Bicycle Abs Muscles Worked

The rectus abdominus the most noticeable muscle in your abdomen is sometimes called the six pack but it has little function in cycling.

Bicycle abs muscles worked. Typically keeping your legs off the ground works the lower abs. Thus the rectus abdominis the front sheath of your abs that make up the six pack muscles are activated. While cycling you activate your abs to keep stable as you pedal. Crunches are a vital part of any muscle building workout and bicycle crunches are one of the most challenging types.

The transverse abdominus located underneath the rectus runs horizontally and stabilizes your torso lower back oblique abdominal gluteal hamstring and hip flexor muscles. Cycling provides a great workout for the hamstrings the back of the thighs and the quadriceps the front of the legs. The american council on exercise found it trains the front of your abs an astounding 248 percent more and your side ab muscles 290 percent more than the classic crunch. Although they look simple bicycle crunches work your lower middle and upper abs while strengthening your quads and hamstrings.

A stationary bike workout has many benefits. Your abdominal muscles form part of the body s core muscle unit which provides a stable platform for riding and allows you to use your upper body for support and smooth steering. Also it tends to work the lower abs more. When you re riding outdoors on a bike that isn t stationary and travels over unstable surfaces your abs have to work even harder to stabilize the body.

The bicycle crunch is excellent for activating the rectus abdominis your upper abdominal muscle and it is second only to the captain s chair for activating the obliques your side abdominal muscles. Fortunately you can modify the crunch to your strength level and build up to your personal fitness. Together the muscles work in conjunction to power your pedaling so you really don t need to add anything extra to make sure you re targeting all three areas of your legs. Keeping your legs flat on the other hand works the middle abs.

This muscle has an upper and lower region both of which come into play especially during the twisting portion of the. Because you are raising your legs you also engage the transverse abdominis which is the deep ab muscle that is hard to target. Your abdominal muscles and the posterior muscles of the abdomen contract isometrically to provide. This is the highest set of ab muscles you have.

The bicycle crunch lifts the torso and contracts the abdominal muscles in the same way as a standard crunch. And whether outdoors or in your abs play a role in force production even though it s the big muscles in your legs glutes quadriceps and hamstrings that do the bulk of the work.