by Linked house treadmills, stationary bikes and rowing machines rose to prominence over the pandemic, however the air bike (or assault bike) – which mixes the pedals of an train bike with the hand levers of an arm bike or elliptical machine – didn’t make it out of the CrossFit field the place it’s been a mainstay for a decade.
Now, interactive exercise app Fiit is banking on these units changing into a core element of house gyms up and down the land, releasing a set of exercises that hook up with an AssaultBike (£899 from FIIT) from Assault Health.
“In contrast to spin courses, biking, working and skipping, that are all lower-body dominant actions, the air bike’s distinctive push-and-pull motion permits you to work your higher physique and legs concurrently,” Fiit grasp coach Luke Baden tells Coach.
“Utilizing an air bike is a whole-body cardio exercise. It’s low-impact, so that you’re much less prone to endure repetitive pressure accidents like shin splints or runner’s knee. It’s additionally far faster to choose up and grasp than a rowing machine, for instance.”
Fiit has devised three sorts of air bike class – Endure, Dash and Metcon – and its roster of elite coaches imagine will take their customers’ health ranges to new heights. “The human physique creates vitality in certainly one of 3 ways,” says Baden. “Most health content material solely targets the anaerobic vitality system related to HIIT coaching and/or the cardio vitality system. If you happen to solely work one, regardless of how a lot you enhance you’ll solely be tapping into a 3rd of the advantages.”
Right here, Baden has completely shared tasters of his three favorite exercises from the app so that you can strive at house (or wherever your nearest air bike resides).
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Air Bike Exercise 1 – Endure
“Our Endure courses ship a big calorie burn, as you may be working for lengthy durations of time,” says Baden. “You’ll turn into extra aerobically match, so that you’ll enhance the functioning of your coronary heart and lungs. Working like this can even set off the discharge of the hormone oxytocin – aka the ‘love drug’ – that means you’re prone to really feel extra related to others and relaxed in the course of the day.”
The Exercise This 23-minute session is a slimmed-down model of Fiit’s Endure #1 class with coach Adrienne Herbert. You set off at an excellent tempo, then step on the accelerator at common intervals. The work interval in every cycle reduces with every spherical. Control your tempo or revolutions per minute (RPM) to gauge your effort and attempt to be constant throughout rounds.
Heat up for 30sec on the air bike at your lively restoration tempo.
- Time 3min Tempo 50%
- Time 3min Tempo 60%
- Time 3min Tempo 70%
- Time 30sec Tempo 80%
- Time 2min Tempo 50%
- Time 2min Tempo 60%
- Time 2min Tempo 70%
- Time 30sec Tempo 80%
- Time 60sec Tempo 50%
- Time 60sec Tempo 60%
- Time 60sec Tempo 70%
- Time 30sec Tempo 80%
Heat down for 3min on the air bike at your lively restoration tempo.
Air Bike Exercise 2 – Dash
“The primary advantages with our Dash courses are elevated energy and energy,” says Baden. “You’ll turn into extra explosive on the air bike and be capable of generate larger RPM. Your muscle tissues will get stronger, your nervous system will turn into extra environment friendly and also you take pleasure in a pleasant hit of dopamine, the reward chemical, when you’re accomplished.”
The Exercise This abridged exercise is borrowed from Fiit’s Dash #6 class with coach Michael Myers (not that Michael Myers). It’s designed for all ranges and will take round 12 minutes, together with the warm-up and warm-down. The 4 rounds alternate between quick sprints on the air bike, a ground train, and a interval at restoration tempo again within the saddle.
For the air bike sprints, purpose to drive with each your legs and arms, conserving your head as much as assist your respiratory. Control the max energy you generate in every 30-second burst and attempt to preserve it on the similar stage each spherical.
Heat up for 3min on the air bike at your lively restoration tempo.
1A Air bike dash Time 30sec
1B Sit-up to the touch ankles Time 30sec
1C Air bike lively restoration Time 40sec
2A Air bike dash Time 30sec
2B Squat leap Time 30sec
2C Air bike lively restoration Time 40sec
3A Air bike dash Time 30sec
3B Slender-grip press-up Time 30sec
3C Air bike lively restoration Time 40sec
4A Air bike dash Time 30sec
4B Plank Time 30sec
4C Air bike lively restoration Time 60sec
Heat down for 2min on the air bike at your lively restoration tempo.
Air Bike Exercise 3 – Metcon
“These courses ship a excessive calorie burn and, if accomplished correctly, enhance your metabolism after class,” says Baden. “You’ll additionally turn into extra environment friendly at working with out oxygen and construct some interior resilience as you study to outlive inside what I wish to name the ache cave.”
The Exercise This 17-minute session is customized from Fiit’s intermediate stage Metcon #7 class with coach Gus Vaz Tostes. Carry out three rounds of a max-calorie effort on the air bike for 90 seconds, cut up up by 90 seconds alternating between sumo deadlift excessive pulls and thrusters.
Heat up for 5min on the air bike. Alternate utilizing your arms just for 30 seconds along with your legs resting on the foot bars, then utilizing solely your legs for 30 seconds at your lively restoration tempo.
1 Air bike max energy
Time 90sec
Reset the timer on the air bike dashboard and rip into 90 seconds of a max-calorie effort at a tempo you possibly can keep for the total set. Don’t go too quick too early. After 90 seconds, observe the energy burned.
2 Dumbbell complicated
Sumo deadlift excessive pull Stand along with your toes wider than hip-width aside over a pair of medium dumbbells. Hinge at your hips and bend your knees, conserving your chest upright, and decrease till you possibly can seize the weights. As you rise again up, pull the dumbbells as much as chest peak, conserving your elbows excessive. Decrease the weights by reversing the motion, faucet the ground with the dumbbells and go straight into the subsequent rep. Carry out three reps.
Thrusters With the identical weights, maintain the dumbbells at shoulder peak and stand along with your toes shoulder-width aside. Decrease right into a squat, conserving your knees extensive aside and chest upright. As you drive as much as stand, punch the weights overhead, conserving your elbows near your ears. Return the weights to shoulder peak and proceed into the subsequent rep. Carry out three reps, then return to the sumo deadlift excessive pulls. Maintain switching workouts each three reps for 90 seconds, resting for a number of breaths when you want to.
Heat down for 3min on the air bike at an lively restoration tempo.
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