Hamstrings exercise
InchwormHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Hamstrings, Abs
- Also works
- Front delts
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Inchworm?
- Stand tall with your feet together and your knees straight.
- Bend forward from your hips and place your hands on the floor in front of your feet.
- Walk your hands forward in small steps until you are in a straight-arm plank.
- Walk your hands back to your feet, then stand up tall.
Cues
- Knees long, back flat.
- Small hand steps.
- Hips level in the plank.
Common mistakes
- Bending your knees a lot: keep only a soft bend.
- Hips sagging in the plank: brace your stomach before walking back.
- Overreaching: stop when your hands are under your shoulders.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Inchworm in place, no push-up: fold forward, walk the hands out to a high plank, walk the hands back to the feet, stand up.
Starting position
Standing tall, feet together or up to hip-width apart, knees straight but not locked, arms by the sides, abs braced.
The movement
Hinge forward from the hips with a flat back and nearly straight knees, reaching the hands down until the palms or fingertips touch the floor just in front of the feet. Walk the hands forward in small steps, keeping the knees straight and letting the heels rise, until the body is in a high plank with the hands under the shoulders. Pause, then walk the hands back in the same small steps to the feet, and roll up through a flat-back hinge to standing. The feet stay where they are throughout.
Breathing
Breathe out as you fold, breathe steadily while walking, in as you stand.
Tempo
1.5 s fold, 2.5 s walk out, 0.5 s plank hold, 2.5 s walk back, 1.5 s stand (8.5 s).
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Hand steps 15–25 cm each (ACE: 6–12 in); about 4 steps out and 4 back for an average body.
- Heels rise as the hands move out; back stays flat, never rounding at the fold.
- Head stays in line with the spine.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Inchworm is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
