Mountain Climbers Exercise: Form, Benefits, Muscles Worked, & Alternatives

Mountain Climbers For 30 Days Challenge

On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m showing you the correct way to do mountain climbers with proper form, without looking like a flailing rodent, plus 21 variations and a 30 day challenge that anyone can participate in at home.

Let’s be honest, mountain climbers can look a little, awkward.

Kind of like a caffeinated squirrel trying to escape a cardboard box.

But trust me, if you’re short on time, they can be a time efficient exercise to hit your core and cardio, with one move.

To best respectful of your time, I’ve included jump links to each section in the table of contents below.

Table Of Contents – Jump Links

Mountain Climbers Exercise Benefits

[Mountain Climbers GIF]

Mountain climbers, also known as the mountain climber plank, is a cardio strength hybrid exercise, meaning you get two workouts in one.

Plus, no equipment is needed, so you can do them anywhere, your living room, the park, even on the moon if you’re feeling adventurous.

It’s one of the reasons why they are programmed in many of our Live Lean workouts.

Adding mountain climbers to your training will also help:

• Improve your cardiovascular health so you can finally outrun your kids.
• Fire up your metabolism so you burn more calories while watching Netflix.
• Give you the muscular endurance of a marathon runner.
• Build functional strength so you can finally carry all the groceries in one trip.

Mountain Climbers Muscles Worked

Mountain climbers aren’t just about cardio, when performed properly, it’s a full body sculpting machine.

Let’s break it down to see the muscles worked.

Primary Muscles Worked

• Core (Rectus Abdominis & Obliques)

Secondary Muscles Worked

• Shoulders
• Triceps
• Quadriceps
• Hamstrings
• Adductors
• Glutes
• Calves

First, the VIPs – your core!

We’re talking rectus abdominis, aka your six pack, or soon-to-be six pack, and obliques, the muscles that give you those sexy side lines.

These guys are working overtime to stabilize you.

Then we’ve got the supporting cast, the shoulders and triceps.

These muscles are working to get stronger to hold you up in the plank position.

And finally, the often forgotten muscles, the legs.

The quads, hamstrings, glutes, and even your calves get in on the action.

They’re powering those leg movements, making you look like you’re running up a mountain.

So, yeah, mountain climbers are a full body workout disguised as a cardio move.

Mountain Climbers Form

Now for the most important part, here’s how to actually do a mountain climber without looking like a baby giraffe on roller skates.

Remember, like any exercise, form is key for the fastest results, without injury.

Here’s how to do properly do mountain climbers with correct form:

1. Get into a high plank position, with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
2. Your body should form a straight line from head to heels, with no sagging at the hips.
3. To do this, think: core engaged, glutes contracted, quadriceps flexed.
4. To begin the movement, lift your foot off the ground as you drive one knee towards your chest.
5. Then switch legs by extending your leg back to the floor while bringing your other knee toward your chest, as if you’re running up a mountain.
6. Keep alternating legs.
7. Start slow, get the form down, then crank up the speed as you get comfortable.
8. Don’t forget to breathe, unless you want to turn purple halfway through.

3 Common Mountain Climber Mistakes

Avoid making these 3 common mountain mistakes:

1. Keep your back straight to maintain a neutral spine, while avoiding sagging hips or hips piked in the air.
2. Keep your shoulders directly over your wrists to protect your joints and prevent strain.
3. Engage your core by pulling your belly button in and up, to stabilize your body and protect your lower back.

That’s how you master the mountain climber form.

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How To Activate Your Lower Abs During Mountain Climbers

If doing mountain climbers, but you feel like your lower abs are on vacation, don’t worry, try these 4 activation tips that will have your lower abs screaming for mercy:

1. Core Activation: Before you starting the first rep, activate your lower abs by pulling your belly button in and up as if you were zipping up a super tight pair of jeans.
2. Leg Movement Hack: Instead of just bringing your knees to your chest, try driving them upwards, towards your elbows, just like the straight arm knee to elbow plank.
3. Neutral Spine, No Sagging! Good posture is key for lower ab engagement, so imagine you’re balancing a glass of water on your lower back.
4. Slow The Pace: Rather than thinking it’s a race, focus on muscle engagement by controlling the movement, while focusing on keeping your lower abs pulled in and up.

