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Lying Side Heel Taps

Lying side heel taps crunch the waist sideways: from your back with knees bent, you side-bend to tap each heel with the same-side hand, shortening the obliques rep after rep. They are the gentlest entry into direct oblique work — floor-supported, small range, self-limiting. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.

Muscles worked

Obliques Abs · rectus abdominis Deep core · transverse abdominis

Sets & reps by goal

GoalSets × RepsRest
Strength4 × 6–8 taps per side (slow, paused)90 s
Muscle3–4 × 10–15 taps per side60 s
Endurance3 × 20–27 taps per side45 s

Rep ranges per Helms 2014 · Schoenfeld 2016.

Level — Beginner

Beginner — the true entry-level oblique drill; the held shoulder curl is its only trap.

Proper form — 5 cues

  1. Lie back, knees bent, feet flat and drawn close enough for fingertips to nearly reach the heels.
  2. Lift the shoulder blades slightly off the mat and hold that small curl throughout.
  3. Slide one hand along the floor to tap the same-side heel — pure side-bend, no twisting.
  4. Return through the centre and immediately reach for the other heel.
  5. Keep the neck long and relaxed; the movement lives in the waist, not the head.

Breathing: Exhale toward each heel tap, quick inhale passing through the centre.

The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most

Shoulders dropping back to the mat between taps. The reset erases the constant tension that gives this small movement its value. Fix: Hold the gentle upper-back curl from first tap to last.
Feet placed too far from the hands. Out-of-reach heels force neck craning and shoulder strain to close the gap. Fix: Walk the feet in until a comfortable side-bend just reaches the heel.
Rocking the knees side to side with each reach. The swaying legs create momentum that replaces the obliques' work. Fix: Glue the knees in place — only the torso bends toward the heel.

Common questions

Are heel taps effective or too easy to matter?

They are honest work at the level they are meant for: constant-tension oblique endurance with almost zero injury risk. For a beginner, that stimulus is real and productive. For someone months into training, they become a burnout finisher rather than a main course — useful, just differently.

Why should I avoid twisting during the tap?

The exercise is built on lateral flexion — the sideways shortening of the waist. Adding rotation midway changes the loading, invites the hip flexors to assist, and muddies what you can progress or measure. Save rotation for drills designed for it, and keep this one purely sideways.

What do I move to after heel taps?

The natural ladder runs: heel taps, then kneeling or standing side crunches for range, then side planks for anti-lateral-flexion strength, then loaded side bends. Each rung trades a little comfort for more demand. Change rungs when three sets at the top of the rep range feel routine.

Related exercises

Bicycle KicksObliques Bicycle Kicks (Modified)Obliques Cross Knee to Elbow PulseObliques Downward Dog Cross Knee to Elbow TouchObliques Downward Dog Knee to Elbow TouchObliques

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