Inchworm

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.

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.

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.

Muscles

Primary: Hamstrings

Secondary: Front deltoid, Calves (gastrocnemius), Chest, Abs, Serratus, Triceps