Abs · Isolation movement
Bicycle Crunch
A isolation exercise that targets the abs. Performed with bodyweight.
Primary muscle
Abs
Secondary muscles
—
Equipment
Bodyweight
Difficulty
Beginner
How to perform the Bicycle Crunch
- Lie on your back, hands lightly behind the head, and lift both feet so the knees stack over the hips in a tabletop position.
- This is a rotational crunch: the obliques both flex the spine and twist it, so the drive comes from the trunk, not the elbows.
- Crunch up and rotate your torso to bring one shoulder toward the opposite knee while extending the other leg out straight.
- Turn through the ribcage so the shoulder crosses toward the knee — do not just yank the elbow while the torso stays flat.
- Switch sides in a smooth pedaling rhythm, drawing the new knee in as the opposite leg extends and the trunk rotates the other way.
- Keep the lower back pinned to the floor throughout and control the tempo instead of racing through sloppy half-twists.
Suggested working range: 15–20 reps. Default progression: double progression.
Common mistakes
- •Yanking the elbow toward the knee while the torso stays flat, so no real rotation happens.
- •Racing through the reps so fast that the trunk never actually flexes or twists.
- •Letting the lower back arch off the floor as the extended leg drops too low.
- •Pulling on the neck to force the elbow across instead of turning through the ribcage.
Variations & alternatives
Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.
Use this exercise in a program
The Bicycle Crunch fits naturally into hypertrophy and strength splits that prioritize abs volume.
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