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The inchworm is a brilliant bodyweight movement that works the entire body, namely the core, arms, legs, and back. The best thing about this move is its versatility; it can be incorporated into your warmup, strength, cardio, or stretch routines. Plus, it doesn't require any accessories or equipment!
How to do the Inchworm
- Stand straight with your feet hip distance apart. Breath in.
- As you exhale, bend down and place your hands just in front of your feet. Allow your knees to bend slightly to aid with touching the floor.
- Walk your hands forward slowly, keeping your core tight. Keep walking forward till your body straightens into a straight-arm plank. Maintain a plank position without letting your hips sink to the ground or stick upward. Be sure you keep your glutes and quads engaged so your legs are in a straight plane as well. Holding this pose for a few seconds is optional.
- Maintaining the same tempo, begin walking your hands back toward your feet, allowing your hips to rise until your hands are positioned in front of your feet again.
- Breath in, straighten yourself back up into a standing position.
And that is an inchworm for you! Repeat this move for 10 to 15 repetitions to really feel the burn.
Watch this video for better understanding:
Benefits of the inchworm
Aside from its versatility, this exercise presents several other benefits, including:
It targets a number of muscle groups
Due to full body engagement, this move works multiple muscle groups.
Improves stability and posture
The need to keep the core engaged throughout the movement results in better stability overall and improved posture.
Stretches out the muscles
All parts of the body are required to be lengthened during the performance of this exercise, allowing the corresponding muscles to stretch themselves out. This makes it an effective move for warm up/cool down routines as well.
Improves flexibilty
Owing to this movement's ability to stretch out various muscle groups, it helps improve flexibilty as well. More so in the legs, namely, the hamstrings.
Common mistakes to be avoided
Perfect execution of this movement can be a challenging feat if you're just starting out. There are numerous factors you may want to keep in mind.
No engagement of the core
Not engaging your core will result in your hips dipping or pointing out. This defeats the purpose of performing the move and may even lead to cramping or injury.
Bending the legs
This may throw you off balance. Moreover, it does not allow for optimal core engagement.
Moving too fast
Performing this exercise too fast does not allow the muscles to stretch or engage themselves sufficiently. You will end up tiring yourself needlessly.
Variations of the inchworm
If you find the inchworm too easy a challenge, you could try these versions the next time!
Reverse Inchworm:
This version mimics the original at its core. However, upon reaching the high plank, try walking your feet towards your hands instead of your hands backward towards your feet. Additionally, you could continue this movement into a walk.
Watch this for an idea:
Inchworm with push up:
In this variation, you can perform a push-up once your body is in a high plank. This adds extra work to your triceps and chest.
This video should help shed some light:
Extending the plank:
The idea in this variation is to continue walking your hands forward till they are beyond shoulder level and wider than the conventional high plank. This helps engage the core further to keep it parallel to the ground.
Take a look at this video if you're keen to try it out:
The inchworm is a great exercise for the entire body. Just incorporating three to four sets of this exercise into your routine two to three times a week should produce vast improvements in your stability, posture, and flexibilty.
If you are new to working out, begin with the basic inchworm. If you are familiar with the movement, maybe challenge yourself and give these variations a try the next time you hit the gym!
Poll : How well can you do the inchworm?
Great; I practice regularly.
Not too well; I'll definitely try it out.
63 votes
