5 Proven Concept2 BikeErg Workouts to Transform Your Conditioning

The Concept2 BikeErg is an excellent piece of cardio kit, but most people don’t really use it to its full capability – they’ll just jump on it for a warm up, or a steady state ride. In this article I’m going to share 5 proven BikeErg workouts to transform your conditioning.

I’ll even throw a little bonus tip in at the end…

With any cardio there’s essentially three variables you can manipulate to make the workout harder…

• Speed – how fast you move
• Duration – how long you move for
• Intensity – addition of hills or higher resistance

The Concept2 BikeErg allows you to manipulate all three of these variables really easily, and to a good degree as well, so let’s explore the different workouts…

BikeErg Hill Repeats

With the sensitivity of the damper on the flywheel you can perform a really good hill workout with a BikeErg.

Set the damper on setting 6 and ride at a comfortable pace for 5 minutes. After the first 5 minutes, reach down and increase to setting 8 and maintain for another 5 minutes, before putting it up to level 10 for 10 minutes.

Once you’ve completed the first 20 minute ‘hill’, return it to setting 6 and repeat the process.

Aim for 3 hills per workout, making the session 60 minutes in duration.

Sprint Repeats (HIIT)

One of the classic BikeErg workouts, you can adapt this workout however you like – sprint flat out for 10 seconds, ride slowly to rest for 50, or whatever suits you. Personally, I think you should either go…

Full gas, where the sprint is a max-out effort for a short time (10 seconds), then recover for the rest of the minute. You’d repeat this 15 – 20 times.

OR

Take a longer, medium endurance sprint with a medium-length rest, such as a 30 seconds at 80% effort, followed by 30 seconds recovery ride. You’d be able to repeat this 30-40 times.

Time Trials

Speed endurance is one of the most effective BikeErg workouts. I like to perform a time trial, because you’ve got a consistent data set. I tend not to go for really long time trials, because I’m looking to maintain some speed endurance.

Depending on your fitness level you’ll be looking at around 1:50 – 2:10 per kilometre, so take that as a guideline and work upwards. If you ride 10km it’ll be in the ball park of 20 minutes, 15km will be 30 and 20km will be around 40 minutes.

Set the damper to around 6 to get the nice combination of speed and resistance.

BikeErg Valleys

The difference between hills and valleys is the sprint on the back of the hill. Here’s what I mean…

If you were to climb a long hill, the ride down would be really fast. That’s what we’re trying to replicate with a valley workout.

Set the damper at 10 and ride hard for 10 minutes. Once you reach 10 minutes, set it back to 4 and sprint for 60 seconds. Ride slowly for 4 minutes to recover, then repeat. Aim for 4 valleys per workout.

It’s one of the tougher BikeErg workouts, because you follow a period of high intensity work with a long sprint, so you’re asked to ride fast when you’re already tired. It’s not for the faint-hearted!

Calorie Targets

Using the calorie metric on machines wasn’t really a thing until CrossFit started popularising the approach in the early 2000’s. Rather than work for a given time or duration, they’d often programme a certain calorie target.

If you’re using your BikeErg for fat loss, it’s a good metric to use. Not because the calorie counter is especially accurate, but because it gives you a defined target to hit that’s different from speed or duration.

Pick a high target (I’d say 400-700) and go for it – ride hard until you hit it. You’ll know you’ve done a workout! It’s a steady state workout, but there’s nothing wrong with those at all. It’ll give you a figure to aim for, so pick your number and ride!

Concept2 BikeErg Workouts – Bonus Tip!

I promised you a bonus tip, and like the postman, I always deliver.

If you ride a Concept2 BikeErg, I really recommend that you use the ErgData App. I’ve always been a bit sceptical of fitness business apps, but I like this one because it allows you to set the workout on your phone, then sync with the PM5 monitor on the screen. It then allows you to watch a video on your phone, listen to a podcast etc.

The ErgData app also keeps a track of your workout data, so you can compare your performance to previous workouts. It gives you a diary of details that you’d struggle to accurately record in other ways. It also makes workout suggestions for you.

It works with all of the Concept2 Range, so you don’t need to download different apps for different kit.

Another cool feature is that it connects you with the Concept2 community. You’re plugged into a group of other Concept2 users from all over the globe, meaning you can link with virtual training partners, take part in challenges and pit yourself against the other users around the globe. I haven’t used these features, but I know they exist.

As fitness equipment apps go, it’s the best I’ve ever seen.

Concept2 BikeErg Workouts – Final Thoughts

Most people just use the BikeErg to do a steady-state workout, or a basic warm up. That’s finest they’re leaving so much training functionality on the table.

The BikeErg is one of the best items of cardio equipment in the gym, so give these BikeErg workouts a try and take your cardiovascular fitness to the next level. You can also enjoy some new workout inspiration whilst you’re at it – no more boring BikeErg sessions!

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