The air-bike is an abdominal exercise in which you lie on your back, crunch up, and move your legs in the air as if you were riding a bicycle. This exercise targets the front portion of your abdominals as well as the obliques (the sides of your abs).
Find more abdominal exercises in the Weight Training and Bodybuilding sections.
Execution
- Lie on your back, keeping your shoulder blades off the floor.
- Place your hands behind your head to support your neck (not to pull).
- Start with your lower legs parallel to the floor and your thighs bent at 90 degrees.
- Crunch up, twist your torso, and touch the inside of your right knee with your left elbow.
At the same time, extend your left leg straight out.
The flatter you extend the leg, the more effective the air-bike becomes for your abdominals.
Common mistake: Some people roll side to side on their back without actually crunching. This is incorrect and doesn't properly engage the abdominal muscles.
- Lower back down slightly—but don't let your shoulder blades touch the floor. Return your torso and legs to the starting position.
- Crunch up again, this time twisting your torso to the opposite side, bringing your right elbow to the inside of your left knee and extending the right leg.
- Return to the starting position and continue alternating sides, performing between 24 and 50 repetitions.
Your motion should resemble slow-motion cycling in the air.
Advice
- Move slowly and with control. Focus on feeling the contraction in your abs.
- Do not pull with your hands to create momentum. Keep your hands behind your head only to support your neck.
- If you can easily perform more than 50 reps, you're likely:
- Not engaging your core fully
- Moving too fast
- Letting your back rest too much between reps
- Use a waist stretch afterward to relax your abdominal muscles.
Related Exercises
- Lying Waist Stretch
- Cable Abdominal Crunch
- Leg Raise for Abdominals
- Barbell Ab Rollout
- Dumbbell Side Bend
