Exercise
90 Degree Heel Touch
How to Perform - 90 Degree Heel Touch
- Start by lying on your back with your legs extended and arms at your sides.
- Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, while keeping your lower back pressed into the floor.
- Engage your core muscles and lift your shoulders slightly off the ground, maintaining a neutral neck position throughout the exercise.
- Extend your arms along your sides with palms facing down, hovering just above the floor.
- In a controlled motion, bend sideways at the waist to touch your right heel with your right hand while exhaling, keeping your shoulders off the ground.
- Return to the center position while inhaling, maintaining core engagement and keeping your shoulders elevated.
- Repeat the movement to the opposite side, bending at the waist to touch your left heel with your left hand while exhaling.
- Continue alternating sides in a fluid motion, focusing on using your obliques rather than momentum to power the movement.
Important information
- Keep your lower back pressed into the floor throughout the entire exercise to protect your spine and properly engage your core.
- Avoid lifting your head or straining your neck—maintain a small gap between your chin and chest.
- Focus on a controlled tempo rather than speed, ensuring you feel the contraction in your oblique muscles with each repetition.
- If you experience lower back discomfort, try bending your knees more or place your feet wider apart for better stability.
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The 90 Degree Heel Touch is a dynamic core strengthening exercise that effectively targets multiple areas of your abdominal muscles, particularly emphasizing the obliques while engaging the entire core region. This intermediate-level movement has gained popularity across various training modalities including HIIT circuits, bodybuilding routines, and even recovery programs due to its versatility and effectiveness.
Unlike standard crunches that primarily work the rectus abdominis (the "six-pack" muscles), the 90 Degree Heel Touch creates rotational tension that activates the internal and external obliques more intensely. This lateral movement pattern helps develop functional core strength that translates to improved performance in daily activities and sports that require rotational power.
What makes this exercise particularly valuable is its scalability for intermediate fitness enthusiasts. The movement pattern allows for controlled intensity without placing excessive strain on the lower back, making it accessible for those who have developed basic core strength but aren't quite ready for advanced progressions. The exercise creates time under tension that stimulates muscle growth while also elevating heart rate when performed in higher-rep sequences.
From a physiological perspective, the 90 Degree Heel Touch enhances neuromuscular coordination between your upper and lower body. This integration is crucial for developing a resilient core that can effectively transfer force through the kinetic chain. Research suggests that exercises incorporating this type of controlled rotation can contribute to improved spinal stability and reduced injury risk.
When incorporated into HIIT workouts, this movement serves as an excellent metabolic driver, whereas in bodybuilding contexts, it helps sculpt definition in the oblique region. For recovery-focused sessions, the controlled nature of the movement can promote blood flow without overtaxing systems already in repair mode. The exercise stands as a testament to effective training design – challenging enough to stimulate adaptation while remaining accessible enough for consistent implementation across various fitness goals.
FAQ - 90 Degree Heel Touch
The 90 Degree Heel Touch primarily targets the obliques (both internal and external) while also engaging the entire core region including the rectus abdominis. The rotational component activates more muscle fibers than traditional crunches, making it particularly effective for comprehensive core development.
Lie on your back with knees bent at 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor, then elevate your shoulders slightly off the ground while maintaining a neutral spine. Reach with one hand toward the outside of your heel by rotating your torso laterally, then return to center and repeat on the opposite side, keeping your lower back pressed into the floor throughout the movement.
For an easier version, reduce your range of motion by not lifting your shoulders as high off the ground or reaching only partway toward your heel. If you need more support, you can also place your non-working hand behind your head rather than extending it, which provides better stability during the rotational movement.
The most common errors include lifting the feet during the rotation, pulling on the neck with the hands, and using momentum rather than controlled movement. Also avoid excessive lower back arching—your lower back should remain in contact with the floor throughout the exercise to protect your spine and ensure proper oblique engagement.
For strength development, perform 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps per side with controlled movement. For endurance or as part of a HIIT circuit, increase to 20-30 reps per side with minimal rest between sets. Incorporate this exercise 2-3 times weekly, allowing at least 48 hours for your core muscles to recover between sessions.
