The assault bike (AKA air bike or fan bike) is an incredible head-to-toe workout that challenges your aerobic and anaerobic systems, simultaneously improving your endurance and strengthening your muscles. The difference between the assault bike and a more traditional stationary bike is that the attached fan makes the resistance harder the faster you pedal. No one said a cardio machine needs a fancy screen to be effective.

The harder or faster you go, the harder it gets!

The exercise equipment targets your chest, back, arms, abdominals, obliques, and legs. It's also a true workout superstar for high-intensity interval training and Tabata workouts, making it a full-body exercise that torches calories. In fact, if you're looking for a fat-burning HIIT workout to help with weight loss, the assault bike is the equipment for the job.

Research shows the air bike leads to additional muscle mass and more cardiovascular work than a leg-only pedaling bike1. Study participants increased their heart rate to between 163 to 170 beats per minute, exceeding the requirements for a high-intensity workout. The air bike burned max calories, increased muscle, and improved the cardiovascular system.

WHAT MUSCLES DOES AN AIR BIKE TARGET ?

Almost every muscle in your body works during an assault bike workout thanks to the pushing, pulling, cycling, and resistance.

Just think of the different cardio options available in your gym: the elliptical does a great job working the arms, shoulders, and chest, while the rowing machine works the back. A treadmill, elliptical, rowing machine, and stationary bike require activation from the lower body muscles. Combine those movements and qualities into one powerhouse piece of gym equipment (ahem, the air bike), and you’ll activate every major muscle group.

6 ASSAULT BIKE BENEFITS

The benefits of an air bike workout are plentiful. The following perks come when you perform rides on air cycles.

1) BUILDS MUSCLE: 

As your lower-body muscles are cycling the entire time, and your arms are continuously working in a pushing-pulling motion during this full body workout, all of your major muscle groups engage for the duration of your air bike workout. Non-stop engagement plus resistance equals more muscle.

2) BURNS CALORIES: 

Estimating calories burned during a workout is always challenging because it depends on several factors, including your height, weight, and exertion during exercise. But if you consider the demands an assault bike places on your body, which involves gaining muscle while building endurance, you can start to put two and two together that it’s a great calorie burner.

In addition, assault bikes are ideal for HIIT and Tabata workouts, which can torch calories in a short amount of time. Research comparing HIIT to resistance training, cycling, and running, found that one HIIT session that combines resistance training and aerobic exercise (in this case, the air bike) burns more calories and increases the heart rate more significantly than other exercises2.

As for calories burned, a separate study reviewed high-intensity interval training on a stationary bike and found that in just 2.5 minutes, broken up into intervals of five 30-second sprints followed by light pedaling, participants burned up to 220 calories3.

Five minutes of work for 220 calories equals 44 calories per minute, which is exceptional. Now, imagine using that same HIIT format on a bike where your arms and legs are both working continuously. How many calories you can burn is limitless! When pedaling at your fastest speed, you may be able to burn close to 80 calories per minute on the air bike.

3) SUPPORTS WEIGHT LOSS

No workout allows you to spot target body fat, but as you burn calories during aerobic training and lose weight, you’ll lose excess fat everywhere, including the abdominal area. Research comparing HIIT to other forms of steady-state cardio, such as jogging, found that HIIT reduces more abdominal fat4. 

HIIT workouts can reduce appetite post-workout, while the strain placed on the anaerobic energy system leads to a higher rate of fat burn. This is a great weight loss tool for everyone but can be particularly beneficial for an endomorph body type fitness routine.

4) IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS: 

As your major muscles move continuously against resistance while on assault bikes, your heart works just as hard.

Improving your endurance makes your heart more efficient at delivering oxygen to your muscles, and as your endurance improves, you can pedal faster to continue pushing yourself. This strategy keeps building your heart muscles while ensuring you avoid a plateau.

5) IMPROVES MENTAL TOUGHNESS:

An intense workout pushes you mentally just as much as it does physically, and the assault bike is challenging to say the least. You will reach a point where your body is tired and wants to stop - after all, why does it matter if you quit 2-3 minutes earlier than you planned?

But push through, finish your assault bike workout, and you'll be mentally and physically stronger for having done it.

6) BENEFICIAL FOR EVERYONE: 

Whether you are looking for a low-impact workout, one that will push your anaerobic system and aerobic system, boost your endurance, or help with weight loss, air bikes check all the boxes.

FORM TIPS FOR THE ASSAULT BIKE

You now know the benefits of the air bike and the muscles it works, and you have a few great routines to work into your gym routine. The only thing left is to use proper form to get the most out of your assault bike sessions. 

• Adjust your seat height. The most uncomfortable thing you can do for yourself is hop on your assault bike without adjusting the seat. You should have slightly bent knees when sitting; think 20 degrees or so. This position enables you to pedal with more force while protecting your knees.

• Lean forward slightly. Another strategy for additional force production, it helps you pedal faster and burn more calories. 

• Keep your trunk still while pedaling. When on assault air bikes, keep the work in your arms and legs by not moving your torso side to side or back and forth. Moving your trunk area puts you at a higher risk of hurting your back. Keep your torso still so your core will have to work harder to stabilize your limbs and protect your back. 

• Push, pull, pedal. Avoid letting one muscle group work harder than the rest when using a fan exercise bike. Just as much work should go into your upper body as it does your lower body.

HOW LONG SHOULD ASSAULT BIKE WORKOUTS BE?

