Rowing Machine vs SkiErg

These two are closer cousins than any other pairing on the site. Concept2 builds both on the same air flywheel and the same PM5 monitor, so the resistance feels and reads the same, and split times are directly comparable. What differs is the movement and your posture — and that is what should decide it.

The rower is a seated, legs-first full-body pull. The SkiErg is a standing, upper-body-led double-pole, the motion of cross-country skiing. Same engine, very different exercise. One quick, honest note up front: this site does not sell the SkiErg, so you will find no price or buy link for it here — we cover it editorially, and the machine you can actually buy from us is the RowErg.

The movement

On the rower you sit, strap in, and drive: legs press the seat back first, the body swings open, and the arms finish the pull to the chest, then the whole thing reverses on the recovery. It is a large, sequenced, full-body movement, and the legs start it.

On the SkiErg you stand and reach both handles overhead, then pull them down and back past your hips in a double-pole — a crunch-and-extend driven by the lats, triceps and core, with the legs and hips assisting through a hip-hinge rather than leading. It is upper-body-led where the rower is leg-led, and you are on your feet the whole time.

Muscles and posture

The rowing stroke is roughly 60% legs, 20% core and back, 20% arms — a balanced full-body pull with the biggest share going to the largest muscles you own. The full muscle breakdown of the stroke is here.

The SkiErg shifts the balance upward. The double-pole is lat, triceps and core dominant, with the shoulders and grip working hard and the legs and glutes contributing through the hinge rather than powering the movement. It is a superb upper-body and core conditioner, but it does not load the legs the way a rowing drive does. If you want the largest share of the work in your legs, the rower does that; if you specifically want an upper-body-and-core engine, the SkiErg is built for it.

Floor space and mounting

This is where they diverge most for a home. A rower is long and low — a Concept2 is 96 inches by 24 — so it needs a long, narrow run of floor for the seat rail, and it lives horizontally. It stores well (a Concept2 splits into two pieces), but in use it wants a clear strip of room.

The SkiErg is the opposite shape. It stands vertically and can be wall-mounted or set on an optional floor stand, and its footprint is tiny — you stand directly in front of it and pull down. In a cramped room where you cannot spare a nine-foot lane, the standing machine can be far easier to place. Note that a wall or stud mount is its own small install job, where a rower simply sits on the floor.

Joints and who each suits

Both are low-impact and easy on the joints; neither has a hard landing phase. The difference is posture. The SkiErg keeps you standing and never asks you to lower yourself to a low seat or get up off the floor, which suits anyone who finds sitting down to a rower’s low rail and standing back up awkward, or who simply prefers to train on their feet. Do bear in mind it puts more sustained demand on the shoulders and grip.

The rower, sitting low and non-weight-bearing, takes your bodyweight off your legs entirely and keeps the work leg-led, which many people find the more comfortable engine for long, hard cardio. As ever, this is general information rather than medical advice — if you have an existing shoulder, back or knee condition, talk to a doctor about which posture suits you before starting.

Which to buy first

For most people, the rower is the more complete and more versatile first buy. It trains a bigger share of the body, leads with the powerful leg drive, and is the standard reference for erg cardio, so pacing and workouts translate everywhere. The SkiErg is a brilliant second machine or a specialist first pick for someone who wants a standing, upper-body-led engine or has room only for a wall-mounted unit. Both run on the same air resistance, covered in full here, so whichever you choose, you get that self-scaling feel that competitive training is built on.

Since the actionable pick on this site is the rower, that is where the recommendation lands. The Concept2 RowErg is the benchmark seated erg — no subscription, no motor, and split times that mean the same thing on any Concept2 anywhere. Our full RowErg review is here. If your budget is limited, a magnetic rower like the MERACH Q1S gets you the seated stroke for far less. The rest of our rower picks are here.

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