Heel Touches Guide: Master the Side Crunch Move
Learn how to perform heel touches correctly to target your obliques and strengthen your core with this step-by-step bodyweight guide.
How to Perform
- Lie flat on your back on a firm surface with your knees bent and feet planted hip-width apart.
- Place your arms straight by your sides with your palms facing inward or toward the floor.
- Lift your head and shoulders slightly off the mat to engage your upper abdominals and maintain a neutral neck.
- Exhale as you reach your right hand toward your right heel by crunching laterally to the side.
- Inhale as you return to the center position while keeping your shoulder blades elevated off the ground.
- Repeat the lateral movement on the left side, reaching your left hand toward your left heel to complete one repetition.
- Maintain a steady rhythm and keep your lower back pressed firmly into the floor throughout the set.
Common Mistakes
- Tugging on the neck or tucking the chin too aggressively toward the chest.
- Allowing the lower back to arch or lose contact with the floor.
- Moving too quickly and relying on momentum rather than controlled muscle contraction.
- Resting the shoulder blades on the mat between repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Primary movers
- Obliquus externus abdominis
Stabilizers
- Rectus abdominis
- Transverse abdominis
- Iliopsoas
Related Guides
- 3008 Abdominal Crunch — Core
- Ab Roller — Core
- Ab wheel — Core
Obliquus externus abdominis · Core