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Bicycle Crunch
A floor crunch that pairs trunk flexion with rotation and alternating leg drive, hitting the rectus abdominis and obliques with no equipment.
AbsBodyweightTrunk flexion with rotation
GoLightWeight mediabicycle-crunch
Demonstration coming soon
Primary
Rectus abdominisObliques
Secondary
Hip flexorsQuadriceps
Equipment
Bodyweight
Pattern
Trunk flexion with rotation
Setup
- 01Lie on your back with fingertips lightly behind the ears.
- 02Lift both feet off the floor with hips and knees bent about 90 degrees.
- 03Press the lower back gently toward the floor and tuck the chin slightly.
- 04Lift the shoulder blades just clear of the floor to start under tension.
Execution
- 01Extend one leg while rotating the opposite elbow toward the bent knee.
- 02Pause briefly as the elbow and knee approach each other.
- 03Switch sides in one smooth motion, extending the other leg and rotating the other way.
- 04Continue alternating at a controlled tempo without dropping the shoulders to the floor.
Checkpoints
- -Lower back stays in contact with the floor as each leg extends.
- -Rotation comes from the torso, not from yanking the neck with the hands.
- -Shoulder blades stay off the floor for the whole set.
- -The extended leg hovers low without the back arching.
Common mistakes
- -Pulling on the head and straining the neck.
- -Pedaling the legs fast while the torso barely rotates.
- -Letting the lower back arch off the floor when the leg extends.
- -Touching elbow to knee by moving the arm instead of rotating the trunk.
Programming notes
- -Use 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 20 controlled reps per side.
- -Slow the tempo or extend the leg lower before adding reps.
- -Works well paired with an anti-extension drill like a rollout in the same session.
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