Mountain Climber
Bodyweight, abdominals and hip flexors
The mountain climber starts in a high plank and drives the knees toward the chest one at a time, quickly, like running in place on the hands. It trains the abdominals and the hip flexors, with the front of the shoulders and the thighs working too, and it raises the heart rate fast. It suits most people as a short burst in a circuit or a warm up.
Setting up
- Start in a high plank with the hands on the floor under the shoulders and the arms straight.
- Step the feet back until the body is straight from the head to the heels.
- Brace the belly and keep the weight over the hands.
- Start slowly, one knee at a time, before you add speed.
How to do a mountain climber
- Drive one knee toward the chest, keeping the hips level.
- Return that foot to the plank as you drive the other knee in.
- Keep switching legs at a steady rhythm, landing lightly on the balls of the feet.
- Hold the shoulders over the hands and the back flat the whole time.
- Keep the hands flat and the fingers spread so the weight stays over the whole hand.
- Stop when you can no longer keep the hips level, and rest.
Breathing. Breathe in a steady rhythm with the steps, never holding the breath.
Muscles worked
- Mainly
- Abdominals and hip flexors
- Also
- Front delts and quadriceps
Common mistakes
- Hips bouncing up high. It takes the work off the belly, so keep the hips level with the shoulders and slow down until they stay there.
- Hips sagging toward the floor. It loads the lower back, so brace the belly as you would in a plank and keep the body in one line.
- Short steps where the knee never comes in. They miss the knee drive that makes the move work, so bring each knee in under the chest.
- Shoulders drifting back behind the hands. The move gets sloppy and the belly lets go, so keep the shoulders stacked over the wrists as the legs move.
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