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This exercise might look silly, but we promise you it serves a purpose and is worth trying! It’s called the inchworm exercise because it mimics the up and down motion of a worm. These movements work the arms, chest, upper back, lower back and abs for an effective—and fun—total body workout!
But this isn’t the only reason you should learn how to do an inchworm. It also is great at safely stretching the hamstrings and requires no other equipment except your own bodyweight, so you can do it anywhere!
The inchworm is a great exercise to add to your arsenal because it’s primarily a warm-up exercise that stretches and prepares your muscles for a more intense athletic workout. Because it is a whole body exercise, this is a great warm-up for any type of workout, be it cardio, strength, flexibility, etc.
Add it to the beginning of your preexisting routines for a more effective workout. It’s also a great warm-up to add to the beginning of a yoga routine to wake up all of your muscles at once for a more wholesome practice!
Before you get started, here are some tips to keep in mind when attempting this exercise: maintain as a straight a back as possible and make small movements as you walk on your hands towards a plank position and then again as you walk back on your hands towards a standing position.
Looking for a way to incorporate this exercise into a more robust workout routine? Try our Wake-Me-Up Morning Yoga workout routine, which is an 8-minute full-body workout that will help mentally prepare you for a busy day.
Add the inchworm exercise to the beginning of this workout routine to burn 100 easy calories straight out of bed!
Inchworm Exercise Instructions
- Stand tall and roll down until your hands reach the floor.
- Walk your hands forward until you’re one long line in a plank position.
- Take tiny steps walking your feet forward until they reach your hands.
- Walk hands out to plank again, and feet back to hands. Continue repeating this several times.
Targets: shoulders, core, hamstrings, back
