Assault Bike – Why we LOVE to hate it!

Assault bike. Aire bike. Airdyne. Known by a few different names – synonymous with being all sorts of awful!

Here at Geelong Boxing Club..we love to hate it!

This seemingly innocent piece of equipment combines the intense power of cycling against resistance while working your upper body, similar to a cross trainer. The assault like uses a fan to create wind resistance – and you get out what you put in! The harder you work, the more wind is generated, the harder pedalling gets! You are in full control at all times. To work effectively and efficiently, your whole body needs to come to the party – your arms, chest, back, abs all will all feel the heat of this workout !

During Stone Cold Steve Moxon’s latest weight cut at Geelong Boxing Club, this piece of equipment featured almost daily! It was used in two ways:

-Endurance Workouts. Steady state cardio on the assault bike is challenging! This provided a perfect way for Moxon to get cardio done, without pounding the pavement. It is far more gentle on the joints than running.

-Interval Training. The assault bike worked wonders when used to incorporate HIIT training into Moxon’s program. After warming up, he would complete 10 -15 rounds of 40 second intervals, before pulling the intensity back for the remaining 20 seconds of each minute. This sort of workout consistently pushed him to work hard and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. The benefits include improved levels of fitness and one hell of a calorie burn !

The assault bike is often incorporated into our Strength and Conditioning sessions at Geelong Boxing Club. We love that each individual can use this piece of equipment at their own pace. You determine how hard or fast you work.

We encourage you to jump on the assault bike next time you are in the gym. Begin by warming up with steady state cardio for 5 minutes (moving at a consistent pace – one that you can still manage a conversation).

Then attempt 5 rounds of interval training. Start with 20 seconds flat out with 40 seconds to recover. As your fitness improves, you can increase the duration of your sprint and decrease the recovery time you give yourself.

For assistance in setting up, or using the assault bike, simply ask one of the coaches here at Geelong Boxing Club – we teach our passion!