Convert Concept2 Performance Monitor Calories to rowing meters or meters back to monitor Calories when the elapsed time is known.
How Monitor Calories Convert to Meters
The conversion requires elapsed time. Monitor Calories are first turned into Calories per hour, then into average watts with the Concept2 monitor equation. Under a steady-pace assumption, watts determine the 500-meter split and the distance for the same time. Variable-pace workouts can differ because power depends on the cube of speed.
| Known values | Intermediate calculation | Primary result |
|---|---|---|
| Calories and time | Cal/hour, watts, and split | Meters |
| Meters and time | Split, watts, and Cal/hour | Monitor Calories |
| Calories without time | Power cannot be determined | No unique meter result |
Why elapsed time matters
Fifty monitor Calories completed quickly represents more average power than the same display total accumulated slowly. Because pace depends on power, one calorie total can correspond to many distances unless the time is included.
Monitor Calories are a standardized display
The equation includes a 300 Cal/hour base and was designed for repeatable Performance Monitor output. Individual metabolic expenditure varies with body weight and efficiency, so it should not be treated as a personalized energy measurement.
Sources
Sources: Concept2, How to Use the PM2/PM2+, current online edition; Concept2, Pace and Watts Calculators, current online edition; accessed August 8, 2026.
