The inchworm is a bodyweight core and mobility exercise performed by walking the hands out to a plank and then the feet up to the hands, travelling forward across the floor. Walking the feet in is what separates it from a plank walk-out, which returns the hands to the feet and stays on one spot: here every cycle ends in a deep forward fold with straight knees, so the hamstrings are stretched under body weight while the abs hold the plank on the way out. Coaches use it to open a session.
What Muscles Does the Inchworm Work?
- Primary: Rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis
- Secondary: Anterior deltoid, serratus anterior, pectoralis major
- Tertiary: Hamstrings, gastrocnemius (calves), erector spinae, hip flexors
How Do You Set Up for the Inchworm?
Clear four or five body lengths of flat floor ahead of you. Stand at one end with your feet hip-width apart and your knees straight but not locked. Hinge at the hips and fold forward, reaching for the floor, bending the knees only as much as your hamstrings demand until both palms are flat in front of your toes. Spread your fingers, set the shoulders over the wrists and brace your trunk.
How Do You Perform the Inchworm?
- Brace the trunk in the forward fold with both palms flat and the pelvis tucked under.
- Walk the hands forward one at a time in short steps, keeping the feet planted.
- Stop in a high plank with the shoulders over the wrists and the hips level with the spine.
- Hold the plank for a breath, checking that the hips have not dropped or piked up.
- Walk the feet toward the hands in small steps, letting the hips rise and the knees straighten.
- Finish in the deep fold with the palms still down, ready to walk the hands out again.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Tuck the tailbone: keep the pelvis rolled under as the hands travel so the hips cannot sag toward the floor.
- Take small steps: move each hand and each foot a hand's length at a time so the trunk never loses tension between contacts.
- Push the floor away with both palms so the shoulder blades stay flat on the ribs.
- Keep the knees straightening a little further on each foot step, not snapping locked.
- Keep the head in line with the spine rather than hanging in the plank.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Walking the hands too far in one step: the trunk gives way, the hips drop and the lower back takes the extension load, so shorten each hand step.
- Piking the hips high in the plank: the abs come off tension and the position becomes a rest, so stop the walk when the body is one line.
- Bending the knees fully as the feet walk in: the fold loses the hamstring stretch that the movement exists for, so keep the knees as straight as your range allows.
- Rushing the foot walk: the feet shuffle and the pelvis twists side to side, so step one foot at a time under control.
- Letting the hands turn outward: the wrists take the load at an angle, so keep the fingers pointing forward.
What Are the Best Inchworm Variations?
- Plank walk-out: walking the hands back to the feet instead of travelling, an easier version on one spot.
- Inchworm with a push-up: adding a press in the plank loads the chest and shoulders.
- Inchworm to knee tuck: drawing a knee to the chest in the plank adds hip flexor work.
- Bear crawl: travelling on hands and feet with bent knees keeps the trunk under constant load.
- Downward dog to plank: shifting between the two positions without travelling for tighter hamstrings.
How Do You Progress the Inchworm?
- Progress by leverage, not weight: walk the hands further out before you plank.
- Build from 5 cycles up to 10 in a set as the hips stay level throughout.
- Add a second and third set once one set no longer leaves the trunk shaking.
- Hold the plank for three to five seconds each cycle, or slow the foot walk, to add time under tension.
How Should You Program the Inchworm?
Use the inchworm at the start of a session as a warm-up before pressing or squatting, or as a core accessory at the end. Train it 2 to 4 times per week for 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 10 cycles, resting 30 to 60 seconds. Pair it with a hip flexor stretch or a dead bug so the trunk trains against extension from more than one position.