Alternate Heel Touchers

Setup

1. 01Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, slightly wider than hip width.
2. 02Place the heels close enough that your fingertips can reach them with a small crunch.
3. 03Rest the arms along your sides with palms facing in.
4. 04Lift the shoulder blades slightly off the mat to preload the abs.

Execution

1. 01Crunch the trunk sideways and reach the right hand toward the right heel.
2. 02Return through the middle without dropping the shoulders back to the mat.
3. 03Crunch to the left and touch the left heel.
4. 04Alternate sides in a steady rhythm while breathing continuously.

Checkpoints

• -Shoulder blades stay hovering off the mat for the whole set.
• -The bend is sideways along the floor, not a forward crunch.
• -Lower back keeps light contact with the mat.
• -Neck stays long with the gaze toward the ceiling.

Common mistakes

• -Letting the head and shoulders rest on the mat between touches.
• -Placing the heels too far away and turning it into a shoulder reach.
• -Rushing the reps so momentum replaces oblique work.
• -Craning the neck forward to gain reach.