Try the Biathlon Feature!

There are many of us who will be moving exercise activities indoors as the days turn chilly and darkness falls early. With the Performance Monitor 5 (PM5) on your Concept2 machines, you don’t need to be limited in the types of workouts you get while indoors.

The PM5 has built in features that provide a host of options for varying your workouts. Did you know that there some fun games pre-programmed in the PM5? There’s the Fish Game, Darts, Target Training and Biathlon. We’re focusing on the Biathlon feature here with the hopes you give it a shot (pun intended, and no gun needed)! This fun feature allows you to combine other forms of exercise with your erg work (row, ski or bike), adds the dimension of penalties, and allows you to get a total elapsed time for your workout.

Traditional biathlon combines skiing and rifle shooting. In a biathlon race, there are five targets to hit after an interval of skiing. For each target you miss, you ski a penalty lap. The biathlon feature on the PM5 allows you to use any erg: row, ski or bike. Penalties can be creative!

To make it most like the sport itself without using shooting, choose another activity that demands focus, aim, and fine motor control—and something that’s hard to successfully complete five times in a row. For every unsuccessful attempt, you get a penalty. Below are some examples of alternatives to shooting.

Accuracy/Aim Challenges

• Use the backyard game of corn hole or a bean bag toss. You get five tosses—how many can you sink in the hole?
• Find a jar and some coins. Toss five coins into the jar—or as many as you can. Each miss = 1 penalty lap.
• Shoot basketball hoops, throw darts, etc.

Balance Challenges

• Stand on one foot and close your eyes. Move your other foot to the front of your standing foot, out to the side, and to the back, in that order to a count of 15 moves. If you touch your foot to the floor, you get a penalty. Do this 5 times, alternating the foot you stand on.
• Put a kettlebell or dumbbell on the floor in front of you. Standing on one foot, bend forward to pick up the weight, lift it straight up along your body and over your head, then reverse to put it back on the floor. If you touch your other foot to the floor, you get a penalty. Do this five times, alternating the foot you stand on. If it’s too easy—try it with eyes closed!

How to Set Up a Biathlon Workout

1. From the Main Menu, choose Select Workout > New Workout > Special > Biathlon.
2. Use the arrows to set your desired lap distance and number of laps.
3. Indicate that you wish to use penalties, and set the penalty lap distance.
4. Select the “check” button and you’re ready to go.

Try these workouts:

Coin Toss Biathlon

• Race lap distance = 250 meters
• Race laps = 5
• Penalty lap distance = 50 meters

Setup a container into which you will attempt to toss 5 coins (or other items). You’re ready to go! 

Balance Biathlon

• Race lap distance = 500 meters
• Race laps = 3
• Penalty lap distance = 100 meters

Setup a balance challenge (see above), which you will attempt to complete five times. You’re ready to go!

To read more about the sport and the US Biathlon team, visit www.usbiathlon.org.