Your workout length depends on your fitness level. If you are in the beginning stages of building muscle and endurance capacity, start with 10-12 minutes and work your way up. If you are in moderate shape, a good beginning place is 15-20 minutes, while someone very fit can target the 20 to 30-minute range. HIIT workouts place high demands on your body, so pushing past 30 minutes is unnecessary. If you reach 30 minutes and aren't thoroughly fatigued, pedal faster.

Workout ideas

Max Cal Burner – 21 Mins

This is a  tough, all-around aerobic session.

1 minute On : 2 minutes Off

Aim for max calories each minute.X 7

Assault Bike Tabata

Tabata workouts are always an awesome choice, especially as most assault bikes already have it pre-programmed.

20 Seconds Work: 10 Seconds Rest X 8 for 2-3 rounds

Reverse Tabata :

Tabata is an interval-format workout that burns calories quickly while improving your anaerobic energy system. As this assault bike workout style targets your anaerobic system, built-in rest sessions are crucial for letting your energy replenish, making the reverse Tabata a great option.

Put in 10 seconds of hard work, followed by 20 seconds of rest. This routine starts at 8 rounds, but as you build your endurance, you can add more rounds. It's a simple workout, but very effective.

PYRAMID INTERVALS:

Pyramid assault bike workout intervals are deceiving as they start with less work (hooray for 10-second sprint sessions followed by 50 seconds of rest!) but quickly increase the all out sprint duration while decreasing the rest periods.

The highest work session lasts 50 seconds, and then you begin reducing the sprint time and re-increase your rest time. Eleven minutes in duration, this pyramid workout is grueling and pushes your endurance to the next level.

Complete one 9-minute round of this assault bike workout, pedal at a slow to medium pace (aka a recovery pace) for 5 minutes, and then perform the pyramid intervals one more time. 

Pyramid Assault Bike Intervals:

Build up to a 50-second sprint and gradually work down. Very easy and effective!

Minute 1: 10 Seconds Sprint; 50 Seconds Rest Assault-bike

Minute 2: 20 Seconds Sprint; 40 Seconds Rest

Minute 3: 30 Seconds Sprint; 30 Seconds Rest

Minutes 4: 40 Seconds Sprint; 20 Seconds Rest

Minute 5: 50 Seconds Sprint; 10 Seconds Rest

Minute 6: 40 Seconds Sprint; 20 Seconds Rest

Minute 7: 30 Seconds Sprint; 30 Seconds Rest

Minute 8: 20 Seconds Sprint; 40 Seconds Rest

Minute 9: 10 Seconds Sprint, 50 Seconds Rest

Note: You can perform this routine for up to 2 rounds, completing each round in 11 minutes. Adjust the intensity to your fitness level and ensure proper form during sprints.

AIR BIKE CALORIE INTERVALS:

With a calorie burn goal for each minute, the air bike intervals get progressively more challenging as the workout progresses.

Pedal, push, and pull until failure, and track your progression each week to keep an eye on your gains. Every minute added to your time means more progress. Put in the work at the beginning of each minute, pedaling hard to hit your calorie goal. Once you hit it, rest for the remainder of that minute, before minute 2 starts, and your calorie goal increases.

1. Burn 4 calories

2. Burn 7 calories

3. Burn 10 Calories; etc

Note: Continue increasing the calorie goal by 3 for each subsequent minute until you reach your limit or failure. Adjust the intensity and pace based on your fitness level and monitor your form during the workout.

HIIT Finisher – 6 Mins

An awesome addition to the end of every workout, designed for people who want to add an exercise and keep the same routine.

• Minute 1: 55 Seconds Moderate; 5 Seconds Sprint

• Minute 2: 54 Seconds Moderate; 6 Seconds Sprint

• Minute 3: 53 Seconds Moderate; 7 Seconds Sprint

• Minute 4: 52 Seconds Moderate; 8 Seconds Sprint

• Minute 5: 51 Seconds Moderate; 9 seconds Sprint

• Minute 6: 50 Seconds Moderate; 10 Seconds Sprint

BONUS ASSAULT BIKE WORKOUT:

For the ultimate calorie-burning workout, challenge yourself to burn 100 calories in the shortest time possible. Remember your time, and continue pushing yourself to beat it. Or, bump up the intensity, and see how quickly you can blast 200 calories.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU DO AIR BIKE WORKOUTS?

Just as you shouldn't train the same muscle group on back-to-back days, that same protocol applies for high-intensity interval training on the assault bike. Strength training, HIIT, and Tabata rely on the anaerobic energy system, meaning your body needs time between sessions to build muscle and replenish energy stores. Beginners on the assault fitness air bike should aim for one session per week, while intermediate to advanced fitness levels can aim for 2 to 3 sessions per week. Make sure to give your body 48 hours between assault air bike workouts.

Summary

an assault bike may look less than impressive with its old-school vibe and none of the flash of a Peloton. But, no accessories are needed for this machine, which provides an incredible workout using only a no-frills bike and attached fan.

The full-body cardio machine works your anaerobic energy system (the same energy system you rely on to lift heavy weights!) while boosting your cardiovascular endurance.

It's also easily incorporated into high-intensity interval training or Tabata-style workouts, meaning the calorie burn is high, and the time it takes to burn them is low.

Not only does an assault bike work your entire body, but it also exercises your mental toughness. You’ll appreciate the extra willpower the next time you need to push yourself to get one last rep in.