Trainers Say This One Move Tones The Whole Front Side Of Your Bod
If you're feeling burnt out or bored with your go-to moves, it's time to switch things up. You don't have to get complicated to make your workout interesting or effective, either. Consider the humble inchworm exercise.
The inchworm might be one of the most underrated exercises in the game, and you need zero equipment to do it properly. As you move from a standing position inch by inch to a plank and back, you’re training mobility and total body strength while working your obliques, upper body, and entire front side.
Meet the expert: Susane Pata, CPT, is a NASM-certified personal trainer, Life Fitness global master instructor, and leads TRX education courses for fitness pros.
It’s a functional training move, so it has real-world benefits as well. “That's your time to build durability and resilience so that when you're in the real world, like running for a bus or catching something before it falls, you have really good core strength that can prevent injury from a sudden movement,” says Susane Pata, CPT, NASM-certified personal trainer.
The inchworm exercise is also a great way to elevate your heart rate without impact. “I like getting my heart rate up right off the bat, but I like to ease into it,” Pata says. “It's already getting the heart rate up when you're working the legs and the upper body.”
Ready to work muscles from head to toe? Here's everything you need to know to nail the inchworm exercise with perfect form, get all-over benefits, and more according to trainers.
How To Do An Inchworm With Proper Form
Form is key to making the most of the the inchworm exercise and actually work all those muscles. “Make sure that every step of the way, you are training with good form and technique so that you stay injury-free and you get stronger and faster as a result,” Pata says.
How to:
Start standing with feet hips-width apart. Hinge at your hips and lower down (imagine yourself doing a deadlift) until your hands reach the ground, focusing on core activation and spine alignment, keeping your legs as straight as possible.
Crawl forward lifting one hand at a time with legs straight and hips lifted until you're in a high plank.
Walk your hands one by one back to your feet.
Reverse the deadlift motion to return to standing. That's one rep.
The Benefits Of Inchworms
Functional strength. “That's how we move in daily life,” she says. The inchworm includes positions you need for daily life, standing up or bending down. It helps improve your alignment, too.
Work the abs. "There's lots of core strength involved," says Pata. "The more you activate and contract everything, the stronger you get.”
Improve mobility. Multiple joints are working throughout the inchworm exercise. “You're getting mobility training in your shoulders, in your hips, and even a little bit in your ankles, which is pretty neat," says Pata. "You're getting mobility in some key joint areas."
Prep for pushups. If you have a pushup on your list of goals, inchworms are a perfect way to work up to them. “They're already activating all the key muscles needed for the pushup, but it's quicker, it's not sustained,” she says.
Low-impact cardio. “Standing to plank, that alone increases heart rate without having to do any jumping,” she says. “For people who want to have a little bit of a spike in their workout, that can definitely do it.”
Relieve tight hamstrings. Inchworms open up the backside of the body while simultaneously strengthening the front. “It's lengthening the backside, namely the hamstrings,” Pata says.
Common Inchworm Mistakes To Avoid
Hip wiggling. “That's lack of control,” Pata says. This is a sign to slow down to learn control. “Every time you take a step with your hand, find your connection, take your time, activate more muscle, be really aware," she says.
Misalignment in shoulders, back, and head. Make sure that your shoulders are down, your back is straight, and your head is in line with the rest of your body. “You can't be as strong as you can be if you carry these errors over,” she says.
Not activating your muscles. “Squeeze your butt in order to maintain the line,” she says. “If you don't squeeze your butt, you're going to sag or pike up again." Your glutes help you maintain balance and harmony throughout the movement.
There are inchworm variations for all levels.
1. Inchworm With A Squat
Beginners can ease into inchworms with a bent knees. By squatting and then keeping your knees on the ground once you hit your plank, you’re taking a bit of the pressure off of your core.
How to:
Start standing with feet hips-width apart.
Lower into a squat, pushing hips back as if sitting in a chair.
Reach arms down to the ground and allow knees to touch the ground.
Crawl out to a modified plank position, keeping knees on the ground
Walk your hands back to your feet and tilt up to a squat.
Push through heels and engage glutes to stand tall. That's one rep.
2. Inchworm With A Pushup
For more challenge and extra upper body burn, you can add a bonus pushup (or 10) to your inchworms.
How to:
Start standing with feet hips-width apart. Hinge at your hips and lower down (imagine yourself doing a deadlift) until your hands reach the ground, focusing on core activation and spine alignment, keeping your legs as straight as possible.
Crawl forward lifting one hand at a time with legs straight until you're in a high plank.
For the pushups, lower your body toward the floor until elbows are bent at 90-degree angles. Do as many reps as your heart desires.
Walk your hands one-by-one back toward your feet.
Once you're in a forward fold, reverse the deadlift motion to return to standing.
Pro Tip: Think about pressing against the floor to activate your entire bod.
3. Inchworm With Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers *spice* up your inchworm and make your abs work overtime. The mountain climber portion “activates the core and increases the heart rate even more,” says Pata. “You're also training a little bit of your rotation.” (Hi, obliques).
How to:
Start standing with feet hips width apart. Hinge at your hips and lower down (imagine yourself doing a deadlift) until your hands reach the ground, focusing on core activation and spine alignment, keeping your legs as straight as possible.
Crawl forward lifting one hand at a time with legs straight until you're in a high plank.
Complete your mountain climbers by driving one knee to your chest at a time. Go slow, holding each leg in for a few seconds, or feel free to speed it up for a cardio burst.
Walk your hands back toward your feet until you're in a forward fold.
Reverse the deadlift motion to return to standing.
You can add on any of these plank variations to level up the inchworm exercise, too.
How To Add Inchworms To Your Workout Routine
Wondering how often you should do inchworms to max out the total-body benefits? “You can do them every day," Pata says. The inchworm exercise is perfect as a warmup, she adds. Start with the basic version, then work up to more variations as you get stronger.
You want to train both your anterior chain (front side) and posterior chain (back side) to stay balanced. (Remember, the inchworm focuses on your front side.) “Be mindful and try to even it out,” says Pata. She recommends the bird dog to complement the inchworm. Feel free to mix it up with other lower body moves, like lunges and squats.
When you do include inchworms in your routine, aim for three sets of 10 to 12 reps. If you're in a rush, you can also go up to 20 reps without a break in between.
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