Mountain Climbers

How to Do Mountain Climbers

1. Start in a plank position with arms and legs long. Beginning in a solid plank is the key to proper form and good results in the Mountain Climber. At its heart, the Mountain Climber is a form of plank. Keep your abs pulled in and your body straight. Squeeze your glutes and pull your shoulders away from your ears
2. Pull your right knee into your chest.  As the knee draws to the chest, pull your abs in even tighter to be sure your body doesn’t sag or come out of its plank position.
3. Quickly switch and pull the left knee in. At the same time you push your right leg back, pull your left knee in to the chest using the same form.
4. Continue to switch knees. Pull the knees in right, left, right, left—always switching simultaneously so that you are using a “running” motion. As you begin to move more quickly be in constant awareness of your body position and be sure to keep a straight line in your spine and don’t let your head droop. Core body stability is crucial.

The Benefits of Mountain Climbers

You’ll Build Upper Body Strength

Mountain Climbers build strength in the upper body muscles of the shoulders, arms, chest and back because they hold your bodyweight up for a long period of time. Not only that, but by adding the movement of the legs, the upper body muscles need to stabilize and keep you grounded. Not to mention the fact that you’ll feel this in your legs for sure!

The Cardio Workout is Good for Your Heart

The fast repetition of the knees coming in and out of the chest will get your heart pumping and force you to breathe through your mouth. This move mimics running in a plank position and you know how good running is for your heart! Obviously the faster you perform your Mountain Climbers, the harder you’ll breathe and the greater the cardiovascular benefits will be.

You’ll Increase Your Core Strength

At the heart of these Mountain Climbers is that awesome plank position that you are working in. By holding the plank position throughout the Mountain Climbers you are increasing core strength better than crunches or sit-ups ever could. But that’s just the beginning. In addition to holding the plank you incorporate the fast motion of the legs, which shakes up the muscles of the abdominals and lower back. They are forced to pull in and stabilize, which teaches your body to increase its core strength and stability.

Do Mountain Climbers as a Warm-Up for Any Workout

Mountain Climbers are often incorporated into a trainer or fitness instructor’s warm-ups because they cover all the bases needed for a solid warm-up. You should use them too because they are extremely effective.

• First, they are a multi-joint movement so they take care of several body parts at one time making Mountain Climbers a very efficient warm-up move
• Second, they are dynamic, meaning they get you moving and increase your heart rate, which is a better and safer way to warm-up compared to static stretching.
• Third, they fire your core and activate the muscles of the abdominals and lower back.
• Finally, they take your hips and legs through a big range of motion, preparing the connective tissue for anything that is to come.