Traveler
Total Posts: 928
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02-10-21 03:41 PM - Post#907661
For years, I have had a Schwinn Airdyne as a back up piece of cardio equipment at home. In the face of the ongoing pandemic, the Airdyne has taken center stage in my cardiovascular training.
My preferred cardio training was on a treadmill in the gym. While boring to many, it gave me the opportunity to set a speed and incline and live up to it.
The treadmill served as a personal pacer. If I was scheduled for a 4mph walk at a 15% incline for 30 minutes, all I had to do was set the machine. The only thing I had to do was keep up with it.
With the Airdyne, if I am feeling off, lazy, unmotivated, whatever, it is all too easy to just slow down. With the treadmill my rule was simple, set it and live with it. (The exception would be stopping if I felt sick or injured, which thankfully never happened.)
To wit, I do not know if I am pushing myself enough on the Airdyne. I am a person who likes standards.
I have not seen any age related standards for people my age - 61.
A couple of day ago, I did a 30 minute workout. The monitor showed 520 calories expended for that half an hour. I felt worked, but it did not compare to what I could get out of myself on the treadmill, at least not in terms of perceived exertion.
For those of you who have Airdyne/fan bike experience, what standards do you use? What is a good 30 minute goal? Any advice for people in my age range?
I am particularly interested in steady state work for 30 minutes. I have done intervals but that is not what I currently want to focus on. My Airdyne workouts are performed after my resistance training so I am already somewhat worked.
Any help is welcome.
Thank you in advance.
Stay Healthy, Stay Strong
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Adam S
Total Posts: 629
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I don't know how your Airdyne's calories counter is calibrated, but I never get up to more than ten calories a minute over the course of a 30-minute workout on our AD-6 unless I am doing HARD intervals. Calorie counters on exercise equipment are unreliable anyway. I think you should consider getting a heart rate monitor and using that to calibrate your workouts. My experience with my Apple Watch is that wrist monitors are not quite particularly accurate on fan bikes (or on ellipticals with moving arms) unless you wear them tightly. But you don't need to worry about slightly inaccurate readings. Just use the monitor to gauge your intensity generally. I'm 62 and try to stay at around 70% of my max HR on my steady-state rides. But I never have a problem with going too easy on the Airdyne. If anything, I tend to go too hard, and I need to moderate the intensity. Most of your rides SHOULD be moderate or even low intensity. Save the hard stuff for interval workouts. I LOVE our Airdyne for both high and moderate intensity work, and get much more out of it than I get from all other aerobic work, but running. In fact, when we moved to Michigan to take care of my wife's mother during the pandemic, we bought an Airdyne to use out here, knowing we'd be here for months (which we have). One other thought: have you tried music? My wife couldn't ride without music, and she has some mixes that she rocks out to. I don't tend to go for music when I work out. It prevents me from focusing on the pain.
| Why are you squatting in the curl rack? |
Edited by Adam S on 02-10-21 09:44 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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Traveler
Total Posts: 928
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Thank you for your input Adam. I appreciate it.
Interestingly, I just started compiling a high energy playlist to listen to while on the Airdyne.
As far as a heart rate monitor, I have one but stopped using it a few years back. When I have to watch a monitor, it makes it harder for me to lose myself in what I am doing.
One of the reasons I liked the treadmill so much is that I set it to the scheduled intensity by virtue of speed and incline and then would hang a towel over the monitor. Once in a while I would check to see where I was time wise.
Checking monitors with any frequency makes me too cognizant of what I am doing and prevents me from zoning out. Perhaps, however, I will have another go with the heart rate monitor.
Thanks again.
Stay Healthy, Stay Strong
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Old Miler
Total Posts: 1744
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I don't tend to go for music when I work out. It prevents me from focusing on the pain.
You scare me. But there must be some heavy rock anthems to get you in the mood for more pain...
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Conor78
Total Posts: 254
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Traveler
Total Posts: 928
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Thanks Conor.
I am 6 ft 191 lbs.
