Erg Watts & Pace
Convert a Concept2 500m split to power in watts and back again, with the calorie burn rate alongside. The same numbers your PM5 monitor shows.
- 500m split
- 2:00.0
- Calories/hour
- 997
How it works
Concept2 derives power from pace with a fixed cube law: watts equals 2.80 divided by pace cubed, where pace is seconds per metre. Because it depends only on speed, watts are a fair way to compare efforts between rowers regardless of body weight or drag factor.
The calorie figure follows Concept2’s formula, watts times four times 0.8604 plus 300, reported as a rate per hour. Use watts to set erg targets, compare pieces of different lengths, or translate a coach’s power target into a split you can chase on the monitor.
Frequently asked questions
How does Concept2 convert split to watts?
The monitor uses watts = 2.80 ÷ pace³, where pace is your time in seconds for a single metre (the 500m split divided by 500). A 2:00 split works out to about 202 watts.
How are the calories calculated?
Concept2 uses calories per hour = watts × 4 × 0.8604 + 300. The +300 is a fixed offset for resting metabolism, which is why low wattages still show a calorie burn. It is a rate per hour, not a per-stroke figure.
Why do my watts not match another rower at the same split?
They should. Watts depend only on the pace, not on body weight or the drag-factor setting, so any two ergs pulling the same split are producing the same power. Weight matters for on-water boat speed, not for erg watts.