What's an Erg? Our PM5 is the Key

Have you ever wondered where the ‘erg’ in RowErg, SkiErg or BikeErg comes from? And what does ‘erg’ mean? An ergometer, or erg for short, is a machine that measures work. The Performance Monitor 5 (PM5) is what makes our RowErg, SkiErg and BikeErg ergs, because on every stroke, pull or pedal, it calculates the work you are doing. And it calculates it so consistently that we can compare and combine results from one ergometer to another and from one location to another—basically it makes it possible to have a community of users whose data is all equal in value.

Why is this important? It means everyone can participate in our online challenges by submitting their metres, knowing that they are calculated in the same way as everyone's metres. It means that people can compare their scores—whether done in the northern hemisphere or the southern hemisphere, at elevation or at sea level, indoors or out—knowing that they are based on a standard, calibrated system. This enables virtual racing on our ergs, as well as the world records that we maintain on our website

For you, the user, even if you don’t want to join the challenges or compete with others, this repeatability of workout data benefits you, because it means you can reliably track your progress from one workout to the next. If you see an improvement, it is truly an improvement, not just a fluctuation due to the weather, the temperature, or the altitude. This makes the erg a powerful partner in helping you achieve your fitness goals.

But how does the PM5 do this? Besides calculating work the same way on every erg, it is also calibrated to account for local conditions. On the RowErg and the SkiErg, the PM5 self-calibrates on every rundown of the flywheel. On the BikeErg, the user helps with periodic recalibration. Our calibration takes into account all conditions that would affect the flywheel and this your results. This means that PM5 data is repeatable, and comparable, enabling a reliable comparison from workout to workout.

We hope you enjoy getting to know your PM5. Welcome to the Concept2 community!

More on the PM5:
PM5 101
Setting up Workouts on the PM5