Cardio & conditioning
Air bike workout for beginners: steady riding, then short pushes on the fan bike
Built for the air bike, also sold as an assault bike or fan bike. Do the warm-up, one level, then the cool-down. Level 1 is 10 to 15 steady minutes; Level 2 adds short, firm pushes once 15 minutes of steady riding feels easy; Level 3 moves on to 1-minute efforts. Set the seat so your knee keeps a slight bend at the bottom of the stroke, push and pull the handles in time with your legs, and remember the fan pushes back much harder the faster you go. The structure is our editorial plan, from the air bike move page, our rowing machine and cardio intervals workouts and one maker's manual; no trial has tested this session. Our how to use an air bike guide explains the machine.
Warm-up
- Air bike intervals3 to 5 min, easyAdvanced · Quads, Shoulders, Glutes · 3D demoSeat set so your knee keeps a slight bend at the bottom of the stroke. Push and pull the handles in time with your legs, at a pace you could talk in full sentencesEasier: Stationary cycling
Level 1: steady (your first two weeks)
- Air bike intervals10 to 15 minAdvanced · Quads, Shoulders, Glutes · 3D demoTalk but not sing. Keep the pace even: the fan gets much harder as you speed up, so hold back at first. Start here if the air bike is new to youEasier: Stationary cycling
Level 2: short pushes (once 15 minutes steady feels easy)
- Air bike intervals4 rounds of 20 s firm, 1 min 40 s easy; build to 8Advanced · Quads, Shoulders, Glutes · 3D demoFirm means 7 or 8 out of 10, a few words at most, not flat out. Legs lead, arms join in. Ease right off between pushes and keep pedallingEasier: Stationary cycling
Level 3 (optional): one-minute intervals
- Air bike intervals4 rounds of 60 s hard, 120 s easy; build to 8Advanced · Quads, Shoulders, Glutes · 3D demoOnce 8 short pushes feel steady, as in our cardio intervals workout. Keep interval sessions to 1 or 2 a week, with easier days betweenEasier: Stationary cycling
Cool-down
- Air bike intervals3 to 5 min, easyAdvanced · Quads, Shoulders, Glutes · 3D demoSlow right down. Stay seated with your feet on the pedals until the pedals and handles have stoppedEasier: Stationary cycling
- Standing quad stretch30 s each sideBeginner · Quads, Hip flexors · 3D demoOptional, for comfort; hold the bike or a wallEasier: Side-lying quad stretch with a strapHarder: Couch stretch
- Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch30 s each sideBeginner · Quads, Glutes · 3D demoOptional; pad the knee on the floorHarder: Couch stretch
- Doorway chest opener30 s each sideBeginner · Chest, Shoulders · 3D demoOptional; elbow at or below shoulder heightEasier: Elbows backHarder: Fish pose (Matsyasana)
Tips
- Go by your breathing, not the screen: watts and calories on one air bike don't match another's, and we found no study of how accurate an air bike's calorie count is.
- The fan fights back much harder the faster you go, so a little more speed takes a lot more effort. Start every push firm, not flat out, so the last is as good as the first.
- Use your arms and legs together, with your legs leading: the arms make the same work feel easier.
- Steady minutes count towards your 150 a week of moderate activity; the pushes are vigorous.
- Fit and well, and want the short version later? Three 20-second all-out sprints with 2 minutes' easy pedalling between, a 10-minute session, raised fitness as much as 50-minute steady rides over 12 weeks in one trial. Build up to all-out over several weeks.
- Your first hard session: keep it short. Muscles far sorer, more swollen or weaker than the session explains, or dark pee, need a same-day check from NHS 111: it can be rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle that can harm the kidneys.
- If your blood pressure is high and not yet under control, or you have a heart condition, see your GP first and stay at Level 1 until you're cleared.
- If you take insulin or a sulfonylurea such as gliclazide, check your blood sugar before and after: hard intervals can raise it for a while and lower it later. Skip intervals with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
- Keep children and pets away from the bike, never turn the pedals by hand, and keep your feet on the pedals, or on the foot pegs for arms-only work.
- Can't use your legs? An arm bike works the same way: see the arm-crank intervals move.
- Stop for chest pain or pressure, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or a pounding or fluttering heartbeat. Call 999 (911 in the US) for chest pain that feels tight or spreads to your arms, neck or jaw, or if someone faints while exercising.
The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.
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40 minBeginner3 movesCardio machine, A wallQuestions people ask
How long does the air bike workout for beginners: steady riding, then short pushes on the fan bike take?
About 25 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.
What equipment do I need?
You need: Cardio machine, A wall. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.
Is it suitable for beginners?
It is written for beginners. 3 of its 4 moves have an easier option listed beside them if you need one.
How do I make it easier or harder?
Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.