This is one of the most famous exercises for pumping up the press. Reviews about the exercise "Bicycle", as a rule, are very positive, because, firstly, both men and women can do it, and secondly, no additional equipment is needed to complete it. In today's article, we will analyze his technique in detail, show the existing varieties, and also talk about the benefits of this movement.
Involved muscles
Before proceeding to the description of the exercise "Bicycle", you need to find out what muscles work during its execution. The main load is obtained by the oblique muscles of the abdomen. Actively included in the work are the lumbar muscles, hip flexors and rectus abdominis muscle (the very cubes that many athletes dream of so much).
How to remove fat "Bicycle"?
This question, as a rule, is of interest to beginners who do not have a correct idea of losing weight and fat burning. Such people naively believe that they can remove a large belly if they perform the exercise "Bicycle" on the back and dozens of other exercises for the press. If you also adhere to this point of view, then we are forced to upset you. In fact, exercises for the abdominal muscles will not help you remove fat in the abdomen. Your abdominal muscles will certainly become stronger and stronger, but if you continue to eat junk food, then you can forget about beautiful cubes forever. In order to get rid of the fat layer, you must first change your nutrition system. And now we are not talking about banal diets, but about a complete review of their diet. We think that we should not say that a large amount of fatty foods, flour and sweets can cause catastrophic harm to your figure. To get a good nutrition program that suits your body and takes into account all the features of your body, it is best to seek help from a specialist in this field.
Exercise "Bicycle" on the back: the benefits
"Bicycle" is best done in combination with other exercises on the press. Active work of the rectus and oblique muscles of the abdomen will not only make them aesthetically more attractive, but also allow you to improve the performance of basic basic exercises (bench press, push-ups, deadlift, etc.).
Contraindications
When you talk about the benefits of the exercise "Bicycle", you can not say about who better not to do it. Despite the fact that it does not have particularly serious contraindications, some people should still refuse to perform it. These include:
- Pregnant women and women who have only recently given birth.
- Men and women with injuries of the lumbar spine.
- People suffering from problems with the cardiovascular system and from inflammatory processes in the body.
Technique of execution. Newbie Option
- Sit on a horizontal surface (it is best to do the exercise "Bicycle" lying on the floor). In order not to feel discomfort during execution, it is recommended to lay a special mat or towel under the back.
- Press the lower back to the floor, relax your hands (if you wish, you can put them behind the head) and spread your elbows to the sides.
- When contracting your abdominal muscles (keep your lower back pressed to the floor), raise your legs so that your hips are at right angles to the horizontal surface and your lower legs are parallel to it.
- While pressing the lumbar spine, start turning your legs as if you were pedaling an imaginary bicycle.
Try to do the exercise smoothly, feeling tension in the abdominal muscles. In total, 3 approaches are necessary.
Technique of execution. Option for experienced athletes
You already know how to do the exercise "Bicycle" for beginners. Now we want to bring to your attention a version for more advanced athletes.
- Accept the same initial position as in the previous version.
- While rotating the legs, rotate the body so that your left elbow touches your right knee and your right elbow touches your left knee.
To understand how both of these options for the Bike exercise are performed live, we recommend that you check out the video below.
How many sets and reps do?
Many people think that the faster and more intensively they do the exercise, the better their press will “pump”. In fact, more is not always better. As a rule, the faster people do this or that exercise for the abdominal muscles, the more their technique suffers. Because of this, the press does not get the proper load and most of the workout goes down the drain. When performing the exercise "Bicycle" lying on your back, you must remember two important things:
- Do everything as technically as possible, feeling the tension in the press during execution.
- Try to do the exercise so that the abdominal muscles are under load for 20 to 30 seconds. That is how much time is needed for muscle hypertrophy.
If your general abs training program consists of 2-3 exercises, then 3-4 approaches will be enough to complete the “Bicycle”.
How much do you need to relax?
Unlike large muscle groups (such as the chest or back), abs muscles recover quite quickly. That is why between the approaches in all exercises for the abdominal muscles you need to rest no more than 60-90 seconds.
