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Exercise library / Inchworm

Inchworm

Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.

A bodyweight warm-up and mobility drill: from a standing forward fold you walk your hands out along the floor until your body is in a low plank, with the elbows bent as at the bottom of a push-up, then walk them back toward your feet. It stretches the hamstrings and calves while the shoulders, chest and trunk hold the low plank.

Main focus
Strength
Level
Starting
Equipment
Bodyweight
Load
Your body weight
Stability
Free: you control the whole movement
Before you start
  • Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
  • Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
  • Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
  • Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.

Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.

What you need

No special equipment. A clear space and shoes or bare feet with a good grip.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart.
  2. Hinge forward at the hips and place your hands on the floor in front of your feet, bending the knees slightly if you need to.
  3. Walk your hands forward one at a time, keeping your legs as straight as you comfortably can, until your body is in a straight line close to the floor.
  4. Bend your elbows so your chest hovers just above the floor, as at the bottom of a push-up, and pause briefly with your trunk braced.
  5. Walk your hands back toward your feet in small steps, raising your hips, until you are back in the forward fold.
  6. Stand up, or go straight into the next repetition.

How much

To start: 1 to 2 sets of 8 to 12 slow repetitions, resting 1 to 2 minutes between sets.

As it gets easier: 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 12 repetitions with good form, resting 1 to 3 minutes. Add load or repetitions gradually, no more than about once a week.

How it should feel: The muscles you are working should feel the effort. The last repetitions should be hard but controlled, never shaky or painful.

Make it easier

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Make it harder

Use the other ways to do this movement below.

Tips

  • Keep the knees as straight as you can so the hamstrings and calves get the stretch; a slight bend is fine if your hands do not reach the floor.
  • Brace the trunk in the low plank so the hips do not sag or pike up. For an easier version, stop in a straight-arm plank and skip the lowering.
  • Take small, controlled steps; walking out too far, too fast makes you collapse onto the floor.

Safety

  • Warm up first, and keep your breathing steady. Breathe out on the effort and in as you ease off. Do not hold your breath.
  • Move with control. Do not lock your joints straight at the end of a movement.
  • Choose a version, load and number of repetitions you can finish with good form. The last few should feel hard but not shaky.

From the source

  • Keep the knees as straight as you can so the hamstrings and calves get the stretch; a slight bend is fine if your hands do not reach the floor.
  • Brace the trunk in the low plank so the hips do not sag or pike up. For an easier version, stop in a straight-arm plank and skip the lowering.

When to stop

  • Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
  • Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
  • Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
  • Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
  • After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.

Other ways to do this movement

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Where this comes from

Steps and tips are from an open exercise dataset named below. Starting amounts, equipment and safety notes are Fitafter50's general guidance. Nothing here is clinically reviewed.

Steps and tips: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co). License: RepDB Free Tier License v1.0: personal or commercial use inside applications, visible attribution, no redistribution as a dataset or API. All credits.

    This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.