Heel Touch Exercise Guide: How to Master Heel Touches

Heel touches, also known as ankle taps or alternate heel touches, are a core exercise that uses your bodyweight to activate muscles along your midsection. Perform heel touches by lying face-up on an exercise mat. Keep your back flat and bend your knees to a 90-degree angle with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Engage your core as you bend your spine to reach your right hand toward your right ankle. Repeat this movement on your left side, alternating sides between each repetition. Regularly practicing heel touches can have several benefits. 1. __Heel touches strengthen your core muscles__. Heel touches activate most of the primary muscles throughout your midsection—including your upper and lower abs, your transverse abdominis, and your rectus abdominis (also known as the six-pack muscle). 2. __Heel touches target your oblique muscles__. Another main muscle group worked during the heel touch is the obliques. Unlike other core exercises like sit-ups and crunches, heel touches activate the abdominal muscles along the sides of your body. 3. __Heel touches can increase your stability and flexibility__. With practice, heel touches can enhance the stability in your lower back and the flexibility in your hip flexors. 4. __Heel touches are an accessible ab exercise__. With no equipment required, the heel touch is a great exercise to include in your home workout routine. For heel touches, begin by performing 2–3 sets of 12–20 repetitions on each side. Choose your sets and repetitions based on your ability to maintain good technique throughout each set. 1. Lie face-up on an exercise mat with your arms by your sides, your knees bent, and your feet on the floor. Your spine and pelvis should be in a neutral position. Slightly tuck your pelvis and bring your ribcage down. Engage your core. 2. Your chin should remain tucked throughout the movement, as if you were holding an egg under your chin. Squeeze your abs and curl your upper back slightly off the exercise mat. All repetitions should begin from this starting position. 3. Side-bend your spine to reach your right hand toward your right heel, squeezing your abs and right oblique. 4. Proceed to side-bend to the left, reaching your left hand toward your left ankle. Squeeze your abs and left oblique. 5. Continue to alternate sides for the desired number of repetitions. If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort. To see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery. Throw on some athleisure, fire up a [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com), and get ready to sweat it out with exclusive instructional videos from Nike Master Trainer and *GQ* fitness specialist Joe Holder. Want to improve your cardiovascular endurance? Give Joe’s HIIT workout a go. Trying to get a little swole? He’s got a strength training workout for that. From fitness tips to nutrition hacks, Joe will have you feeling healthier in no time. If you’re looking for a bodyweight exercise that targets the abdominal muscles on the sides of your body, incorporate heel touches into your workout routine.