What to combine with?
"Bicycle" is recommended to be done in conjunction with exercises such as classic twisting on the floor and lifting legs in the hang. Their implementation will strengthen your abdominal muscles, as well as give you beautiful and embossed cubes in this area. You can familiarize yourself with the technique below.
Twisting:
- Sit on the floor. Bend your knees at a right angle. For a better fix, ask your partner to hold your feet. Hands behind the head (but do not hold them around the neck), keep your elbows on the sides. The loin should be pressed.
- On exhalation, it is necessary to raise the body so as to feel a contraction in the muscles of the press.
- As you inhale, lower yourself to the starting position.
If at a certain moment it becomes too easy for you to perform this exercise, then you can do it with extra weight (for example, with a small dumbbell or pancake from the bar). For a more detailed introduction to the technique, see the video below.
Hanging legs:
- Grasp the horizontal bar with a direct grip at shoulder level. Keep your legs level.
- As you exhale, raise your lower limbs so that at the top point they form an angle of 90 degrees. In this position, you need to pause 1-2 seconds.
- Take a breath back to its original position.
If this exercise with straight legs is very difficult for you, then at the initial stage you can do it with your legs bent. You can learn about how leg lifting in the hang is performed live and how else you can pump up the press on the horizontal bar from the video below.
Major mistakes
When it comes to the exercise "Bicycle", it is necessary to talk about the most important mistakes that many beginners (and not only) athletes make. At best, they can lead to a lack of results, at worst - to serious injuries. So, what you should not do when doing a bike:
- Do not strain the external muscles. Quite often, people, to facilitate their work, begin to pull their necks. They do not even realize that, firstly, they harm her greatly and, secondly, they significantly reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. When you do Bicycle, try to focus on the work of the abdominal muscles, not including the arms, shoulders and other muscles of our body.
- When changing legs, do not make sudden movements and do not swing your pelvis. The fact is that such an incorrect technique significantly reduces the intensity of the exercise, because of which the load on the main muscles becomes several times less.
- Do not hold your breath. Another serious mistake is improper breathing. When a person holds his breath during an exercise, his pressure rises instantly. Because of this, the athlete's power indicators quickly fall and the effectiveness of the “Bicycle” is significantly reduced.
- Do not hurry! As we said earlier, fast execution can greatly damage the technique. You will achieve much greater results if you do the exercise slowly and under control.
Recommendations
You already know about the many subtleties and nuances of the exercise "Bicycle" for the press. Now, in the end, we would like to give you some important tips regarding playing sports. Guided by them, you will not only improve your result, but also protect yourself from getting injured.
- Do not train the press too often. Another common myth among beginners is the myth of frequent training. Many believe that if they download the press several times a day, then this will make them grow faster. In fact, such frequent exercises will not only not increase the volume of your oblique and rectus muscles, but, on the contrary, will lead to overtraining and stagnation.
- Remember safety. If during the implementation of the "Bicycle" or any other exercise for the press you began to experience discomfort or even severe pain, then this is a clear sign that you need to change something in your training program. It’s better to choose a less effective exercise, but a safer one!
- Have a rest. The muscles of the press, like all other muscles of our body, need to recover after an exhausting workout. That is why it is extremely important not only to eat the right and wholesome food, but also to sleep well.
- Qualitatively warm up. If, in addition to training the press, you conduct full-fledged classes for all muscle groups in the gym, then you should pay attention to this point. The fact is that many beginners neglect the workout, arguing that it can take away a lot of energy that could be spent on training. Often, people who follow this logic will end up with serious injuries to their muscles and joints. In order to prepare your body for a difficult training session, you must conduct a high-quality and comprehensive workout. After making sure that your ligaments and joints are warmed up, you can begin to exercise.
Information about the exercise "Bicycle" was provided to your attention. Now you know how to properly do it and what mistakes should be avoided in its implementation. We hope that this article was very useful to you, and you learned a lot of new things. We wish you success in your sports endeavors!