Bicycle crunch

Bodyweight, floor or mat

Also called bicycle ab crunch, bicycle crunches

Lie on your back with hands behind the head, then bring each elbow toward the opposite knee while the other leg extends.

Movement

Main movers get full credit for a set, helpers half.

Core

Lower body

Scores 1-5 averaged over sources. Tap a rating for the claims behind it. Claims are our summaries of the linked sources, fact-checked by AI.

Muscle growth higher is better1.5
Below average; better options exist for every goal. 2 sources.
- 1/5 D tier: low ab activation in strong lifters, no reliable way to progress, and no full stretch. Jeremy Ethier, It's Weird, But Destroyed Every Ab Exercise I Tested @ 16:55videoExpert opinion2026checked by AI
- 2/5 Not terrible but gives little stretch and is hard to load, so it mainly builds endurance. Renaissance Periodization, The Absolute Worst Exercises People Do (And What to Do Instead) @ 6:22videoExpert opinion2025checked by AI
Progression higher is better1.0
Hard to load or progress. 1 source.
- 1/5 No good way to progress beyond adding time once you can go well over a minute. Renaissance Periodization, The Absolute Worst Exercises People Do (And What to Do Instead) @ 6:22videoExpert opinion2025checked by AI