The double heel slide is an early core exercise done lying on your back. You gently switch on your deep stomach muscle (transversus abdominis) and your pelvic floor, then slide both heels out along the floor until your legs are straight and draw them back again. The aim is to keep your lower back and pelvis still while your legs move. Many programs use it once you can find that deep tightening lying still, before moves such as the dead bug.

How to do the double heel slide

Lie face up on a mat with your knees bent, feet flat and hip width apart, and your hands resting on your lower stomach. Let your lower back keep its small natural curve, with a slight gap under it.
Switch on your deep core with a light effort: lift your pelvic floor a little and draw your lower stomach in toward your spine.
Keep breathing steadily and slowly slide both heels away from you along the mat at the same time, until your legs are straight.
Watch your lower back and pelvis as the legs go out. If either starts to arch or tip, stop the slide just before that point.
Pull both heels back up toward you to the starting position without letting the gentle tension go. Relax, then repeat.

What you should feel

Light, steady work low in your stomach as it holds your pelvis still, and some effort at the front of the hips as your legs slide back in.

Common mistakes

Letting your lower back lift and arch off the mat as the legs straighten.
Flattening your back hard into the floor and tucking your pelvis, instead of keeping the natural curve.
Holding your breath while the legs move.
Tightening so hard that your stomach pushes out or your ribs flare up.

How often

Many programs start with 1 to 3 sets of 6 to 10 slow slides, on most days. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Your lower back aches more with each slide, even when you shorten the movement.
Pain, pins and needles or numbness spreading into a leg.
A bulge or ridge appears along the middle of your stomach, or you feel pressure or heaviness in your pelvis. Tell your physio.

From the clinic

Sliding both legs at once is usually harder than one, because neither foot stays planted to help hold the pelvis steady. If your back arches before your legs are halfway out, shorten the slide, or go back to one leg at a time as in heel slides. Socks on a smooth floor help the heels glide rather than stick. When this feels steady, the tabletop leg lift asks for the same control with the feet off the floor.

Ask your physio before starting if you have a hernia, a gap down the middle of your stomach muscles after pregnancy (diastasis recti), or have had stomach or back surgery recently. If you are pregnant and past the first three months, check with your physio before exercising flat on your back.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Double heel slide