Inchworms are an excellent full-body exercise to build core stability while strengthening shoulders and triceps. Plus, they’re easy to do – an added bonus when adding them into a variety of workout routines!
This exercise doesn’t require equipment and can be performed anywhere; however, to prevent injury it’s essential to know the correct form.
It’s a full-body exercise
The inchworm is an effective full-body exercise that makes an ideal warm-up move as well as core, shoulder and back move. It targets your hamstrings and hip flexors, improves hip mobility and builds shoulder stability as well as core strength – helping prevent injury by warming up muscles before any intense training sessions and stretching them out properly. Plus it requires no equipment, making this movement ideal for any workout routine!
To perform the inchworm, stand up with feet a few inches apart, legs together. Walk forward by spreading out hands across the floor until reaching plank position with arms straight out in front. Return hands back up towards feet before returning to starting position; traveling across room is preferred but staying still can also work;
If you prefer bodyweight exercises, one of the best moves to include in your workouts is an inchworm move. It can help prepare the upper body for push-up workouts as well as being used as part of dynamic warm-ups or calisthenics workouts – but keep in mind this move may not suit everyone; those suffering from wrist issues should refrain from performing it.
Accurately performing the inchworm can be challenging for those with tight hips and hamstrings. Common mistakes include swaying hips when walking into plank position and failing to engage the core, leading to less core activation and weaker form.
The inchworm is an engaging movement that will strengthen your entire body from its foundation up. You don’t need any equipment for it; simply start moving! Adding this powerful movement to your workout regimen may provide the motivation necessary for progress on your fitness journey.
It’s a great warm-up
As a dynamic exercise, the inchworm is ideal for warming up your entire body. Engaging muscles in your arms, chest, shoulders and core with minimal space or equipment required – you may even increase flexibility while improving hip mobility! Furthermore, its dynamic nature means it makes an excellent warm-up before heavy strength training sessions or intense HIIT routines.
If you’re new to gym workouts, the inchworm exercise can be an excellent way to warm up and strengthen your arms, chest, back, and core. It’s simple, uses your own bodyweight, and can easily be modified to your fitness level; but beware: without proper form this move may lead to injuries!
The key to successfully performing an inchworm exercise lies in your movement tempo. Intentionally move slowly and deliberately so as to reap all the benefits from this workout. While it may be tempting to rush through its movements, doing so won’t help build strength or increase flexibility.
One common error during an inchworm exercise is swaying their hips while walking their hands out into plank position, missing out on some of the isometric core activation benefits provided by this exercise. To prevent this from occurring, keep your core tight and your hips stable throughout each movement of this exercise.
People often make the mistake of skipping over the walk-back portion of an inchworm exercise, leading to shoulder instability and lack of core engagement. To avoid this mistake, count every step during your walk back slowly and count them off step-by-step.
Start off slowly when starting gym workouts: start by performing three sets of 10 repetitions with 30 second rest between each set, gradually increasing reps as you get used to them. It may also help if you perform the inchworm during rest intervals to increase heart rate while strengthening arms, chest, and core simultaneously.
It’s easy to modify
The inchworm is a comprehensive full-body exercise that works multiple muscle groups simultaneously. It strengthens your core, back, shoulders, arms and improves balance and mobility while making for an easy modification that you can incorporate into other exercises for a complete workout routine. Inchworms also serve as great warmup exercises such as pushups.
Start out slowly if this movement is new to you; start off by doing three sets of five repetitions with 30 second rest periods between each set. As your skill improves, increase repetitions and incorporate various inchworm variations for added challenge.
Inchworms make for an effective dynamic warm-up for HIIT or calisthenics workouts, since they help get the heart rate going without increasing intensity of your workout. Inchworms also prepare muscles for more demanding exercises like bodyweight deadlifts.
Correct execution of the inchworm exercise should be safe for most, though those with tight hamstrings or shoulder pain may experience discomfort during this movement. If any discomfort arises while performing this movement, stop and switch up your warm-up regimen by performing walking lunges or air squats instead.
To prevent injury while performing the inchworm, it is key to take it slowly through each phase. Hastily doing the move could place undue strain on your joints and increase the risk of injury. If your hips sag during any part of this exercise, squeeze your core and glutes for extra support if necessary to bring them up again.
Make the inchworm exercise even more challenging by adding push-ups while in plank position. Simply hold for a few seconds before moving into push-up position, returning back into plank, then repeat. This will work your pecs, deltoids, and triceps more than the basic version; other variations such as push-up inchworm and single leg inchworm could further increase its difficulty by targeting different muscle groups; however they require greater strength and power – not recommended for beginners.
It’s safe
The inchworm is an effective dynamic bodyweight exercise to warm up and strengthen the entire body, particularly targeting core muscles while strengthening arms, shoulders and increasing flexibility. Furthermore, this exercise can also be used to improve balance and posture and can easily be modified to suit different fitness levels.
To perform an inchworm, start by standing with your hips slightly tucked under and core tight. Next, slowly walk your hands out in front of you until you are in plank position; walk back your feet until they meet up with the hands, before returning them to their initial starting positions and repeat. Inchworms are great exercises to boost core strength which in turn improves posture and balance as well as strengthening shoulders and chest; they can even increase intensity during other workouts! However, be careful that any part of an inchworm is done correctly to avoid injury; any attempt at speed could result in disastrous results, so take your time in performing it correctly to achieve best results and pay attention to form for maximum results!
When performed properly, the inchworm exercise is safe for most individuals; however, those with shoulder or wrist injuries or who suffer from lumbar spine conditions should avoid performing it. If experiencing pain while performing the exercise, immediately stop. One advantage of the inchworm exercise is its adaptability – simply modify its intensity or incorporate variations such as single-leg inchworm or push-up inchworm into your routine!
The inchworm exercise is an excellent way to warm up before strength training or running sessions, or stretch out legs and back muscles during warm-up exercises. As it’s low impact and works all of your core, chest, shoulder muscles as well as stretch them out at once, it makes an ideal warmup exercise!
The inchworm is an effective full-body exercise that’s simple to add into any workout regimen without needing equipment. Not only is it great for runners looking to stretch out their legs before running, it can also prevent injuries by stretching. Best of all, this workout is so straightforward it can be performed anytime and anywhere – perfect!
