Core · Bodyweight
Alternate Heel Touchers
How to do the alternate heel touchers, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat and slightly wider than your hips, and arms at your sides. Crunch slightly to one side and reach your hand down to tap your heel, return to center, then repeat to the other side.
- 1A short squeeze in the side of your waist on each reach
- 2Your shoulders staying lifted off the floor between taps
- 3A controlled side-to-side crunch, not a swing
Common mistakes
- Just sliding your hand down your leg without bending your waist
- Letting your head drop or straining your neck
- Bouncing through the reps with momentum
Muscles worked
The alternate heel touchers mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs and lower abs assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
Kovo programs the alternate heel touchers for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.