Exercise Of The Week: Alternate Heel Touch

Photo credit: workout labs

Alternate heel touch is a great obliques exercise you can do at home to tone up your side abs fast!

You want a strong, defined abdomen to power you through exercises and to look good in a snug-fit clothes? That is where the heel-touching exercise comes in.

The alternate heel touch is a calisthenics and pilate exercise that is great for the entire area of abdominal muscles and is also a great for your obliques.

Sometimes the beauty is in the simplicity. This exercise requires you to move 5 inches in side by side direction. Strong core requires strong obliques. To have strong obliques, you need good exercises, like this one.

The alternate heel touch is one of the most effective exercises to help strengthen and sculpt your oblique abdominal muscles. The obliques are essential in supporting the upper body and allowing rotation and flexibility, which is important in any exercise/sport endeavour. Obliques are also a part of your core. Being your core, these muscle groups are put to use in many physical activities. I recommend training you obliques no more than twice a week.  Although this move alone won't give you a six-pack, it does work the muscle responsible for that cut look.

Exercise Data 
Type: Strength
Main Muscle Worked: Abdominals
Equipment: None
Level: Beginner
 

How To Perform Alternate Heel Touch

1. Lie flat on the floor with the knees bent and the feet on the floor about 18-24 inches apart. Your arms should be straight by your side. This is the starting position.
2. Slightly raise your upper body off the floor , leaning forward and up about 3-4 inches, keeping your core tight then make a slight right side bend and touch your right heel for a second. Exhale while performing this movement.
3. Now return back slowly to the starting position and inhale.
4. Still keeping your core tight, immediately raise your upper body off the floor , leaning forward and up about 3-4 inches to make a slight left side bend and touch your left heel for a second. Exhale while performing this movement and then inhale as you return back to the starting position. Now that both heels have been touched, that is 1 repetition.
5. Continue alternating sides in this manner for 12-16 reps and do 2-3 sets.

Variations: None

Photo: GymRa

Bonus Tip:

• If want to lose your love handle aka muffin top in no time, pair alternate heel touch with cardio moves like plank jacks and jumping lunge, which contribute to better sports performance, daily function and defined abs.

• Avoid hunching forward or curling your shoulders.

• Slow, precise movement is the key. If you move too quickly, you won’t work the abs. 

• Other names for this exercise: fingers to heel oblique touchers, alternate heel touchers, lying oblique reach, foot to foot crunch, heel to heel touch. 

 

Do let me know how you get on with this exercise simple. Leave  a feedback below or on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook pages. Don’t forget to Share this move using the Share options below and don’t’ forget to subscribe to the blog for automated notifications of future posts...