Bicycle Crunch
The bicycle crunch for the obliques and the whole midsection. It works mainly the obliques and abs, with help from the hip flexors.
Flawless ranks it by sets logged: Gold, the third of eight ranks, starts at 50.
How to do Bicycle Crunch
- Lie on your back with the hands lightly behind the head and the legs lifted, knees bent to 90 degrees.
- Lift the shoulder blades off the floor and bring the right elbow towards the left knee while straightening the right leg.
- Switch sides in a slow pedalling motion, left elbow to right knee, keeping the lower back on the floor.
- Rotate from the ribcage, not the neck, and keep the pace slow; fast bicycles are mostly hip flexors.
These are the same steps you see in the exercise guide in the Flawless app.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle | Anatomical name |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Obliques | Obliquus abdominis |
| Primary | Abs | Rectus abdominis |
| Secondary | Hip flexors | Iliopsoas |
Muscle data from StrengthLog.
Why do it
- Upper abs through a short, controlled range
- Easy to add resistance over time
- Direct work on the visible part
How Flawless ranks Bicycle Crunch
| Rank | Sets logged |
|---|---|
| Bronze | start |
| Silver | 10 |
| Gold | 50 |
| Platinum | 150 |
| Diamond | 300 |
| Obsidian | 600 |
| Painite | 1,000 |
| Antimatter | 3,000 |
Flawless ranks Bicycle Crunch by sets logged: the number of sets you have logged over time. The ladder is the same for everyone, because it measures work done rather than strength relative to bodyweight. The rank updates after every workout.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does Bicycle Crunch work?
It works mainly the obliques and abs, with help from the hip flexors.
How do you do Bicycle Crunch?
Lie on your back with the hands lightly behind the head and the legs lifted, knees bent to 90 degrees. Lift the shoulder blades off the floor and bring the right elbow towards the left knee while straightening the right leg. Switch sides in a slow pedalling motion, left elbow to right knee, keeping the lower back on the floor. Rotate from the ribcage, not the neck, and keep the pace slow; fast bicycles are mostly hip flexors.
How does Flawless rank Bicycle Crunch?
By sets logged: the number of sets you have logged over time. Gold starts at 50 and Diamond at 300, the same for everyone.
Try it free
Free on Google Play and the App Store. The whole log is free; PRO is optional.