Core · Bodyweight
Inchworm and Mountain Climbers
How to do the inchworm and mountain climbers, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
From standing, hinge at the hips and walk your hands forward along the floor into a high plank. Drive your knees toward your chest one at a time for a set of mountain climbers, then walk your hands back toward your feet and stand up. Repeat the full sequence, flowing between the inchworm and the climbers.
- 1Feel your core, shoulders, and legs working through the plank and
- 2climbers
- 3Keep your hips level and steady as you drive your knees in
- 4Stretch through your hamstrings as you walk your hands out
Common mistakes
- Don't let your hips bounce or sag during the climbers
- Avoid letting your shoulders collapse in the plank
- Don't bend your knees on the walk-out unless you need to
Muscles worked
The inchworm and mountain climbers mainly works the upper abs, with the lower abs, quads, hamstrings, front delts, hip flexors, triceps, forearms, mid chest, obliques, glutes, and calves assisting.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- TricepsSupport
- ForearmsSupport
- Mid ChestSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- GlutesSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Upper ChestMinor
- LatsMinor
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- Mid TrapsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the inchworm and mountain climbers for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.