Towel toe curl
Curling the toes to draw a towel in under the foot trains the toe flexors that support the arch.
Foot strength family
Towel toe curl
DemandEasy
Equipment requiredOther / check instructions + A bench or box
Muscle focusCalves
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Source-researched guide. Clinical review is pending.
How to move
- Sit on a chair with one foot flat on a towel laid on a smooth floor.
- Lift and spread the toes, then press them down and curl them to pull the towel in under the foot, the heel staying down.
- Relax and repeat until the towel is gathered, then smooth it out and change feet.
Form cues
- Keep the heel on the floor.
- Put a light weight on the far end of the towel to make it harder.
Practice and cautions
No universal dose is assigned. Choose a manageable amount for your current capacity, leave room for controlled repetitions, and allow recovery. A clinician’s individual plan takes priority.
This is movement education, not an assessment or treatment prescription. Stop for sharp or increasing pain, dizziness, numbness or tingling; seek individual guidance for symptoms, injury or restrictions.
Sources and review status
Sources support the educational description; they do not establish that this exercise is suitable for you.
- Hashimoto & Sakuraba 2014 · Toe-flexor strength training ↗
- Esen 2026 · Muscle activity in nine foot exercises (the towel curl worked the arch muscle, abductor hallucis, less than every form of the short foot exercise, which is progressed from sitting to standing to one leg; BMC Musculoskelet Disord) ↗
No variation is labeled clinically validated.
What it works
Muscles
Main: Calves.
Anatomy: Gastrocnemius, Soleus, Tibialis posterior, Popliteus, Plantaris, Flexor hallucis longus.
Equipment
Other / check instructions + A bench or box
Level
Beginner. See the easier and harder options above.
Workouts that use it
- Plantar fascia routine · 8 min
- Foot and ankle strengthening routine: toes, arches, calves and balance · 15 min
- Injury prevention exercises for runners · 25 min
- Lymphoedema exercises: a daily routine for arm and leg swelling · 15 min
- Mid-range Pilates for dancers: a 25-minute mat class for feet, turnout control and trunk · 25 min
- Yoga for dancers: a 25-minute active-range class for rest days · 25 min
- Pilates for plantar fasciitis: a 25-minute class that starts sitting, keeps you off your feet, and ends with heel raises · 25 min
- Feet-first Pilates for flat feet: a 25-minute class for the arches, ankles, hips and balance · 25 min
Pain guides that use it
Part of a staged plan, with when to get help first.
- Plantar fasciitis stretches and exercises
- Foot pain: where it hurts, what helps, and when to get it checked
- Flat feet and fallen arches: when they need treatment, and exercises that help
- Ball of foot pain (metatarsalgia): shoes, pads, insoles and exercises
- Bunions (hallux valgus): what exercise can and can't change
- Big toe arthritis (hallux rigidus): exercises, shoes and when surgery helps
- Stress fractures of the foot, shin, thigh and hip: recovery and getting back to running
- Morton's neuroma: shoes, pads, injections and what exercise can do
Show all 45 pain guidesShow fewer pain guides
- Broken foot (metatarsal fracture): fifth metatarsal and Jones fractures, recovery and exercises
- Lisfranc injury (midfoot sprain or fracture): diagnosis, treatment and recovery
- Recovery after bunion surgery: the post-op shoe, swelling and exercises
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome: burning or tingling in the sole, and what helps
- Heel fat pad syndrome: a bruise-like pain in the centre of the heel
- Sesamoiditis: pain under the big toe joint, and how to offload it
- Turf toe: a sprained big toe joint, from first aid to return to play
- Hammer, claw and mallet toes: shoes, pads, toe exercises and when surgery helps
- High arches (pes cavus): foot pain, ankle sprains and when to get them checked
- Posterior ankle impingement: pain at the back of the ankle when you point your foot, from rehab to surgery
