How to Log Your Erg Workouts

By the Watta Team · Updated 9 October 2026

There are five common ways to keep a record of your erg sessions: a notebook or spreadsheet, typing into the Concept2 Logbook, ErgData over Bluetooth, a USB transfer from the monitor, or a photo of the screen. They differ in how much effort each workout costs you, whether intervals and heart rate come through, and what you get back beyond a list of numbers.

Quick Answer

If you row on your own PM5 and want an official record, ErgData uploads each session to the Concept2 Logbook automatically. If you row on shared ergs, older monitors, or simply do not want to pair anything, photographing the monitor with Watta logs the whole piece — intervals included — in a few seconds and adds analysis on top. A notebook still works; it is just the method most people stop keeping.

1. Notebook or Spreadsheet

Write down date, distance, time, average split and stroke rate. It costs nothing and you can record anything you like. The catch is effort: interval sessions mean copying every row, nothing is calculated for you, and a missed week leaves a gap you rarely go back to fill. Spreadsheets add charts, but only if you build them.

2. Type It into the Concept2 Logbook

Concept2's free Online Logbook accepts workouts entered by hand and is the home of Concept2's rankings and seasonal challenges. It keeps lifetime metres and a tidy history. Entering intervals by hand is slow, and the Logbook records rather than analyses — it will not tell you how hard a session was or whether you paced it well.

3. ErgData over Bluetooth

ErgData is Concept2's companion app. Paired with a PM5 over Bluetooth it shows the workout live and uploads it to the Logbook when you finish, with intervals and heart rate if a strap is connected. It is the most automatic route to an official record, but it needs a PM5, a successful pairing before every session, and your phone at the erg for the whole workout.

4. USB Transfer from the Monitor

With a USB cable or flash drive and Concept2's desktop Concept2 Utility, you can move stored workouts from the monitor to your Logbook. It suits a home erg near a computer and older PM4 monitors, but it is a batch job you have to remember, and it does nothing on a gym erg you do not own.

5. A Photo of the Screen with Watta

Finish the piece and photograph the PM5 summary screen. Watta reads the distance, time, split, stroke rate and every interval — plus watts, heart rate, calories and drag factor when the screen shows them — and you check them before saving. It needs no pairing, works on any Concept2 erg including PM3 and PM4 monitors, and each session comes back with a 0-100 Effort Score, personal bests per distance and a comparison with your previous attempt. Watta can also import the sessions you upload to the Concept2 Logbook, so the two do not conflict.

Which Method Fits You?

Choose by where you row and what you want back. Own a PM5 and care about rankings: ErgData to the Logbook. Row in a gym or club, use an older monitor, or hate pairing: a photo with Watta. Want analysis — effort, pacing, progress against your best — rather than a list: Watta, with the Logbook alongside if you also want Concept2's rankings. The best log is the one you will still be keeping in three months.

Tips

+Log straight after the piece — the summary screen has everything, and memory fades by the evening.
+Keep intervals as intervals; a 4 x 2,000m logged as one 8,000m loses the pacing information.
+Record heart rate where you can: pair a strap to the PM5 so it shows on the screen.
+Use one place as your main record so your bests and trends are not split across apps.
+Test a new method for a fortnight before judging it — the first few logs always feel slower.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the easiest way to log Concept2 workouts?

For most people, a photo of the monitor: Watta reads the whole summary screen, intervals included, with no pairing or typing. If you own a PM5 and want the official Logbook record, ErgData uploads automatically once paired.

Do I need ErgData to use the Concept2 Logbook?

No. You can type workouts into the Logbook on the Concept2 website, or transfer them from the monitor by USB with the Concept2 Utility. ErgData is the automatic route for PM5 owners.

Can I log a workout after I have finished rowing?

Yes. The PM5 keeps recent workouts in its memory, so you can recall one and photograph it later, or upload an existing photo or screenshot of the screen to Watta from your camera roll.

How do I log interval workouts on a rowing machine?

Keep the intervals separate. ErgData and a USB transfer carry them across automatically; Watta reads every interval row from a photo of the PM5's interval screen; in a notebook or the Logbook you enter each one by hand.

Every erg counts.

Photograph your erg screen after the piece and Watta logs it for you.

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