How to Do a 2k Erg Test: Setup, Warm-Up and Pacing

A 2k erg test is 2,000 metres on an indoor rower, rowed as fast as you can hold from start to finish. It is the standard test in rowing, and the number you get sets your training paces, lets you compare yourself over time and gives you something to aim at.

It is also hard.

Check you are ready first

A 2k is a maximal effort. Your heart rate will climb close to its limit and you will be short of breath for several minutes afterwards.

If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, a history of fainting, a back or joint problem, are pregnant, or are simply unsure, check with your GP before you test. This is general training advice, not medical advice.

Stop straight away if you get chest pain, dizziness, faintness or unusual breathlessness. If chest pain does not settle quickly, call 999. A test time is never worth ignoring a warning sign.

You should also be able to row steadily for 20 to 30 minutes before you try one. If you cannot yet, start with the first month on the erg and test later.

Set up the machine

Use the same machine, the same drag factor and roughly the same time of day every time you test. Otherwise you are comparing two different tests.

1. Set the damper, then read the drag factor. On a Concept2 PM5, go to More Options and then Display Drag Factor, take a few strokes and read the number. Our guide to drag factor explains why the number matters more than the lever position.
2. Pick a figure you can repeat. As a rough rule of thumb, many home rowers sit around 110 to 130. Write yours down.
3. Set the workout. On the PM5 choose Select Workout, New Workout, Single Distance, then set 2000m.
4. Set the display. Show pace per 500m large, with stroke rate and metres remaining visible.
5. Check your feet and straps. Heels should lift slightly at the front, with the strap across the widest part of your foot. Loose straps lose you power.
6. Have water and a fan ready. You will be hot, and you will not want to look for a bottle afterwards.

Warm up properly

Do not start a 2k cold, and do not tire yourself before it either. A sensible warm-up takes about 15 minutes. This is the same one used in the free 8-Week 2k Plan:

1. 8 minutes easy at rate 18 to 20.
2. 3 minutes building from rate 20 to 22.
3. Three bursts of 10 strokes at your target 2k pace, with a minute of light paddling after each.
4. 3 minutes of light paddling, then start the test within about 5 minutes.

The bursts show you what your target pace feels like, so you are not guessing at 500m.

Work out your target pace

Pace on the monitor is shown as time per 500m. Your 2k is four 500m sections, so take your target finish time in seconds and divide by 4.

Worked example: a 7:00 target

1. 7 minutes is 420 seconds.
2. 420 divided by 4 is 105 seconds.
3. That is 1:45/500m.

Target 2k	Seconds	Average pace /500m
6:40	400	1:40.0
7:00	420	1:45.0
7:30	450	1:52.5
8:00	480	2:00.0
8:30	510	2:07.5
9:00	540	2:15.0

If you have never tested before, you have no honest target. Pick a pace you think you could hold for about 7 to 9 minutes and treat the test as a baseline. Be willing to adjust after the first 500m.

Pace it in four sections

The most common mistake is rowing the first 500m far too fast. It feels easy because you are fresh, and you pay for it from 1,000m onwards. Our 2k pacing strategy goes into this in detail. The short version, using a 2:00 target:

1. First 500m: no more than 2 seconds under target. Aim for about 1:58 to 1:59. Settle by 100m.
2. 500m to 1500m: sit on target at about 2:00 to 2:01. This is the hard middle. It feels uncomfortable, and that is normal.
3. Last 500m: if you have anything left, lift the pace. In the last 200m, raise the rate and spend whatever remains.

Rate will usually sit around 28 to 32 strokes per minute for most of the test, rising at the end. Do not chase rate for its own sake. If your pace drops as the rate rises, your stroke is getting short. The stroke rate guide covers that.

During the test

• Count in 100m or 250m chunks. Thinking about 2,000m is too much. Think about the next 250m.
• Check the split every 10 strokes or so, not every stroke. Pace on the monitor bounces around. Look at the average for the last few strokes.
• Keep your technique. When it hurts, the stroke shortens and the legs stop doing the work. Push hard with the legs, keep your back strong and finish each stroke.
• Breathe out. Do not hold your breath at the finish.

After the test

Keep paddling lightly for 5 to 10 minutes until your breathing settles. Do not sit down straight away or stand up and walk off quickly. If you feel dizzy, sit down and tell someone.

Then record the useful details:

• Final time and average pace.
• The splits for each 500m.
• Average and finishing stroke rate.
• Drag factor, date, time of day and machine.
• How the pacing felt. Did you fade, or finish with something left?

If your splits went something like 1:52, 2:02, 2:06, 2:10 (an 8:10 finish), you went out too hard. A more even set around the same average would have been faster over the full distance. Use that for next time.

Use the result

Your 2k time gives you your training paces, and the rowing pace calculator works them out for you. In the 8-Week 2k Plan, steady rows sit about 20 to 26 seconds slower than your 2k pace, and harder intervals sit a few seconds above it. For a 2:00 2k pace, that is about 2:20 to 2:26 for easy work. If you’d rather set easy work by heart rate than by pace, see how the Maffetone Method applies to rowing.

Be fair to yourself about what the result means. Sleep, stress, hydration and pacing all change it. One test is one data point, not a final judgement.

When you are ready to improve it, the guide to improving your 2k erg time is the next stop. For a structured 12-week build with four erg sessions a week, see the 2k Erg Programme. If you want a free starting point, the 8-Week 2k Plan is available when you sign up using the box at the end of this page.

For a general overview of what to train and when, head to the training hub.