Bicycle Crunches
A floor core drill that starts in tabletop and cycles opposite elbow to opposite knee while one leg extends.
How to do it
- Lie face up with both hands behind the head and both hips and knees bent to about 90 degrees.
- Keep the lower back on the floor and lift the head and upper shoulders only slightly.
- Brace the abdominals so the tabletop position stays still before the first twist.
- Rotate the trunk and draw one knee in as the opposite elbow comes toward that knee.
- Extend the other leg long, then switch sides in a smooth pedal.
- Return to tabletop between sides if needed, and do not pull the neck with the hands.
Key technique cue
Rotate from the ribs, don't pull the neck; keep the lower back down.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Yanking the head with the hands instead of curling from the ribcage.
- ✕ Letting the hips twist with the shoulders, which leaks the rotation out of the trunk.
- ✕ Straightening both legs at once so the tabletop brace is lost.
- ✕ Resting the head down between reps instead of keeping the shoulder blades slightly lifted.
Benefits
- ✓ Combines trunk flexion and rotation so rectus and obliques work in one cycle.
- ✓ Starts from a clear tabletop position that is easy to set up and repeat.
- ✓ Requires no kit, so it slots into home core circuits.
Progression: from easier to harder
-
Step 1 -
Step 2 You are here - Bicycle Crunches
- Decline Crunch
- Kneeling Cable Crunch
- Machine Crunch
-
Step 3
About the exercise
Bicycle crunches are the same opposite-elbow-to-knee trunk curl as the bicycle crunch, done from a tabletop start. Both hips and knees begin at about 90 degrees with the shins parallel to the floor, fingertips behind the head, and the shoulder blades already slightly lifted. Each rep extends one leg while the opposite elbow and the in-coming knee meet, then switches sides. Published EMG ranked the bicycle maneuver first for rectus abdominis and second for obliques among 13 common ab exercises.
Updated
Similar exercises
A week of training and meals built for you
Workoutify plans workouts around your days, time and equipment — and a menu for your goal and macros.