The inchworm is an accessible movement designed to strengthen all aspects of your body – core, back, chest and arms. Useful as both an active warm-up or part of HIIT workouts, it can even be added as part of an interval training (HIIT) workout plan.
Exercise begins by standing and walking your hands out to either side until reaching a high plank position, before returning them back into standing position and backtracks back towards standing.
Stability
If you have ever taken part in group fitness classes, professional sports team training sessions, or pickup games of your favorite sport, chances are the instructor led you through a warmup routine featuring an inchworm exercise – this dynamic bodyweight movement strengthens and stretches all over your body – making it perfect for active warmup or as part of high intensity interval training workout.
To perform the inchworm, begin in a standing position and reach your hands downward gradually until they meet the ground. From here, walk away your hands from your feet into a plank-like position before walking forward to meet up with hands before returning back into standing position for repeat. Repeating this worm-like crawl pattern continues for as long or frequently as desired.
The inchworm exercise works your arms, shoulders, chest, upper back, and core simultaneously while improving balance and stability. It can also be integrated into a calisthenics workout to strengthen coordination and focus. When adding it to your routine, ensure to warm up properly prior to beginning this complex movement; beginners should begin with only one set of reps before gradually increasing them as you become more comfortable with this movement.
As with any exercise, inchworming carries certain risks, including shoulder and wrist injuries. If any concerns arise during this activity, consult with a medical provider as soon as possible. However, for most healthy and proper-form individuals, inchworming is a safe exercise to incorporate into their routines. However, it should not be performed by people suffering from neck or spinal conditions as this poses additional risks. Shoulder or wrist injuries should avoid this move. Anyone experiencing pain in their lower back or neck should also steer clear. The best way to minimize injury risk and maximize workout results is through practicing good form with slow, controlled movements that ensure you get maximum value from each workout session while lowering risk.
Flexibility
Implementing inchworms into your workouts can help you create a more balanced physique, particularly around your shoulders and core. The movement lengthens legs while stretching hamstrings while challenging core stability. Inchworms make an ideal active warm-up exercise before engaging in more heavy strength training such as powerlifting or gymnastics sessions, or can even be added into high intensity interval training as an easy way to fluidly stretch out muscles without static stretching.
As soon as you introduce inchworms into your routine, be sure to start slowly and increase reps gradually. Since inchworms are dynamic exercises, it’s easy to injure yourself by performing them too quickly or incorrectly; swaying from side-to-side as you step into plank position, sprinting hands and feet forward, or suddenly stopping before rising can all lead to pulled muscles or the loss of potential benefits from exercise.
If you feel confident, try walking your hands forward beyond a full plank position to challenge shoulders, chest, triceps and core at once. At the top of your plank pose pause briefly before tapping your left shoulder with right hand for additional chest and triceps strength development.
Perform an inchworm with one leg lifted off of the ground for a more engaging core exercise and challenging balance challenge. This variation may be particularly suitable for people suffering from shoulder or wrist injuries, or those preferring staying still to travel a full inchworm’s distance.
Inchworms can serve as an excellent warmup move for anyone attempting a pushup, as they engage all of the key muscles involved. But since inchworms tend to be faster and less sustainable than standard pushups, make sure that you practice your form before embarking on one. Ideally avoid variations that put too much strain on weak knees or hips as this could put additional stress on lower body joints and muscles.
Strength
The inchworm is an effective full-body strength exercise, offering multiple advantages: strengthening core, shoulders and back muscles while challenging upper body more than its more commonly performed cousin: planking. Moving through high plank position (hands on ground) to pushup position (face down on floor), it offers unique challenges to arms, chest and abs as well as increasing balance and stability.
Proper form with this exercise is key, as mistakes could make it challenging or painful. A common error involves rushing any part of the movement – whether this means walking out too quickly on your hands or not engaging the walk-back portion – both of which hinder its benefits and keep the workout from becoming effective.
Error # 2 is often made by not lowering their torso enough, placing undue stress on their lower back and leading to roundback, which may cause injury to their spine. Therefore, it’s essential that they take their time when walking out on their hands with hands in their pockets for maximum effectiveness.
As you walk out on your hands, you may experience an uncomfortable stretch in the hamstrings – this is actually beneficial. Hamstrings are key components of the posterior chain which runs from your shin bone across knee, hip and pelvis to pelvis – and an inchworm exercise helps lengthen this muscle group.
The inchworm exercise is a straightforward, versatile movement which can serve a multitude of purposes. From active warm-ups and progression exercises to high intensity interval training sessions, its use should become part of your regular training regime. Before adding this movement into a workout routine, however, make sure to master its correct techniques so it will bring greater strength and mobility benefits into any sweat session.
Fat Loss
If you’re trying to reduce fat, adding the inchworm exercise into your routine is a fantastic way of strengthening both upper and lower body muscles, leading to greater fat loss. Furthermore, stretching out hamstrings plays an essential role in overall health.
Its flexibility makes the movement an excellent addition to almost any workout – be it as part of a warm up routine, strength training routine or high intensity interval workout. However, be careful to perform it in a controlled and steady fashion; performing too quickly could result in lost control and potentially lead to injury.
Inchworms can also be performed using other resistance equipment to increase their intensity of exercise. You could try using a kettlebell or dumbbell as you perform them; additionally, placing a band between your knees could add tension and increase difficulty of the exercise.
Though most can perform an inchworm exercise safely and successfully, those suffering from wrist or shoulder issues may find it challenging. If this applies to you, it would be prudent to modify or forgoing performing it until it can be completed safely and successfully.
When adding inchworm exercises to your workouts, begin with two sets of three repetitions and build them gradually over time. Later on, experiment with variations like single-leg inchworming or push-up inchworming for added variety.
The inchworm is an effective bodyweight exercise designed to strengthen arms, chest and shoulders as well as improve balance and core stability. You can perform the inchworm on its own or incorporate it into other exercises like bird dog or lunges for maximum effect. When adding this movement into a high intensity interval training workout (HIIT), make sure it’s performed slowly while being mindful not to allow hip sagging when walking your hands away from feet.
