I had posted a quick video on the Instagram about having to accept that I may have to train indoors at times when it would be unhealthy or unsafe for me to be on the water. Several people asked what the machine I was using was? So here it is..
This is the Concept 2 ski ergometer.. AKA the SKIERG. Most people in the paddling and rowing world are very familiar with its sibling the Concept 2 rowing ergometer and in many cases it has become a staple of the indoor training for many water sports athletes.
As a former rower I have spent countless hours on the Erg or as others call it the rowing machine. I have a real love hate relationship with it. Love the results it produces, hate doing cardio inside. In my quest to complete 1000 miles I hit my first hiccup with the smoke moving into our area from all the fires so I was driven inside. I had actually planned to do some time on the rowing machine and then this newer piece of equipment caught my eye.
As a movement nerd and exercise science major I could see the potential right away. I have thought for years that Cross Country skiing would be excellent winter cross training for SUP athletes. So I started to play with the SKIERG. The SUP stroke is not as linear as the cross country ski motion so I simply added in a staggered or surf stance on occasion. I also wanted to find a way to engage the leg muscles a little more. This is when I saw the Reebok core board across the room. So I grabbed it hopped on and created my own personal indoor SUP trainer. It is not perfect. This is not a recommendation. This is just something that I found that worked for me and kept me entertained while I had to log some miles inside.
If you are forced inside give the Concept 2 SKIERG a try. You may not even hate it...