Mountain Climbers
From a push-up position, you drive your knees toward your chest one after the other, running your feet in place while your upper body stays still.
- Primary muscles
- Abs, Obliques
- Secondary
- Front delts, Triceps
- Logged as
- Time
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Why do it
Mountain climbers are a conditioning exercise first: they raise your heart rate while your abs and obliques hold the plank and your shoulders and triceps support your weight. They suit circuits, warm-ups and interval sessions, and they need no equipment. Because the sets are timed, the quality of each step matters more than racing, and a steady pace with a still upper body does more than a frantic one with bouncing hips. Slow them down to make them more of a core exercise.
How to do it
Start in a push-up position with your hands under your shoulders and your body in a straight line.
Drive one knee toward your chest, keeping your hips low.
Switch legs quickly, running your feet in place while your upper body stays still.
Keep going for the set time. If your hips start bouncing up and down, slow the pace rather than pushing through.
Common mistakes
Bouncing your hips up and down
Hips that rise with each step take the load off your abs. Keep them level with your shoulders and slow the pace until they stay put.
Shoulders drifting behind your hands
Leaning back shifts your weight into your legs and lets your trunk relax. Keep your shoulders stacked over your wrists for the whole set.
Tiny, shuffling steps
Feet that barely move forward give you little hip and ab work. Bring each knee well in toward your chest before switching.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
