Air Bike
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Air Bike
- Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. For this exercise, you will need to put your hands beside your head. Be careful however to not strain with the neck as you perform it. Now lift your shoulders into the crunch position.
- Bring knees up to where they are perpendicular to the floor, with your lower legs parallel to the floor. This will be your starting position.
- Now simultaneously, slowly go through a cycle pedal motion kicking forward with the right leg and bringing in the knee of the left leg. Bring your right elbow close to your left knee by crunching to the side, as you breathe out.
- Go back to the initial position as you breathe in.
- Crunch to the opposite side as you cycle your legs and bring closer your left elbow to your right knee and exhale.
- Continue alternating in this manner until all of the recommended repetitions for each side have been completed.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Air Bike
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Barbell Side Bend
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a barbell.
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2
Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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3
Cable Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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4
Cable Judo Flip
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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5
Cable Reverse Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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6
Cable Russian Twists
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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7
Cable Seated Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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8
Crunches
Crunches are a classic abdominal exercise that isolates the rectus abdominis. When performed correctly, they're an effective way to build core strength and muscular endurance.
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9
Dumbbell Side Bend
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using dumbbells.
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10
Exercise Ball Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using an exercise ball.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do air bike work?
Air Bike primarily works the abs.
What equipment do I need for air bike?
None. Air Bike is a bodyweight movement you can do anywhere you have floor space.
Air Bike: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Air Bike is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of air bike?
Barbell Side Bend, Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends, Cable Crunch train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my air bike reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; air bike can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Air Bike with AI
Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.