Inchworm
The inchworm walks your hands out from a standing forward fold into a plank and back, threading a hamstring stretch and a moving plank into one rep. It earns its warm-up slot because it wakes the posterior chain, shoulders, and trunk in a single unbroken sequence. Coached by Maddy (NASM-CPT) — these are the exact form cues he gives on every client's first week.
Muscles worked
Sets & reps by goal
| Goal | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 4 × 3–6 slow reps | 90 s – 2 min |
| Muscle | 3–4 × 8–10 reps | 60–90 s |
| Endurance | 3 × 12–15 reps | 45–60 s |
Rep ranges per Helms 2014 · Schoenfeld 2016.
Level — Beginner
Beginner — the pace is self-selected and the knees can bend as generously as needed.
Proper form — 5 cues
- Hinge at the hips and place the palms on the floor, bending the knees only as much as tight hamstrings demand.
- Walk the hands out one at a time until the shoulders stack directly over the wrists.
- Own the plank for one beat — no sagging hips, no piked ones.
- Walk the hands back toward the feet, pushing the hips high as they travel.
- Stand completely tall between reps; every inchworm starts and finishes upright.
Breathing: Exhale as the hands walk out, inhale on the walk back; never hold air at the plank.
The 3 mistakes Maddy corrects most
How to program inchworm
| Goal | Phase | Sets | Reps | Tempo | Rest | RPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| strength | weeks 1–4 · build | 4 | 3–4 slow reps | slow · 4 s walkout | 90 s – 2 min | 7 |
| strength | weeks 5–8 · intensify | 4 | 4–5 slow reps | slow · 4 s walkout | 90 s – 2 min | 8 |
| strength | weeks 9–12 · peak | 4 | 5–6 slow reps | slow · walkout past plank | 90 s – 2 min | 8–9 |
| hypertrophy | weeks 1–4 · build | 3 | 8 | controlled · 2 s pause in plank | 60–90 s | 7 |
| hypertrophy | weeks 5–8 · intensify | 3–4 | 8–10 | controlled · 2 s pause in plank | 60–90 s | 8 |
| hypertrophy | weeks 9–12 · peak | 4 | 10 | controlled · 3 s pause in plank | 60–90 s | 8–9 |
| endurance | weeks 1–4 · build | 3 | 12 | smooth · continuous | 45–60 s | 6 |
| endurance | weeks 5–8 · intensify | 3 | 13–14 | smooth · continuous | 45–60 s | 7 |
| endurance | weeks 9–12 · peak | 3 | 15 | smooth · continuous | 45–60 s | 7–8 |
| beginner | weeks 1–4 · learn | 2 | 5–6 | easy · bend knees as needed | 60–90 s | 5 |
| beginner | weeks 5–8 · groove | 3 | 6–8 | easy · straighter legs | 60–90 s | 6 |
| beginner | weeks 9–12 · load | 3 | 8–10 | controlled · full pattern | 60–90 s | 6–7 |
Tempo = descriptive — flow/combination movements do not use 4-digit tempo.
Common questions
Does the inchworm build abs or just stretch?
Both, honestly. The walkout is a moving plank, so the trunk works against extension the whole way out and back, while the fold-and-return stretches hamstrings and calves. It will not replace direct ab training, but as a warm-up or circuit piece it does two jobs at once.
Can I do inchworms with tight hamstrings?
Yes — bend the knees as much as needed to get palms on the floor, and let the stretch develop over weeks. Tight hamstrings are a reason to do inchworms, not to avoid them; the repeated fold is a gentle, loaded stretch that most people tolerate well.
How many inchworms belong in a warm-up?
Five to eight slow reps is plenty. You want raised temperature and rehearsed positions, not fatigue before the main session. If inchworms are the workout itself — in a circuit, say — treat 10–15 reps per round as the working range instead.
Should inchworms come before or after lifting weights?
Before. The inchworm is one of the few drills that simultaneously wakes the hamstrings, warms the shoulders, and switches on the deep core — exactly the systems a squat, deadlift, or press session is about to demand. Five to eight controlled reps in a warm-up raise tissue temperature without stealing strength from your working sets. Doing high-rep inchworms after lifting is not harmful, but pre-fatiguing your trunk and shoulders before heavy compound work is the wrong order.
Can inchworms replace static hamstring stretching on rest days?
For many people, yes — with a caveat. Each walkout takes the hamstrings through a loaded, moving stretch, and repeated exposure tends to improve forward-fold range at least as well as passive holds for most trainees. If your goal is simply to move better and feel looser, two or three easy sets on off days work well. If you need large range gains for a specific skill, keep some longer static holds too; the approaches complement rather than replace each other.
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