The Skinny on SkiErg Stance

The SkiErg offers a great full-body workout engaging arms, core and legs. To get the most out of your workout, you’ll want to set yourself up for the proper technique. Technique starts as soon as you approach the machine and decide where to stand on the floor stand (or on the floor in front of a wall-mounted SkiErg).

To most effectively put power into your skiing, you’ll want to stand approximately 12-18 inches from the flywheel. Further away and your arms will be too straight—or the cord will be at too much of an angle. Closer than that, you risk hitting the Performance Monitor with your hands or getting the cords too close to your face.

For optimal power, the arms should be bent at about a 120 degree angle at the start of the pull, and remain bent until the end of the pull when they will be fairly straight. Even then, they shouldn’t be entirely straight, and there is nothing gained by extending them way past the hips.

Note that even tall athletes will want to stand at this distance. Standing too far away means the handles will travel too extreme of an angle on each pull. This position can lead to the cord bottoming out and limit your range of motion. It causes unnecessary wear on the handle cord.

Feet should be even and shoulder-width apart. Your weight should be distributed evenly on both feet, and primarily on the ball of your foot. You should not keep too much weight in your heels. You may wish to come up on your toes at the beginning of each pull. For most athletes, a neutral foot position will work best. The toes should point toward the flywheel; not too far pronated or supinated.

Pay attention to your stance and starting position on the SkiErg to help set yourself up for powerful workouts!