- Sinus tarsi syndrome: pain in the hollow on the outer ankle, the causes to rule out and what helps
- Cuboid syndrome: outer midfoot pain, what manipulation can and can't do, and how thin the evidence is
- Plantar plate tear: second toe pain, a toe that drifts or lifts, and what taping, shoes and surgery can do
- Accessory navicular syndrome: a painful extra bone on the inner side of the foot, in teenagers and adults
- Broken toe: how to tell, strapping and shoes, and when the big toe needs A&E
- Tailor's bunion (bunionette): shoes, padding, what exercise can't change, and when surgery helps
- Foot pain when running: heel, arch, top or ball of the foot, stress fractures to rule out, and shoes
- Numb, burning or painful feet when cycling: shoes, cleats, insoles and when to get it checked
- Foot pain when walking: the heel, arch, ball of the foot and toes, shoes, insoles and what helps
- Pain on top of the foot: tight laces and tendons, a stress fracture, the midfoot, gout and nerves
- Arch pain: plantar fasciitis, the tibialis posterior tendon, flat feet, nerves, shoes and insoles
- Heel pain: under the heel, at the back, heel spurs, a stress fracture, nerves and children
- Pain on the outer side of the foot: the tendons, a fifth metatarsal break, cuboid and old sprains
- Big toe pain: arthritis, a bunion, gout, turf toe, the sesamoids, an ingrown toenail or a break
- Foot pain at night: nerve pain, gout, circulation, cramps, restless legs and the night pain to check
- Foot pain in women: bunions and shoes, heel pain, Morton's neuroma, pregnancy and the menopause
- Foot pain in children: heel pain, flat feet, growing feet and shoes, sport and the signs to check
- Foot pain in pregnancy: swollen feet, arches and heels, cramps, shoes, and the signs to act on
- Foot pain in older adults: arthritis, heel pain, bunions and toes, numb feet, circulation and shoes
- Foot pain in men: heel pain, gout, the Achilles, stress fractures, work boots and sport
- Heel pain in women: plantar fasciitis, the Achilles, shoes and heels, pregnancy and stress fractures
- Foot pain when standing up: first steps after rest, the heel and arch, stiff joints and what helps
- Foot pain from jump rope: the ball of the foot, arch and heel, stress fractures, floors and shoes
- Foot pain on the treadmill: the heel and arch, the ball of the foot, numb toes, shoes and what helps
- Foot pain on the elliptical: numb toes, the ball of the foot, the heel, laces, shoes and what helps
- Foot pain when hiking: blisters, boots, laces, the heel, the ball of the foot, toes and what helps
- Foot pain after dancing: the ball of the foot, the big toe, heels and pointe, and what helps
Guides that use it
- Pilates for dancers guide
- Pilates for plantar fasciitis guide
- Pilates for flat feet guide
- Pilates for the feet guide
- Pilates for bunions guide
- Pilates for knock knees guide
- Pilates for shin splints guide
- Pilates for the ankles guide
Show all 26 guidesShow fewer guides
- Yoga for plantar fasciitis guide
- Yoga for feet guide
- Yoga for dancers guide
- Yoga for gout guide
- Yoga for flat feet guide
- Yoga for bunions guide
- Yoga for knock knees guide
- Ankle and foot guide
- Fascia exercises guide
- Plantar fascia guide
- Feet guide
- Exercise for type 2 diabetes
- Exercise during and after cancer treatment
- Exercises for lymphoedema (lymphedema)
- Exercise with gout
- Exercises for peripheral neuropathy
- Duck feet guide
- Strengthen your feet guide
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Questions people ask
What muscles does the Towel toe curl work?
Mainly the calves.
What equipment do I need for the Towel toe curl?
Other / check instructions + A bench or box.
Is the Towel toe curl good for beginners?
It is graded beginner, so it suits most people starting out. When it feels easy, try the Heel raise with a towel under the toes.
How do I make the Towel toe curl harder?
Progress to the Heel raise with a towel under the toes. Follow that guide’s technique and any stated timing.