Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Two Toe Touch (Male): How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The two toe touch (male) is a bodyweight exercise that primarily targets the spine, with secondary emphasis on the hamstrings and glutes. It involves bending forward at the waist to touch your toes, promoting flexibility and mobility in the posterior chain.

Primary muscles
Not recorded
Secondary muscles
Glutes , Hamstrings
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the two toe touch (male)
Front view: muscles worked by the two toe touch (male). Secondary: glutes and hamstrings.
Back view: muscles worked by the two toe touch (male). Secondary: glutes and hamstrings.
Primary Secondary

How to do the two toe touch (male)

  1. Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms extended out to the sides.
  2. Step 2: Bend forward at the waist, keeping your back straight and your knees slightly bent.
  3. Step 3: Reach down towards your toes with both hands, keeping your legs straight.
  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 two 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.

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.