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Running is my main sport, and so when it comes to my strength training, I tend to focus on the areas that will support my running. That means a lot of leg workouts and a lot of core workouts.
Core strength and stability are important to maintaining your form deep into long races like marathons, so I try to do a couple of core workouts each week. It’s also great for non-runners, of course; I don’t know anyone who couldn’t benefit from building or maintaining their core strength.
I also like to mix up my workouts and try something new most of the time, and that means after 10 years or so of running and strength training, I’ve tried a lot of core workouts and done a lot of core exercises.
All of them have value in building strength, but the move that always stands out to me as the most useful and effective core exercise is the bicycle crunch.
That means I always add it into core workouts I’m doing if it’s not already there, and if I only have time to hit the floor and do a set of one core move, it’s the bicycle crunch.
How to do the bicycle crunch
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor, hip-width apart
Place your hands lightly behind your head with your elbows out to the sides
Lift your shoulders and upper back off the floor, and bring your legs up to tabletop position
Straighten your left leg away from your body while twisting your torso to bring your left elbow over to your right knee
Then straighten your right leg, bring your left knee back in towards your torso, and twist to take your right elbow over to your left leg
Continue to alternate sides either to hit a certain number of reps or time
Benefits of the bicycle crunch
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Compared with a standard crunch, which mostly focuses on the upper abs, the bicycle crunch engages many more muscles.
By crunching up, you hit the upper abs while the leg extensions work your lower abs, and the twisting motion engages the obliques as well.
Since you keep your legs and shoulders elevated throughout the movement, it’s also great for your core endurance, working the deep stabilizer muscles in your midsection.
The relatively fast pace of the exercises, even when you’re doing it with control, also gets the heart pumping, I find, making it a better addition to HIIT sessions than some slower abs exercises.
Why I love the bicycle crunch
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I’m always pushed for time with my workouts, and the bicycle crunch is a really time-effective move, because it works the whole core in one go.
It only takes a few sets of 10-20 reps to really get my core fired up, and if I’m only doing a 10-15 minute workout, I know that inserting the bicycle crunch into it will yield fast results.
I like the twisting motion of the move as well, because it puts the focus on one side of the body at a time, which is similar to running, and I feel like the exercise builds core strength in a way that transfers directly to sports.
The endurance benefits of the move shouldn’t be underrated either. If you do a 60-second set of bicycle crunches, you’re holding a tough position throughout while also twisting your torso and raising your legs.
I also like the fact that it’s a low-impact move that you can do anywhere without any equipment. I’m sure you could increase the difficulty by adding in a resistance band or weights, but the bicycle crunch is hard enough as it is, and you can always progress it by doing more reps or time.
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