Erg Calculator
| /500m split | Watts | kcal / hour | 2k at this split | 5k at this split |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:30 | 480 | 1952 | 6:00 | 15:00 |
| 1:40 | 350 | 1505 | 6:40 | 16:40 |
| 1:50 | 263 | 1205 | 7:20 | 18:20 |
| 2:00 | 203 | 997 | 8:00 | 20:00 |
| 2:10 | 159 | 848 | 8:40 | 21:40 |
| 2:20 | 128 | 739 | 9:20 | 23:20 |
| 2:30 | 104 | 657 | 10:00 | 25:00 |
Concept2 formula: watts = 2.80 / pace3 with pace in seconds per metre, so a 2:00 split is 203 W. Calories are the monitor's estimate, 4 x watts x 0.8604 + 300 per hour. Full table from 1:20 to 2:40 below.
Enter a split OR watts, or a distance AND a time. The rest is solved for you.
Watts by split: the cube curve
Watts against /500m split in seconds (80 s = 1:20, 120 s = 2:00). The curve is why the last ten seconds of split cost so much more than the first ten. Enter a number above and your point lands on the line.
Every Concept2 number is the same effort in a different unit. A 2:00 /500m split is 203 watts is 4.17 metres per second is an 8:00 2k. Enter a split or a watts figure, or a distance and a time, and the calculator solves everything else, including the calorie estimate the monitor would show and what that pace produces over 2k, 5k and 30 minutes. The tables below give the same numbers for reading without typing.
The Concept2 formulas
The monitor works in pace measured as seconds per metre, and power comes from one relationship: watts = 2.80 divided by pace cubed. A 2:00 split is 120 seconds over 500 metres, so 0.24 seconds per metre, and 2.80 / 0.24 cubed = 202.5 W. Run it backwards and pace = the cube root of 2.80 / watts, which is how a watts target turns into a split you can hold on the screen.
The cube is the whole story of erg pacing. Dropping from 2:00 to 1:55 costs 28 W. Dropping from 1:35 to 1:30 costs 72 W for the same five seconds. That is why the last few seconds of split in a race are so expensive and why watts, not split, are the honest measure of how hard two different efforts were.
Distance, time and split tie together simply: split = 500 x time / distance, time = split x distance / 500, distance = 500 x time / split. Any two give the third.
RowErg, SkiErg and BikeErg
The RowErg and SkiErg both report a /500m split, and the formula above applies to both, so a 2:00 on the ski is the same 203 W as a 2:00 on the rower. The BikeErg reports a /1000m split by convention; the calculator switches the label and doubles the split display when you pick it, and the watts stay comparable across all three machines. Watts are the one number that lets you set a SkiErg interval from a rowing benchmark.
Drag factor does not change any of this. The monitor measures the flywheel and reports the power you produced, so two athletes at drag 110 and 130 pulling the same watts see the same split. Damper setting changes how the stroke feels, not how the score is calculated.
Calories: what the monitor assumes
The Concept2 calorie estimate is 4 x watts x 0.8604 + 300 per hour, which the calculator scales to your time. At a 2:00 split that is about 1,000 kcal per hour, so a 30-minute row shows roughly 500 kcal. The formula assumes a fixed body size and includes a resting component, so it counts the same for a 60 kg athlete and a 90 kg athlete. Treat it as a way to compare sessions on the same machine, not a measurement of what you burned.
Using the numbers in training
Lock the split before a piece, then look at the watts to know what you are committing to. Holding 1:50 for 2k and holding 1:50 for 30 minutes are very different demands, and the watts make that concrete: 263 W is a race for most club rowers and a hard steady state for a good one. Over a training block, watch the split you hold at a fixed heart rate. When it drops, that is fitness, measured in seconds.
For a race target, the goal table above turns any 2k time into the average split and the checkpoints at 500, 1000 and 1500 metres. Then take a time you have actually rowed to the 2k predictor to see whether that goal is realistic, or compare across body weights with the weight-adjusted calculator. If the erg lives inside a wider strength and endurance week, hybrid athlete training covers how to place it.
Erg split to watts table
Every /500m split from 1:20 to 2:40 with the watts it represents, the speed, the monitor's calorie rate, and the time that split produces over 1k, 2k, 5k and 10k. RowErg and SkiErg read straight off this table. For the BikeErg, double the split column (it reports /1000m) and the watts stay the same.
