Alternate Heel Touchers
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, needing no equipment.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Alternate Heel Touchers
- Lie on the floor with the knees bent and the feet on the floor around 18-24 inches apart. Your arms should be extended by your side. This will be your starting position.
- Crunch over your torso forward and up about 3-4 inches to the right side and touch your right heel as you hold the contraction for a second. Exhale while performing this movement.
- Now go back slowly to the starting position as you inhale.
- Now crunch over your torso forward and up around 3-4 inches to the left side and touch your left heel as you hold the contraction for a second. Exhale while performing this movement and then go back to the starting position as you inhale. Now that both heels have been touched, that is considered 1 repetition.
- Continue alternating sides in this manner until all prescribed repetitions are done.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Alternate Heel Touchers
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Barbell Side Bend
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a barbell.
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2
Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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3
Cable Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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4
Cable Judo Flip
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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5
Cable Reverse Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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6
Cable Russian Twists
A beginner compound strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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7
Cable Seated Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using a cable machine.
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8
Crunches
Crunches are a classic abdominal exercise that isolates the rectus abdominis. When performed correctly, they're an effective way to build core strength and muscular endurance.
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9
Dumbbell Side Bend
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using dumbbells.
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10
Exercise Ball Crunch
A beginner isolation strength exercise that works the abs, using an exercise ball.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do alternate heel touchers work?
Alternate Heel Touchers primarily works the abs.
What equipment do I need for alternate heel touchers?
None. Alternate Heel Touchers is a bodyweight movement you can do anywhere you have floor space.
Alternate Heel Touchers: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Alternate Heel Touchers is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of alternate heel touchers?
Barbell Side Bend, Bosu Ball Cable Crunch With Side Bends, Cable Crunch train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my alternate heel touchers reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; alternate heel touchers can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Alternate Heel Touchers with AI
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