Urban Fitness

01/10/2026

Coming up this Saturday HYROX, 90 minutes class 8:00am kick off.

Haven’t tried one yet?

Comment “TRAIN” and we’ll send you a free guest pass.

Bring a mate. Come and push some sleds with us🏃🏽‍♂️🏃🏽‍♀️

01/10/2026

The Concept2 BikeErg 20 minute test.

How much power can you hold for 20 minutes?

Not a sprint. Not a comfortable ride.

All you got, for 20-minutes.

THE TEST
• 15 minute warm up RPE 7-8
• 20 minutes all you got RPE 9-10
• 10 minute cool down

Adjust the damper so that you are averaging between 90 and 100 RPM for 20-minutes.

By the end, you should feel like there’s nothing left in the tank.

WHAT YOUR WATTS TELL YOU
Multiply your 20 minute average watts by 0.95 to estimate your FTP.

WHY WE DO IT
We test to set watt targets matched to your current fitness.

Then we use those targets to build your aerobic engine on the bike, without adding the impact of more running.

HOW TO USE YOUR FTP
• Base: 60 to 75%. Long, steady rides
• Tempo and sweet spot: 80 to 95%. Strong, controlled work
• Threshold: 95 to 105%. Hold power when it gets hard
• Above threshold: over 105%. Short, hard repeats

Watts are only part of it. Interval length, recovery and total work matter too.

EXAMPLE FROM MY OWN TRAINING
Last test: 275 W average.
Estimated FTP: 261 W.

15 minute warm up
6 × 5 minute blocks:
• 3 minutes at 270 W (threshold)
• 1 minute at 310 W (above threshold)
• 1 minute at 150 W (recovery)
15 minute cool down

THE TAKEAWAY
In class, we use watts to give you a clear target, not just “ride hard”.

In individual training, it sets targets that match the person and the session, sometimes in place of a hard run.

For me, it’s one of the best conditioning tools you can invest in to take your training to another level.

29/09/2026

Your split tells you how long it takes to cover 500 metres on the SkiErg or RowErg.

Watts tell you how much power you’re producing to hold that pace.

It’s worth knowing both.

A change of five seconds on the monitor isn’t only five seconds.

The power needed to go faster doesn’t rise in a straight line, and easing off doesn’t reduce it in a straight line either.

Take the opening 1,000-metre ski in a HYROX race. These are two hypothetical split times:

2:10 split = 4:20 finish, about 159 watts.
2:00 split = 4:00 finish, about 203 watts.

That’s 20 seconds saved, but roughly 27% more power while you’re skiing.

Whether those 20 seconds are worth the extra effort depends on you and what you can sustain through the rest of the race.

In the video, I keep my stroke rate steady and gradually back off the drive.

Watch the split rise as the watts drop.

That’s why I pay attention to watts in training, not only the time on the monitor: they help me understand what a change of pace asks of me.

The same thinking applies between stations.

Running faster might gain you time, but you have to consider what it takes out of you before the next station.

There isn’t one right pace for everyone, or one number on a monitor that tells the whole story.

Know your own pace.

Learn what different efforts feel like in training, then use that knowledge to decide where to push and where to hold back on race day.

29/09/2026

A few simple cues for the sled push.

This is what works for me. I’m 6 feet tall and around 85–88 kg, so your setup might look different.

HANDS DOWN

Grip about a third of the way down the handles.

That puts my back in a flatter position and helps me drive the sled forward, rather than lifting the back of it.

HIPS BACK

Keep your hips away from the sled as you push.

With your hands lower, this helps you drive through your toes and use your glutes and calves, rather than relying on your quads.

FEET BACK

Don’t let your toes get too close to the sled.

Get too close and the front can dig in, stopping your momentum.

SMALL STEPS

Keep your body over the sled and take lots of little steps.

I aim to push about a third of a length at a time, stopping before my legs start burning.

KEEP IT MOVING

Once the sled is going, try to hold that momentum.

Lots of little steps.

Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast.

29/09/2026

29/09/2026

Humans of Urban Volume 1 😎

These are too good to sit on my phone.

Photos thanks to Adrien at Air Picture Company

27/09/2026

Tour the inside of Urban Fitness on your phone 😎

Credit to Adrian at Air Picture Company for the amazing drone work to capture our space.

26/09/2026

If I could give you only one piece of technical advice on the Concept2 rower, it would be this.

Take your feet out of the straps.

That’s it 🥇

Most people use the straps as a crutch.

They hang off them at the finish.

They lean back too far.

They shoot the slide and finish the legs early.

The straps hide all of it.

Take them away and you can’t cheat.

Here’s what changes👇

Legs stay connected: you have to keep pressure on the footplate through the whole drive.

Layback gets sensible: lean back too far and you’ve got nothing holding you there.

Core does the work: your abs hold the finish, not the straps.

How to try it 🙌🏽
Take your feet out of the straps.

Start with arms and body only.

Then add a little more slide each stroke.

Row light and smooth. The stroke will be a bit shorter. That’s fine.

Then put your feet back in and keep the same feeling.

Don’t rely on the straps 🙅🏽‍♂️

Use it as a warm up drill before every row session.

One simple cue. Better position. Better stroke.

26/09/2026

SERVICE YOUR SKIERG: TWO CORDS, ONE FAN

Q: Why service a SkiErg at all?
A: Worn cords eventually break, and a dusty fan quietly loses resistance. A few simple checks keep the machine safe and every stroke feeling the same.

Q: What are the two cords inside a SkiErg?
A: Handle cords and shock cords (Concept2 calls them bungee cords).
HANDLE CORDS · connect your handles to the flywheel. Every pull drives the fan.
SHOCK CORDS · return the handles to the start position after each pull.

Q: When should I change them?
A: Concept2 says to inspect both every 500,000 metres, which is about 50 hours of use.

HANDLE CORDS · some surface fuzz is normal. Replace them once the fuzzing gets worse in one spot.

SHOCK CORDS · replace them straight away once white fibres show through the braided cover.
Concept2 recommends replacing both at the same time.

Q: Why clean the fan?
A: Dust and lint collect inside the flywheel enclosure and restrict airflow, which reduces the fan’s resistance. Concept2 says that as the screen clogs, even damper 10 has little or no effect. The machine feels lighter than it should.

Q: How often should I clean it?
A: Concept2 suggests about once every 250 hours of use, and more often if the machine lives somewhere dusty. Take the four screws out of the outer cover and vacuum the perforated outlet and the housing.

Q: Anything else?
A: Every 50 hours, check the fasteners are tight and the pulleys run freely. Untwist the cords now and then so they don’t wrap around each other inside the machine. Wipe the grips with mild soap every few workouts.

Got a SkiErg question? Ask me anything in the comments.

Source: Concept2 SkiErg maintenance guides.