The elbow to knee crunch, also known as the bicycle maneuver, topped the list of a 2001 study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise comparing the overall effectiveness of different abdominal exercises. Elbow to knee crunches incorporate lifted shoulders, lifted legs and side-to-side trunk rotation to fully engage your rectus abdominis and oblique muscles. While you should always avoid certain deficiencies in your form, you can perform the exercise in a number of ways.
Supine Bicycle Crunch
To perform the basic elbow to knee crunch, or supine bicycle crunch, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Place your hands behind your head, elbows held wide. Engage your abdominal muscles to support your lumbar spine. One at a time, lift each foot off the floor to bring your legs into tabletop position — your knees at 90-degree angles and your calves parallel to the floor. Curl your torso off the floor, then simultaneously pull your left knee in toward your chest as you extend your right leg straight out at a 45-degree angle, rotating through your trunk to bring your right elbow to your left knee. Pause briefly. Return with control and alternate sides.
Pilates Criss-Cross
The Pilates abdominal exercise criss-cross is the same movement as the elbow to knee crunch, with emphasis given to precise form. Move your legs with purpose and control, as if you’re pulling through and pushing against resistance, keeping your toes pointed and your elbows wide. Maintain a stable pelvis — don’t allow your hips to rock or shift as your upper body rotates. Also avoid swiveling from side to side through your torso — rather, true trunk rotation requires you to maintain full abdominal engagement. Pilates instructors often instruct their students to draw the lower ribcage toward the opposite hip bone.
BOSU Bicycle Crunch
When performed on the BOSU half-ball, the elbow to knee crunch takes on an element of instability that engages your deep transverse abdominal muscles. Maintaining proper form while also staying balanced can be challenging — it’s likely you won’t be able to perform as many repetitions on the half-ball as you can on the floor before you begin to lose proper technical form. Move slowly and deliberately, paying particular attention to your hips, keeping them still. To further increase the challenge on the BOSU, move at about half your normal speed, going through the movement in slow motion while keeping the overall movement fluid.
Contraindicated Form
When performing elbow to knee crunches, emphasize the rotational movement rather than the coming together of your elbow and knee. While it’s acceptable for your elbow to meet your knee in the standard supine bicycle crunch, the Pilates criss-cross exercise dictate that the two shouldn’t meet. Don’t pull your head or neck. Instead of pressing your head into your hands, just touch your hair to support your head. Your lumbar spine should maintain contact with the floor when your legs and torso are raised. If your lower back begins to arch off the floor — usually occurring when the height of your upper body decreases from muscle fatigue — stop and reset your form.
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