Core · Bodyweight
Ankle Taps
How to do the ankle taps, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back, crunch forward, and reach with your hands to tap your ankles, alternating sides.
- 1Feel your obliques working as you crunch and reach side to side touching your ankles
- 2Maintain a constant tension in your upper abs by keeping shoulder blades off the ground
- 3Keep your lower back pressed into the floor to feel core engagement
Common mistakes
- Avoid jerking your neck; keep it neutral and supported
- Don't let your feet move; keep them planted for isolation
- Avoid arching your lower back; if you feel strain, adjust range
Muscles worked
The ankle taps mainly works the upper abs, lower abs, and obliques.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- ObliquesPrimary
- QuadsMinor
Ankle Taps strength standards
See how your ankle taps ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronze10 reps
Silver21 reps
Gold52 reps
Platinum87 reps
Diamond108 reps
Champion126 reps
Find your rank
Enter your best set of reps.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the ankle taps 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 resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
- How to do the baseball
Last reviewed April 2026.