How do you get better at something you’re not good at? “Practice, practice, practice!” or “Practice makes perfect.” But do you ever feel that no matter how many times you get on the Assault Bike it never feels easier? Don’t lose heart. Just like everything else in CrossFit, the more you do it, the better you will get at it. Below are some Assault Bike workouts to help you learn to love the Assault Bike.
Assault Bike Tabata
One of the best ways to sharpen your skills on the Assault Bike is to do some type of interval work, such as Tabata. In this format, you work for twenty seconds and rest for ten seconds for a total of eight rounds. In all, the workout lasts only four minutes but your legs feel like lead weights by the time you’re done. This is a pretty easy workout to do because there is a setting on the Assault Bike screen (under Programs on the right side, top button) that will set up the Tabata format for you. All you have to do is push the pedals.
20 Min. RPM Challenge
Another great way to get better at the Assault Bike is to push yourself to maintain the same RPMs for a specific amount of time. For example, hop on the bike for twenty minutes. Start at a medium pace (Ex. 50-55 RPMs) and try to maintain that same pace for five minutes. At the five minute mark, increase your speed to something a little more challenging (Ex. 58-63 RPMs) and hold that pace for another five minutes. Do this for the entire twenty minutes, challenging yourself to increase your pace each five minute interval. Repeat this workout every week or every couple of weeks and try to progressively increase your different paces.
Minute Repeats
The Assault Bike can be just as much of a mental challenge as it is physical. These minute repeats will challenge you to push yourself harder than you think possible in order to make yourself better. The workout is a total of ten minutes: five working minutes and five resting minutes. On the first minute, bike for a max set of calories and then rest on the second minute (this equals one round); alternate biking and resting for a total of five rounds. The challenge is to bike the same number of calories each working minute.
Calories for Time
Lastly, try biking 100 calories for time. Take note of your RPMs, specifically for how long you can hold different paces. Also, make a mental note of how many calories you bike each minute, trying to maintain that same number for each minute until you are done. Record the total time it takes you to complete the 100 calories and then do this workout every week or two and try to improve your time.