How many reps of the crab toe touch should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Two sets of 6 to 8 reps per side is a solid start, resting the hips down between sets rather than mid-set. As control improves, extend the kicking leg fully and slow the tap before adding more total reps.

How do I make the crab toe touch easier or harder?

To make it easier, tap the shin instead of the foot and keep the kicking knee slightly bent, which shortens the reach you need. To make it harder, pause for a full second with the leg and reaching hand extended before returning to the crab.

What does the crab toe touch train, and who should be cautious with it?

It combines a core reach with a single-leg glute hold, making it a well-rounded conditioning move for lifters who already have decent shoulder and wrist tolerance for supporting bodyweight. Be cautious with it if your wrists are sensitive to extension under load, since the entire set is spent bearing weight on bent-back wrists.

Intermediate

Crab Toe Touch

The crab toe touch turns the face-up crab into a dynamic core and glute drill. You hold the hips high, then kick one leg toward the ceiling and reach the opposite hand to meet the foot, folding through the trunk while the other three limbs support you. It hits the rectus abdominis and hip flexors on the reach and the glutes and triceps on the hold, making it a well-rounded bodyweight movement.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Abs, Glutes
Type: Functional
Browse by muscle: Upper Rectus Abdominals, Lower Rectus Abdominals, Gluteus Maximus
Browse by movement: Core Brace, Hinge

How to do it

1
Set up in a crab with hands and feet planted and hips pressed up off the floor.
2
Kick the right leg up toward the ceiling, keeping it fairly straight.
3
Reach the left hand up to tap the right foot or shin, folding through the midsection.
4
Return the hand to the floor and the foot to the ground under control.
5
Repeat on the opposite side, keeping the hips lifted between reps.
6
Alternate for the prescribed reps.

Tips

Do not let the hips crash down when the hand leaves the floor; the standing glute keeps you up.
Exhale hard on the reach to help crunch the trunk and get the hand to the foot.
If you cannot reach the foot, tap the shin instead and work toward more range over time.

Variations

Common mistakes

The supporting arm bends at the elbow to chase extra reach, turning a stable three-point base into a wobblier, weaker one.
The kicking leg bends sharply at the knee instead of staying fairly straight, shortening the reach and taking tension off the hip flexor and glute.
The standing foot slides outward under load, narrowing the base right when it needs to be widest for balance.
Rushing from one side to the other skips the brief reset between reps, so the next kick starts from an already-tired hold.
The head drops to look down at the floor instead of following the reach, throwing off the balance of the whole crab position.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the crab toe touch should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Two sets of 6 to 8 reps per side is a solid start, resting the hips down between sets rather than mid-set. As control improves, extend the kicking leg fully and slow the tap before adding more total reps.
How do I make the crab toe touch easier or harder?: To make it easier, tap the shin instead of the foot and keep the kicking knee slightly bent, which shortens the reach you need. To make it harder, pause for a full second with the leg and reaching hand extended before returning to the crab.
What does the crab toe touch train, and who should be cautious with it?: It combines a core reach with a single-leg glute hold, making it a well-rounded conditioning move for lifters who already have decent shoulder and wrist tolerance for supporting bodyweight. Be cautious with it if your wrists are sensitive to extension under load, since the entire set is spent bearing weight on bent-back wrists.

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