52 calories burned, 8 levels of resistance
REP Fitness is based in Denver, a.k.a. the Mile High City, where the altitude sits at exactly 5,280 feet. So when the team built a challenge workout into the Strive™ Air Bike featuring VPR™ console, the name was a given.
"It is a preprogrammed workout in the console that involves climbing and descending the peaks of our mountain logo that is displayed on the console," says Adam Brandt, Product Marketing Manager at REP Fitness. It's a quick workout, with the goal of burning 52 calories (as a nod to Denver's altitude) while riding through 8 resistance levels.
How the 5280 Challenge Works
You don't need a degree in exercise science (or cartography) to run this one. Press the challenge button on the console, hit start, and you'll see a 3-2-1 countdown before the workout begins. The bike tells you when to adjust resistance, all you have to do is reach down and push or pull the jet-like throttle to control the challenge.
You start at level 8 (maximum resistance) and begin pedaling your way up the first mountain peak on the display. Once you summit, a short transition period lets you catch your breath on the way down. Then you drop to level 1, the lowest resistance, and cruise through the valley before the next short climb starts. One more downhill after that and you've burned 52 calories across the full resistance spectrum.
The whole thing takes just a few minutes, and you can use it however you like. Go all-out and try to beat your previous time, or you can dial the pace as a warm-up before your strength session. Either way, the console tracks your results so you can watch yourself improve over time.
Why Air Bike Intervals Work So Well
The 5280 Challenge is basically a structured interval session, and the research on short, intense air bike efforts like this one is pretty impressive. A 2023 study found that sprint interval training on an air bike (10 to 20 second all-out bursts with brief recovery) three times per week for four weeks boosted VO2max by roughly 12 to 13 percent and time-to-exhaustion by 7 to 9 percent. The kicker is that those results were as good as what people got from 30 minutes of challenging steady-state cycling, but they spent far less time and effort overall.
Other research shows that ultra-short sprints on a fan bike drives aerobic gains comparable to much longer moderate sessions. For anyone short on time (so, everyone), that's a big deal because you can get the same results without lengthy sessions.
Typical air bikes also feature a resistance that increases the harder you pedal, which means the harder you work, the harder it is to work. However, the Strive™ Air Bike features VPR™ technology, so you can set the resistance to feel like a typical air bike or dial it back for longer steady-state, higher cadence work. Some studies even suggest that pushing hard on a fan bike can make you stronger and more powerful, boosting your maximal force (hello deadlift PR) but with less strain on your joints than heavy squats.
Here are some other air bike workouts to try.
Tips for Your First 5280 Attempt
Start conservatively. Level 8 hits hard right out of the gate, and if you blow up in the first 15 seconds, the rest of the challenge will feel like pedaling through peanut butter. Find a sustainable cadence early and build into it.
Use the valleys. When resistance drops to level 1, keep your legs moving at a moderate pace instead of coasting. Active recovery clears metabolic byproducts faster and sets you up for the next climb.
Track and repeat. The console saves your results, so do the challenge every few weeks and compare. You could aim for faster finishing time, steadier watts on the peaks, or just feeling less like a deflated pool toy at the finish.
Scale it to you. Brandt notes that you can redo the challenge after some training to track progress, or run it at an easier pace as a warm-up. There's no wrong way to use it as long as you're pedaling.
Why the Strive™ Air Bike
The 5280 Challenge is exclusive to the Strive™ Air Bike, and the bike itself is built to handle basically whatever you can throw at it, from warm-ups to sprints. It has REP's VPR™ (Variable Power Resistance) system, which allows you to control 8 levels of resistance by adjusting the angle of the fan blades — this isn't your typical air bike. The 5280 Challenge is basically an ode to the bike's tech, showing off it's ability to go from peak (lunch scorching) to valley (easy cruising) so effectively.
On the console you'll see your calorie count, distance, time, watts, and RPMs in real time so you can track what's up during the challenge. It's got a sturdy frame, adjustable seat, and you can also use the foot pegs to isolate upper-body work when you want to mix things up. If you're building a home gym and want a conditioning tool that gives you structured workouts out of the box, the Strive™ Air Bike featuring VPR™ is what's up.
Check out the full Strive™ Series overview to see how the air bike fits in with REP's other cardio equipment.
Takeaway
The 5280 Challenge is a no-brainer way to use the Strive™ Air Bike featuring VPR™ for an interval workout — making use of all 8 resistance levels with a fun visual of mountain peaks on the console, and a built-in way to track your conditioning over time. It's one of the simplest ways to get a killer air bike workout with a press of a button.
FAQs
What is the 5280 Challenge on the Strive™ Air Bike?
The 5280 Challenge is a preprogrammed workout built into the Strive™ Air Bike console. You climb and descend mountain peaks over all 8 resistance levels for a total of about 52 calories. The name and target calorie goal is a nod to REP Fitness being based in Denver, the Mile High City (5,280 feet elevation).
How long does the 5280 Challenge take?
It depends on how hard you go. A strong effort can take just a few minutes, while a warm-up pace will stretch it out longer. The console tracks your time so you can compare your attempts and track your conditioning progress.
Are air bike workouts effective for cardio?
Air bikes are very effective for cardio. Research shows that short sprint intervals on an air bike can boost VO2max and endurance on par with much longer steady-state sessions, making them one of the most time-efficient cardio tools available.
Rachel MacPherson is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach, and health writer with over a decade of experience helping people build strength and confidence through evidence-based training.
This article was reviewed by Rosie Borchert, NASM-CPT, for accuracy.
similar to this
What Size Barbell Should You Get? A Guide to Every Bar in the Rack
Understanding barbell sizes and which one suits your training.
Half Rack vs Full Rack
How many uprights does your training need?
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP
Product launch information, promotions, blogs, and REP news.
