Looking to take your cardio fitness to the next level? Assault Bike Workouts might be the game-changer you need. Often called fan bikes or air bikes, these unique pieces of gym equipment offer a full-body workout unlike any other. By combining cycling with upper body movement, assault bikes deliver a challenging yet incredibly effective way to build both anaerobic and aerobic conditioning. Whether you’re aiming for high-intensity bursts or steady-state endurance, the assault bike is a versatile tool. Let’s dive into the world of assault bike workouts and discover how they can help you reach your fitness goals.
What is an Assault Bike?
An assault bike, frequently referred to as a fan bike or air bike, is a dynamic cardio machine designed for full-body engagement. It distinguishes itself by merging the lower body motion of a traditional stationary bike with an upper-body workout, engaging your arms and shoulders as you pedal.
The primary difference between an assault bike and a standard stationary bike lies in its resistance mechanism. Instead of manual resistance adjustments, assault bikes utilize a fan. This fan-based resistance is reactive to your effort; the harder you pedal and push, the greater the resistance becomes. This adaptive resistance is what makes assault bike workouts exceptionally demanding – your own power output dictates the intensity.
While “Assault Bike” is a brand name, the term is often generically used for all air bikes. Several manufacturers produce these bikes, including the popular AssaultBike, Schwinn Airdyne, and Rogue Echo Bike. When considering an air bike, the drive mechanism is a key feature. Options include chain-driven and belt-driven models. Belt-driven bikes are generally quieter, require less maintenance, and are smoother, but they often come with a higher price tag compared to chain-driven bikes. A significant advantage of all air bikes is their independence from electricity, making them versatile for various workout environments.
Assault Bike vs. Elliptical Trainer
Both assault bikes and elliptical trainers provide a combined lower and upper body workout. If choosing between them for a home gym, an elliptical might be preferable for some due to the standing posture which many find more comfortable than the seated, somewhat crouched position on an assault bike. However, for gyms with both options, alternating between them can add variety to your routine. Assault bikes excel in high-intensity interval training (HIIT) because they can rapidly elevate your heart rate, whereas ellipticals are often more comfortable for longer, less intense aerobic workouts.
The Benefits of Assault Bike Workouts
Assault bikes have earned the nickname “misery machines” for good reason – they are tough. However, this challenging nature translates into significant fitness benefits, leading to a love-hate relationship for many users. The advantages of incorporating assault bike workouts into your fitness regime are numerous:
Full-Body Engagement: Assault bike workouts activate a wide array of muscle groups simultaneously. From your arms and shoulders pushing and pulling the handles, to your legs driving the pedals, and your core stabilizing your body, you get a comprehensive workout. This efficient muscle recruitment maximizes calorie burn and overall fitness improvement in a shorter time.
Low-Impact Exercise: As a form of cycling, assault bikes offer a low-impact cardiovascular workout, minimizing stress on joints compared to high-impact activities like running or jumping. This makes them suitable for individuals of varying fitness levels and those recovering from injuries. Despite being low impact, the resistance provided by the fan ensures a high-intensity metabolic challenge.
Versatile for Anaerobic and Aerobic Conditioning: Assault bikes are exceptionally versatile, accommodating both anaerobic and aerobic training goals. For aerobic training, sustained, moderate-intensity sessions on the assault bike enhance your body’s ability to use oxygen for energy, improving endurance. For anaerobic training, short bursts of high-intensity effort push your body to its limits, boosting power and speed. This adaptability makes assault bike workouts ideal for diverse fitness objectives.
Assault Bike Workouts for Every Goal
Assault bikes are not just about enduring pain; they are about strategically applying different workout methods to achieve specific fitness outcomes. Whether you are focused on burning calories, enhancing cardiovascular health, or improving muscular endurance, there’s an assault bike workout tailored for you. Let’s explore some effective assault bike workouts you can incorporate into your training.
HIIT Assault Bike Workout
Assault bikes are exceptionally well-suited for high-intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT workouts involve short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of rest or lower intensity activity. This method is highly effective for calorie expenditure, metabolic rate increase, and cardiovascular fitness enhancement, making it an excellent anaerobic workout.
A simple yet effective HIIT assault bike workout is:
- Work Interval: Pedal as hard as possible for 20 seconds. Imagine you’re sprinting away from a threat to maximize intensity.
- Rest Interval: Rest for 1 minute and 40 seconds.
- Repeat: Perform 2-4 more intervals.
This brief HIIT session, lasting only about five minutes, provides a potent dose of anaerobic conditioning.
To ensure continued progress as your anaerobic fitness improves, you need to progressively overload your HIIT assault bike workouts. Two primary methods for increasing workout intensity are:
Increase Rounds: Gradually add more intervals to your workout. If you started with three rounds, aim for four in your next session, and incrementally increase by one round per week, working towards 8-12 rounds. Once you reach this range, consider adjusting rest times to further increase intensity.
Decrease Rest Time: Start with a 1:5 work-to-rest ratio (e.g., 20 seconds work, 1 minute 40 seconds rest). Progress to a 1:4 ratio in subsequent weeks (e.g., 20 seconds work, 1 minute 20 seconds rest). An indicator of appropriate rest is experiencing a noticeable decrease in power output during the second to last interval. If you don’t feel this drop in intensity, you may need to increase your work effort or shorten your rest periods.
Pyramid Assault Bike Workout
The pyramid workout is a structured and challenging approach to push your limits on the assault bike. This workout is characterized by a gradual increase in interval duration, followed by a decrease, forming a pyramid structure. Pyramid workouts are excellent for building both endurance and stamina.
A sample pyramid assault bike workout is:
- Start: 30-second sprint, followed by a 30-second rest.
- Increase & Decrease: Incrementally increase the sprint duration by 10 seconds and decrease the rest by 10 seconds each round until you reach a peak sprint duration of 60 seconds.
- Reverse: After reaching the peak, reverse the process. Decrease the sprint duration by 10 seconds and increase the rest duration by 10 seconds per round until you return to a 30-second sprint.
This workout structure challenges you to sustain effort as intervals lengthen and recover as they shorten, enhancing your overall workout capacity.
Zone 2 Assault Bike Training
Zone 2 cardio training is recognized as an optimal method for developing your aerobic system. It focuses on lower intensity exercise sustained for longer periods, improving your body’s efficiency in using fat for fuel and enhancing mitochondrial function.
While activities like incline treadmill walking or elliptical training are often preferred for Zone 2, assault bikes can also be effectively used. The full-body nature of the assault bike, combined with fan resistance that scales with effort, allows you to quickly reach and maintain your Zone 2 heart rate for extended durations.
Assault bikes can even be incorporated into movement snacks throughout the day. Short 10-minute sessions at a Zone 2 intensity can break up sedentary periods and contribute to overall daily activity levels.
However, a consideration for Zone 2 training on an assault bike is the noise generated by the fan. Using earbuds or headphones may be necessary to listen to audio or watch videos comfortably during longer sessions.
Despite the fan noise, assault bike workouts offer a highly effective and versatile way to enhance both your anaerobic and aerobic fitness. From short, intense HIIT sessions to longer, endurance-focused Zone 2 training, the assault bike adapts to a wide range of workout styles and fitness goals, making it a valuable addition to any fitness routine.
