Modern air bikes are removed from the creaky machines your parents had on the local Y a long time ago. Today’s machines are overbuilt and imposing. With greater fans, heavier components, and electronic performance monitors, these machines are designed to take, and deliver, a beating.

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The Assault Bike® is considered one of a handful of contemporary fan-resistance, full-body stationary bikes, or “air bikes.” Similar machines include the Echo Bike, Airdyne Pro, and various other models. Nevertheless, very like Rollerblade®, Q-tip®, or Band-Aid®, “Assault bike” has turn into known universally to encompass all brands of air bikes, or just as a phrase used interchangeably with “air bike.”

Because air bikes work muscle groups within the legs and arms concurrently and without reprieve, they would be the best machine for conditioning, shedding unwanted body weight, and training all major metabolic energy pathways.

When you’re lucky enough to have access to an air bike, try the brutal workouts below. 

Best Air Bike Workouts

Best Air Bike Workout for Conditioning

On account of their formidable and non-adjustable resistance, air bikes are regarded as more strength-based than spin bikes. (1) On a spin bike, individuals typically pedal at 70 to 110 revolutions per minute, whereas most riders on an air bike will reach 40 to 80 revolutions per minute. (1)

Unlike a spin bike, an air bike’s resistance progressively increases the harder and faster you ride. Altogether, air bikes may represent a preferable conditioning method for athletes with strength backgrounds and biases.

Air bikes also offer a more efficient method for training anaerobic capability, or short-term, high-intensity endurance. Push hard enough on an air bike and you’ll lean hard into anaerobic glycolysis — a system that gives energy when demand outpaces our ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscles.

Credit: Dr. Merrick Lincoln

You’ll also experience the physical anguish related to anaerobic training. Lactate is a metabolic by-product of anaerobic glycolysis. Workouts that produce uncomfortably high levels of lactate are likely to be perceived as “hard workouts.” (2)

In comparison with Wingate cycling — the gold standard “all-out” test of anaerobic fitness — a max effort ride of equal duration on an air bike produces higher lactate levels. Furthermore, these elevated lactate levels diminish more slowly. (3)

Now, lactate will not be the direct reason for muscle “burning”. Quite, lactate is produced alongside hydrogen ions, which alters the pH of your tissues, likely creating the searing burn of high-intensity exercise. (4) Have trust within the pain. This suffering pays dividends in the shape of improved conditioning and fitness. 

Modified Sprint Time-Trial Interval Training

Unless you’re a special sort of masochist, you’re riding the air bike for the physiological advantages — the multi-system adaptations that improve our health and our ability to do more work inside and out of doors the gym.

Your go-to conditioning workout ought to be like a Swiss Army Knife — versatile yet manageable enough for practical use. Specifically, a sturdy conditioning workout should train all major energy systems (phosphocreatine, anaerobic glycolysis, and aerobic metabolism). A correct routine will even promote fatigue-resistance, tap into muscle fibers with massive potential for adaptation, and enhance your overall work capability.

This air bike workout was inspired by a protocol developed by researchers out of Denmark. The unique protocol consisted of six five-minute intervals at 85% of 1’s maximum heart rate followed by two five-minute intervals with five 15-second all-out sprints followed by 45 seconds of energetic recovery. (5)

Only elite cyclists and triathletes were included within the Danish study, and the protocol made these extremely fit individuals fitter. For average folks, following an analogous protocol could be insurmountable. Subsequently, the amount and frequency of this system are modified.

Construct towards the complete, eight-interval protocol by adding one five-minute interval every month of consistent training. Repeat this workout a couple of times per week, ideally after your resistance training or separated by not less than six hours to avoid potential interference. 

• How one can Do it: Use your legs and arms to pedal in the course of the high intensity intervals. You should use legs-only in the course of the recovery periods. Warm-up thoroughly, after which perform three five-minute intervals on the fastest pace you’ll be able to sustain for the duration, with two minutes rest or recovery between each interval. After the third recovery period, proceed into five shorter intervals with 15 seconds of an all-out sprint followed by 45 seconds of easy recovery pedaling. 
• Sets and Reps: Three sets of 5 minutes moderate with two minutes recovery, followed by five sets of 15 seconds maximum effort with 45 seconds recovery.
• Rest time: Rest two minutes between each five-minute interval. Rest 45 seconds between each 15-second interval.

