Bicycle Crunch

Setup

1. 01Lie on your back with fingertips lightly behind the ears.
2. 02Lift both feet off the floor with hips and knees bent about 90 degrees.
3. 03Press the lower back gently toward the floor and tuck the chin slightly.
4. 04Lift the shoulder blades just clear of the floor to start under tension.

Execution

1. 01Extend one leg while rotating the opposite elbow toward the bent knee.
2. 02Pause briefly as the elbow and knee approach each other.
3. 03Switch sides in one smooth motion, extending the other leg and rotating the other way.
4. 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.