The air bike – we all love to hate it. But deep down, we know that the air bike is an excellent piece of cardio equipment that has become unmissable in any gym set-up!

The air bike, also known as a fan bike, is a stationary exercise bike that uses air resistance through a large fan in the ‘wheel’ of the bike. The resistance increases when you pedal harder – making the air bike a perfect addition to your high-intensity workouts. Most versions of the air bike have two handlebars that move back and forth as you pedal, which means you are working both your lower and upper body at the same time.

Eight Air Bike Workouts

1 - Bike Sprint Intervals for Time

If you want to work on your peak cardiovascular capacity and explosive power, try your hand at bike sprints. The general rule for interval training is, the shorter the interval, the higher the intensity. When you’re hitting these short sprints, make sure to push yourself as hard as you can. The first couple of rounds might feel easy, but after a few sprints, your heart rate will take longer to settle down, and your legs will start to feel heavy. This is where the real work begins!

Example - 15 seconds of max effort then 30 seconds rest. Repeat for 12-14 rounds.

2 - Bike Sprint Intervals for Calories

Bike sprints to a calorie target are similar to bike sprints for time, but there’s a catch. You will always hit your time target regardless of how hard you work in your interval. When you start to get tired, it becomes easy to ‘cheat’ your workout simply by putting in less effort – you are saved by the clock. However, when you need to hit a calorie target, you must keep putting in the work until you see that magic number appear on the air bike’s monitor!

3 - Slow and Steady

Slow and steady, or ‘steady state’, workouts are a key component in many athletes’ training routine. You can’t, after all, work out at high intensities all the time without risking injuries or burnout.

A 30-minite Air Bike session is an efficient way to flush the arms and legs after a particularly strenuous week of training. Working out for longer periods at a lower heart rate is also hugely beneficial for your aerobic capacity. Many gym-goers would do well to add one or two steady-state workouts into their weekly mix.

4 - Decreasing Calorie Intervals

Want to make your interval training a bit more interesting? Try the 50-40-30-20-10 calorie interval format. Pedal until you hit 50 calories, rest, then pedal until you hit 40 calories, etc. The workout finishes once you’ve completed the final ten calories. You can either use a fixed time for your rest period, or you can equal your rest to the time it took you to complete the last interval. For example, if you complete the 50-cal interval in two minutes, you get two minutes of rest before you start the next interval.

5 - Increasing Calorie Intervals

What goes down can also go up. If you want to challenge yourself even more, try the 10-20-30-40-50 calorie interval format. Each interval will feel a little bit harder than the last one, making this not only a great physical, but also a mental challenge.

6 - Increasing Time Intervals

Calories are replaced with seconds in this format. You can choose to execute the first few intervals at a higher intensity than the last sets or work at a steady pace throughout. Either adjust your rest period accordingly or challenge yourself by keeping your rest breaks short.

7 - Death By Air Bike

We’d love to say this workout isn’t as bad as it sounds, but this one is spicy! Set a timer for 60-second intervals. Start with a two-calorie target in the first minute. Add two calories every minute until you are unable to hit your goal.

8 - Burpee/Bike Hybrid Workout

Short on time but still want to get a solid cardio workout in the books? This five-minute number may be time efficient, but it’s certainly not a copout.

Example - For each minute, perform 5 burpees, then max effort on the air bike for the remaining seconds. Perform five minutes total, keeping the transition between the bike and the burpee as efficient as possible.

There you have it. The air bike is a great addition to your Gym Equipment. It’s a unique tool with loads of versatility. So hop on, pedal strong and enjoy the ride!

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Tags: Equipment > Gym Machines ; Exercise Type > Cardio ; Misc > Workout