No matter your goals, we've got the Strive™ Air Bike workout for you.
Maybe you've tackled your fair share of air bike workouts and know the familiar burn of pushing against fan resistance while cursing the heavens. But not all air bikes are built the same. The Strive™ Air Bike featuring VPR™ gives you more control over your training by offering adjustable resistance levels, allowing you to target different goals like speed, power, endurance, recovery, and conditioning.
We've got five Strive™ Air Bike fitness routines — whether you're a seasoned rider or a beginner still learning the ropes — to help you get the most out of your ride.
What Is the Strive™ Air Bike Featuring VPR™?
The REP® Strive™ Air Bike featuring VPR™ merges the functionality of standard air bikes you love (and hate), with the versatility of exercise bikes that support resistance adjustments. The VPR™ — Variable Pitch REsistance — technology allows you to adjust the angle of the fan blades, which controls how much wind resistance you face with each pedal. By simply pushing or pulling on the center throttle, you can move through 8 levels of resistance — simulating up-hill climbs, down-hill sprints, and everything in between.
Read More: VPR™ Air Bike vs. Standard Air Bike
How To Use the Strive™ Air Bike Featuring VPR™
First off, utilize the four-way seat adjustment so that your knees have a slight bend when fully extended on the pedal — don't make this common air bike mistake and skip the seat setup process. When you're ready to ride, you'll want the balls of your feet on the pedals and your choice of grip on the ergonomic handles.
To adjust resistance, use one hand to push or pull the center throttle which allows you to seamlessly cycle through 8 levels of resistance. Level 1 opens the fan blades, creating less wind resistance and allowing for faster, easier pedaling. As the resistance increases, the fan blades close to create more drag. LEvel 8 provides the highest resistance, requiring significantly more force with each pedal stroke and creating a steep uphill climbing feel. The table below walks you through what to expect from each level of resistance.
| Level | Resistance Focus | Feel & Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Light Resistance | Easy spinning, warm-ups, recovery, and high-cadence sprint work. |
| 2 | Moderate-Light | Fast cadence efforts, endurance riding, and speed-focused intervals. |
| 3 | Moderate | Steady challenge for sustained efforts, endurance, and aerobic conditioning. |
| 4 | Hard Resistance | Challenging effort for intervals, conditioning, and HIIT. |
| 5 | Very Hard Resistance | High-effort intervals requiring power and control. |
| 6 | Heavy Strength | Uphill climb feel for building leg strength and power. |
| 7 | Very Heavy Strength | Steep climb feel for short, powerful efforts. |
| 8 | Maximum Strength | Maximum climb resistance for peak power output. |
Read More: Most Durable Air Bike for Intense Workouts
5 Strive™ Air Bike Exercise Routines
Sprint Intervals
These short bursts of all-out effort are a time efficient way to increase speed, power, and your VO2 max. Beginners can extend their active recovery time up to 4 minutes to ensure they're addequately recovered for their next sprint.
- Warm-up: 3 minutes, level 2-3
- Sprint: 30 seconds, level 4-5 (maximum effort)
- Recover: 2 minutes, level 1-2 (easy spin)
- Repeat: 5 rounds of sprints and recovery
- Cool-down: 2 minutes, level 1-2, easy pace
Tabata 20:10 Pyramid Workout
This Tabata protocol is simple: work at a near-max effort while maintaining good form for 20 seconds, then recover for 10 seconds. Complete each resistance level for 2 minutes (4 rounds of 20:10), adjusting the resistance as shown. As resistance increases, expect your pace to slow — you goal is to maintain the same high effort, not the same speed.
Warm up for 3 minutes, level 1-3, at an easy pace.
20:10 Pyramid
| Time | Resistance |
|---|---|
| 0:00–2:00 | Level 4 |
| 2:00–4:00 | Level 6 |
| 4:00–6:00 | Level 8 |
| 6:00–8:00 | Level 6 |
| 8:00–10:00 | Level 4 |
Cool down for 3 minutes, level 1-3, at an easy pace.
Recovery Ride
On days when your body needs rest, you can still tackle a low intensity recovery ride — the cousin of a recovery run — which can reduce soreness and support faster muscle recovery, preserve aerobic fitness, maintain your routine, keep you feeling fresh for your next training day, and decrease your risk of injury from overtraining.
