Exercise «Bicycle»

1. With torso twisting without lowering the body to the floor. So to speak, in nonstop mode. The torso remains constantly in a twisted state. Consequently, the abs do not rest. This is the most difficult variation.

2. With torso twisting and lowering the body to the floor. After each twist, the shoulder blades touch the floor. That is, there is a pause during which the abs slightly relax. This is a medium difficulty variation.

3. Without twisting the torso. The body always lies completely on the floor. The abs work weakly, and the load is mainly on the iliopsoas muscles. This is the easiest variation.

As you can see, the differences are quite significant. Without twisting the torso, only the iliopsoas muscle works. With twisting, the abs and oblique muscles are also engaged. I recommend performing the variation with twisting. It’s harder, but it's more effective. If you're a beginner, you can start with the simpler no-twist variation.

Nuances and mistakes

1. The legs should always be lifted. In the extended position, they should be approximately 30 degrees relative to the floor.

2. Ideally, each time you should touch your elbow to the knee of the opposite leg. But this is not mandatory. The main thing is that you feel the work of your abs.

3. Overall, this exercise is a mix of lying twists and leg raises while lying down. Therefore, it is not particularly exceptional in terms of efficiency. It’s just popular because of its dynamic nature and various ways to perform it (from simple to very complex).

4. This exercise does not make the waist slimmer (like all other ab exercises). It's just that many websites claim otherwise.

5. This exercise is great for home workouts since it doesn’t require any special equipment. Additionally, it works well as a warm-up at the beginning of a training session.