Target vs PB vs Anchor: three numbers every erg rower should keep separate

September 21, 20266 min read

A rowing PB vs target question usually starts with two times: the best you have logged, and the time you want. Erg training needs a third number as well. The benchmark that sets your pace zones and programme paces is the Anchor. That benchmark can be your PB. It can also be a different test.

PB is your best test, Anchor is the benchmark that sets your zones and workouts, and Target is the goal time you’re training toward — three separate numbers, on purpose.

ErgBuddy is in open beta. These are the product rules for that loop. What you can rely on today, and what is still on the roadmap, is in ErgBuddy open beta: what’s live, what’s next.

The three numbers

PB — Best logged benchmark for that distance. It changes only when you log a better test.
Anchor — Benchmark used for pace zones and programme paces. You pick it, or leave it on auto (latest suitable test). It changes when you pick a different benchmark, or when auto moves to a newer suitable test.
Target — Plan goal time. It can be slower or faster than your PB. It changes when you change the plan goal, and that edit never rewrites PB or Anchor.

PB — best logged benchmark

PB is the best logged benchmark for that distance. A 2k, a 6k, a half-marathon, a marathon, and a 60-minute test each keep their own best. Logging a slower piece leaves the PB where it is. The PB moves only when you log a better test for that distance.

That record is the best result on file for the distance. Training paces come from the Anchor. The season goal is Target.

Anchor — the benchmark that sets zones and workouts

Anchor is the benchmark ErgBuddy uses for pace zones and programme paces. You can pick it, or leave it on auto (latest suitable test).

Six pace zones and the paces inside the programme are built from the Anchor. Sometimes that benchmark is your PB. Sometimes it is a later test that describes how you row now, including a test slower than your best. Auto follows the latest suitable test. You can choose a different one.

The home page still has a Benchmark tracking card that says: “Your PBs automatically anchor every pace zone and workout target.” That line is outdated. Anchor is not always your PB. The open beta post already flags the same correction.

Target — the plan goal time

Target is your plan goal time. It can be slower or faster than your PB.

A goal faster than your best is a reason to train. A goal slower than your PB is also a valid plan — a longer distance, a return to training, or a time you want to hold. Changing Target never rewrites PB or Anchor. The best stays the best. The benchmark that sets your zones stays the one you picked, or the latest suitable test if you left Anchor on auto. The goal stays the goal.

Session target on the workout card is not plan Target

The workout card for today shows a session target: target split, duration, intensity, and the reasoning for that session. That is the pace for the piece in front of you.

It is not plan Target. Plan Target is the goal time for the plan. The session target is today’s prescription, often a zone split taken from your Anchor. An easy aerobic day will sit well slower than both your PB and a faster season goal. How to set rowing splits walks through zone offsets from a benchmark. Training methodology covers how the six-phase programme moves those sessions from Foundation through Race rehearsal.

One illustration

These times are an illustration: round figures so the labels can sit side by side. They are not someone’s logged tests, and they are not a result ErgBuddy will store for you.

PB — 2k in 7:20. It stays 7:20 until a faster 2k is logged.
Anchor — a later 2k in 7:32, chosen because it matches current fitness. It sets pace zones and programme paces. The 7:20 PB stays the PB.
Plan Target — 7:05 for this season. Faster than both. Editing it does not change 7:20 or 7:32.
Session target — today’s easy piece, off the Anchor. That is the pace for this workout. It is not the 7:05 plan Target.

A 7:32 2k is a 1:53/500m average. The zone offsets already published on the site put UT2 at about +20–26 seconds per 500m, so an easy session off that Anchor lands around 2:13–2:19/500m. That band is the same one in Rowing pace zones. It is an example of a session target, not the plan Target of 7:05.

Pace here is per 500 metres, which is how erg monitors usually show it. The same three numbers apply on any erg that reports that pace.

Where this sits while ErgBuddy is in open beta

Zones are live: a dedicated Zones screen, and the relevant pace-zone targets inside workouts. Those zones follow your Anchor.

Free includes full in-app History, along with benchmarks, the Zones screen, zones inside workouts, and the basic programme.
Pro adds CSV export (CSV only — no PDF), progress charts and trends, and training-load analytics. Charts and training-load are Live on Pro. Pro is not coach tools.
Team is the plan for coach and roster tooling. Deeper dashboard-style workflows and team analytics are Coming on Team.

Workouts are logged manually today. Automatic logbook sync is on the roadmap. There is no hardware sync. We do not describe ErgBuddy as generally available, or as a finished full release.

Plan detail: Pricing. Billing and cancel questions, including the 90-day history lock when leaving Pro: FAQ.

Explore

Read the expectations guide in the open beta post. Compare plans on Pricing. You can explore ErgBuddy on ergbuddy.com, including demo exploration with sample data where available. Account creation and sign-in stay available when you are ready.

Questions or feedback: hello@ergbuddy.com.