SkiErg — Stroke Rate

Why this matters

The SkiErg runs at a noticeably higher stroke rate than the rower — typically the high-30s to mid-40s spm — because each pull is shorter and the recovery is lighter (you stand the machine back up rather than sliding a seat). Power still comes from the same place: a tall catch with the hips and lats loaded, then a full drive down through the trunk and hips, not just the arms yanking the handles. Stroke rate tells you whether the athlete is pacing that pattern or shortening the pull to chase frequency.

For Hyrox the SkiErg opens the race, so the temptation is to start hot. A rate parked above the sustainable window in the first 30 seconds usually means the pull has already shortened and the posterior chain has dropped out — the athlete is arm-pulling. The right rate keeps the hips and trunk in the drive for the full 1 km.

How it's measured here — and the slow-motion trap

This is a windowed count. Scrub to a clean catch (arms high, body tall) to open the window, scrub to a matching catch to close it, count the strokes between. Rate = strokes ÷ window-seconds × 60. Catch-to-catch alignment keeps the window whole-stroke clean.

If the clip is phone slow-motion (120/240 fps captured, 30 fps timestamps), an uncorrected rate reads 4–8× low. Set Capture FPS in the Clip Inspector to the true capture rate so the tool rescales video-time to real time before computing SPM.

What good looks like

34–46 spm with each stroke showing a tall catch, a full hip-and-trunk drive, and the handles finishing low past the hips before a light, controlled return. Rate steady across the piece.

Common faults

• Below pace (< 34 spm) — under-pacing; the strokes may be long but you're leaving time on the table on a station that rewards a brisk rate. Lift frequency before the drive gets sloppy.
• Above sustainable (> 46 spm) — the pull is shortening and the posterior chain is dropping out, so it becomes an arm-only effort. Drive longer through the hips and let the flywheel slow slightly between pulls to restore stroke length.

Coaching cues

• "Tall, then drive through the hips." Stops the stroke collapsing into an arms-only pull as the rate rises.
• "Punch the handles past your hips." Preserves full stroke length at speed.

Related measurements

• Global Extension at the Catch — the tall loaded position the rate is built on.
• Drive Sequencing — confirms the hips/trunk lead the arms, which high rates tend to erode.
• Rowing — Stroke Rate — the same metric on the rower, which sits lower.