The Assault Bike…now we’re talking!
Anyone who has spent more than about 30 seconds pedalling their way into the Assault Bike void knows what’s up the second the words come out of your mouth.
“Hey, man! We have some Air Bike workouts today. Do you…?”
“Oh, gosh…oh, please…oh, no!”
You’d be surprised how often this exchange has gone down in gyms across the world.
Table of Contents
Top 28 Assault Bike Workouts
That exchange didn’t scare you away? Then saddle up and get ready to take on one (or all!) of the top 28 Assault Bike workouts!
6 Pack
Equipment: Assault Bike, kettlebell, pull-up bar/rack
150 Assault Bike calories alone are pretty tough. Throw in another 5 exercises and you’re in for some…fun!
The silent killers here are definitely the lunges. If you decide to tackle this one, make a note of how these feel in Round 1 vs. Round 5. An extra 120 Assault Bike cals really jack up the lactic and do a number on the legs!
Zero-to-Sixty
Equipment: Assault Bike
This one shows up every so often in Mat Fraser’s HWPO programming. It is a good barometer for assessing improvement on Assault Air Bike workouts.
It also requires a little bit of strategy.
Do you ball out on the first portion, knowing that you have to do it again? What’s worse is that every second faster you do the first portion is one half-second less rest you’ll get.
Decisions….decisions…
Hunter Seven
Equipment: Assault Bike, barbell, bumper plates
That 5-minute time cap is really…interesting. I don’t know who is gonna hit that cap (unless they struggle with the clean weight or something). Regardless, you really want to pace yourself on this one and just. keep. moving.
Expect the lactic to catch up to you on those burpees…don’t trip!
Weight Vest WOD: 030122
Equipment: Assault Bike, Concept2 rower
What is a good Assault Bike WOD without its favorite partner in crime…the Concept2 rower! With this subtly-named Assault Bike workout, you get 15 minutes of both!
For most people, the row is going to be where you are “resting”. That being said, it is generally easier to accumulate rowing calories (at least over a long period of time) than Assault Bike calories.
Do you “do work” on the rower to get the cals? At least you have 30 minutes to figure it out!
2017 CrossFit Regionals WOD 6
Equipment: Assault Bike, plyo box, sandbag
This is a “fast” one; I remember watching these guys finish the Assault Bike calories in under a minute and immediately start jumping.
The problem? That lactic is going to kill your legs and those boxes will feel even higher than their already-high 30 inches.
Those last sandbag cleans…well…while not the heaviest, after everything else, are (nasty) cherries on top!
Crash and Burn
Equipment: Assault Bike, barbell, bumper plates, pull-up bar/rack
This is Linda’s (very) evil “friend”. Higher deadlift, clean, and bench press weights (at least if you’re a small guy like me!) plus pull-ups and Assault Bike calories…
What else could you want in an Air Bike workout?
Whoever these elite people are, doing, like, a round a minute…hats off to you!
DT With a Spin
Equipment: Echo Bike, barbell, bumper plates
We talked about this one before in our article on DT and how even the top athletes in the world had trouble meeting the “elite” standard above.
I don’t intend to get into a Rogue Echo Bike vs Assault Bike debate here, but needless to say, whichever bike you choose, this one is gonna hurt!
As far as CrossFit Assault Bike workouts go, this one has it all…an Assault Bike workout and a Hero workout…combined. Finish this one and you get to tick two boxes!
2017 Riders Throwdown – WOD 1
Equipment: Assault Bike, barbell, bumper plates, pull-up bar/rack, air runner
This workout is where I learned how much even a “manageable” number of Assault Bike calories can mess with your legs. I actually did this one on a team and had to throw a Worm around which was a…challenge in itself.
Watching the individual competitors ball out on the Assault Bike portion only to crap out with the thrusters was…well…it certainly looked humbling.
My advice, take the entire 10 minutes…you got a 5k immediately after!
Weight Vest WOD: 2106211
Equipment: Assault Bike, dumbbells
Thankfully, you have the biggest set of squats before the first round of Assault Bike calories.
The lactic is still gonna get you, though!
Your ability to get through the front squats will be the limiting factor. As it is, you should be sprinting all of the Assault Bike calorie portions.
2019 CrossFit Games WOD 10
Equipment: Assault Bike, pull-up bar/rack, gymnastics rings
They did this one at the CrossFit Games…if that gives you any idea of the challenge.
The “good” news is the toes to rings always take a long time so…rest up on these.
Air Burpees
Equipment: Assault Bike, pull-up bar/rack
I’ll do the math for your (you’re welcome!): 110 Assault Bike calories and 110 burpee pull-ups.
That’s a lot!
No shame and taking your time getting off the ground on the burpees and not selling out on the Assault Bike calorie portions!
Tour de Hell
Equipment: Assault Bike, plyo box
They did this Air Bike workout a few years back at the European Masters Throwdown in my beloved Budapest, Hungary.
