Air bike
Fan-resistance bike with moving handles, used for short all-out efforts
The flywheel is a fan, so the harder you pedal the harder it pushes back and there is no gear to hide behind. Arms and legs both work, which is why 30 seconds flat out leaves most people unable to talk. Gyms use it for intervals and end-of-session finishers rather than steady riding. On most gym floors it goes by another name, the assault bike.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Andy GalpinDoes it
Exercise physiologist · Perform podcast
An assault bike is one of his own hard conditioning options, next to interval work and running hills. On a bad-sleep day he drops all three and walks instead.
Source: Perform: How to Boost Your Metabolism & Burn Fat - Stacy SimsRecommends
Exercise physiologist · Women Are Not Small Men
Sprint intervals need something you can empty yourself on for 30 seconds, and the assault bike is what she puts women on. She laid out the pairing on Huberman Lab: 20 minutes of heavy lower body work, then flat-out 30-second efforts with as much recovery as you need between them. People think they have four or five in them, she said. Most are done after two.
Source: Huberman Lab: Female-Specific Exercise & Nutrition for Health, Performance & Longevity
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under fitness or energy.
- Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Heart rate monitor
Chest strap or watch that logs heart rate and estimates calories burned
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 2 recommend it - Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Weight sled
A loaded steel sled pushed or dragged across turf
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 2 recommend it - Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Exercise bike
Stationary bike for intervals and steady aerobic work indoors
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.
Indoor bike trainer
Smart trainer or stationary bike that reports power and varies resistance
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Running hydration vest
A trail vest carrying soft flasks or a bladder, plus fuel, layers and a headlamp
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Basal body thermometer
Two-decimal thermometer for spotting the temperature shift around ovulation
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it
Gear entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.