Bicycle crunch
- Muscle group
- Abdomen
- Primary muscles
- Abs, Obliques
- Lie on your back with your hands behind your head and your knees raised at a 90-degree angle.
- Bring one elbow toward the opposite knee while extending the other leg straight out.
- Alternate sides in a continuous "pedaling" motion, keeping your shoulders off the floor.
Tips
- Move your elbow toward the opposite knee by rotating your torso, not by pulling your neck forward with your hands.
- Keep the extending leg low enough to feel your abdominals working, but high enough that your lower back stays in contact with the floor.
- Move at a pace that lets you complete each full rotation before switching sides, rather than rushing through the pedaling motion.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the head forward with the hands so the chin drops toward the chest, which causes the neck to do the work instead of the torso rotating.
- Letting the shoulders drop back to the floor between each repetition instead of keeping them lifted throughout the set.
- Bending the extending leg instead of straightening it, so the pedaling motion becomes incomplete.
Make Every Set Count.
Plan your workouts, track every session, and see your progress over time.
