# At the margin: erg vs bike for conditioning? 

**URL:** <https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/at-the-margin-erg-vs-bike-for-conditioning/16511>\
**Category:** Training Q&A \[Moderated\]\
**Created:** [January 27, 2025, 3:34pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/at-the-margin-erg-vs-bike-for-conditioning/16511 "2025-01-27T15:34:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![asadkkhaliq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@asadkkhaliq](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/asadkkhaliq)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2025, 3:34pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/at-the-margin-erg-vs-bike-for-conditioning/16511/1 "2025-01-27T15:34:11Z")

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Hey BBM team, I was turned on to your programs after an in-person session with Alan Thrall and it’s been a breath of fresh air after grinding through Starting Strength initially. So, thank you.

I’m currently on Block I of the beginner prescription and so there’s quite a bit of squat/deadlift/row volume in my routine. I currently use a Concept2 rower and sometimes notice a little bit of low back fatigue (certainly not pain) and/or notice myself getting slightly lazy on form on my conditioning days when going 20+ mins on the rower.

I could also get access to a Concept2 bike. At the margin, is a rowing machine more fatiguing / challenging on the back alongside a strength-focused routine compared to a bike? Merit to switching to a bike? Or is the difference not really one worth considering?

Thank you so much for all your wonderful work!

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**Author:** ![Jordan\_Feigenbaum](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/jordan_feigenbaum/32/1315_2.png) [@Jordan\_Feigenbaum](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/Jordan_Feigenbaum)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2025, 3:39pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/at-the-margin-erg-vs-bike-for-conditioning/16511/2 "2025-01-27T15:39:39Z")

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Howdy!

My view on conditioning is that the active muscles used by a particular modality get more fitness adaptations as well as fatigue. Whether there’s some sort of interference effect from too high of a training load due to do rowing is a different question, however. For an individual whom the Beginner Template is appropriate, I would guess this is a possibility.

I would recommend doing _at least_ two or three different conditioning modes on the [Beginner Template.](https://www.barbellmedicine.com/shop/training-templates/strength/beginner-template/). We discuss this a bit in the eBook accompanying that program.

-Jordan