The inchworm is an accessible movement designed to strengthen and stretch the body. Perfect as part of dynamic warm-up or mobility routines, or even HIIT workouts.
As with any exercise, there are some key points to keep in mind when performing an inchworm exercise correctly and reap its full benefits. Read on to discover how best to execute this routine and reap all its advantages!
1. Keep Your Knees Straight
The inchworm exercise is an incredible full-body movement designed to strengthen core, arms and chest while stretching muscles in the posterior chain, such as your hamstrings and calves. As it doesn’t require equipment or special space for execution, this exercise can easily be done anywhere and can even be advanced for greater challenge.
When performing the inchworm exercise, it’s crucial that your knees remain straight and don’t bend toward the floor – this will prevent injury while also helping you gain maximum benefit from this form of physical fitness. Furthermore, don’t rush through it – doing so may increase risk and lower its effectiveness.
The inchworm exercise is an effective way to develop core and upper body muscle groups, but it’s easy to lose control and start focusing on arms and legs instead of your core. In such instances, it is key to remain tight and brace your core while moving your hands out into a high plank position with your feet directly beneath your shoulders.
To increase the difficulty, try adding pushups to your plank position – this will further engage your core muscles while testing your balance.
The inchworm can be an invaluable addition to any strength or HIIT workout, serving both as an active warm-up or active cooldown move. When performing this move, remember the KISS principle (keep it simple, stupid). Moving too quickly or doing it without proper form could lead to injuries and reduce its benefits; so be sure to slow down and focus on maintaining correct form while performing this movement.
2. Stretch Your Hamstrings
The inchworm exercise is an excellent total body movement designed to stretch and strengthen all the major muscle groups of your body, while targeting specific ones based on your goals. For instance, you could bend your knees as you forward fold for a deeper stretch in your hamstrings; or walk your feet forward from plank position as an alternative way to relieve shoulder pressure. Adding push ups at the end can add another challenge that improves core strength and endurance.
As with any exercise, when performing the inchworm be mindful to do it slowly and with control so as to avoid injury. Avoid collapsing down toward the ground or sprinting your hands and feet towards it as this puts more load on joints which could potentially lead to shoulder or wrist injuries.
In addition to targeting core muscles, the inchworm works the hamstrings and legs. This can help avoid tightness in the hamstrings that could contribute to lower back pain or other MSK conditions. Furthermore, it improves hip mobility and stability by forcing you to hinge at your hips as you move forward.
The inchworm is a versatile movement that can easily be added to any workout regimen, whether as part of dynamic warm-up exercises, progression exercises or intensified interval training (HIIT). Furthermore, it is great for building core strength and increasing mobility – and can even be done anywhere without equipment!
3. Keep Your Core Engaged
The inchworm exercise is an effective way to work your core muscles while stretching your shoulders, arms and back. Perfect for warm-up or strength training routines alike; even more so during high intensity interval training workouts where it helps keep heart rates up while providing opportunities to stretch.
Position your feet hip-width apart and place your palms flat on the floor directly in front of you, with as close a distance as possible between your palms and your feet as possible. Walk your hands forward slowly, until reaching full plank position. At that point, bring them back in slowly while raising yourself to an upright position; repeat for as many reps as desired.
Mastering this movement can be difficult as it requires precise control and balance. Without paying attention, you could end up collapsing toward the ground or moving your hands and feet too quickly forward; such a rapid pace does not allow your muscles to engage or stretch out properly and may put unnecessary strain on joints and your balance.
Perform the inchworm correctly to engage and stretch out your entire upper body while strengthening your core and maintaining good posture in everyday activities. For added challenge, add in push-ups at plank position or plank jacks after every hand walk repetition, or sneak in deep squats between repetitions for added leg, butt and core strengthening benefits. As with any exercise regimen, focus on form to achieve maximum results – take time and do it right the first time around!
4. Keep Your Hips Aligned
Although the inchworm exercise is great for strengthening upper body and core strength, it’s easy to misstep if done incorrectly. A common error people make is switching their hips when moving hands into plank position – this reduces core activation and could ultimately result in weaker back muscles. To avoid this mistake, focus on tightening up your core tightly while keeping legs together throughout movement.
Moving too quickly through each phase of an exercise can quickly cause the hamstrings to tighten too quickly, decreasing its effectiveness and leading to weaker posture and placing extra strain on shoulders and back muscles. So take your time, remain aware of your posture, and be patient while working toward moving your body through each stage of the inchworm exercise.
If you want a challenge, add mountain climber exercises onto the end of your inchworms in order to train the entire torso. Or if pushups are on your agenda, the inchworm is an excellent way to build strength in both your core and shoulders in preparation.
Inchworms are an effective and low-impact exercise suitable for beginners that can easily be added into any workout. As with any physical activity, consult your physician prior to beginning any new training regimen or diet plan; BarBend content is intended solely as informational and should never be seen as a replacement for professional advice from healthcare practitioners.
5. Keep Your Arms Straight
The inchworm is one of the great full-body exercises, perfect for isolation exercises, warmup drills or cooldown routines. With its combination of movement and stretching it makes an excellent full body move for beginners looking to incorporate their workout regimen. However, to maximize benefits and avoid injuries it must be performed correctly in order to maximize its benefits and prevent injury.
As is often the case when performing an inchworm exercise, common errors can compromise results and increase injury risks. One such error is bending knees too early, which doesn’t allow proper stretching out of hamstrings and increases tension on joints. To prevent such errors from occurring, move slowly through each phase of an inchworm exercise while actively paying attention to form. To stay on the safe side and minimize potential missteps.
One of the hallmarks of an inchworm exercise is its versatility – you can modify its intensity with various modifications to add more difficulty, such as adding pushups once in plank position for added core and triceps activation.
Add this movement to your workout regimen for maximum benefit: strengthening shoulders, core muscles and triceps while simultaneously improving posture, flexibility and stability. Just make sure that you practice proper form by following the step-by-step instructions above for maximum effectiveness of this movement – and don’t forget to have fun doing it! Pretend you’re an inchworm when performing it for added fun factor! Who wouldn’t enjoy that?
