The Bicycle | Moves for a Fit and Fab Me
Friday, December 19th, 2008According to what I’ve read these are exercises physiologist Richard Cotton calls max-muscle, min-time exercises. Not only do these moves save time, they also burn plenty of calories and mimic real life more accurately than the standard bicep curl. So continue reading for our 5 exercises you can do at home with a pair of dumbbells. Once you notice the difference it makes in how you look and feel, you’ll be hooked.
Pose 3 : The Bicycle

A: Lie on your back with bent knees and feet on floor. Press lower back into floor. Cup hands lightly over ears. Lift left foot off the floor until left knee points toward ceiling. Extend right leg, lifting it slightly off floor. Exhale slowly, curl torso upward, and touch right elbow to left knee; lower to starting position.
B: Repeat on right side, touching left elbow to right knee. Do 10 reps.
Too much, too soon? Instead of incorporating your upper body, just keep shoulders and head flat on the mat. Eventually, start to curl up.
Why do it now? You might think the Bicycle is an old-fashioned ab exercise, but a study of 13 abdominal exercises at San Diego State University (SDSU) found it to be the most effective midsection strengthener. “It requires constant abdominal stabilization, as well as body rotation. And in this study, it generated the most muscle activity in the obliques (side abdominal muscles),†says Peter Francis, PhD, an SDSU biomechanist.





