Cardio exercise
Air BikeHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Cardio
- Also works
- Quads, Front delts
- Equipment
- Cardio machine
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Air Bike?
- Set the seat so your knee is still slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke.
- Sit tall with a slight forward lean and hold the moving handles.
- Pedal smoothly while you push and pull the handles in time with your legs.
- Start at an easy pace; the harder you push, the more the fan resists.
Cues
- Push and pull with your arms.
- Keep your hips still on the seat.
- Smooth circles with your feet.
Common mistakes
- Seat too high: lower it if your hips rock to reach the pedals.
- Lazy arms: drive the handles as hard as you pedal.
- Going all out at the start: build up the pace over the first minute.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Seated, pedalling at a steady pace while pushing and pulling the moving handles, torso upright with a slight forward lean. Seat height follows standard bike set-up (Harvard Health, Concept2); sources on fan bikes specifically are thin, so the arm action is our own reading of how the handles are linked to the pedals.
Starting position
Set-up: seat height so that with the heel on the pedal at the bottom of the stroke the leg is straight; riding on the ball of the foot then leaves a slight knee bend. Feet on the pedals with the ball of the foot over the axle. Body: seated, torso 10–20° forward of vertical, back flat, shoulders relaxed. Hands on the moving handles, elbows bent and pointing back, not flared. Knees in line with the feet.
The movement
Pedal in smooth circles while the arms work the handles: as the right pedal comes over the top and pushes down the front, the right hand pulls its handle back and the left hand pushes its handle forward, then the pattern reverses (each handle is linked to its pedal; match the machine model). Arms and legs share the work. The torso, hips and head stay still: no rocking, twisting or bouncing on the seat.
Breathing
Steady, rhythmic breathing; on sprints, fast but controlled.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Ankle roughly level through the circle, ball of the foot on the pedal.
- Torso 10–20° forward, steady; knees track straight over the feet.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Air Bike is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
