Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Hands Clasped Circular Toe Touch (Male): How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The hands clasped circular toe touch is a bodyweight exercise that targets the glutes and also engages the hamstrings, quadriceps, and calves. It involves hinging at the hips and making a circular motion with your hands towards your toes, promoting flexibility and mobility in the lower body.

Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Hamstrings , Quads , Calves
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the hands clasped circular toe touch (male)
Front view: muscles worked by the hands clasped circular toe touch (male). Primary: glutes. Secondary: hamstrings, quads and calves.
Back view: muscles worked by the hands clasped circular toe touch (male). Primary: glutes. Secondary: hamstrings, quads and calves.
Primary Secondary

How to do the hands clasped circular toe touch (male)

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands clasped together in front of your chest.
  2. Step 2: Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
  3. Step 3: Lower your hands towards your toes in a circular motion, reaching as far as you can without straining.
  4. Step 4: Pause for a moment at the bottom, then slowly return to the starting position.
  5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the hands clasped circular toe touch (male) by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Hands Clasped Circular Toe Touch (Male) alternatives

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.