What is the assault bike?
The Assault Bike (or Echo Bike, BikeErg with arms) uses a fan that resists harder the faster you push. That means there's no ceiling: you can always go harder, and you will pay for it. Intervals on this machine target the full anaerobic system. Calories are the standard unit, not distance, because the fan rewards raw power output. Twenty seconds at full output spikes your heart rate to redline, and you'll feel it deep in the lungs and quads within two efforts.
How to do the assault bike
- 1
Set the seat correctly
Hip-bone height with the bike. At the bottom of the pedal stroke, your knee should have a slight bend. Too low cooks your quads, too high rocks your hips.
- 2
Push and pull the handles
Don't just let the arms ride along. Drive the handles like you're punching and pulling. Synchronised with the legs, this is what builds the calorie count.
- 3
Find your interval pace
For 20s efforts: max output, Z5, 100 percent. For 60s: hold a calorie/min number you can repeat. The bike punishes anyone who opens too fast on round one.
- 4
Recover by spinning, not stopping
During rest, keep the legs turning at very light resistance. Stopping completely makes the next interval feel ten percent heavier.
Pro tip
Pick one metric per session: calories per interval, or average watts. Chase it. The Assault Bike rewards repeatable output, not one heroic round.
Common mistakes
All legs, no arms.
You leave 30 percent of your power on the table. Drive the handles aggressively.
Opening round at 110 percent.
You blow the next four rounds. Pick a number you can hold, then lift it on the last interval.
Stopping during rest.
Restarting the fan from zero costs energy. Keep a slow spin going.
Hunching forward.
You compress the diaphragm and lose breathing capacity. Stay tall, ribs over hips.
Variations and progressions
Easier
30s on / 90s off × 6
Long recovery, short effort. Lets you push hard each round without redlining your nervous system.
Harder
Tabata: 8 × 20s/10s
Four minutes of total agony. Score the lowest calorie round. If you drop more than three cals across the eight, you opened too hot.
No Assault Bike?
Rower or SkiErg intervals
Both fan-resistance machines deliver similar conditioning. The bike just punishes the legs more directly.
How to program it
Three protocols by goal. Pick one per cycle and aim for progression on load or distance.
| Goal | Sets × distance | Load | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| VO2 max | 5 × 60s | Z5 | 90s |
| Anaerobic power | Tabata 8 × 20s/10s | All-out | 10s between, 4 min after |
| Calorie target EMOM | 10 × 12 cal men / 9 cal women | Hard | Remainder of minute |
Assault Bike FAQ
Why does the Assault Bike feel harder than running?
Because it recruits the upper body and lower body simultaneously, which doubles the muscle mass demanding oxygen. Your heart rate climbs faster than on any single-limb modality. That's also why it's the best 10-minute conditioning tool you'll find.
Calories or distance: which should I track?
Calories. The fan's resistance curve means a steady RPM gives wildly different distances depending on body weight and effort. Calories are output-based and comparable session to session. Hyrox-style workouts almost always score in calories.
How often should I do Assault Bike intervals?
One or two sessions per week is plenty. Anaerobic work taxes your central nervous system heavily. Pair it with one easy aerobic session and you'll see massive cardio gains in four to six weeks without burning out.
