- Set the seat so your knee stays slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke.
- Push and pull the handles while your legs drive, so your whole body shares the work.
- The fan gets harder the faster you go, so pace the first few seconds of every interval.
- Low impact makes it a good choice for heavier beginners and sore knees.
- Level
- Beginner
- Trains
- Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves, Chest, shoulders and arms
- Kit
- Air bike (fan bike)
What the air bike trains and why it is worth doing
The air bike trains your quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves through the pedals, while your chest, shoulders, back and arms push and pull the handles. Mostly, though, it trains your heart and lungs. Resistance rises sharply as you speed up, so the same machine can give you a gentle warm-up or take you to your limit in a few seconds.
There is no impact and very little skill involved, which is why it suits such a wide range of people. A 45-year-old coming back to exercise after years off, someone carrying a lot of extra weight, and a HYROX athlete who wants hard intervals without more running can all use it. The effort scales itself.
How to ride the air bike
- Adjust the seat height so that, with the pedal at its lowest point, your knee has a slight bend. If the seat also slides forwards and backwards, set it so your knee sits roughly over the pedal when the cranks are level.
- Sit tall, hold the handles with a relaxed grip and put the balls of your feet on the pedals.
- Start pedalling at an easy pace and push and pull the handles in time with your legs: as one arm pushes, the other pulls.
- Keep your torso steady and your core braced. Your hips should stay planted on the seat rather than rocking side to side.
- For hard efforts, build to full speed over the first few seconds instead of exploding from a standstill.
- At the end of an interval, keep pedalling slowly to recover rather than stopping dead.
Common mistakes
- Seat too low. Your knees come up high, the pedal stroke gets cramped and your legs tire quickly.
- Arms only or legs only. Using just one end of your body makes the job harder, not easier. Share the effort.
- Going out too fast. Because resistance rises with speed, a flat-out first 10 seconds can leave you crawling for the rest of the interval.
- Slumping. A rounded, collapsed posture restricts your breathing. Sit up and keep your chest open.
- Death grip. Squeezing the handles hard tires your forearms and tenses your shoulders for no benefit.
Easier and harder versions
To make it easier, ride at a steady, conversational pace for 5 to 10 minutes. Short intervals with long rests, such as 20 seconds at a moderate effort and 40 seconds slow, are a gentle introduction to harder work.
To make it harder:
- Sprint intervals such as 10 rounds of 10 seconds all out with 50 seconds easy.
- Tabata-style work: 20 seconds hard, 10 seconds easy, for 8 rounds (4 minutes).
- Calorie targets, such as 5 rounds of 15 calories with a fixed rest.
- Longer threshold efforts, such as 4 x 4 minutes at a hard but steady pace.
How to programme the air bike
Use it once or twice a week for conditioning alongside two or more strength sessions. All-out sprint work is demanding, so keep it to one session a week and pair it with at least one easier, longer ride. The bike also works well as a 5 minute warm-up, or as a finisher after a lower-body session.
Because it is non-impact, it is handy for keeping your fitness ticking over while you manage knee pain or rebuild after time off. For more on hard interval work, see the guide to HIIT for fat loss, and if you prefer to train in a group, conditioning classes explained covers what to expect.
Lycan Strength has air bikes on the gym floor, and its Engine classes, built for lasting cardiovascular health, are on the class timetable.
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Questions
Is the air bike good for fat loss?
It uses a lot of energy for the time spent and is easy on the joints, but fat loss comes from an overall calorie deficit. It works best alongside strength training and sensible eating.
Why is the air bike so hard?
The fan creates more resistance the faster you pedal and push, so there is no ceiling. The harder you go, the harder it gets, which is why pacing matters so much.
Is the air bike better than the rowing machine?
Neither is better. The air bike needs less technique and is easier to push to maximum effort, while the [rowing machine](/exercises/rowing-machine/) rewards good technique and trains the hip hinge.
General guidance for healthy adults. If you have a medical condition, injury or are pregnant, check with a health professional before changing your training or diet.