Core · Bodyweight
Stepback Air Bike
How to do the stepback air bike, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand tall with your hands behind your head. Step one foot back as you crunch the opposite elbow down toward the lifting knee, mimicking a standing bicycle crunch. Alternate sides in a smooth, pedaling rhythm.
- 1Obliques rotating elbow toward opposite knee
- 2Core staying braced through each step back
- 3Hip flexors lifting the front knee
Common mistakes
- Do not pull on your neck to reach lower
- Avoid letting your torso slump forward
- Do not lose tension between reps
Muscles worked
The stepback air bike mainly works the obliques and lower abs, with the upper abs, hip flexors, quads, glutes, and hamstrings assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- LatsMinor
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- CalvesMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the stepback air bike 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.