If you've ever hopped on an Assault Bike and felt like your entire body was on fire after just a few minutes, you're not imagining things—this beast of a machine delivers a full-body burn like few other pieces of cardio equipment. Unlike traditional stationary bikes that mostly fry your quads, the Assault Bike forces you to push and pull with your arms while driving your legs, turning your workout into a total-body endurance and strength challenge. Whether you're sprinting for 30 seconds or grinding through a 20-minute session, this thing doesn’t discriminate—it torches everything from your legs and core to your shoulders and back.
Let’s start with the obvious: your legs take a beating on the Assault Bike. Every time you stomp down on those pedals, you’re engaging your quads, hamstrings, and glutes in a brutal cycle of explosive power. But here’s the kicker—because you’re also using your arms to push and pull the handles, your legs never get a break. There’s no coasting like on a regular bike. The resistance increases the harder you go, so if you’re sprinting, your thighs will feel it almost instantly. And since the bike uses air resistance, the workload scales with your effort—no hiding behind a light setting. The faster you pedal, the more your hip flexors and calves join the party, making it a lower-body demolition derby.
Most people assume the Assault Bike is all legs, but your arms and shoulders are in for a rude awakening. The pushing and pulling motion of the handles turns this into a sneaky upper-body workout, targeting your deltoids, triceps, biceps, and even your lats. Think of it like a rowing machine meets a bike—except way more brutal. The constant movement forces your arms to work in sync with your legs, which means your shoulders and back are stabilizing the entire time. If you’ve ever finished a sprint feeling like your arms were noodles, now you know why.
Here’s where things get interesting. The Assault Bike doesn’t just work your limbs—it’s a core crusher in disguise. To maintain proper form and power through each rotation, your abs, obliques, and lower back have to stay locked in. Every push and pull recruits your core for stability, turning what seems like a cardio session into an isometric ab workout. If you’ve ever felt your midsection burning after a hard ride, that’s your transverse abdominis and rectus abdominis (aka your six-pack muscles) getting in on the action. And because the bike forces you to stay upright, your lower back and spinal erectors are constantly engaged to keep you from collapsing into a sweaty heap.
While we’re talking muscles, let’s not forget the biggest beneficiary (or victim) of the Assault Bike—your cardiovascular system. This thing is notorious for spiking heart rates into the stratosphere because it demands maximum effort from both your upper and lower body simultaneously. Unlike running or cycling, where you can sometimes zone out, the Assault Bike forces full-body engagement, making it one of the most efficient tools for conditioning. Your heart and lungs have to work overtime to keep up with the oxygen demand, which is why even elite athletes gulp for air after short bursts.
The Assault Bike isn’t just a torture device—it’s a favorite among CrossFitters, fighters, and anyone looking to build insane endurance and full-body strength. Because it recruits so many muscle groups at once, it mimics the demands of real-world athletic movements, making it a killer tool for functional fitness. Plus, since it’s self-regulated (the harder you go, the harder it gets), there’s no cheating. Whether you’re using it for HIIT, endurance training, or active recovery, the Assault Bike guarantees a brutal, no-nonsense workout that leaves nothing untouched.
So next time you’re staring down that menacing fan bike, remember—it’s not just your legs that are about to suffer. From your quads and glutes to your shoulders, arms, and even your abs, the Assault Bike is a full-body wrecking ball disguised as cardio equipment. And if you’re not careful, it’ll humble you faster than you can say “Why did I do this to myself?”
