10 Best Alternate Heel Touchers Alternatives for Core Training

If you can't perform alternate heel touchers, use targeted bodyweight core moves that reproduce lateral flexion and oblique activation. Effective replacements include bicycle crunches, Russian twists, side-plank hip dips, dead bugs, and standing trunk rotations — each preserves core tension while reducing neck or lower-back strain.

Original Exercise: Alternate Heel Touchers

Alternate Heel Touchers
Primary Muscle
Abs
Equipment
Body-weight
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Isolation
Secondary Muscles: Obliques
How to Perform Alternate Heel Touchers
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Extend your arms straight out to the sides, parallel to the ground.
  3. Engaging your abs, lift your shoulders off the ground and reach your right hand towards your right heel.
  4. Return to the starting position and repeat on the left side, reaching your left hand towards your left heel.
  5. Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.

Best Alternate Heel Touchers Alternatives

Best Match
Elbow-to-knee

1. Elbow-to-knee

91% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start by lying flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
  3. Engage your abs and lift your upper body off the ground, bringing your right elbow towards your left knee.
  4. At the same time, bring your left knee towards your right elbow, creating a twisting motion.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body and extend your legs back to the starting position.
3/4 Sit-up

2. 3/4 Sit-up

88% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
  3. Engaging your abs, slowly lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward until your torso is at a 45-degree angle.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Cross Body Crunch

3. Cross Body Crunch

83.4% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
  3. Engaging your abs, lift your upper body off the ground and twist to bring your right elbow towards your left knee.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat on the other side, bringing your left elbow towards your right knee.
Dead Bug

4. Dead Bug

81% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your arms extended towards the ceiling.
  2. Bend your knees and lift your legs off the ground, creating a 90-degree angle at your hips and knees.
  3. Engage your core and lower back to press your lower back into the ground.
  4. Slowly lower your right arm and left leg towards the ground, keeping them straight and hovering just above the floor.
  5. Pause for a moment, then return to the starting position.
Band Bicycle Crunch

5. Band Bicycle Crunch

79.7% Match
Abs Band Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your hands behind your head and your knees bent.
  2. Lift your feet off the ground and bring your right knee towards your chest while simultaneously twisting your torso to bring your left elbow towards your right knee.
  3. Straighten your right leg while bringing your left knee towards your chest and twisting your torso to bring your right elbow towards your left knee.
  4. Continue alternating the twisting motion, as if you are pedaling a bicycle, while keeping your core engaged throughout the movement.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
45° Side Bend

6. 45° Side Bend

79.4% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms extended straight down by your sides.
  2. Keeping your back straight and your core engaged, slowly bend your torso to one side, lowering your hand towards your knee.
  3. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then slowly return to the starting position.
  4. Repeat on the other side.
  5. Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.
Bent Knee Lying Twist (male)

7. Bent Knee Lying Twist (male)

78.7% Match
Glutes Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Extend your arms out to the sides, perpendicular to your body.
  3. Keeping your knees together, slowly lower them to one side, aiming to touch the ground with your knees.
  4. Pause for a moment, then engage your core and slowly lift your knees back to the starting position.
  5. Repeat the movement to the other side.
Crunch (hands Overhead)

8. Crunch (hands Overhead)

77.4% Match
Abs Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Extend your arms straight above your head.
  3. Engaging your abs, lift your upper body off the ground, curling forward towards your knees.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Crunch Floor

9. Crunch Floor

77.4% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointing outwards.
  3. Engage your abs and lift your shoulders off the ground, curling forward towards your knees.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your shoulders back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Decline Crunch

10. Decline Crunch

77.2% Match
Abs Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie on a decline bench with your feet secured and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
  2. Place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
  3. Engage your abs and lift your upper body towards your knees, curling your torso.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Why You Might Need a Alternate Heel Touchers Alternative

You might substitute alternate heel touchers for several reasons: persistent neck or lumbar discomfort during supine flexion, mobility restrictions, or a need for greater rotational or anti‑extension challenge. Some athletes prefer anti‑rotation holds or dynamic rotational drills that load the obliques more directly than heel reaches. Others lack the floor space or coaching to perform precise hip tilt and scapular position, increasing injury risk. A well-chosen alternative preserves the original movement pattern—lateral flexion or rotation—while improving core stability, reducing compensatory recruitment of hip flexors, and allowing progressive overload through tempo, range, or added resistance.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select a substitute by matching the primary movement pattern and desired intensity. If you want lateral flexion and oblique isolation, pick side-plank hip dips or standing side bends; for rotational torque, choose Russian twists or standing trunk rotations. Consider spine health: avoid repeated end-range flexion if you have lumbar issues and favor anti‑extension (dead bug) or anti‑rotation (pallof press) variants. Also weigh training goals—endurance calls for higher reps and tempo, hypertrophy for increased time under tension, and strength for added resistance. Finally, prioritize exercises that let you maintain neutral pelvis and scapular position to maximize oblique activation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does alternate heel touchers work?

Alternate heel touchers primarily target the external and internal obliques and the rectus abdominis through lateral flexion and short-range trunk movement. They also involve the transverse abdominis for stabilization and recruit hip flexors minimally to maintain pelvic position.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to alternate heel touchers?

Bicycle crunches are the best single bodyweight alternative because they combine trunk flexion with strong oblique rotation, producing high abdominal activation. Perform controlled tempo sets (3x12–20 per side), keep the lower back pressed to the floor, and lead the movement with your sternum to maximize core engagement.

Can I build muscle without doing alternate heel touchers?

Yes. You can hypertrophy and strengthen your core using a range of bodyweight and loaded alternatives that increase time under tension, reps, or resistance. Progress with slower tempos, higher volume, unilateral challenges, or added load to drive adaptation without relying on heel touchers.

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