What Is An Assault Bike

The assault bike is a cardiovascular training device that is similar to a stationary bike but involves using the upper body as well as the lower body to pedal against resistance. It was used before CrossFit gyms, but CrossFit is what popularised its usage as it is extremely effective for high intensity interval training.

What Is A Treadmill

A treadmill is any device that can be used to run indoors. There are thousands of different models and makes of treadmills and they can be found in almost any commercial based gym. They are extremely effective for those who are looking to run indoors be it due to weather conditions or lack of running terrain.

What Are The Similarities Between the Assault Bike and Treadmill

Cardiovascular Training Equipment

The huge similarity between the assault bike and the treadmill is that they are both extremely effective at developing the cardiovascular system. The cardiovascular system can be trained using a wide variety of machines or modalities and both of these machines fall under the category of cardiovascular development. They can both be used from anything from low intensity steady state training to high intensity interval training.

What Are The Differences Between The Assault Bike and Treadmill

Load Bearing vs Non-Load Bearing

The big difference between the treadmill and the assault bike is that one is load bearing and the other is not. The treadmill requires you to take your body weight through your joints and the assault bike doesn’t.

HIIT Training

Both the assault bike and the treadmill are very effective for performing high intensity interval sessions. However, for those individuals who do not have a background in running and do not run on a regular basis, performing high intensity intervals on a treadmill is not a very good idea as it could cause injury or at least high levels of soreness. Due to the fact that running is a load bearing sport, you will need to ease into any HIIT sessions through preparing your joints with lower intensity and lower volume sessions.

For someone with no running experience, it would not be a good idea to jump on a treadmill and perform a 1 minute on 1 minute off style high intensity interval session. That being said, if you are not a runner but looking to become one, a treadmill could easily be used to progressively build up to the point of being able to perform HIIT sessions using the treadmill.

The assault bike however will be much more forgiving on the joints if it is used to perform high intensity interval training, as it is not load bearing. However be aware that beginners looking to perform high intensity intervals on the assault bike need to ensure it is performed correctly, for more information here please see my article on how beginners can appropriately use the assault bike.

LISS

Whereas the assault bike is more effective for HIIT, I would argue that the treadmill is more suited to low intensity steady state training. The assault bike is known for how challenging it is, this is due to its high drag, making it hard to perform low intensity work on this machine. The treadmill however allows individuals of all abilities to perform low intensity training, for some it might be a very slow walk, for others a high gradient walk or a jog, whatever your ability you will be able to find an intensity that will allow you to find an low intensity steady state that will work wonders on your cardiovascular system.

Accessibility

The treadmill is everywhere, the assault bike is pretty much exclusively in Crossfit gyms, so if you travel on a regular basis and are looking to use home gyms then you will likely be better off basing your training on a treadmill rather than an assault bike.

Overweight Populations

Those who are overweight may find using the assault bike easier than the treadmill to train their cardiovascular system. Running is great for those who are overweight, but it needs to be done with so much caution that the easier option to progress the cardiovascular system would be the non-load bearing option, in this example the assault bike. The most optimal in my opinion would be a stationary bike as it can be done at a lower intensity than the assault bike.

Which is More Effective: Assault Bike vs Treadmill

Neither is more effective than the other. Both are extremely effective machines and both can be used for all forms of cardiovascular training. That being said, if you are making a purchasing decision and are just looking for a machine to do HIIT intervals on and are not interested in becoming a runner then the assault would be my go to choice. If however you are looking for cardiovascular equipment for low intensity steady state training then I would go for the treadmill. Either way, you will be able to progress your cardiovascular fitness with both of these machines.