Best Air Bike Workout for Fat Loss

Air bikes could also be probably the most “recoverable” type of cardio. The training stress is distributed across each the upper and lower body slightly than overworking one area during the session.

Credit: Dr. Merrick Lincoln

Air bikes are also a ‘concentric-only’ exercise — meaning the involved muscle groups must overcome resistance with negligible eccentric, or “braking,” motion. This makes them less prone to cause post-workout soreness.

High-load and/or high-volume eccentric exercise is related to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and ranging degrees of harm to the muscle cell on the microscopic level. (6) Ultimately, you’re less prone to be sore within the hours and days following a tough Assault bike workout in comparison with an eccentric-heavy mode of cardio (like jogging or jumping rope). As a bonus, concentric contractions are more energy demanding, which can lead to greater energy expenditure during your workout.

Zone 2 Fat-Burning Workout

For a low-impact, total-body workout that’s unlikely to go away you sore, you’ll be able to’t beat Zone 2 cardio on an air bike. Zone 2 refers to low-to-moderate intensity aerobic exercise — 60 to 70% of your maximum heart-rate.

To seek out this range, first estimate your maximum heart rate as 220 minus your age (in years). Then, multiply that maximum heart rate by 0.6 and 0.7 to discover the upper and lower bounds of the training range.

When you’re not using a heart rate monitor, these numbers aren’t relevant and you’ll be able to simply ride at the very best effort you’ll be able to sustain while respiration only through your nose. When you break into open-mouth panting, you’re training too hard.

Aerobic training is driven by the breakdown of fats within the presence of oxygen. Non-endurance athletes profit from aerobic training to enhance body composition (e.g. fat loss), boost heart health, and enhance recovery between sets of resistance training.

Credit: Dr. Merrick Lincoln

Aerobically trained muscles develop higher vascularization and greater density of mitochondria over time. These adaptations help our muscles to do more work and potentially recuperate more quickly.

The air bike is right for aerobic training, since it trains large muscle groups within the upper and lower body. Unless you benefit from the monotony of a steady-state workout, break your Zone 2 work into segments to remain motivated. This fat loss workout consists of 5 segments with descending calorie targets — use the readout on the bike’s display to observe progress.

As a part of a fat loss plan, repeat this workout three to 5 times per week, ideally after your resistance training or separated by not less than six hours to avoid potential interference with recovery and performance. 

• How one can Do it: Warm up, after which begin the workout pedaling along with your legs and arms together. As a substitute of tracking time, pedal to burn 120 calories, 110 calories, 100 calories, 90 calories, after which 80 calories. The goal is to attain “negative splits” by completing each calorie-segment barely faster than the previous. You’ll want to maintain Zone 2 intensity throughout the workout, either by utilizing a heart rate monitor or by maintaining nose-only respiration.
• Sets and Reps: Five calorie-segments: 120 calories, 110 calories, 100 calories, 90 calories, and 80 calories.
• Rest time: Rest passively (“following” the momentum of the pedals and handles) or actively (very low-intensity pedaling) for 30 seconds after reaching each calorie goal. It ought to be barely enough time to grab a sip of water or towel off before going again.

Best Air Bike Workout Finisher

A “finisher” refers to a brief metabolic conditioning workout added to the tip of your primary workout. After hitting the weights, for instance, hop on the air bike to empty the tank and make sure you’ve gotten probably the most out of your workout.

Because you’ve already trained, your levels of muscle glycogen (a type of stored and readily accessible energy) will likely be low. “Training low,” or training with low levels of glycogen, stimulates energy system adaptations. (2) With regular high intensity interval training, your muscles will construct larger stores of accessible energy and higher manage the metabolic byproducts of high intensity training.

