Bicycle maneuvers are highly effective for working out abdominal muscles. A study performed at San Diego State University and published in a 2001 issue of ACE FitnessMatters reports that bicycle maneuvers are the top exercises for the front and side ab muscles.
How to Do Bicycle Maneuvers
Bicycle maneuvers are also known as bicycle crunches. The standard bicycle maneuver that was used in the 2001 study is a floor exercise. Lie face up to perform bicycle maneuvers and place your fingertips against the sides of your head with the elbows bent. Raise your legs off the floor by bending your knees toward your chest. Raise your head and shoulders off the floor and twist your shoulders to the left as you straighten your right leg. Switch sides. Keep your shoulders off the floor throughout the exercise. This is more challenging for the abdominal muscles.
Bosu Bicycle Maneuvers
Bosu bicycle maneuvers use a Bosu ball and provide more of a challenge to the oblique muscles on the sides of your abdomen. To perform Bosu bicycle maneuvers, lie face up with your back on the round side of the Bosu ball with your hands on the sides of your head and your knees bent with your feet on the floor. Raise your shoulders and alternatively twist your shoulders from side to side. Alternate lifting one foot off the floor and bringing your knee toward your opposite elbow as you go.
Weighted Bicycle Maneuvers
Weighted bicycle maneuvers add weight to your regular bicycle maneuvers. Use this variation when regular floor crunches are not challenging anymore. Perform this exercise exactly as regular bicycle maneuvers, except hold a medicine ball in front of your chest with your elbows bent.
What Muscles Do Bicycle Maneuvers Work
The rectus abdominus and the obliques are the main muscles that work during bicycle maneuvers. The rectus abdominus is a long, vertical muscle group that covers the front of the abdomen from the rib cage to the pelvis. Doing bicycle maneuvers recruits 248 percent of muscle activity in the rectus abdominus compared with standard floor crunches, according to ACE. Bicycle maneuvers recruit 290 percent of muscle activity in the obliques compared with floor crunches. The obliques are the muscles that criss-cross the sides of your abdomen.
How Many to Do
Bicycle maneuvers can increase muscle tone or burn fat. Performing this exercise slowly and doing 15 repetitions per side firms and tones the abs. Quickly performing 50 reps per side burns fat.
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