Lying alternate heel taps is a core control exercise done on your back. You start with both legs lifted, hips and knees each at a right angle (tabletop), then lower one leg to tap its heel on the floor and lift it back, taking turns with each leg. Because the knee stays bent, the leg stays close to your body, which keeps the load lighter than lowering a straight leg. The aim is a still pelvis and lower back while the legs move.

How to do the lying alternate heel taps

Start on your back on a mat, knees bent and both feet flat.
Draw your lower tummy in gently and let your lower back settle onto the mat. To check, place your fingertips just inside the two bony bumps where your hip bones stick out at the front. You should feel a light tension under them. You can keep your hands there for the whole set, as in the video.
Lift one leg and then the other until each hip and knee makes a right angle and your shins are parallel to the floor.
Keeping the knee bent, slowly lower one leg until the heel taps the floor. The knee opens a little as the foot goes down, as in the video. Then lift it back to tabletop without losing the tension in your tummy.
Repeat with the other leg and keep taking turns. When you finish, lower both feet to the mat one at a time.

What you should feel

Steady effort low in your stomach, which you can feel under your fingertips, and some work at the front of the hip as each leg comes back up.

Common mistakes

Your lower back arching away from the mat as the heel drops.
Dropping the heel heavily instead of tapping it.
Rocking the pelvis to one side as each leg lowers.
Holding your breath.

How often

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

Stop and check with your physio if

Lower back pain that gets worse with every tap.
A sharp pinch deep in the groin or at the front of a hip.
Tingling, numbness or pain moving down into a leg.
Doming along the middle of your stomach, or heaviness or pressure low in your pelvis. Tell your physio.

From the clinic

Get the tabletop steady before you add the taps. If holding both legs up is hard for now, supine marching keeps one foot on the floor, and the tabletop leg lift builds up to the start position. Harder versions straighten the leg as it lowers, as in leg lowering with a tummy draw-in, or add arm movements, as in the dead bug. If you have high blood pressure, breathe steadily through every repetition and never hold your breath.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try lying alternate heel taps. Some operations limit this kind of work for the first months, so the timing depends on your surgery.

Talk to your physio first if you have a hernia or have had an operation on your stomach or back. If you have recently given birth, including by cesarean section, or you have a gap down the middle of your stomach muscles (diastasis recti), ask your physio, midwife or doctor first. 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 2026-09-28.

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.

Lying alternate heel taps