How to do the Ski Erg
- Stand tall facing the machine, feet hip-width apart, handles overhead.
- Start with straight arms and a slight bend in your knees, ready to pull.
- Pull the handles down with your lats, arms long at first, then bend your elbows.
- Let the handles rise back overhead under control, returning to the starting position.
Full technique — 7 steps
- Stand facing the machine with feet about hip width apart and handles overhead.
- Start tall with arms extended, ribs down, and a slight bend in your knees.
- Drive the handles down by crunching the torso slightly and pulling through the lats.
- As the handles pass chest height, hinge at the hips and finish the pull past your thighs.
- Keep the arms long early, then bend the elbows more as you accelerate downward.
- Let the handles rise back overhead under control while returning to a tall stance.
- Link each stroke smoothly so the recovery sets up the next powerful downward pull.
Common mistakes
- Pulling mostly with the arms
- Squatting instead of hinging
- Overrounding through the lower back
- Cutting the stroke short
- Letting the handles snap upward
Form cues
- Pull from the lats
- Hinge, don't squat
- Arms long at entry
- Finish past the thighs
- Recover tall overhead
