Lying Toe Touches

A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.

HOW TO PERFORM

The Setup: Lie flat on your back.
Lift your legs straight up toward the ceiling so they are perpendicular to the floor (at a 90-degree angle). Flex your feet.
The Reach: Extend your arms straight up over your shoulders, keeping them parallel to your legs.
The Crunch: Tuck your chin slightly to protect your neck. Exhale as you contract your abs to lift your head, shoulders, and upper back completely off the floor. Reach your hands as close to your toes as possible.
The Return: Inhale as you slowly and under control lower your upper body back to the starting position. Do not let your shoulders fully rest on the floor between repetitions to keep constant tension on the core

This is a crunch with the legs held up, not a hamstring stretch. The reach comes from the abs shortening, not from the arms.
Keep the legs where they are. Swinging them toward the hands makes the reach easier and the set pointless.

Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.