As the opening event, the gauntlet was certainly thrown with this one! Nobody beat the time cap (I guess none of the athletes were “elite” or even “competitors”), although you can see in our article how age affects CrossFit WOD times.
I can assure you, the first round of this one is tough…and it only gets harder from there!
Assault Bells
Equipment: Assault Bike, kettlebell
Thank you, Pavel, for introducing the world to the Russian kettlebell swing!
This one is kind of like Tour de Hell above, but the Russian kettlebell swings are a bit more manageable than the burpee box jumps. However, ascending Assault Bike calorie ladders are still ascending Assault Bike calorie ladders…
Assault Open
Equipment: Assault Bike, barbell, bumper plates
The 5th workout in the 2015 CrossFit Open called for a rowing calories instead of Assault Bike calories.
We’re not going to do an Assault Bike vs rower comparison, but I think just about everyone would agree that the Assault Bike is a bit tougher…especially when you gotta do thrusters immediately after.
I’m starting to notice a trend here…and it’s…”lactic”.
Sneak Attack
Equipment: Assault Bike, barbell, bumper plates
How ironic that this one is called “Sneak Attack”. There is absolutely nothing sneaky about 100 thrusters, 100 bar-facing-burpees, and 100 Assault Bike calories!
Again, the elite folks going a round every ~1:30 are…something. If I finished this in 20:00, I’d probably feel safe to take the rest of the week off!
Saxon Panchik
Equipment: Assault Bike, barbell, bumper plates, pull-up bar/rack, gymnastics rings
Like Hunter Seven above, I think the time cap is going to be irrelevant for most people (even with the 9-minute rest period built-in). As it is, those burpee bar muscle-ups will take some time and any break on the push jerks will add a bit of time.
You get 3 minutes of guaranteed rest each round, though…go hard!
The Repeater
Equipment: Assault Bike, pull-up bar/rack
This is another one of those “sprint” Assault Bike workouts that really screws with your head.
Do you sell out on the bike and try to hold on during the muscle-ups or take your time on the bike and go for big sets on the back end?
Too bad Assault Bike WODs weren’t around in Aristotle’s day!
Paddle & Pedal
Equipment: Assault Bike, Concept2 rower
Another Assault Bike/rower teamup!
Having a bit of personal experience with this one, I can assure you that nobody wins the Assault Bike vs rower debate. Both portions are equally…demoralizing.
All I can suggest is good music and a steeled resilience to hit that 300th calorie.
Climb
Equipment: Assault Bike, climbing rope
Assault Bike workout calories and rope climbs…now we’re talking!
Again, the elites doing this in 30-second rounds is…astounding (I’d love to see their burpees!) Even if you go at the beginner pace, you’re going to get a heck of a diverse workout with this one. Be conscious of how hard you’re gripping the handlebars…you don’t want to wear out your grip for the climbs!
Barbell Blitz
Equipment: Assault Bike, barbell, bumper plates
A LOT of overhead work and a lot of Assault Bike calories. Tough.
The AMRAP format allows you to pace these as you like, but you’re going to have to move if you want to hit that “elite” standard. Thankfully, with only 3 overhead squats each round, the lactic build-up after the Assault Bike portions should be manageable.
Creeping Death
Equipment: Assault Bike, wall ball, pull-up bar/rack, dumbbells
Now, this is a workout with a time cap that is hard to beat. Heck, even the elite CrossFitters aren’t doing this under 20 minutes!
2/3 of Karen and a bunch of toes-to-bar before you even get to the Assault Bike.
Don’t expect your legs to be of much help on the shoulder-to-overheads and just…try to survive the lunges. Also, make sure you have Metallica blasting for the duration of this one!
Dead Leg
Equipment: Assault Bike, barbell, bumper plates, plyo box
The most appropriately named CrossFit WOD of all time? If not, it certainly is the most appropriately named of the Assault Bike workouts!
Your legs are going to be “dead” so make sure you’re in the right frame of mind before tackling each of the (high) box jumps. You don’t want to have to change the name to “dead shin”!
Kyle Wilson
Equipment: Assault Bike, barbell, plates, pull-up bar/rack
If you have a decent bench, you can actually rack up the rounds with this one. The Assault Bike rounds aren’t huge and the pull-ups and burpees are manageable.
Don’t have a big bench? Scale. Getting through less than 2 rounds in 24 minutes isn’t really going to do much for your capacity/conditioning.
I can assure you that even scaled, this is one of the top Assault Bike workouts and you’ll still be honoring Mr. Wilson.
Mat Fraser Tabata
Equipment: Assault Bike
An Assault Bike Tabata WOD? No…the best Assault Bike Tabata WOD!
Mat Fraser loves this workout and I would venture to guess that it is one of the most commonly programmed Assault Bike workouts in his HWPO programming.
