3 myths about water training that serious cyclists should stop believing
"Water is for rehabilitation, not for real training." This is a phrase often repeated among cyclists and triathletes, and also the reason why many high-level athletes have never tried incorporating an aquatic bike into their training plan. The problem is that this phrase is, quite simply, a myth. And the POOLBIKING ULTRA exists precisely to debunk it.
Myth 1: "You can't break a sweat in the water"
You can, and in fact, it's harder than it seems. Resistance in water does not depend on a brake disc or a magnet; it depends on you: the faster you pedal, the more resistance the aquatic environment generates. This is the F.P.R. (Full Progressive Resistance) system that the ULTRA uses, with no cranks to adjust, no levels to select. You set the pace, the water responds. And when a trained cyclist truly pushes themselves, the ULTRA reciprocates with the same demand as a tough road interval, burning up to 800 kcal/h.
The difference is that here, there are no descents, traffic lights, or traffic to force you to ease up. Just you, progressive resistance, and the clock.
Myth 2: "Real cross-training can only be done out of the water"
This is the hardest one to break because it goes against intuition. But for a cyclist or triathlete, the biggest enemy is usually not a lack of motivation; it's accumulated wear and tear: knees, hips, lower back. Every extra kilometer on the road also adds mileage to those joints.
The ULTRA allows for real volume and intensity, high-level active recovery sessions, intervals, and cross-training, without adding a single gram of joint impact. The buoyancy of the water takes the load; your legs do the work. This is the formula many teams and high-performance centers use when an athlete needs to continue training hard during a load management phase.
Myth 3: "An aquatic bike cannot withstand the demands of a high-performance athlete"
This is where engineering comes in. The ULTRA range from POOLBIKING is constructed from marine-grade AISI 316L stainless steel, the same material used in nautical environments for its resistance to chlorine, salt, and UV rays, with CNC machining and TIG welding, manufactured entirely in Barcelona. The frame geometry, calculated with the Perfect Geometry system for six different user heights, replicates the angles of a conventional road bike, so posture doesn't suffer even in the most demanding intervals.
It is not a "light" version of a spinning bike. It is a machine built to meet the demands of those who already train seriously.
The question that really matters
It's not whether water "works" for training. It's how much performance you're leaving on the table by not having tried it yet. For road cyclists, triathletes, and high-level athletes looking for a different stimulus without risking their season due to overuse, the POOLBIKING ULTRA is not an alternative to serious training. It's another way to do it.
Does your club or high-performance center want to incorporate real cross-training into its offerings? Discover the POOLBIKING ULTRA and the rest of the range at https://aquatic-fit.com/.