| /500m | Watts | m/s | kcal/h | 1k | 2k | 5k | 10k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:20 | 684 | 6.25 | 2653 | 2:40 | 5:20 | 13:20 | 26:40 |
| 1:25 | 570 | 5.88 | 2261 | 2:50 | 5:40 | 14:10 | 28:20 |
| 1:30 | 480 | 5.56 | 1952 | 3:00 | 6:00 | 15:00 | 30:00 |
| 1:35 | 408 | 5.26 | 1705 | 3:10 | 6:20 | 15:50 | 31:40 |
| 1:40 | 350 | 5.00 | 1505 | 3:20 | 6:40 | 16:40 | 33:20 |
| 1:45 | 302 | 4.76 | 1341 | 3:30 | 7:00 | 17:30 | 35:00 |
| 1:50 | 263 | 4.55 | 1205 | 3:40 | 7:20 | 18:20 | 36:40 |
| 1:55 | 230 | 4.35 | 1092 | 3:50 | 7:40 | 19:10 | 38:20 |
| 2:00 | 203 | 4.17 | 997 | 4:00 | 8:00 | 20:00 | 40:00 |
| 2:05 | 179 | 4.00 | 917 | 4:10 | 8:20 | 20:50 | 41:40 |
| 2:10 | 159 | 3.85 | 848 | 4:20 | 8:40 | 21:40 | 43:20 |
| 2:15 | 142 | 3.70 | 790 | 4:30 | 9:00 | 22:30 | 45:00 |
| 2:20 | 128 | 3.57 | 739 | 4:40 | 9:20 | 23:20 | 46:40 |
| 2:25 | 115 | 3.45 | 695 | 4:50 | 9:40 | 24:10 | 48:20 |
| 2:30 | 104 | 3.33 | 657 | 5:00 | 10:00 | 25:00 | 50:00 |
| 2:35 | 94 | 3.23 | 623 | 5:10 | 10:20 | 25:50 | 51:40 |
| 2:40 | 85 | 3.13 | 594 | 5:20 | 10:40 | 26:40 | 53:20 |
Watts rise with the cube of speed: 2:00 to 1:55 costs 28 W, 1:35 to 1:30 costs 72 W for the same five seconds.
What split do I need for my 2k goal?
Goal time divided by four is the average split you have to hold. The checkpoints are the clock at 500, 1000 and 1500 metres on a dead-even race; most rowers go a second or two under at the start and buy it back in the middle thousand.
| 2k goal | Average split | Watts | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 | 1:30.0 | 480 | 1:30.0 | 3:00.0 | 4:30.0 |
| 6:15 | 1:33.8 | 425 | 1:33.8 | 3:07.5 | 4:41.3 |
| 6:30 | 1:37.5 | 378 | 1:37.5 | 3:15.0 | 4:52.5 |
| 6:45 | 1:41.3 | 337 | 1:41.3 | 3:22.5 | 5:03.8 |
| 7:00 | 1:45.0 | 302 | 1:45.0 | 3:30.0 | 5:15.0 |
| 7:15 | 1:48.8 | 272 | 1:48.8 | 3:37.5 | 5:26.3 |
| 7:30 | 1:52.5 | 246 | 1:52.5 | 3:45.0 | 5:37.5 |
| 7:45 | 1:56.3 | 223 | 1:56.3 | 3:52.5 | 5:48.8 |
| 8:00 | 2:00.0 | 203 | 2:00.0 | 4:00.0 | 6:00.0 |
| 8:15 | 2:03.8 | 185 | 2:03.8 | 4:07.5 | 6:11.3 |
| 8:30 | 2:07.5 | 169 | 2:07.5 | 4:15.0 | 6:22.5 |
| 8:45 | 2:11.3 | 155 | 2:11.3 | 4:22.5 | 6:33.8 |
| 9:00 | 2:15.0 | 142 | 2:15.0 | 4:30.0 | 6:45.0 |
Even-split checkpoints. Enter your own goal in the calculator for the exact numbers, or take it to the 2k predictor to see what your other distances say you can hold.
Questions
How do I convert a rowing split to watts?
Watts = 2.80 / (split in seconds / 500) cubed. A 2:00 /500m split is 203 W, 1:50 is 263 W, 1:45 is 302 W and 1:30 is 480 W. Enter any split above for the exact figure.
How do I convert watts to a split?
Split in seconds = 500 x the cube root of (2.80 / watts). 150 W is a 2:12.6 split, 200 W is 2:00.5, 250 W is 1:51.9 and 300 W is 1:45.3.
What split do I need for a 7:00 2k?
1:45 /500m on average, which is 302 W. An 8:00 2k needs 2:00 (203 W), a 7:30 needs 1:52.5 (246 W) and a 6:30 needs 1:37.5 (378 W). Divide any goal time in seconds by four to get the split.
What is a good erg split?
Depends on the distance and on you. Most club coaches would call 2:00 /500m or slower a normal starting point for men on a 2k and 2:15 for women, with competitive club rowers under 1:45 and 2:00 respectively. Concept2's world rankings give the reference by age, sex and weight class; the [2k predictor](/tools/erg-2k-predictor) page has the typical bands.
How many calories does 30 minutes of rowing burn?
At a 2:00 split the monitor estimate is about 500 kcal for 30 minutes (1,000 kcal per hour). The formula ignores body weight, so a heavier athlete burns more than the screen says and a lighter one less.
Why is the BikeErg split different?
The BikeErg reports pace per 1000 m instead of per 500 m, so its split reads about double for the same power. Compare machines in watts, which use the same scale everywhere.
Does the damper or drag factor change my split?
No. The monitor measures the flywheel and reports the power you produced, so the same watts give the same split at any drag factor. Drag changes how the stroke feels and how much it loads your legs and back, not the score.
Is a SkiErg split comparable to a RowErg split?
The formula is identical, so 2:00 on either machine is 203 W. Most athletes pull a slower split on the SkiErg for the same effort because it uses less muscle mass, which is exactly what the watts make visible.
How does an erg split compare to running pace?
There is no direct conversion because the two carry different loads. As a rough effort match, a steady 2:00 split feels like an easy-to-moderate run for most trained athletes, and race-pace splits under 1:40 sit with hard 5 km running. Heart rate on the erg often runs a few beats higher than on a run at the same perceived effort.
More rowing & erg tools
2K Erg Pacing: How to Execute Without Blowing Up
The full breakdown behind this calculator.
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