When adding abdominal exercises to your workout you want to choose the most effective, time saving movements. The hardest, most challenging exercise for the main muscle in your stomach is the bicycle maneuver. If you are searching for an exercise that does not require any equipment and one that you can perform at home, the bicycle maneuver will fit into your routine.
Muscles
Peter Francis, Ph.D., conducted an abdominal exercise study at the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego University. The American Council on Exercise reported on Francis' results in May of 2001. Francis measured muscle activation during 13 abdominal exercises in the rectus abdominis, which runs the length of the middle of your stomach, and the external obliques, which run diagonally along the sides of your abdomen.
Bicycle Maneuver
The bicycle maneuver showed the highest recruitment of muscle fibers in the rectus abdominis, according to the Dr. Francis study. Compared to a traditional abdominal crunch, which Francis gave a score of 100, the bicycle exercise was 148 percent more effective than a traditional crunch. You can perform this movement by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet off the floor. Place your hands behind your head and alternate straightening and bending your legs. As you bring the bent knee toward your body, aim the opposite elbow toward the knee.
Hip Flexors
A common problem with abdominal training is the use of the hip flexors, which are located at the very top of the front of your thighs, to assist in the exercise. When your body recruits the hip flexors, the abdominal muscles do not work as hard. Francis attached electrodes to the hip flexors during his study to determine muscle activation during the 13 exercises. His results showed the least amount of hip flexor activity when subjects performed a crunch on a stability ball.
Stability Ball
Although the stability ball showed less activity in the rectus abdominis than the bicycle maneuver, it also showed less hip flexor muscle activation. If you are looking for another challenging abdominal exercise, a crunch on the stability ball may be your solution. You perform this exercise by sitting on top of a stability ball and then walking your feet away from your body until the ball is under your lower back. Lie on top of the ball with your hands behind your head. Exhale and lift your shoulder blades off the ball as you contract your stomach. Inhale and lower your torso beyond parallel, over the ball, to increase your range of motion.
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