Move over treadmill, the Air Bike is your new cardio of choice

Redefine Cardio with the Assault Bike: Experience High-Intensity, Low-Impact Training at Basecamp

When you think about cardio, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? If you said “treadmill,” then you’re in good company. Don’t get us wrong, a treadmill is a great option for cardio. But we don’t offer them at Basecamp. Instead, we have the Assault bike, because we believe cardio should push you, and you should get the chance to push back.

The Assault bike – also called an air bike or a fan bike — generates air resistance when you pedal. The harder you push, the more air is generated. It looks like a stationary bike, but with a giant fan on the front wheel. Rather than pressing buttons to change speed, the speed is powered by you.

You’ll get the same high-intensity results from using the air bike in lieu of a treadmill or pounding the pavement outside. But the beauty is these bikes won’t put your body at risk for injury like running might, because they don’t force blunt impact on your joints. Cycling or rowing are easier on your skeletal structure than running on a treadmill or outside. Over time, your joints will thank you for putting less stress on them – without having to decrease the intensity.

Because the bike is built in such a way that you need to use your legs and arms to move it, you’ll be setting yourself up for a consistent cardio burn that can maintain a higher output for a longer period of time. Once your pedals start turning the wheel, they’ll also set your arms up for success in increasing your speed. Together, both sets of limbs will work in tandem to increase your heart rate into an aerobic or anaerobic state, which, over time, will increase your cardiovascular endurance and caloric burn. You’ll be building strength without putting your joints at risk.

Here are our top five reasons you’ll learn to love the assault bike at Basecamp Fitness:

1. It delivers a low-impact, high-intensity workout

Running isn’t the only way to build intensity

Regardless of how you feel about a treadmill, the fact is, it’s a high-impact exercise and not easy on your joints. To intensify the intensity, you have to run faster or increase the incline. Both will increase the level of impact. If running on a treadmill is part of your regular workout routine, it might start to take a toll on your joints over time. The assault bike allows for sprinting and high-intensity without increasing the impact on your body. What does that mean for you? When you’re at Basecamp, you’ll get an ass-kicking workout that you can do as often as you want, without worrying about injury or overuse.

2. It works your entire body

Your arms and legs will both feel the burn

When we say “full-body workout,” we mean your entire body will be worked from head to toe. All of your muscles will be engaged including your arms, legs, glutes and core. It’s a bike, so your legs will be putting in some serious work. But unlike the treadmill, you have handlebars that are powered by your arms in a back-and-forth motion as you pedal. One arm will be pushing, engaging your triceps and front deltoids. Simultaneously, the other arm will be pulling, working your biceps and rear deltoids. In addition to your arms, your core will be also be activated to keep your body seated and centered as you push, pull and pedal.

3. There are no buttons required

Less distractions means more output

One of the pain points of treadmill running is having to manually program or push buttons to adjust the speed. Although treadmills are becoming more and more sophisticated now, anyone who’s run sprint intervals on the tread is familiar with what a distraction it is to adjust speed during an all-out effort. With the assault bike, your effort controls the speed and the resistance, not a button. That means when it’s time for an all-out, you won’t waste any time by increasing speed. You’ll just start pedaling faster. That’s it. Plus when your sprint is over, you can slow down immediately rather than waiting for the machine to decrease your speed.

4. You are your only competition

You can stay in your own lane while you get stronger

Raise your hand if you’ve ever ran on a treadmill next to someone else at a crowded gym and can’t help but feel like you’re competing against each other. You can sense them peeking at your speed and incline and you can’t help but glance over at theirs. We’re not against healthy competition. If that’s a motivator; keep doing you. But if you’re someone who prefers a more personal and private experience in a group setting, the assault bike is just your speed. You’re the only one who can see your stats and it’s impossible to gauge how fast the person next to you is pedaling. With the assault bike, you are your only competition.

5. It cools you while you work out

Who doesn’t want a breeze while they’re working out?

Our bikes have built-in air conditioning, thanks to their fans. That way you can cool down after you heat up. It’s an added bonus to have airflow while you’re exerting maximum effort during those intervals. And when it comes to high-intensity workouts that push you to your limits, the little things make a big impact.

The assault bike is primarily used as a cardio machine, but it also delivers a resistance workout and is engineered to increase resistance when you increase your effort. It will push you, but we promise you’ll get a chance to push back. The end result? Calorie burn, muscle endurance, metabolic conditioning, aerobic capacity and a quick-hit workout that’s designed for maximum effort in minimal time. It’s a killer workout, sub 35 minutes. Ready to try one out?