Inchworm Meet
Quick Intro
Inchworm Meet uses the inchworm, a movement where you fold forward from standing, walk your hands out to a plank and then walk your feet up to meet your hands. You start at opposite ends of a space, inchworm toward each other and meet in the middle at the plank position, where you share a high-five. Your hamstrings, shoulders and core carry the movement for both of you, and the high-five adds a small test of balance.
The hand walk-out, the foot walk-up and ways to vary the inchworm are covered at Inchworm.
What You’ll Need
A clear stretch of floor with room for both of you to inchworm toward each other, and a mat or non-slip surface for your hands.
How to Do It Together
- Start at opposite ends. Stand facing each other with plenty of space between you.
- Fold and walk out. Hinge forward, place your hands on the floor and walk them out to a plank.
- Walk your feet up. Take small steps with your feet toward your hands, then walk your hands out again, moving toward your partner each time.
- High-five in the plank. When you meet in the middle, lift one hand and share a high-five before continuing.
- Return and repeat. Stand up, walk back to your starting end and go again for the set.
Breathe steadily through both the walk-out and the walk-in.
The High-Five Is a One-Handed Plank
Meeting in the middle sounds easy until you’re both in a plank with one hand in the air. For a second, each of you is holding yourself up on a single arm, so your core has to stop your hips from twisting toward the side of the lifted hand. That is the real test in this exercise, and it’s a good one, because the movement leading up to it has already warmed you through.
Prepare for it by widening your feet slightly before the high-five, which gives you a steadier base. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs, and lift your hand only as high as a high-five needs. Keep the touch quick, then place the hand back down before you move on. Agree beforehand which hand lifts, so you don’t both reach with the same hand and miss. Right hand to right hand is one simple arrangement.
The meeting point is a moment, not a place on the floor. People inchworm at different speeds, and different leg lengths mean different step sizes, so you may not arrive in the middle at the same time. Whoever reaches the plank first should hold it on straight arms until the other catches up. It helps to agree beforehand how far apart your hands will be in the plank, so the high-five needs only a small reach. If you keep arriving unevenly, shorten your steps and match your partner’s pace.
Take care with the walk-out. Letting your hips sag in the plank puts the weight on your lower back, so keep your core braced as your hands travel. If your hamstrings are tight, bend your knees as you walk your feet in. A bent knee gives you the same movement with less pulling at the back of the leg. Keeping your head between your arms and your gaze toward the floor just ahead of your hands also helps your spine stay in one line.
Because the inchworm moves through the hamstring stretch, the plank and the walk-up, it makes a good early movement in a session. Doing it with a partner adds a bit of fun to the warm-up and gets you moving in sync before the harder work begins. For a variation where you tap hands at the same position during a faster movement, see Mountain Climber Hand Tap.
If You’re at Different Fitness Levels
Bent knees throughout and a shorter distance suit a couple who are both newer to the movement, with the high-five at the meeting point unchanged. If one of you has more range or moves faster, each of you uses your own range and pace and you both still meet in the middle, where the faster partner waits in the plank. The meeting point adjusts to whoever is slower.
Safety and Consent
Keep your core braced through the walk-out so your hips don’t sag. Bend your knees as much as you need to and never force your legs straight. Make the high-five quick and controlled, and stop if your wrists or shoulders complain.
Every connection moment in these exercises is something either partner can skip or scale back at any point, including this one, no explanation needed. If you’d rather not stop and touch hands, inchworm side by side with no high-five.
FAQ
Where should we meet? Wherever you both arrive at the plank. Hold on straight arms until the other catches up, then share the high-five.
Which hand do we use? Agree beforehand. Right hand to right hand is one simple arrangement when you face each other.
What if one of us is faster? The faster partner holds the plank and waits. Shorter steps also help you arrive closer together.
Do we have to keep our legs straight? No. Bend your knees as much as you need to, especially if your hamstrings are tight.
Why does the high-five feel wobbly? You are holding yourself up on one hand for a second. Widen your feet a little, squeeze your glutes and keep the touch quick.
Can I do inchworms by myself? Yes. Inchworm covers the solo movement.
Built on Inchworm. Mountain Climber Hand Tap puts a hand tap into a faster plank movement, and Push-Up Meet brings a forehead touch into a push-up.