What Parts of Your Abs Do Bicycle Crunches Affect?

If you’re looking to participate in an effective core workout that doesn’t require any additional equipment, the bicycle crunch should find its way into your regimen. It’s amongst the best exercise for recruiting and thus developing the major muscles at the front and sides of your stomach. Using crunches to develop strong abs and obliques will help you maintain proper posture and protect your spine.

  1. Abdominals

    • The primary muscle that the bicycle crunch targets is the rectus abdominis, which is located at the very front of your stomach. It originates down at your pubis bone, runs up your torso and inserts at your ribs and the lower part of your sternum. The rectus abdominis is the biggest muscle in your abs and is responsible for bending your spine forward. When the rectus abdominis is developed, it will give you the toned stomach so many strive for.

    Obliques

    • Also assisting during the bicycle crunch are your obliques. Your obliques are located at each side of your torso. Each of your obliques has two heads, which are referred to as the external and internal obliques. Both heads assist the rectus abdominis in bending the spine forward. However, they’re also responsible for bending your spine to the side and also rotating your torso. During the bicycle crunch, they’re the muscles that twists your torso as you bring your elbow to meet your knee.

    Effectiveness

    • The bicycle crunch is a unique core exercise in that it’s efficient for targeting both the abdominals and obliques. A 2001 study funded by the American Council on Exercise discovered that the bicycle crunch scored the best for recruiting the abdominals, and the second best exercise for targeting the obliques. The exercise scored higher than many common core exercises, including the Captain’s chair, crunches on an exercise ball, ab roller and ab rocker. These are all exercises that require additional pieces of equipment. Dr. Peter Francis, who co-conducted the study, recommends incorporating the bicycle crunch into a daily core-strengthening workout.

    Technique

    • To correctly perform the bicycle crunch, lie on your back on an exercise mat with your feet up off the floor and knees bent to 90 degrees. Interlock your fingers and place your hands behind your head so your elbows point out to your sides. Crunch up and twist to your left as you simultaneously bring your left knee to your chest and straighten your right leg. Your right elbow should meet your left knee over your torso. Lower your shoulders back to the floor and return your legs to where they started. On the next repetition, crunch and twist to your right while cycling with your legs so your left elbow meets your right knee. Continue in this manner until you’re finished with all repetitions. Incorporate the bicycle crunch into your workouts two to three days per week.