Core · Bodyweight
Lying Cycle Punches
How to do the lying cycle punches, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet off the floor, fists up near your chin and head and shoulders curled slightly up. Pedal your legs in a cycling motion while throwing alternating punches across your body toward the opposite knee. Keep your lower back pressed down and the rhythm steady throughout.
- 1Your abs and obliques staying tight through every rep
- 2A controlled cycle of the legs paired with each punch
- 3Your shoulders held just off the floor the whole set
Common mistakes
- Letting your lower back arch off the floor
- Yanking on your neck to stay curled up
- Pedaling fast while losing core tension
Muscles worked
The lying cycle punches mainly works the obliques and upper abs, with the lower abs, hip flexors, quads, and front delts assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- Mid ChestMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the lying cycle punches 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.