High Drag / Resistance

The assault bike is so hard because to move the pedals and handles you must resist against a drag that is much higher than something like the rower or the concept 2 bike erg. This means that you must exert more effort on every revolution on the assault bike. If we compare this to an elliptical or another traditional machine in the gym, the assault bike is so much more difficult that you can feel the difference immediately.

High Heart Rate

This level of drag will increase the heart rate drastically higher than traditional cardiovascular machines in the gym. The high heart rate will be accompanied with a higher respiration rate, and more generally feelings of fatigue and challenge.

Akin To Weight Vest Running

We can consider the assault bike a bit like running with a weighted vest. In this comparison the concept 2 bike would be akin to running without a vest. Every revolution will be slightly more challenging on the assault bike in comparison to a normal bike. Another analogy would be that the assault bike is like biking uphill.

Style of Sessions Performed

The assault bike is also very difficult because of the style of session we perform with it. The assault bike is often used to perform high intensity interval training, because this is where it is most effective. This can give us the impression that it is more challenging than other pieces of cardiovascular machines as it is often associated with extremely challenging HIIT sessions.

Final Thoughts

The assault bike is fun because it is so hard. It is just something you will need to get used to. Embrace the challenge it poses.