Assault Bike Workout Plan

Woman on an air bike with fan blowing her face

Often called the “Devil’s Tricycle” or the “Pain Train,” the air bike is a piece of equipment known for its ability to deliver a full-body, high-intensity workout that will test your limits. Unlike traditional stationary bikes, the Assault Bike engages both your arms and legs simultaneously, offering an unparalleled cardiovascular and strength challenge.

Whether you’re looking to shed stubborn fat, build unwavering endurance, or get a killer workout quickly, the Assault Bike is your secret weapon.  At FitKit UK, we believe in providing you with the tools and knowledge to achieve your fitness goals. Let’s dive into some powerful Assault Bike workouts that’ll help you unlock peak performance and transform your fitness.

Contents

General Guidelines for all Air Bike Workouts

Warm-up (5-10 minutes): Start with light pedalling, then add dynamic stretches like arm circles and leg swings. This prepares your muscles and cardiovascular system for the intensity to come, reducing injury risk.

Cool-down (5 minutes): Finish with easy pedalling and static stretches. This helps bring your heart rate down gradually and aids in muscle recovery.

Form: Maintain a straight back, engage your core, and use both your arms and legs for maximum power. Think about pushing and pulling with equal force. Efficient form ensures you work the right muscles and get the most out of every stroke.

Listen to your body: If you feel pain, stop and rest. It’s better to recover than to risk injury. Some discomfort is normal with intense exercise, but sharp or persistent pain is a sign to stop.

Air Bike Workout for Fat Loss

Close up of air bike fan

The Assault Bike is a highly effective tool for contributing to fat loss and body composition goals. Its unique design engages both your upper and lower body, significantly increasing energy expenditure during your workout. 

This intense, full-body activity can also contribute to an elevated “afterburn effect” (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption, or EPOC), where your body continues to burn calories at a higher rate even after you’ve finished exercising. 

The Workout:

  • Warm-up: 5 minutes easy pedalling. Gradually increase your pace during the last minute to prepare for the sprints.
  • Workout:
    • Intervals: 40 seconds MAX effort (aim for your highest sustainable output, pushing for maximum RPMs and calories burned in that short window). Follow this with 20 seconds of complete rest (feet off pedals, hands off handles, or very light movement).
    • Repeat this 60-second cycle for 15-20 minutes straight.
  • Cool-down: 5 minutes of easy pedalling, gradually decreasing your pace.

Air Bike Workout for Endurance

Man in a home gym garage on an air bike

Building endurance on the Assault Bike involves challenging your cardiovascular system to sustain effort over longer periods. This can be achieved through steady-state cardio or longer, structured interval sessions.

The Workout

  • Warm-up: 5-7 minutes easy pedalling. Get your blood flowing and muscles ready for a prolonged effort.
  • Workout (Choose One):
    • Option 1 (Steady State): 20-30 minutes at a moderate but challenging pace. The goal here is consistency. Your heart rate should be elevated, and you should be breathing heavily but still able to speak in short sentences. Focus on maintaining consistent RPMs (Revolutions Per Minute) throughout.
      • Explanation: This traditional cardio method builds your aerobic base. By sustaining a consistent, challenging effort, you can train your heart and lungs to deliver oxygen more efficiently to your working muscles, improving your overall stamina and ability to perform longer workouts without excessive fatigue.
  • Option 2 (Pyramid Endurance Intervals):
    • 30 seconds moderate pace, 30 seconds easy recovery.
    • 1 minute moderate pace, 1 minute easy recovery.
    • 1.5 minutes moderate pace, 1.5 minutes easy recovery.
    • 2 minutes moderate pace, 2 minutes easy recovery.
    • Then descend: 1.5 min on / 1.5 min off; 1 min on / 1 min off; 30 sec on / 30 sec off.
    • Repeat this entire pyramid 1-2 times, taking 2-3 minutes of rest between pyramids if needed to catch your breath.
    • Explanation: This interval structure progressively challenges your endurance. By increasing the work duration, you push your body to adapt to longer periods of exertion, enhancing your aerobic capacity and mental resilience to sustain effort despite growing fatigue. The active recovery periods allow for partial recovery, enabling you to maintain a higher overall intensity than a pure steady-state session.
  • Cool-down: 5 minutes of easy pedalling, gradually slowing down.