Another excellent benchmark WOD, I have enjoyed measuring my Assault Bike capacity improvement by monitoring my progress with this Air Bike workout!
Assault Flatline
Equipment: Assault Bike, barbell, bumper plates, GHD, pull-up bar/rack
Assault Fitness, the Assault Bike’s manufacturer, has produced a number of benchmark Assault Bike workouts. Assault Flatline is one of these benchmark WODs.
The descending ladder, big sets, and 60 calories are reminiscent of CrossFit Open Workout 23.1, making it an excellent test of overall fitness. In my opinion, the “true” test is in those first 110 reps of Assault Bike calories and squat cleans. Get through these and you’re smooth sailing for the rest of the workout…
…but you gotta get through those 110 reps, first!
Assault Baseline
Equipment: Assault Bike, Abmat, pull-up bar/rack
The second of the Assault Fitness benchmark Assault Bike workouts. The required calories are the same, but the following movements are much more manageable than those in the Assault Baseline workout.
I would suggest sprinting through the calories and trying to hang on through the following bodyweight movements. However, like the previous workout, this Assault Bike WOD will be determined by how fast you bike and how well your legs hold up during the following 50 squats.
Death by Assault Bike
Equipment: Assault Bike
One of the simplest of the Assault Bike workouts…at least in the first few rounds. This one takes a bit to catch up to you, but come the 12th or 13th minutes, things start to get real!
There is no real strategy here other than to A. be in shape B. give it your all when things get tough. You’re guaranteed to “die” in this workout; you may as well go out in a blaze of glory!
What is an Assault Bike?
You survived those WODs and are ready for a quick science and/or history lesson? Let’s learn more about the bike!
The Assault Bike is one of the, if not the most grueling cardio machines ever invented. It combines the cardio elements of a normal stationary bicycle with the power elements necessary to get that fan turning every time.
The fan itself is what separates the Assault Bike (and similar stationary bikes, such as the Echo Bike) from other stationary bikes. For this reason, the Assault Bike is oftentimes colloquially referred to as a “fan bike”.
The speed of the fan blade provides the resistance experienced by the rider. The faster this blade spins, the more it becomes like a “shield” against air flowing through it, making it that much harder to pedal.
Want a casual, easy workout on a bike? Look elsewhere; on the Assault Bike you either get a workout or you get nowhere.
For everyone who balls out on their Peloton or spin bike, but can’t squat their body weight…well…maybe lower your expectations just a bit before your first air bike workout!
Why is the Assault Bike good for workouts?
The Assault Bike is an excellent inclusion to a workout, whether as a stand-alone apparatus or inserted into a WOD. The main Assault Bike workouts benefits are:
The Assault Bike works just about all of your muscles
Due to the inclusion of the arms in the production of power, the muscles of the arms and legs are constantly working at a high level. Other cardio machines or non-cardio exercises might only work the upper or lower body, making it necessary to do multiple exercises to get a full-body workout. The Assault Bike does it all!
You control how hard you want to work on the Assault Bike
The Assault Bike isn’t a treadmill that you can set to 8 miles an hour and forget about. It requires you to constantly be aware of your breathing and pacing. Let your mind wander for a few seconds and you might see your wattage drop by 25-30 percent (now you know why things were starting to feel so much easier!)
At the same time, it is much safer to go fast on an Assault Bike than it is on a treadmill. When you start to fatigue, you just…slow down. Try that on a treadmill going 15 miles per hour and…pray there isn’t an overly sturdy wall right behind you because you’re flying off!
The Assault Bike makes everything harder
Take a peek at any of the air bike WODs listed in the Assault Bike workouts list above. Now remove the Assault Bike element from them. How much easier do the workouts look now?
Of course, there is a missing element so the workouts should be easier. Replace the Assault Bike with dumbbell snatches or even rowing and…the workout just ain’t the same!
Look at DT with a Spin above. This workout was premiered at the 2022 Rogue Invitational competition. DT, a great workout in itself, had just been done to death over the years and elite athletes were not finding it to be very challenging anymore.
All it took was the inclusion of 75 Echo Bike (very similar to the Assault Bike) calories to bring the top CrossFit athletes to their knees!
Assault Bike Workouts: Post-game
The Assault Bike is the king of tough fitness equipment.
Air Bike workouts are gruelling and there is an art to mastering Assault Bike technique and setup. Even if you’re a seasoned CrossFit athlete, throwing some Assault Bike action into a workout always turns things upside down!
Thankfully, the advantages of Assault Bike workouts are numerous. The Assault Bike benefits oftentimes result in greater powerlifting strength, pulling strength, aerobic endurance, and VO2 capability.
With upsides like that, what is there not to like about a bike from hell?
Conquered the Assault Bike and ready to master the Concept2 rower? Check out the top 30 rowing workouts!
