Body-weight exercises help you build an understanding of correct form and movement first, and get stronger in the process, explains CJ Hammond, a NASM-certified personal trainer with RSP Nutrition in Los Angeles. Your body weight alone likely isn’t going to place enough stress on the body to fuel substantial muscle growth if you’re a regular exerciser already, he explains - but these exercises can go a long way toward building up strength for athletic activity, preventing injury, getting toned-looking muscles, and promoting healthy functioning for daily living.īody-weight workouts are also a great starting point if you’re new to exercise. “If you do body-weight exercises, you won’t necessarily develop large amounts of muscle tissue,” King says. RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Strength Trainingĭepending on your current fitness level, your ability to build bulky muscles may be limited, says Rondel King, CSCS, a corrective exercise specialist and personal trainer in New York City. What’s more, a scientific review of studies confirmed that muscle growth can happen even if external resistance is not applied. Using only body-weight moves during high-intensity circuit training is an efficient way to decrease body fat, improve insulin sensitivity, and improve maximal aerobic capacity (VO2 max) and muscular fitness, says the American College of Sports Medicine. That convenience factor is a major perk.īody-weight exercises are great for boosting your fitness, metabolism, and endurance, according to Harvard Health Publishing. That means no dumbbells or fancy gym equipment are required - and you can knock out a workout wherever you are. There you’ll find dozens of core movements, all with complete step-by-step instructions.Body-weight exercises are ones that use only your body weight as resistance. If you’d like to see more core exercises, head over to the Core section of our Exercise Library. Either way, felt appropriate to add them in both places. I just covered Oblique Crunches as a variation, but it’s also kind of an alternative. Support your head with your hands and crunch up by lifting your shoulder blades up off the floor, taking your elbows toward your knees. Switching your Bicycle Crunches to Regular Crunches is a good alternative if you need something a little more beginner friendly.įor Crunches, start by laying on your back with feet up off the ground and knees at a 90-degree angle. Want more options? Here are 14 of my favorite Bicycle Crunch Alternatives. If you can’t do Bicycle Crunches, for whatever reason, here is an alternative that you might be able to try out. Repeat for the designated reps and then switch sides. Now, place the right foot on top of the left knee.Ĭrunch up and rotate – taking your left elbow to your right knee. If you want to target your obliques, but want something a little less complex – Oblique Crunches are a Bicycle Crunch variation.įor Oblique Crunches, start laying on your back, bend both knees and place your feet flat on the floor. The movement itself stays basically the same though, rotating back and forth taking the opposite elbow to the opposite knee and repeating. Instead of laying on your back, Seated Twists are done while balancing on your butt. Seated Twists are very similar to Bicycle Crunches, but the body positions are different.
If you’re looking to change up your Bicycle Crunches a bit, here is a popular variation that you can try out: Seated Twists The Hip Flexors, TFL and Quads are also very active during Bicycle Crunches. Muscles Workedīicycle Crunches primarily work the Rectus Abdominis and the Obliques. Your hands behind your head should only be there for support. Each time your right elbow touches your knee left knee, count as one repetition.Touch your left knee to your right elbow and immediately repeat to the other side.Straighten your right knee while simultaneously driving the left knee in the opposite direction toward your shoulder.Keep your chin off of your chest and keep your left leg off of the ground.Raise your shoulder blades off of the ground several inches and put your hands behind your head.Lay on your back with your knee and hip flexed to 90 degrees.
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