How to do a Stability Ball Bicycle Crunch
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About this exercise
- Sets Logged
- 8,455
- Popularity Rank
- 1043rd
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Abs Strength
- 56 mSCORE 134th
- Equipment Required
Workouts with Stability Ball Bicycle Crunch
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
An effective core workout, Stability Ball Bicycle Crunches target the obliques and rectus abdominis. The added instability of the ball increases the exercise's difficulty, enhancing core strength and coordination.
- Position your body such that your shoulder blades are supported by the stability ball. Place your feet flat on the floor.
- Place one hand behind your head and let the other fall to your side for stability.
- Engage your core to crunch forwards with a slight twist. Arc your elbow of the hand behind your head towards your knee on the opposite side.
- Keep your core engaged and hold this position for a moment at the end of the movement.
- Slowly allow the torso to return to the starting position while maintaining tension in your core.
- Maintain good body posture by keeping the core engaged.
- You should feel this exercise in your core.
Sets & Reps Calculator
Average Stability Ball 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.
- beginner3sets5reps1 Set Max6reps
- intermediate4sets6reps7reps
- advanced4sets7reps9reps
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Alternatives & Variations to Stability Ball Bicycle Crunch
1. Exercise Ball Crunch
79.2 mSCORESWAPPED 60 TIMESExercise Ball Crunch is a weighted variation of the standard Crunch. By holding a medicine ball, you can add more weight to this usually bodyweight exercise. This is a great variation for anyone looking to make their crunches more challenging.
2. Bicycle Crunch
91.8 mSCORESWAPPED 33 TIMESBicycle 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.
3. Stability Ball Oblique Crunch
38.6 mSCORESWAPPED 28 TIMESStability Ball Oblique Crunches target the side abs or obliques, enhancing core strength and definition. Lying sideways on the ball, you perform a crunch motion, lifting your torso towards the hip. This variation adds an instability challenge, increasing engagement and effectiveness compared to floor crunches.
- Intermediate
- Abs
- Stability (Swiss) Ball
4. Crunches
94 mSCORESWAPPED 15 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.
5. Russian Twist
96.2 mSCORESWAPPED 6 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.
6. Balance Trainer Crunch
39.4 mSCORESWAPPED 6 TIMESBalance Trainer Crunch is a more difficult variation on the standard Crunch. Similar to other crunches, this is a bodyweight exercise that targets your abdominals. By using a Balance Trainer, you add more instability to the movement, which leads to better activation of your core.
7. Stability Ball Bicycle Crunch
31.8 mSCORESWAPPED 5 TIMESAn effective core workout, Stability Ball Bicycle Crunches target the obliques and rectus abdominis. The added instability of the ball increases the exercise's difficulty, enhancing core strength and coordination.
- Intermediate
- Abs
- Stability (Swiss) Ball
8. Elbow to Knee Crunch
70.4 mSCORESWAPPED 5 TIMESElbow to Knee Crunch is a bodyweight core exercise that primarily targets the abdominals and obliques. By bringing your opposite elbow to your knee during a crunch, you add a rotational element to the movement, which helps engage your obliques for better core development. This variation offers more intensity and muscle activation compared to a standard crunch.
9. Sit Up
93.8 mSCORESWAPPED 5 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.
10. Flutter Kicks
88 mSCORESWAPPED 4 TIMESFlutter Kicks are a bodyweight core exercise that have you lay on a bench with your legs extended out over one end. This exercise is very similar to Scissor Kicks with the added benefit of having more room under your legs. This can give you a bit more range of motion as your leg descends.