10 Minute Air Bike Workout

Man in black shirt and shorts on an air bike

If you are looking for a quick blast on the air bike, this 10-minute workout is the perfect choice for you. This high-intensity, time-compressed workout is designed to maximise benefits in minimal time. The increasing sprint durations build lactate tolerance and push your anaerobic threshold, while the decreasing recovery forces your body to adapt quickly. It’s a fantastic way to challenge your cardiovascular system when you’re short on time.

 Warm-up: 2 minutes easy pedalling. A quick warm-up is essential even for short, intense sessions.

Workout:

  • Pyramid Sprint: This workout is a ladder of intensity. Each minute, the sprint duration increases, pushing you harder. The active recovery allows you to keep moving, but the intensity ramps up.
    • Minute 1: 10 seconds sprint, 50 seconds active recovery (very light pedal)
    • Minute 2: 20 seconds sprint, 40 seconds active recovery
    • Minute 3: 30 seconds sprint, 30 seconds active recovery
    • Minute 4: 40 seconds sprint, 20 seconds active recovery
    • Minute 5: 50 seconds sprint, 10 seconds active recovery
    • Minute 6: 50 seconds sprint, 10 seconds active recovery
    • Minute 7: 40 seconds sprint, 20 seconds active recovery
    • Minute 8: 30 seconds sprint, 30 seconds active recovery
    • Minute 9: 20 seconds sprint, 40 seconds active recovery
    • Minute 10: 10 seconds sprint, 50 seconds active recovery

Cool-down: The final minute’s active recovery serves as your cool-down for this quick session.

20 Minute Air Bike Workout

Woman on a air bike

The EMOM structure of this 20-minute air bike workout pushes you to maximise your output within strict timeframes. Your endurance and mental toughness are tested as the sprints get longer and the rest periods shorter. This workout is excellent for developing sustained power, improving recovery capacity, and burning a significant number of calories in a structured, progressive manner.

Warm-up: 5 minutes easy pedalling. Get thoroughly warmed up for this sustained effort.

Workout:

  • EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute): This format is highly effective for maintaining consistent effort and intensity. You perform a sprint at the start of each minute, then use the remainder of that minute to rest before the next sprint. The sprint duration increases with each minute, making the recovery window progressively smaller and more challenging.
    • Minute 1: Sprint for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds.
    • Minute 2: Sprint for 35 seconds, rest for 25 seconds.
    • Minute 3: Sprint for 40 seconds, rest for 20 seconds.
    • Minute 4: Sprint for 45 seconds, rest for 15 seconds.
    • Minute 5: Sprint for 50 seconds, rest for 10 seconds.
  • Repeat this 5-minute cycle 3 more times for a total of 20 minutes.

Cool-down: 5 minutes of easy pedalling, winding down your heart rate.

30 Minute Air Bike Workout

Two people encouraging someone on an air bike

This 30-minute session is designed to build robust cardiovascular fitness and mental endurance. By varying the intensity within longer blocks, you train your body to handle different demands, from sustained moderate effort to pushing through discomfort during the “hard” segments. The structured recovery ensures you can maintain a high overall quality of work throughout the full 30 minutes, making it a powerful session for overall fitness improvement.

Warm-up: 5 minutes easy pedalling. A longer warm-up is beneficial for a 30-minute session.

Workout:

  • Long Interval Pyramid: This workout combines periods of moderate, hard, and easy effort to build comprehensive fitness over a longer duration. It teaches pacing and builds both aerobic and anaerobic conditioning.
    • 5 minutes moderate pace (challenging but sustainable).
    • 3 minutes hard pace (pushing your limits, but not an all-out sprint).
    • 2 minutes of easy recovery (active recovery, allowing your heart rate to drop slightly).
    • Repeat this 10-minute cycle 2 more times for a total of 30 minutes.

Cool-down: 5 minutes of easy pedalling, gradually bringing your body back to rest.


Discover more about the Air Bike with FitKit UK

At FitKit UK, we have a range of resources for you to explore regarding the air bike. Check out the following guides to learn more about the air bike, which is right for you and even some product recommendations.

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