Difficulty: Medium
Impact Level: Normal
Target Body Parts: abs, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps
How to do Mountain Climbers
Back to ExercisesInstructions
Start off with your hands on the floor, your arms straight and your legs straight out behind you, feet on the floor, like you just finished a push up. Then step one foot in underneath your chest and rest it there on the floor. This is your start position.
Then, keeping your shoulders lined up above your hands, push down into the floor with your hands and jump switch your feet so that the one that was tucked underneath you straightens out behind you and visa versa.
As soon as your feet land in one position, jump switch them back to the other position and keep alternating as fast as you can for the duration of the exercise.
A common mistake is to let your shoulders go back towards your feet and your hips stick up in the air. Aim to keep shoulders above your hands and your hips at the same height as your shoulders.
How to make Mountain Climbers easier
If the jump switch action of our Mountain Climber exercise is too intense to start with, why not try stepping one leg at a time in and out and alternating legs. That way one foot is in contact with the floor at all times.
Or elevate your upper body by putting your hands on a bench instead of the floor. Otherwise try our Chase the Rabbit exercise which is still challenging but a little bit slower paced.
How to make Mountain Climbers more challenging
Amp your Mountain Climbers up by not resting your front foot down on the floor when you bring it in under your chest. Instead aim to tap the back of your elbow with your knee which the foot hovers off the floor. Our Spiderman Push-up is a great next step up too.
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