Core · Bodyweight
45 Degrees Bycicle Twisting Crunch
How to do the 45 degrees bycicle twisting crunch, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back with hands behind your head and lift your shoulders and legs so your torso holds at roughly a 45 degree angle. Twist one elbow toward the opposite knee as it draws in, then alternate sides while keeping the angle.
- 1Constant tension in your abs from holding the 45 degree angle
- 2Your obliques working hard on each twist
- 3Your lower abs bracing as the legs cycle
Common mistakes
- Letting your shoulders or feet drop to rest between reps
- Yanking your head forward with your hands
- Twisting only your arms instead of your whole torso
Muscles worked
The 45 degrees bycicle twisting crunch mainly works the obliques, upper abs, and lower abs, with the hip flexors assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- QuadsMinor
Kovo programs the 45 degrees bycicle twisting crunch for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.