Sprint Interval Training

Consider this sprint interval training (SIT) “finisher” to rev your metabolism and leave you feeling achieved whenever you leave the gym. The workout allows incomplete recovery between short, high-intensity bouts of riding.

Because “fast energy” from the phosphagen system doesn’t fully replenish between bouts, anaerobic glycolysis and aerobic pathways will contribute progressively to the energy demands of the workout. (7)

Translation: You’ll train all three major energy pathways on this workout. Perform this workout at the tip of 1 resistance training workout each week.

• How one can Do it: Because your weight training could have just ended, you must still be relatively warm. Perform just two minutes of easy pedaling after which begin the workout. Pedal with all-out effort, using legs and arms, for 20 seconds, every minute on the minute (EMOM). End with two minutes of easy pedaling. 
• Sets and Reps: Perform intervals every minute on the minute for five minutes total.
• Rest time: Using the EMOM approach, work for 20 seconds and rest for the remaining 40 seconds of every minute. The remainder period could be energetic (low-intensity pedaling) or passive (following the moving handles and pedals).

How one can Warm-Up for Air Bike Workouts

A correct warm-up primes the body for movement and peak performance. Body temperature and blood flow increase, boosting metabolism and oxygen delivery to the working muscles.

Joints begin moving more freely. You may begin to sweat, which helps with temperature regulation when the true work starts. Give this warm-up a try before your next air bike workout. 

Air Bike Workout Warm-Up

• Easy ride: Spend three minutes pedaling at a low level of effort.
• Trunk rotations: Stay seated and brace your feet on the pegs. Maintain an upright posture as you rotate your trunk and reach forward with one arm. Alternate arms with each rotation. Perform 20 total repetitions, 10 per side. 
• Legs-only ride: Rest your arms at your sides and ride for one minute at an “easy” effort using just your legs. 
• Arms-only ride: Place your feet on the pegs and ride for one minute at an “easy” effort using just your arms.
• Triple ramp-up: Pedal along with your legs and arms together for 10 seconds at an “easy” effort. Increase to a “moderate” effort for 10 seconds. Transition to a “hard” effort for 10 seconds. Perform all the sequence a complete of 3 times (90 seconds).

The Most Effective Cardio Machine?

The air bike is unrelenting and versatile. You possibly can push as hard as you’re able during interval training or you’ll be able to ease off for steady-state aerobic work. Air bike workouts are great for metabolic conditioning and fat loss. They could be stand-alone conditioning or fat loss sessions, or you’ll be able to tack them onto the tip of a conventional workout for a sprint interval “finisher.” Once your recovery and adaptation take their course, air bike workouts set you up for higher fitness and future gains.

But you’ve been warned — they could be brutal. 

References

1. Schlegel, P., Křehký, A., Hiblbauer, J., & Faltys, V. (2022). Air biking as a recent way for stress testing. Movement & Sport Sciences-Science & Motricité. Published online ahead of print. doi.org/10.1051/sm/2022001.
2. Buchheit, M., & Laursen, P. B. (2013). High-intensity interval training, solutions to the programming puzzle. Sports Medicine, 43(5), 313-338.
3. Schlegel, P., & Křehký, A. (2020). Anaerobic Fitness Testing in Crossfit. Acta Facultatis Educationis Physicae Universitatis Comenianae, 60(2), 217–228. 
4. Robergs, R. A., et al. (2018). Lactate, not lactic acid, is produced by cellular cytosolic energy catabolism. Physiology, 33(1), 10-12.
5. Gejl, K. D., Andersson, E. P., Nielsen, J., Holmberg, H. C., & Ørtenblad, N. (2020). Effects of acute exercise and training on the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release and uptake rates in highly trained endurance athletes. Frontiers in Physiology, 11, 810.
6. Hotfiel, T., et al. (2018). Advances in delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS): Part I: Pathogenesis and diagnostics. Sportverletzung· Sportschaden, 32(04), 243-250.
7. Bogdanis, G. C., Nevill, M. E., Boobis, L. H., & Lakomy, H. K. (1996). Contribution of phosphocreatine and aerobic metabolism to energy supply during repeated sprint exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 80(3), 876–884. 

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