Concept2 Erg Pace Calculator

On a Concept2 rowing machine (erg), the three numbers everyone talks about — your /500m split, your power in watts, and your calories per hour — are all the same effort expressed three ways. This calculator converts between them using the exact formulas the Concept2 Performance Monitor uses, and tells you how long a target distance will take at that pace.

The Concept2 Formula

Concept2 defines power as a function of pace, where pace is your speed in seconds per metre. The relationship is a cube law — doubling your speed costs roughly eight times the power:

Because power scales with the cube of speed, small split improvements demand large jumps in wattage. Shaving two seconds off a 2:00 split is far harder than shaving two seconds off a 2:30 split.

Split, Watts and Calories Reference

Use this table to sanity-check the calculator and to set pacing targets for intervals.

Worked Example

You hold a 2:00 /500m split. Pace is 120 s / 500 m = 0.24 s/m, so watts = 2.80 / 0.24³ ≈ 175 W. Over a 2000 m piece, total time = 0.24 × 2000 = 480 s = 8:00. The calorie estimate, 175 × 4 × 0.8604 + 300, gives roughly 900 cal/hr.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Calories are not bodyweight-adjusted. The C2 monitor uses a fixed formula, so a light and heavy rower at the same watts see the same number even though real expenditure differs.
• Damper setting does not change the formula. Watts and split are linked the same way at any drag factor.
• Pace must be held evenly for the target-time estimate to match reality.

Disclaimer: These figures match the Concept2 Performance Monitor's published relationships and are for training reference. Calorie estimates are approximate and should not be used for clinical or dietary precision.