Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Extremely Hard

A single-modal 10,000 m SkiErg demands 45–75+ minutes for most athletes. The movement is simple but the duration is extreme, requiring strong aerobic capacity, muscular endurance in the lats/core/posterior chain, and significant mental resilience. There are no technical breaks or skill alternations—just continuous work—making it an extremely hard test of sustained pacing and engine.

Benchmark Times for Ski 10000m

• Elite: <38:00
• Advanced: 42:00-46:00
• Intermediate: 50:00-54:00
• Beginner: >78:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Endurance (10/10): Pure monostructural work for an extended duration taxes the aerobic system heavily. Success depends on steady-state oxygen delivery and the ability to maintain a sustainable heart rate for nearly an hour.
• Stamina (7/10): High-volume, repeated contractions of lats, triceps, core, and posterior chain over thousands of strokes challenge muscular endurance more than strength.
• Speed (3/10): Stroke rate should be controlled and repeatable, not sprinty. Efficient transitions don’t exist here; maintaining a metronomic cadence is key.
• Power (2/10): There’s some benefit to a powerful catch and drive, but the event rewards economy over peak explosiveness. Excess sprinting early is counterproductive.
• Strength (2/10): Minimal max-force demand; each pull is submaximal. Strength matters only insofar as it supports posture, bracing, and maintaining stroke quality under fatigue.
• Flexibility (1/10): Requires basic shoulder flexion and hip hinge range but no extreme positions. Mobility constraints rarely limit performance if mechanics are solid.

Movements

• Ski Erg

Scaling Options

Scale to: 7,500 m SkiErg • 5 x 2,000 m SkiErg, rest 2:00 between • 10,000 m on Rower/BikeErg at same time domain

Scaling Explanation

These options reduce total duration or use intervals while preserving the long, monostructural aerobic stimulus and steady pacing focus.

Intended Stimulus

A long, steady grind that stays strictly aerobic. You should feel controlled, breathing hard but never redlining, with consistent splits from start to finish. The right pace feels almost too easy for the first 2,000–3,000 m, then gradually becomes a mental test to hold technique and wattage without drifting slower.

Coach Insight

Open at a pace you could hold for 60 minutes—if it feels fast at 1,000 m, it’s too fast. Settle into a sustainable split and lock it in. The one tip: Breathe and lengthen. Long, tall strokes with a strong core brace beat choppy, high-rate pulling. Avoid early surges, overly high damper settings, and death-grip hands. Sit tall; don’t collapse at the catch.

Benchmark Notes

Times are banded from beginner to elite. If you’re over an hour, consider scaling distance or using interval partitions. Strong everyday athletes target 50–60 minutes; advanced aim for 42–50; elites can dip into the high 30s to low 40s. Pacing and stroke economy matter more than peak power.

Modality Profile

This workout is 100% monostructural: continuous SkiErg. No gymnastics or external loading. The entire demand is cardio-respiratory with repetitive pulling and bracing. Focus is on pacing, breathing, and stroke mechanics rather than transitions or mixed-modal interference.

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