Exercise
90 Degree Alternate Heel Touch
How to Perform - 90 Degree Alternate Heel Touch
- Begin by lying flat on the floor with your back pressed against the mat, knees bent, and feet flat on the ground about hip-width apart.
- Place your arms straight at your sides, palms facing down, with fingertips pointing toward your heels.
- Engage your core muscles and lift your shoulder blades slightly off the floor while maintaining a neutral spine position.
- Keep your lower back in contact with the floor throughout the entire movement to protect your spine.
- Slowly reach your right hand toward your right heel by rotating your upper body to the right side while maintaining the elevated position.
- Return to the starting position with your shoulders slightly off the ground, then rotate to the left side, reaching your left hand toward your left heel.
- Breathe out as you reach toward each heel, and breathe in as you return to center.
- Continue alternating sides in a controlled manner, focusing on the oblique contraction with each movement rather than how far you can reach.
Important information
- Keep your movements slow and controlled rather than using momentum to reach your heels.
- Maintain the slight elevation of your upper back throughout the exercise to keep your core engaged.
- If you feel any strain in your neck, place your non-working hand behind your head for support.
- Focus on the quality of the contraction in your obliques rather than how far you can reach toward your heel.
Primary Muscles
Muscle Groups
Mechanic
Built for progress
Take the guesswork out of training
Create personalized AI-powered workout plans that evolve with you. Train smarter, track every rep, and keep moving forward, one workout at a time.
The 90 Degree Alternate Heel Touch is a dynamic core exercise that effectively targets the obliques and rectus abdominis muscles, offering an excellent addition to any abdominal training regimen. This intermediate-level movement creates substantial engagement throughout the entire core region while requiring minimal equipment, making it versatile enough to incorporate into HIIT circuits, traditional bodybuilding splits, or even recovery day routines. What makes this exercise particularly effective is how it combines rotational movement with isometric stability. As you alternate reaching toward each heel, your obliques contract forcefully to facilitate the rotation while your deeper core muscles work to maintain proper positioning throughout the movement. This simultaneous action creates comprehensive core development that translates well to both athletic performance and everyday functional strength.
The beauty of the 90 Degree Alternate Heel Touch lies in its scalability. Fitness enthusiasts at the intermediate level will find it challenging enough to stimulate growth and endurance in their core musculature, while still being accessible enough to perform with proper form. The exercise's rhythmic, alternating pattern also makes it ideal for timed intervals within HIIT workouts, where maintaining intensity for 30-45 seconds can significantly elevate heart rate and caloric burn. For bodybuilders, this movement serves as an excellent complement to traditional core exercises by specifically targeting the external obliques and serratus muscles that contribute to that coveted V-taper physique.
The controlled rotation helps sculpt definition along the sides of the torso while maintaining tension on the rectus abdominis throughout the exercise's duration. Even during recovery phases, the 90 Degree Alternate Heel Touch can be valuable. Performed at a more deliberate pace with focus on breathing patterns, it encourages blood flow to the midsection without creating excessive fatigue or soreness. This makes it a smart active recovery option that maintains core engagement without compromising your body's rebuilding processes between more intense training sessions.
FAQ - 90 Degree Alternate Heel Touch
The 90 Degree Alternate Heel Touch primarily targets the obliques and rectus abdominis (six-pack muscles). Your serratus and transverse abdominis also engage significantly as stabilizers throughout the movement.
To make it easier, reduce your range of motion or perform fewer repetitions at a slower pace. To increase difficulty, add ankle weights, extend your reach further beyond your heels, or incorporate a pause at the point of maximum rotation.
The three most critical errors are allowing the hips to sag (losing the pike position), shoulders rolling forward (compromising joint safety), and excessive body wobbling due to poor core bracing. Focus on maintaining a straight line from hands to hips, keeping shoulders packed away from ears, and engaging your core throughout the movement.
Include this exercise 2-3 times weekly as part of your core training routine. It works well in circuits of 30-45 second intervals or for 15-20 repetitions per side, depending on your fitness goals and training split.
The 90 Degree Alternate Heel Touch is generally safer than many core exercises because your back remains supported against the floor. However, if you have existing back conditions, start with modified versions, maintain proper form, and stop if you experience any pain beyond normal muscle engagement.
