Alternate Heel Touchers
- Target muscle
- Obliques
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Body part
- Waist
- Type
- Strength
Alternate heel touchers are a bodyweight core exercise that targets the obliques, the muscles along the sides of your waist. Lying on your back with knees bent, you crunch side to side to tap each heel, training side-bending strength and definition with no equipment needed.
How to do the Alternate Heel Touchers
- 1Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, set slightly wider than hip-width apart.
- 2Place your arms straight down at your sides, palms facing in, and lift your head and shoulders slightly off the floor to engage your core.
- 3Keeping your lower back in contact with the floor, crunch your torso to the right and reach your right hand down to tap your right heel.
- 4Return to the centered, slightly raised position under control without resting your shoulders back down.
- 5Crunch to the left and reach your left hand down to tap your left heel.
- 6Continue alternating sides at a steady, controlled tempo, exhaling each time you reach toward a heel.
- 7Complete your reps, then lower your head and shoulders back to the floor to finish.
Form tips
- Keep your head and shoulders lifted throughout the set so the obliques stay under constant tension between reps.
- Drive the movement by side-bending through your waist rather than pulling with your arm or neck.
- Exhale as you crunch toward each heel and inhale as you return to center to keep your bracing consistent.
- Move at a deliberate tempo so each rep is a controlled contraction, not a swing built on momentum.
Common mistakes
- Pulling on the head or neck with the hand, which strains the cervical spine and takes work away from the obliques.
- Resting the shoulders fully back on the floor between reps, which releases core tension and turns the set into separate, less effective reps.
- Using momentum to rock side to side instead of contracting the waist, which reduces the load on the target muscles.
- Lifting the lower back off the floor, which removes the stable base and shifts strain onto the lumbar spine.
Frequently asked questions
What muscles do alternate heel touchers work?
They primarily work the obliques, the muscles running along the sides of your waist that handle side-bending and rotation of the torso.
Are alternate heel touchers good for beginners?
Yes. They are a low-impact bodyweight movement with a short range of motion, so beginners can build oblique strength without any equipment. Keep the reps slow and controlled.
How many reps of alternate heel touchers should I do?
A good starting point is 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20 taps per side. Add reps or slow the tempo as the movement gets easier.
Will alternate heel touchers give me a smaller waist?
They strengthen and define the obliques, but they cannot spot-reduce fat. A trimmer waist comes from overall fat loss combined with consistent core training like this.
Where should I feel alternate heel touchers?
You should feel the contraction in the side of your waist as you bend toward each heel. If you feel it mainly in your neck, you are likely pulling with your hand instead of your obliques.