As mentioned previously, my preferred cardio training is incline treadmill walking. I like to do 30 minutes steady state. I do this after resistance training.
When I push it, on the treadmill, I can get in the range of 600 calories in 30 minutes. I use this calculator:
https://exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunME Ts
Pushing it on a treadmill is simpler to accomplish for me because the machine creates enforced pacing. On days I want to go hard on the Airdyne, it is natural for me to ease off a bit, when the going gets rugged. On the treadmill, the machine goes whether I feel like it or not.
I suspect the Airdyne feels easier for me because the effort is distributed via arms and legs as opposed to just legs. And I am just not working as hard.
I have not done the treadmill now for a year, owing to the pandemic. Maybe I will just have to get a treadmill for home.
In any event, again, thank you for your input.
Stay Healthy, Stay Strong
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Traveler
Total Posts: 928
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On May 25th of last year, in response to a question I had about the Airdyne and calorie burning, Dan Martin offered this:
"Doing a bit of Google-Fu, it looks like the AirDyne calculator uses the arbitrary weight of a 160 pound trainee to determine calories burned."
If that is the case, and I take my recent effort of 520 calories for 30 minutes at 191 lbs. and adjust it 20%, reflecting an increase for my for body weight, my calorie expenditure becomes 624 calories, which would put me in line with my harder treadmill workouts.
I use calories because I can figure out whether I am keeping up with the fitness levels I attained on the treadmill by converting calories burned in a given time period to METs.
I still do not know how this rates for the Airdyne, in a competitive sense. I do like to compete.
For example, on a Concept II rower, you can compare yourself with plenty of data shared by rowers from around the world. I find that motivating. I do not know of any such compilation of data/competition on the Airdyne. I wish there were.
Stay Healthy, Stay Strong
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Old Miler
Total Posts: 1744
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I was going to ask about this too. Concept II is a very good measure of power (and thus calories), based originally on the instantaneous deceleration of the flywheel, as rowers have clear 'drive' and 'recovery' phases. I'm not sure what physical quantity airbikes actually measure.
Having said that, I wish I had bought one; the spin bike I got in the autumn just gives a speed readout which is totally, utterly ignorant of how tightly I screw down the resistance (a screw which pushes a damper on the wheel).
IMHO it's highly desirable for your cardio machine to have a repeatable measure of speed/power/work-rate. Even better if it's comparable with other people, but at least with yourself from one session to the next. Otherwise it's just "how much do I want to suffer today?"
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Traveler
Total Posts: 928
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IMHO it's highly desirable for your cardio machine to have a repeatable measure of speed/power/work-rate. Even better if it's comparable with other people, but at least with yourself from one session to the next. Otherwise it's just "how much do I want to suffer today?"
Hear, hear.
Stay Healthy, Stay Strong
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AusDaz
Total Posts: 3611
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IMHO it's highly desirable for your cardio machine to have a repeatable measure of speed/power/work-rate. Even better if it's comparable with other people, but at least with yourself from one session to the next. Otherwise it's just "how much do I want to suffer today?"
I wax and wane a little on the merits of data in cardio training. Data is great. Until it’s not and I fall into the trap of chasing meaningless training PBs. Sometimes, there’s something to be said for not using any data and just focusing on RPE and feeling smooth and fast. The only data that really counts is what happens on race day.
Now excuse me while I go and charge 3 different data collection devices...
Edited by AusDaz on 02-12-21 08:20 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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Old Miler
Total Posts: 1744
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I actually use the data to 'not go too fast'. Right now the ground is either icy or a swamp, so heart rate is my tool, and I try to make sure its in the right window. Usually, this means telling myself to slow down. If I had an exercise bike which had some repeatable measure, I'd figure out what "easy" and "steady" were, and just spend X minutes at them.
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aussieluke
Total Posts: 5439
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02-15-21 10:36 AM - Post#907847
I would ignore any monitor on the machine, get a HR strap and pair with your phone and go at around MAF for 30 mins or so.
You might even want to aim for MAF -5 since you’ll be sat down
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