How to do a Bicycle Crunch
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Bicycle Crunch
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Bicycle Crunch is a more difficult version of a standard crunch. Instead of raising your torso off the ground for each rep, you keep your torso off the ground, and your core engaged. By cycling your legs, you add more instability to the movement, which leads to better core activation.
- Lie on your back with your hands behind your head and your hips and knees flexed to 90 degrees.
- Extend one leg away from your body keeping both feet elevated off the ground.
- Bring the fully extended leg back in towards your body and up to your chest keeping your lower legs parallel with the floor.
- Once you have reached your knee to your chest, rotate your head and upper back to bring the opposite elbow to the flexed knee keeping your palms firmly on the backside of your head without pulling your head forward.
- Return your knee and hip back to 90 degrees and lower your head and shoulders back to the ground before repeating the movement with the opposite leg.
Common Form Mistakes
Sitting Up Too Far
Crunches are designed so you only raise your shoulder blades, not your entire torso. While it isn’t ineffective or dangerous to raise your torso off the ground, it isn’t a crunch. Focus on contracting your abs to get just your shoulders elevated.
Sets & Reps Calculator
Average Bicycle Crunch standards by male, female, gender, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
- beginner3sets9reps1 Set Max10reps
- intermediate4sets9reps11reps
- advanced4sets10reps12reps
Enter your stats to calculate your Sets & Reps
Alternative Exercises to Bicycle Crunch
1. Ab Crunch Machine
96.1 mSCORESWAPPED 30,538 TIMESAb Crunch Machine is a variation of Crunches performed with a machine. Unlike standard Crunches, the use of a machine gives you more control over your resistance. In addition, the machine will restrict your range of motion allowing you to focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement.
- Intermediate
- Abs
- Ab Crunch Machine
2. Crunches
94 mSCORESWAPPED 17,773 TIMESCrunches are one of the most common exercises out there. It’s an easy to perform, bodyweight exercise that targets your abdominals. Crunches are very similar to Sit Ups, however, instead of raising your upper body all the way into a near sitting position, you only raise your shoulder blades off the ground. This is a great exercise for beginners looking to build core strength.
- Beginner
- Abs
3. Plank
92.8 mSCORESWAPPED 17,641 TIMESPlanks are one of the most common core exercises out there. This is a bodyweight exercise that is performed for time rather than reps. Planks don’t require any movement, instead they force you to place yourself in a position that requires you to engage your core, and maintain that muscle activation for the duration of the exercise. This is a great way to help build strength and stability in a way that will translate to a variety of other exercises, and your daily life.
- Beginner
- Abs
4. Leg Raise
96.5 mSCORESWAPPED 13,100 TIMESLeg Raise is a simple bodyweight core exercise that involves laying on the ground and suspending your legs in the air. While your core does play a significant role in raising your legs, the real benefit comes from controlling their descent back to the floor.
- Beginner
- Abs
5. Russian Twist
96.2 mSCORESWAPPED 11,430 TIMESRussian Twist is one of the more common core exercises. This exercise targets multiple muscles in your core, but the reason for including this exercise is usually to target your obliques. By raising your feet off the ground, engaging your core, and twisting to each side, you can better target this specific muscle in your core.
- Beginner
- Abs
6. Cable Crunch
88.8 mSCORESWAPPED 8,162 TIMESCable Crunch is a variation on the more standard Crunch. Unlike Crunches, this is a weighted exercise that does not have you laying on your back. Instead of using your bodyweight for resistance, you use a cable machine. This gives you more control over your resistance, as well as more control over the direction that resistance is coming from.
- Beginner
- Abs
- Hi-Lo Pulley Cable
- Rope Cable
7. Vertical Knee Raise
92 mSCORESWAPPED 7,795 TIMESVertical Knee Raise is a bodyweight core exercise that involves suspending yourself, and then engaging your core to raise your knees towards your chest. By keeping your torso upright, and raising your knees, this exercise is a bit better for building functional, real world strength.
- Beginner
- Abs
- Vertical Bench (Vertical Knee Raise)
8. Leg Pull-In
94.9 mSCORESWAPPED 7,406 TIMESLeg Pull in is a bodyweight exercise that targets your core. By raising your legs off the ground, you’re already engaging your core. Additionally your core helps to pull your legs in towards your chest.
- Beginner
- Abs
9. Sit Up
93.8 mSCORESWAPPED 7,077 TIMESSit Up is one of the most common exercises out there. It’s a bodyweight exercise that targets your core. Sit Ups are very similar to Crunches, however, rather than raising just your shoulder blades off the ground, you raise your entire upper body. This gives you a bit more range of motion than Crunches, however you’ll start to lose some tension in your core at the top of the movement.
- Beginner
- Abs
10. Scissor Kick
94.2 mSCORESWAPPED 5,336 TIMESScissor Kicks are a bodyweight, core exercise that involve raising your feet off the ground, and kicking your legs up and down. By raising your legs off the ground, you’re already working your core. By continually alternating which leg is raised, you’re constantly forced to keep your core engaged for stability as well as to keep each leg raised.
- Beginner
- Abs