Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Inchworm: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The inchworm is a bodyweight exercise that targets the abs while also engaging the shoulders and hamstrings. It involves bending forward, walking your hands out to a plank, and then returning to standing, which challenges core stability, flexibility, and coordination.

Primary muscles
Abs
Secondary muscles
Hamstrings , Shoulders
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the inchworm
Front view: muscles worked by the inchworm. Primary: abs. Secondary: hamstrings and shoulders.
Back view: muscles worked by the inchworm. Primary: abs. Secondary: hamstrings and shoulders.
Primary Secondary

How to do the inchworm

  1. Step 1: Start in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart.
  2. Step 2: Bend forward at the waist and place your hands on the ground in front of you.
  3. Step 3: Walk your hands forward until you are in a high plank position, with your body in a straight line from head to toe.
  4. Step 4: Pause for a moment, then walk your hands back towards your feet, keeping your legs as straight as possible.
  5. Step 5: Once your hands reach your feet, stand back up to the starting position.
  6. Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the inchworm by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Inchworm alternatives

More exercises that train the abs as their main target:

More abs exercises

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.