How to do an Opposite Leg Toe Touch
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About this exercise
- Sets Logged
- 361,482
- Popularity Rank
- 533rd
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Abs Strength
- 76 mSCORE 73rd
- Equipment Required
- Bodyweight-only
Workouts with Opposite Leg Toe Touch
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Opposite Leg Toe Touch is a bodyweight exercise that primarily targets the core, but also engages the hamstrings and glutes. By alternating touching your toes with the opposite hand, you add a rotational element to the movement, enhancing core stabilization and balance. This exercise is great for improving flexibility and coordination while building core strength.
- Lie flat on your back with your legs straight and arms extended on the ground.
- Raise your straight left leg up over your hips while bending your torso to bring your right hand up towards your left toe. A toe touch isn’t necessary but try your best.
- Return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite side.
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Alternatives & Variations to Opposite Leg Toe Touch
1. Crunches
94 mSCORESWAPPED 169 TIMESCrunches are one of the most common exercises out there. It’s an easy to perform, bodyweight exercise that targets your abdominals. Crunches are very similar to Sit Ups, however, instead of raising your upper body all the way into a near sitting position, you only raise your shoulder blades off the ground. This is a great exercise for beginners looking to build core strength.
2. Leg Raise
96.5 mSCORESWAPPED 130 TIMESLeg Raise is a simple bodyweight core exercise that involves laying on the ground and suspending your legs in the air. While your core does play a significant role in raising your legs, the real benefit comes from controlling their descent back to the floor.
3. Ab Crunch Machine
96.1 mSCORESWAPPED 125 TIMESAb Crunch Machine is a variation of Crunches performed with a machine. Unlike standard Crunches, the use of a machine gives you more control over your resistance. In addition, the machine will restrict your range of motion allowing you to focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement.
- Intermediate
- Abs
- Ab Crunch Machine
4. Alternating Heel Touch
78.2 mSCORESWAPPED 97 TIMESAlternating Heel Touch is a bodyweight, core exercise that involves laying on the ground and reaching towards your heel on either side. By raising your shoulder blades off the ground, you’re already engaging your core, while reaching towards either side helps to engage your obliques.
5. Toe Touchers
75.9 mSCORESWAPPED 94 TIMESToe Touchers are a bodyweight exercise that primarily targets the abdominals. This movement involves lying on your back and extending your legs straight up, then reaching towards your toes with your hands. This exercise focuses on contracting the abdominal muscles to bring the torso towards the legs, increasing core strength and improving flexibility in the hamstrings and lower back.
6. Plank
92.8 mSCORESWAPPED 82 TIMESPlanks are one of the most common core exercises out there. This is a bodyweight exercise that is performed for time rather than reps. Planks don’t require any movement, instead they force you to place yourself in a position that requires you to engage your core, and maintain that muscle activation for the duration of the exercise. This is a great way to help build strength and stability in a way that will translate to a variety of other exercises, and your daily life.
7. Bicycle Crunch
91.8 mSCORESWAPPED 78 TIMESBicycle Crunch is a more difficult version of a standard crunch. Instead of raising your torso off the ground for each rep, you keep your torso off the ground, and your core engaged. By cycling your legs, you add more instability to the movement, which leads to better core activation.
8. Dead Bug
92.4 mSCORESWAPPED 78 TIMESDead Bugs are a bodyweight core exercise that requires you to lay on your back, and alternate extending your arms and legs out away from your body. The position you’re in on the ground keeps your core engaged, while extending your arms and legs away from you forces you to further recruit your core to continue to stabilize yourself.
9. Scissor Kick
94.2 mSCORESWAPPED 72 TIMESScissor Kicks are a bodyweight, core exercise that involve raising your feet off the ground, and kicking your legs up and down. By raising your legs off the ground, you’re already working your core. By continually alternating which leg is raised, you’re constantly forced to keep your core engaged for stability as well as to keep each leg raised.