Follow these tips, and your lower abs will be begging you for mercy.

22 Mountain Climber Variations

If you are feeling a little bored with regular mountain climbers, I’ve got you covered.

Try these 15 mountain climbers variations and 7 mountain climber combos, starting with beginner variations, then moving up to more advanced:

1. Mountain Climbers On Knees
2. Incline Mountain Climber
3. Dumbbell Mountain Climbers (an easier option on your wrists)
4. Mountain Climbers
5. Agility Ladder Mountain Climber
6. Slider Mountain Climber Push Up
7. Alpine Mountain Climber
8. Medicine Ball Mountain Climber
9. Barbell Mountain Climber
10. Straight Arm Swiss Ball Mountain Climber
11. Cross Body Mountain Climber
12. Diagonal Mountain Climbers
13. Forearm Plank Mountain Climber
14. Forearm Cross Body Mountain Climber
15. Feet Elevated TRX Mountain Climbers

Mountain Climber Exercise Combo Variations:

1. Spiderman Lunge To Mountain Climber
2. Push Up With Mountain Climber
3. Spiderman Push Up To Mountain Climber
4. Jump Squat To Mountain Climber
5. Mountain Climbers To Hand Walkouts
6. Mountain Climber To High Knee Sprint To Forward Jump Combo
7. Cross Body Mountain Climber To Renegade Row

5 Mountain Climbers Alternatives

Mountain climbers are great, but they’re not for everyone.

To find the perfect move for you, here are 5 mountain climber alternatives that are more accessible and just as effective:

1. High Knees Taps: Stand tall, jog in place, and lift those knees to give your hands a high-five. This gets your heart rate pumping and engages your core.
2. Jump Burpee Push Up: This is a full body strength and cardio combo is like a fitness party, and every muscle is invited. It incorporates a squat, push up, and a jump into one move.
3. Jumping Jacks: It’s like a time machine back to elementary school gym class. This classic move is effective at getting your heart rate up, while working your legs and arms.
4. Straight Arm Plank Jack: In a plank position, jump your feet in and out like a horizontal jumping jack. Your core and shoulders will thank you later.
5. Straight Arm Knee To Elbow Plank: This is a core killer. From a plank, bring your knee towards the same side elbow.

Mix and match these mountain climber alternatives to keep your workouts fresh and challenging.

30 Day Mountain Climbers Workout Challenge For Beginners At Home

If you are ready to take your mountain climber game to the next level, I’ve got a 30 day challenge that will sculpt your core, boost your cardio, and have you feeling like a mountain goat in no time!

This challenge is perfect for beginners and can be done right at home, no fancy equipment needed.

Here’s the deal:

1. Pick one of the mountain climber variations from above and commit to completing each rep with proper form.
2. Complete the indicated number of sets and reps each day, with 30 second rest breaks in between, as shown below.
3. Since progressive overload is key to growth, the further into the challenge, the harder it gets.

Here’s the 30 day schedule:

• Day 1-5: 3 sets of 15 reps
• Day 6-10: 3 sets of 20 reps
• Day 11-15: 3 sets of 25 reps
• Day 16-20: 3 sets of 30 reps
• Day 21-25: 3 sets of 35 reps
• Day 26-30: 3 sets of 40 reps

By the end of this 30 day mountain climber challenge, you’ll be amazed at how much stronger and fitter you feel.

Let’s go.

Question Of The Day

Let me know in the comments:

• Do you love or hate mountain climbers?
• What’s your favorite mountain climber variation?

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I’ll be back with more posts every week to help you get in shape, have fun, and look good doing it.

If you’re still hungry for more, don’t stop here.

Go check out this post where I show you how to master the split squat to build quads of gods and a butt your women will want to smack.

Keep Living Lean.