- Warm-up: 5 minutes, level 1-2, RPE 2-3
- Recovery spin: 20 minutes, level 2-4, RPE 3-4
- Cool-down: 5 minutes, level 1-2, RPE 1-2
Endurance Ride
You'll maintain a steady pace at a set resistance level throughout this ride, working to increase stamina and improve your aerobic capacity. For the work, maintain a pace and effort that elevates your heart rate but still allows you to speak in short sentences.
Warm-up: 5 minutes, level 1-2, RPE 2-3
- Endurance ride: 30 minutes, level 4-5, RPE 4-6
- Cool-down: 5 minutes, level 1-3, RPE 1-2
Strength-Focused Air Bike Workout
The Strive™ Air Bike's VPR™ technology allows you to up the resistance to build strength and power in your legs, arms, and your total body. Instead of having to choose between cardio and strength, this workout gives you both.
- Warm-up: 5 minutes, level 2-3, RPE 2-3
-
Strength intervals:
- Legs Only: 30 seconds, level 6-8, RPE 7-8
- Arms Only: 30 seconds, level 6-8, RPE 7-8
- Full-body Recover: 90 seconds, level 3-5, RPE 2-3
- Repeat: 3-4 rounds
- Cool-down: 5 minutes, level 2-3, RPE 2-3
Strive™ Air Bike Benefits
Air bikes offer a full-body, low-impact workout that helps improve cardiovascular fitness while engaging the upper and lower body. Standard air bike resistance is generated by a fan, and the harder you pedal and push the greater the challenge. However, the Strive™ Air Bike takes this one step further with VPR™ technology, allowing you to adjust the pitch of the fan blades and thus the amount of wind resistance you face as you work.
Adding regular air bike workouts into your routine can help increase endurance, build muscular stamina, and burn calories efficiently. They're also ideal for a variety of training styles, including steady-state cardio, high-intensity interval training, warm-ups, and recovery sessions. Wit their versatile design and scalable resistance, the Strive™ Air Bike is a practical choice for improving overall fitness and supporting long-term exercise goals.
Strive™ Air Bike Muscles Worked
The Strive™ air bike offers a full-body workout by engaging both your lower body as you pedal and your upper-body as you push and pull on the handlebars. Here are the primary muscle groups that help generate power, maintain stability, and support your efforts during an air bike workout:
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Calves
- Shoulders
- Chest
- Back
- Biceps
- Triceps
- Core
Takeaway
From classic HIIT work and long aerobic sessions, to speed work, climbs, and high-cadence sprints, the Strive™ Air Bike's eight levels of adjustable Variable Pitch Resistance gives you total control over your workout. Try out one of the workouts we've listed above and see how Strive™ Air Bike featuring VPR™ technology is reinventing the game.
FAQs
Can air bikes help improve cardiovascular health effectively?
Yes! Supporting high-intensity interval training, air bikes are a full-body workout that can increase stamina, improve heart health, and boost overall cardiovascular fitness.
Can I use an air bike for strength training and endurance?
While a standard air bike is mainly a cardio machine, the resistance from the fan can help build muscular endurance in your legs, arms, and core while improving overall endurance. The Strive™ Air Bike takes this a step further, with eight levels of adjustable resistance which can create more challenge for your muscles.
What are the main benefits of using an air bike for cardio workouts?
Air bikes offer a low-impact, full-body workout that burns calories, improves cardio fitness, and allows you to control the intensity of your workout based on how hard you pedal and push. They're also typically more cost- and space-saving than a treadmill, making them great for budget-conscious users with limited home gym space.
How many calories burned during an air bike workout?
The amount of calories burned during an air bike workout depends on factors such as your workout intensity, how long your workout is, your body weight, and your fitness level. Because air bikes engage both your upper and lower body, they can often burn more calories (in a shorter amount of time) than traditional stationary bikes.
Rosie Borchert is a NASM-CPT, former Nike Volleyball coach, and writer whose work has appeared on BarBend, Tonal, ABC, Netflix, and Amazon Studios. If anyone would like to hire her to play beach volleyball, snowboard, binge watch TV, or go climbing, please get in touch.
This article was reviewed by Ashley Boyer, ACE-CPT, for accuracy.
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