight stagger if it feels more stable. Grip the handles with your palms facing each other, arms extended up near eye level or slightly higher. Keep your knees soft, hips back a little, chest up, and your body close enough that the cables travel in a straight line without reaching.

Start each stroke by reaching your arms up and slightly forward to full extension. Hinge at the hips and bend your knees as the handles come down, then drive through your feet, extend your hips forward, and pull the handles down past your thighs using your lats and the backs of your arms. Finish with your hips under you and your elbows near your ribs, then let your arms rise back up in a smooth arc and repeat.

Breathe out as you drive down and breathe in as your arms return to the top. Keep your ribs down and your core tight so your lower back does not over-arch. To make it easier, shorten the distance or slow your pace and focus on technique. To make it harder, hold a lower split - meaning each 500 meters takes less time - or reduce your rest breaks.

Fault: Pulling only with the arms. Fix: Drive with the lats and hips, not just the arms. Feel your glutes fire as your hips extend, then let your triceps finish the pull near your thighs.

Fault: Cutting the range of motion short at the top. Fix: Use full extension up top on every stroke. Reach your arms up and slightly forward before you hinge so you can use the whole movement.

Fault: Speeding up and slowing down repeatedly. Fix: Hold a steady split for the distance. Pick a pace you can keep and breathe steadily instead of sprinting early and fading.

Fault: Leaning back or letting the lower back arch at the finish. Fix: Keep your core engaged and finish with your hips under your shoulders, not by leaning back. This keeps the work in your lats and hips and off your lower back.