Alternate Heel Touchers

Strengthen your obliques with Alternate Heel Touchers. Lie on your back, knees bent, and reach to touch each heel, engaging your side core muscles.

BeginnerWaist Body weight

Movement: Isolation
Force: Pull
Per set: 1 min
Rest: 30s

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Variations of Alternate Heel Touchers

Isolation

90 Degree Heel Touch

Waist · Rectus Abdominis · Body weight

Beginner

Compound

Dumbbell Alternate V up

Waist · Dumbbell

Intermediate

Description

A core exercise where you lay on your back with knees bent, then touch each heel alternately with your hands.

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How to do Alternate Heel Touchers

01
Setup
Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart, and heels positioned close to your glutes.
02
Setup
Extend your arms straight down by your sides, palms facing inward, ensuring your fingertips are near your heels.
03
Engage your core, lift your head and shoulders slightly off the floor, keeping your lower back pressed firmly into the mat.
04
Reach your right hand towards your right heel, feeling the contraction in your right oblique, then return to the center with control.
05
Immediately reach your left hand towards your left heel, contracting your left oblique, then return to the center to complete one repetition.
06
Continue alternating sides in a controlled, rhythmic motion, maintaining constant core engagement throughout the set.

Tips

Keep your lower back pressed into the mat throughout the exercise to protect your spine and maximize oblique engagement.
Focus on initiating the movement from your obliques, not just swinging your arms, to properly target the side abdominal muscles.
Breathe steadily: exhale as you reach for the heel and inhale as you return to the center, maintaining a controlled pace.
Maintain a slight crunch position with your head and shoulders elevated throughout the set to keep constant tension on your core.

Common mistakes

Lifting the lower back off the floor reduces core engagement and can strain the lower back; fix this by actively pressing your lumbar spine into the mat.
Swinging the arms without core engagement turns the exercise into an arm swing rather than an oblique movement; fix this by consciously contracting your obliques to initiate the side bend and reach.
Moving too quickly through repetitions reduces muscle tension and control; slow down your movement to feel the oblique contraction on each side.

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Questions

What muscles does Alternate Heel Touchers work?

Alternate Heel Touchers primarily targets Obliques.

Is Alternate Heel Touchers good for beginners?

Alternate Heel Touchers is rated beginner. Beginners can still attempt it with lighter weight and careful form, but it's best to master easier variations first.

What equipment do I need for Alternate Heel Touchers?

You need Body weight to perform Alternate Heel Touchers. If you don't have this equipment, look for variations that target the same muscles with what you have available.

What are the best tips for Alternate Heel Touchers?

Keep your lower back pressed into the mat throughout the exercise to protect your spine and maximize oblique engagement. Focus on initiating the movement from your obliques, not just swinging your arms, to properly target the side abdominal muscles. Breathe steadily: exhale as you reach for the heel and inhale as you return to the center, maintaining a controlled pace. Maintain a slight crunch position with your head and shoulders elevated throughout the set to keep constant tension on your core.

What are common mistakes when doing Alternate Heel Touchers?

Lifting the lower back off the floor reduces core engagement and can strain the lower back; fix this by actively pressing your lumbar spine into the mat. Swinging the arms without core engagement turns the exercise into an arm swing rather than an oblique movement; fix this by consciously contracting your obliques to initiate the side bend and reach. Moving too quickly through repetitions reduces muscle tension and control; slow down your movement to feel the oblique contraction on each side.