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The Nine-Minute Workout
A new stationary bike claims that by using artificial intelligence, it can deliver the same benefits of a 45-minute workout in less than nine
Like many busy professionals, my best intentions for maintaining a regular exercise routine often fall short. I struggle to fit a 45- or 60- minute class into an already packed schedule. That’s why I was intrigued by the CAR.O.L, a new high intensity interval training (HIIT) stationary bike that claims to deliver the same benefits of a 45-minute workout in less than nine minutes.
HITT is a form of exercise where an individual alternates between short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods. While a typical HITT class includes bursts of cardio — sometimes just 30 seconds — usually the full class lasts around 45 minutes or more. CAR.O.L. is based around a concept known as “reduced-exertion high-intensity training” (REHIT) which is the idea that fewer and shorter sprints of cardio produce health results more efficiently. Billed as the “shortest, smartest, most scientific exercise system in the world”, the CAR.O.L. bike uses an artificial intelligence algorithm to adjust the bike’s resistance based on the rider’s weight, power output, and level of fatigue. This ensures that the rider is giving maximum effort during two sprint periods (which can be either eight seconds, 10 seconds, or 20 seconds depending on the ride chosen by the user).
I tried CAR.O.L. at Hackd Fitness in New York City, a gym that provides access to the CAR.O.L. bike along with other artificial intelligence exercise machines. I decided to use the “intense” protocol which features two 20 second sprints during the nine minute workout. The bike asked me to input my age and weight, and then a soothing voice directed me to start slowing pedaling. For the next two minutes, I was told to keep pedaling as if I’m making my way through a savanna. Suddenly, without warning, the voice let me know that a tiger has come out of the shadows, and I was instructed to pedal as hard as I can. I felt the resistance on the bike increase rapidly. For the next…
