The mountain climber is particularly effective in strengthening all the muscles of the body and improving the cardio. This fitness exercise can be done without any equipment and 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 goal is simply to bring your knees up to your chest, one after the other, as if you were reaching for your torso. For example, start with your left knee, then your right knee, and so on.
If you've never done this move before, start slowly. Wait until you have your first foot on the ground before launching your second leg.
You can then add more intensity. Your second leg will start its movement even before the first one is back in the starting position. The faster the speed, the harder the mountain climber exercise becomes and the more it challenges 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 the effort,
- during training if you choose HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training),
- at the end of your weight training if you are looking to lose fat.
This bodyweight exercise can easily be done 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 maximize 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 breathing, even when the effort becomes difficult.
Variants
- You can do mountain climbers on your elbows instead of having your arms outstretched, but this will limit the involvement of the arms.
- 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 challenging exercise, the mountain climber can be performed on one arm.
