Reaching your health and fitness goals is easier than ever with CAROL Bike’s range of science-backed workouts. When building your regimen, start by asking yourself two questions:
1. How much time do you have each week?
2. What are your goals?
If you have minimal time
Lack of time is the most common barrier to exercise. If you’re short on time, or if you just don’t want to devote significant time to cardio, your optimal workout recommendation is clear: Reduced Exertion HIIT (REHIT).
REHIT can be done in as little as five minutes from the comfort of your home, and we recommend everyone do 2-3 REHIT rides per week. If you primarily want to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, then 2x per week is sufficient; however, if you want full metabolic health benefits, then 3x rides per week are recommended.
Our signature REHIT Intense ride, with 2×20-second max-intensity sprints, is proven to be the shortest, most effective cardio workout. If it feels too hard, you can try the Intermediate (2×15-second) or Energizer (2×10-second) alternatives. REHIT Intermediate is estimated to deliver 70% of the fitness benefits of the Intense ride, and Energizer 40%.
Adherence is key, and a 5-second shorter sprint can make a surprisingly big difference to how hard a workout feels.
On the other hand, if you want to challenge yourself with a similar total time commitment, you can try the 3×20-second sprint intervals or the 10×6-second sprint intervals. Both workouts provide similar cardiorespiratory fitness and metabolic health benefits as REHIT Intense—and they are backed by science. (See the 3×20-second sprint study here and the 10×6 second sprint study here.)
REHIT is scientifically proven to deliver double the health and fitness benefit vs regular exercise—in 10% of the time.
If you have more time
If you have more time, given their effectiveness we still recommend 2x REHIT Intense or REHIT Intermediate rides each week.
We also make this recommendation because those two workouts drive the personalization of other CAROL Bike workouts.
So, with your base covered, consider your goals:
– Weight loss
– Longevity
– Fitness tracking
– Entertainment
– Something else?
If your goal is weight loss
In addition to your 2-3 REHIT rides per week, we recommend adding 1-3 Fat Burn rides to your regimen if fat loss is your main objective.
These demanding yet time-efficient HIIT rides generate massive calorie-burn during and after the workout, and they are scientifically proven to burn twice as many calories as regular exercise.
Fat Burn consists of 60×8-second sprints with 12-second recoveries in between each as well as a short warm up and cooldown. If 60 sprint cycles are too challenging, you can try 45 or 30-cycle options instead.
The resistance for the Fat Burn rides is linked to your REHIT resistance, so as you get fitter and stronger, the workouts will adapt with you.
We also recommend doing resistance training alongside your Fat Burn rides, especially for the upper body, to increase or protect your muscle mass while reducing weight.
If your goal is longevity, optimal fitness & health
If you have more time and want optimal longevity, fitness and health benefits, consider adding 2-3 longer workouts to your weekly regimen in addition to your 2-3 REHIT rides. These would ideally be 60-90 minutes each and performed at lower intensity (i.e., “Zone 2”).
Zone 2 training is performed at a level of effort where holding a conversation while working out is still possible. It has gained significant traction in recent years, with endorsements from leading health and fitness experts such as Peter Attia and Andrew D. Huberman.
CAROL Bike offers a number of options for Zone 2 training:
1. Zone-Based Free Ride: Keeps you automatically in a specific training zone.
2. Constant Power Free Ride: Allows you to select a target power as the bike automatically adjusts resistance to keep your power output at that level.
3. Regular Free Ride: Lets you directly control resistance.
Zone 2 training can also be done while cycling through virtual landscapes in apps like Zwift or Kinomap, as well as while watching YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, and other popular streaming apps that are compatible with CAROL Bike*.
Again, we recommend augmenting your CAROL Bike workouts with resistance training, especially for the upper body, for optimal results.
CAROL Bike's Fat Burn rides are proven to burn twice as many calories as moderate intensity exercise.
Zone 2 training is longer but performed at lower intensity—and provides optimal longevity benefits.
If your goal is fitness tracking
With every REHIT workout, you will get a comprehensive set of fitness metrics, including Fitness Score (designed to track VO2max—the maximum amount of oxygen you use during exercise) as well as Peak Power, Maximum Anaerobic Power, Calorie Burn, Energy Output, and Peak Heart Rate.
Your Fitness Score is based on your performance during, and recovery from, an anaerobic sprint.
The other fitness tests included in the CAROL Bike workout range allow measurement of your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) during an aerobic workout.
CAROL Bike includes Maximum Ramp Tests, in which the target power increases continuously until you reach your personal limits, and FTP tests, in which you either have to pedal at your limits for 20 minutes or for 2×8-minutes.
CAROL Bike will automatically calculate your FTP and Maximum Aerobic Power. Your FTP will be used to set your personal power zones.
If your goal is entertainment
You can participate in group cycling classes via Peloton Digital (on the bike screen) or Apple Fitness+ (on a secondary device).
Or, you can pedal along to your favorite show while watching entertainment streaming apps* such as YouTube, Netflix, or Disney+ and keep up with the outside world on apps* like ABC, CNN, or Fox.
*Please note these apps may require membership independently from CAROL Bike.