

Instead, unlace your fingers and rest them gently on the back of your head, so you won’t be tempted to “cheat” and use them to push too far. If you find yourself straining your neck to get your knee and elbow closer together, it’s time to back off. When you go too fast or try to do too many crunches, your hip flexors (and your iliopsoas in particular) like to give your abs a break, says Occhipinti.

“When we speed through our ab workouts, some of those larger muscles can take over and move our body with pure momentum.” The result? You don’t get the maximum benefits from your crunches. “The abdominal muscles are relatively small, postural stabilizing muscles,” he says. This is actually the biggest mistake Occhipinti sees folks make. No-no’s: Mistakes to avoid when doing bicycle crunchesĪdding bicycle crunches to your routine? Don’t make these mistakes. Return to the starting position to complete 1 rep.ĭo 3 sets of 15–25 reps, resting for 30 seconds to 1 minute after each set.

