Exercise
ALTERNATING HEEL TOUCH
Form cues
About
The alternating heel touch (also called side-to-side heel touches or lateral crunches) is a beginner-friendly oblique exercise performed from a supine position with knees bent and feet flat. The exercise involves laterally flexing the trunk to reach each hand toward the corresponding heel, activating the obliques through a small but controlled range of motion.
Instructions
Step-by-step technique
Lie flat on your back with knees bent at approximately 90° and feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
Raise your shoulder blades slightly off the floor and keep them raised throughout the set.
Extend both arms along your sides toward your feet, palms facing inward.
Laterally flex your torso to the right, reaching your right hand toward your right heel.
Return to center, then laterally flex to the left, reaching your left hand toward your left heel.
Continue alternating sides in a controlled, rhythmic pattern for the prescribed reps.
Common mistakes
What goes wrong — and why
Forward crunch instead of lateral flex
The movement is a forward crunch toward the knees rather than a side bend toward the heel, bypassing oblique activation.
Think "compress the right side of your waist" on the right reach and "compress the left side" on the left. The torso shortens laterally, not forward.
Shoulder blades returning to the floor
The upper back drops to the floor between reps, removing the constant core tension the exercise requires.
Keep the shoulder blades slightly elevated off the floor for the entire set. Rest between sets, not between reps.
Feet moving to assist the reach
The feet shift closer to the body to reduce the distance the hand needs to travel.
Set the feet at a fixed position before beginning and do not move them during the set. The challenge comes from the distance the hand must reach.
Variations · Progressions · Regressions
Adaptations for every level
Seated Side Bends
Sit cross-legged and lean to each side, reaching the hand toward the floor — a gentle oblique stretch and activation with no floor work.
Elevated Heel Touch
Move the feet further from the body to increase the distance the hand must travel, requiring greater lateral spinal flexion.
Weighted Heel Touch
Hold a light dumbbell in each hand to add resistance to the lateral flexion movement.