The mountain climber is particularly effective for strengthening all the body's muscles and improving cardio. Performed without any equipment, this fitness exercise is an excellent way to burn calories and lose weight.
How do you do the exercise?
To do mountain climbers, the starting posture is to get into a pump position with your arms straight.
The aim is simply to bring your knees close to your chest, one after the other, as if you were trying to touch your torso. Start, for example, with your left knee, then your right, and so on.
If you've never done this before, start slowly. Wait until you've placed your first foot on the ground before launching your second leg.
You can then increase the intensity. Your second leg will start moving even before the first has returned to its starting position. The faster you move, the more difficult the mountain climber becomes, and the greater the challenge to your cardiovascular endurance.
Relatively complete, this movement can be performed at different times during your workout:
- in the warm-up to prepare your muscles for exercise,
- during training if you choose HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training),
- at the end of weight training if you're looking to lose fat.
This bodyweight exercise can easily be performed at home, even if you don't have any equipment.
Muscles worked
The muscles used by mountain climbers are numerous, starting with the abdominals.
In addition to the abdominal girdle, this dynamic muscle gainer also works the upper body, including the triceps and shoulders, and the hip flexor muscles.
Tips
- To optimize the effectiveness of this exercise, keep your back straight and contract your abdominal muscles.
- Line up your head with your back while looking at the floor in front of you.
- Don't neglect your breathing, even when the effort becomes difficult.
Variants
- You can do mountain climbers on your elbows instead of having your arms extended, but this will limit arm involvement.
- To work the obliques, the mountain climber spiderman consists of bringing your knees up towards your ribs, not towards your chest.
- If you're looking for a more strenuous exercise, the mountain climber can be performed on a single arm.
