Bicycle Exercise

Starting Position

Begin by lying on your back, placing your hands behind your ears. Do not put your hands clasped behind your head. Lift your legs in the air and bend your knees so that your legs form a 90 degree angle.

Action

Move your legs in a bicycle motion. When your left knee is closer to your body, reach your right elbow to it. When your right knee is closer to your body, reach your left elbow to it. Try performing the exercise for 60 seconds in 2 sets.

Special Instructions

None.

Bicycle Crunches

With Bicycle Crunches, or Bicycle Kicks, you extend your legs into the air, like your pedaling a bicycle. You will perform this exercise as a variation on ab crunches. The difference is that you always have both feet off the ground during these bicycle crunches.
This makes bicycle crunches a bit harder, than standard ab crunches. Also, it tends to work the lower abs more. Typically, keeping your legs off the ground works the lower abs. Keeping your legs flat, on the other hand, works the middle abs.

Bicycle Crunches

With Bicycle Crunches, or Bicycle Kicks, you extend your legs into the air, like your pedaling a bicycle. You will perform this exercise as a variation on ab crunches. The difference is that you always have both feet off the ground during these bicycle crunches.
This makes bicycle crunches a bit harder, than standard ab crunches. Also, it tends to work the lower abs more. Typically, keeping your legs off the ground works the lower abs. Keeping your legs flat, on the other hand, works the middle abs.

Interestingly, bicycle crunches also work the rectus abdominus muscle (upper abs). This is the highest set of ab muscles you have. When people refer to the “eight pack” as opposed to the “six pack” these are the two muscles they are talking about. So, if you want an “eight pack” make sure to include bicycle crunches in your workout.
If you are having trouble with bicycle crunches, try difrend crunches. When you get a strong core, you can “graduate” to bicycle crunches where you keep both feet off the ground


To do the Bicycle Crunches Exercise:

1. Lie face up and place your hands behind your head, supporting your neck with your fingers.
2. Have your abs tucked in and the small of your back pushed hard against the floor
3. Lift your knees in toward your chest while lifting your shoulder blades off the floor.
4. Rotate to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee as you extend the other leg into the air.
5. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.
6. Alternate each side in a pedaling motion for 3 sets of 12 reps.

Do these exercises 3 times per week, doing 3 sets or more each time. Make sure to breathe in and out each rep, and focus on tightening your core, not your neck, through each repetition. Make sure to focus on your form each lift as well. Stop the exercise if you feel any pain, especially in your lower back.