Supine Toe Tap

oec:supine-toe-tap

A supine core stability exercise where alternating feet are lowered from a tabletop position to tap the floor while maintaining a braced, neutral spine.

Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.

Also called: Tabletop Toe Tap, Lying Toe Tap, Dead Bug Toe Tap, Toe Taps

How to do it

Setup

Lie face up on an exercise mat with your arms resting at your sides, palms facing down.
Lift your legs into a tabletop position with hips and knees both bent to ninety degrees and shins parallel to the floor.
Brace your core, gently pressing your lower back flush against the floor to establish a stable pelvis.

Movement

Hinge at the hip to lower one foot toward the floor in a controlled arc, keeping the knee locked at ninety degrees.
Gently tap the floor with your toes without resting your weight on the ground.
Engage your deep core to raise the leg back to the tabletop starting position.
Repeat the movement with the opposite leg.

Breathing

Inhale as you lower the leg toward the floor, and exhale forcefully through your mouth as you return it to tabletop.

Cues

Keep the ninety-degree bend in the knee.
Move from the hip, not the knee.
Glue your lower back to the mat.

Common faults

Arching the lower back off the floor as the leg lowers.: Only lower the leg as far as you can maintain abdominal bracing and spinal contact with the floor.
Bending or straightening the knee instead of moving through the hip joint.: Keep your knee locked at ninety degrees so the entire thigh rotates from the hip.

Safety

Stop if you experience sharp pain or discomfort in your lumbar spine.

Muscles

Rectus abdominis prime mover
Transversus abdominis prime mover
Obliques synergist
Iliopsoas synergist
Rectus femoris synergist

Joints

Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization
Hip: Extension, Flexion
Knee: Isometric stabilization

Details

Movement: Anti-extension
Modality: Calisthenics, Pilates, Rehabilitation
Mechanics: isolation
Force: static
Laterality: alternating
Kinetic chain: open
Level: beginner
Equipment: None
Record: Repetitions
Load: bodyweight

progression of Abdominal Bracing
progression of Posterior Pelvic Tilt
regression of Dead Bug

Sources

wger: Toe Taps, by hpmbala@gmail.com (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Data

supine-toe-tap.json