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Bicycle Kicks

Bicycle kicks are the classic rotating crunch: lying on your back, pedalling the legs while each elbow travels toward the opposite knee. Done slowly, they are one of the most complete floor exercises for the obliques and the deeper rotational core. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.

Muscles worked

Obliques Abs · rectus abdominis Deep core · transverse abdominis

Sets & reps by goal

GoalSets × RepsRest
Strength3 × 3–6 per side (3 s pause)90 s
Muscle3 × 9–12 per side60 s
Endurance2–3 × 18–27 per side45 s

Rep ranges per Helms 2014 · Schoenfeld 2016.

Level — Beginner

Beginner-appropriate at slow speeds — the tempo is what decides how hard this gets.

Proper form — 5 cues

  1. Press your lower back into the floor and lift shoulder blades just clear of it.
  2. Bring one knee in as the opposite shoulder — not just the elbow — rotates toward it.
  3. Extend the other leg long and low, hovering it above the floor.
  4. Hold fingertips lightly at your temples; they never pull the head.
  5. Move at a pace where you could freeze any position on command.

Breathing: Exhale as each shoulder rotates toward the knee, inhale during the switch.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Yanking the neck with clasped hands. The pull strains the neck and fakes a rotation the obliques never performed. Fix: Fingertips at the temples, elbows wide — rotate from the ribcage until the shoulder travels.
Pedalling at sprint speed. Fast cycling turns the exercise into hip-flexor flailing with almost no trunk rotation. Fix: Slow to a two-second count per side; fewer, deeper rotations beat dozens of shallow ones.
Elbow chasing the knee across the body. Reaching with the arm folds the chest inward without any real oblique shortening. Fix: Keep the elbows wide and think 'shoulder to opposite hip' instead of 'elbow to knee'.

Common questions

Are bicycle kicks good for love handles?

They train the obliques underneath, but no exercise removes the fat sitting on top of a specific area — that only responds to an overall calorie deficit sustained over time. Train bicycles to build the rotational muscle and strength; manage the fat layer in the kitchen. The combination, not either alone, changes how your waist looks.

How many bicycle kicks should I do?

Count quality rotations, not seconds of flailing: 10–15 slow reps per side for 2–3 sets is a genuinely hard, productive dose. When that gets comfortable, do not speed up — add a pause at each elbow-to-knee touch or slow the extended leg's hover. Difficulty should rise through control, not chaos.

Bicycle kicks vs crunches — which is better for abs?

Bicycles include everything a crunch does and add rotation, so they recruit the obliques far more while still working the rectus abdominis. Crunches remain useful as a simpler, easier-to-load pattern. If you only have time for one floor move, bicycles cover more ground; if you are brand new, learn the crunch first.

Related exercises

Easier: Bicycle Kicks (Modified)

Cross Knee to Elbow PulseObliques Downward Dog Cross Knee to Elbow TouchObliques Downward Dog Knee to Elbow TouchObliques Downward Knee to Elbow TouchObliques Knee to Elbow TouchObliques

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