Fully extend your arms down the side of your body, palms facing in. Others who do a good job of being active don’t take the time to focus on flexibility and mobility. Sit in a straight-backed chair with your feet flat on the floor. Inhale and lift your head, chest, and tailbone toward the ceiling as you arch your back for Cow pose. Bring leg back to start and repeat the entire sequence with the other leg. Now switch positions. standing toe touch is a stretching exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings and to a lesser degree also targets the calves and glutes. Step 4: Now lift the left arm and right leg and repeat the motion. Start with one set and work up to three sets per workout. Reach both hands to the extended leg, attempting to touch your toes. Try not to touch the other foot down when you land. Keep your spine long and avoid hunching over. How to do Alternating Toe Touch: Step 1: Lay down on your back with your arms straight above your head. The test requires no equipment. The classic, standing toe-touch exercise primarily stretches your hamstrings, the three-muscle group in the back of each thigh. Now, without further ado, below are some stretches that can help you reach your bendiest goals. Increase the challenge by seeing how high above your hips you can lift your legs while maintaining slow and even control. Really squat down to help you reach and touch. Wrap a resistance band around one foot and hold onto it firmly. This is a more functional variation ⦠The goal, for man, when doing the standing toe touch is to stretch the hamstrings. Begin by standing tall with your feet shoulder width apart. Exercise Library; Toe Touch Progression; Toe Touch Progression. How to Stretch Head Muscles to Relieve Tightness, How to Prevent Foot Arch Cramps During a Workout, Abs Experiment: Standing Crossover Toe Touches, Self: The Standing Abs Move You Should Do Before Every Workout. Wrap a resistance band around one foot and hold onto it firmly. Pull the leg in toward your face, feeling the stretch in the back of the leg. Standing Crossover Toe Touches (also known as alternate toe touches) is a functional standing abs exercise targeting the obliques. Shift your weight to the right. This strength training exercise for seniors also improves balance. Keep your toes and knees pointing straight up. If you ever feel a pinching sensation or discomfort, come out of the stretch and try going back into it again slowly, Salvetti says. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Learning proper standing toe touch form is easy with the step by step standing toe touch instructions, standing toe touch tips, and the instructional standing toe touch technique video on this page. Pull your navel in toward your spine as you inhale. Starting Position: Standing; Set-Up: Stand with feet together and the balls of your feet up on the half foam roll with the round side up. Keep back flat. Put one arm against outer thigh and hold other above head. © 2021 Condé Nast. Discover new workout ideas, healthy-eating recipes, makeup looks, skin-care advice, the best beauty products and tips, trends, and more from SELF. It’s also helpful for just moving about daily life. “But if you have a full range, you have extra momentum and room to work.”. Amy is a freelance writer who covers health, fitness, outdoors, and travel. Start by standing on the left foot with the right knee lifted to hip height. Do not simply round over to touch the ground. Exhale as you twist, bend and reach your left hand toward your right foot. 4. Reach down and try to touch your toes. Test your toe-touching abilities before and after doing the 2-minutes of exercise above, and I bet youâll notice a difference right away â just wait to see what you can accomplish in a few weeks! Although the toe touch cross-over exercise can be useful, there are risks for injury involved. “Sometimes that helps it feel better. Walk your hands out in front of your body, allowing your chest to rest over right knee. Inhale as you return to your starting position, keeping your tummy muscles held in but without straining. This exercise helps build stability and flexibility in the hips, glutes, hamstrings and lower back. Her passion for cooking and fascination with nutrition led to studying at Pierce College in Los Angeles, working with chefs, caterers and inspired her to launch a second career writing non-fiction and instructional articles which have appeared in the United States and in Europe. Knees and toes aligned and facing straight forward leg back down the back of your right,! 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