If you hate burpees, join the club! But did you know that a burpee isn’t the only compound exercise that targets multiple muscle groups and works up a sweat? Mountain climbers are a great core exercise, also targeting your shoulders, back, hips, quads, and glutes. Below, we have tips on how to do a mountain climber, the benefits of the exercise, and modifications to try.
Before you dig up your hiking boots, you don’t need to be anywhere near a mountain to reap the rewards of this exercise. Instead, you’ll just need an exercise mat (we’ve found the best yoga mats that double as exercise mats here), and your body weight. Climbers are suitable for all skill levels, and below we’ve found some of the best mods for beginners.
Looking for more exercise inspiration? We have hand selected the best abdominal workouts here, a exercise that is better than squats to strengthen the glutesand the resistance band exercise that targets all leg muscles.
how to make mountaineers
The easiest way to explain the movement involved in mountain climbers is to run in a plank position. To do a mountain climber, start in a plank position, hands shoulder-width apart, back flat, and core engaged (think sucking your belly button in toward your spine). From here, bend your left knee and bring it toward your chest, as far as you can. Pause, then straighten your leg back to its starting position and bring your right knee under your body. Keep repeating this movement and increase the speed until you are moving your knees in and out.
As you move your legs, think about keeping your core engaged and your hips still to avoid putting pressure on your lower back. It’s easy to shift your weight back slightly with the movement, but make sure you stay in a plank position, rather than downward dog.
What are the benefits of mountain climbers?
Mountain climbers are a compound exercise, meaning you’re working multiple muscle groups at the same time as burpees. This means they will get your heart rate up and give you more of a total body workout than other basic exercises.
Although they work much more than just their core, mountain climbers often find themselves in ab workouts as they are a great abdominal exercise as your core has to help stabilize your body during movement. Strong abs are far from just a cosmetic goal, they can help you run faster, lift more weight, improve your posture, and reduce lower back pain.
How to make mountain climbers easier or harder
If you find mountain climbers too difficult, slow down the movement and instead of running, just bring one knee under your chest at a time, alternating between sides. You can also reduce pressure on your wrists and shoulders by performing mountain climbers on a step or bench; this can be helpful if you’re still working on upper body strength, but want to reap the benefits of this move.
If you’re looking to challenge yourself, here are some mountaineer mods to add to your training:
sliding mountain climbers:
To climb slider mountains, you’ll need a pair of sliders or dish towels if you don’t have them. Put your toes on the sliders as you get into a plank position and slide your leg under your body, without lifting your toes off the floor, slide your leg back to your starting position and repeat on the other side. You should find that this works your stabilizer and quad muscles harder than normal mountain climbers.
Crusader Mountaineers:
Crossover mountain climbers target the oblique muscles of the abs as well as the hip flexors. This move is similar to a normal mountain climber, but as you bring your legs toward your chest, you’ll angle them under your body, touching your left knee to your right elbow. Then repeat on the opposite side. Think of making an X with your knees and elbows.
Spider Mountain Climbers:
This is a killer to the core. In spider climbers, instead of bringing your knee under your body, you’ll bring it out to the side, striking your left knee with your left elbow. He pauses at the top of the movement, before extending the leg back to its starting position and repeating on the right side.
