Concept2 StrengthErg Review: The All-in-One Cardio and Strength Machine for Home Gyms

Concept2 just dropped a machine that finally pulls cardio and strength into the same lane — and if you've been splitting your training between a rower and a pair of adjustable dumbbells, this lands right in your blind spot. According to Men's Health, the StrengthErg merges a leg press, a chest press, and a row into one aluminum unit that rolls around on tiny wheels and stores vertically. After months testing it, their reviewer found it delivers — especially for the home athlete who's been piecing together a garage gym from mismatched pieces.

Three motions, one frame

Stop thinking of this as a rower. The StrengthErg packs three distinct pulls and pushes into one tower, and Men's Health breaks them down clearly: leg press, chest press, and row. That's your pushing, pulling, and lower-body drive handled without swapping plates or moving between stations. For a bodyweight athlete building a hybrid block at home, that means you can stack a conditioning finisher directly on top of a strength piece without losing your setup.

The build is mostly aluminum, ships in two heavy boxes, and took the reviewer about four hours to assemble solo — grab a friend and you'll halve that. Once it's standing, it moves easier than you'd expect for a 90-pound unit, which matters when you're shifting floor space between circuits.

Price and placement

The StrengthErg comes in two editions: $1,500 with Concept2's PM5 monitor, $1,350 without. Men's Health flags the PM5 version as the smart buy if you've already trained on a RowErg or SkiErg — it's the same performance tracker, and it logs your work cleanly. Compared against a Rogue Echo Rower plus Echo Ski bundle, the StrengthErg runs just $125 less. Against an Assault Airbike, it's roughly $500 more. Against a starter pair of adjustable dumbbells, it's a different category entirely — but then, dumbbells won't redline your heart rate and tax your posterior chain in the same rep.

This isn't a budget add-on. It's a single-machine solution for the athlete who wants to hit a total-body push/pull/legs day and then jump straight into intervals without changing equipment.

Where it fits your programming

Here's the real pitch for home trainees: the StrengthErg lets you chain strength and conditioning in the same session without losing tension or switching grips. You can row hard, drop straight into a chest press set, then drive a leg press — and your heart rate never comes down. That's the kind of density a calisthenics athlete chasing work capacity should want. Concept2 actually revived this design from the DYNO, a unit they built between 2001 and 2007, so the mechanics aren't untested — they're refined.

If your garage or apartment corner is already crowded with a pull-up bar and some bands, measure your vertical clearance before you buy. The footprint is compact when stored upright, but it's not invisible. For the athlete who trains six days a week and refuses to drive to a commercial gym, this is the kind of piece that earns its floor space.