Reps Only exercise

Heel Tap form, muscles worked, and workout tracking

The heel tap is a floor-based lateral-flexion exercise in which the shoulders stay curled off the ground while the fingertips alternately reach down to touch each heel, keeping constant tension on the obliques and rectus abdominis. Lifters use it as a low-skill, equipment-free oblique movement for high-rep core circuits, and its short side-to-side range makes it accessible for beginners building basic trunk endurance.

Heel Tap illustration

How to do Heel Tap

  1. 1Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor close enough that your fingertips can nearly reach your heels.
  2. 2Curl your head and shoulder blades off the ground and brace your core, keeping your arms extended along your sides.
  3. 3Exhale as you bend sideways to tap one heel with your fingertips, feeling the obliques on that side contract.
  4. 4Keep your shoulders off the floor throughout; do not let your torso flatten back down between taps or crane your neck forward.
  5. 5Move smoothly to the other side and tap the opposite heel, alternating with a steady breathing rhythm for the prescribed reps.

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Track Heel Tap in Plates

Save this movement to a workout template, log sets and rest periods, and keep your training history in one focused gym tracker.