Take a look at mountain climbers exercise

Mohamed Thabet
8 min readFeb 12, 2022

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What exercise is Mountain Climbers?

Our topic today, my friends, is the mountain climbers workout, which is the staple of Bootcamp, HIIT, CrossFit workouts everywhere, and one of those exercises that people love to hate. No matter how you feel about them, there is no doubt that they give you a great full-body workout and burn a lot of calories.

Mountain climbers, also known as jogging, are one part strength training and one part cardio. It is also an exercise that uses body weight and activates muscles throughout the body.

The main advantage of this exercise is that it can be performed at home or outdoors without using any equipment and can fill your exercise routine, which can also consist of sit-ups, push-ups, or planks.

It is a full-body workout! Mountain climbers are also easy exercise; You can do it anywhere as it only requires your body weight.

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What is Mountain Climbers good for?

Mountain climber is a compound exercise, which means it works for multiple muscle groups at once. It’s also, my friends, a great exercise to strengthen:

Entire lower body: hamstrings, glutes, quads, and calves

The mountain climber’s upper body, specifically the shoulders and triceps is activated due to the plank position she maintains throughout the movement.

Your core muscles are engaged throughout the mountain climber, too. While starting in the plank position, your abdominal muscles are engaged. Then as you push your knee into your mountaineer’s chest, you work deeper into the core while also engaging the oblique muscles.

Another benefit of a mountain climber is that it is a cardio movement that will increase your heart rate and strengthen your core!

With the knee pushed into the chest, your entire lower body is forced to stay engaged. You’ll work your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and even calves by pushing each time. And as a bonus, you’re also working on your overall speed and agility in one workout!

How to do Mountain Climbers?

Now my friends we will see how to do Mountain Climbers and to see amazing results and prevent potential injuries, you must perform the exercise correctly.

For mountain climbers, begin by performing 2–3 sets of 10–20 repetitions on each leg. Choose your sets and repetitions based on your ability to maintain good technique throughout all sets and repetitions.

  1. Get into an all-fours position with your knees and toes flexed and in contact with the floor. Your hips should be over your knees, and your hands should be slightly wider than your shoulders.
  2. Grip the ground with your hand and rotate your shoulders outward to engage your lat muscles.
  3. Straighten your legs to lift your knees and enter into a plank position. Your legs should be hip-width apart.
  4. Pre-tension your shoulders and hips while engaging your core.
  5. Squeeze your quads and glutes while keeping your pelvis slightly tucked, your ribs down, and your chin tucked.
  6. While maintaining your alignment, bring one knee towards your chest, then return to the starting position.
  7. Repeat the movement on the opposite leg.
  8. Alternate your legs at a pace that allows you to maintain alignment, and continue alternating back and forth until you have completed your desired number of repetitions.

Hence, I will give you some common mistakes that you should avoid:

Although this exercise gets harder the longer you do it, maintaining proper form reduces the risk of injury and increases the benefits of the exercise. Here are some common mistakes that can render mountaineers ineffective. If you notice you’re making any of them, stop and tweak them so you can do them right.

  • Breaking Proper Alignment:

The starting position should be a plank, forming one straight line from head to toe, and your body should remain in the position throughout the exercise.

  • Holding Your Breath:

Holding your breath will lead to early fatigue and poor recovery. Sticking to a set rhythm is a good way to remind yourself to breathe. You can either inhale with the right knee outward and the left knee in, or inhale twice (from right to left) and inhale twice. Choose the method that works for your rhythm and keep your breathing pattern consistent throughout each set.

  • Not Resting Between Sets:

Whether you do mountain climbers as part of a HIIT, cardio, or strength workout, resting between sets is key to recovery and maximum benefit. The rest period should range from one to three times the duration of each set. For example, if each set lasts 30 seconds, rest 30 to 90 seconds in between.

  • Dropping Your Head:

Avoid looking at your feet and keep your head aligned with your neck and spine by looking 2 to 4 inches in front of your hands. Dropping or lifting your head too high strains your neck and causes your body to be out of alignment, putting you at risk of injury.

  • Not Keeping Your Intensity in Check:

When performing multiple sets, aim for approximately the same number of repetitions each time rather than doubling yourself on the first set. A study found that the all-out effort of mountain climbers and other whole-body exercises in the first group resulted in lower repetitions in subsequent sets and increased fatigue after each set without additional benefits from their efforts.

What are the benefits of Mountain Climbers?

Mountain climbers are an exercise that many people incorporate into a full-body workout. This exercise is simple but can be challenging especially when it is increased in intensity or performed for long periods. Many people enjoy mountain climbers. It is an exercise in which you place your hands firmly on the ground while “running” with your feet because they do not need to use the equipment. This means that you can use this activity in your daily routine as often and anywhere you want. Here are some reasons why mountain climbers are good full-body exercise to add to your exercise regimen.

  • They Elevate Your Heart Rate:

There are many reasons why it is important to raise your heart rate through exercise. Doing so can help produce a stronger heart and cardiovascular system, which obviously can have a positive impact on your life in many ways. Although heart health may not be the main reason for exercising, you will appreciate that within a few seconds of a mountaineer’s performance, your heart will be pumping fast and you will be breathing at an accelerated rate. Even if you perform this exercise at a slow and methodical rate as a beginner, you will still notice an increase in your heart rate.

  • They Strengthen Several Muscles Concurrently:

You may want a full-body workout that can lead to significant improvements in your overall strength, and mountain climbers fit into this category. Consistent lower bodywork means that you are working and building a number of muscles. You’ll likely feel tired in your quadriceps and hamstrings, both of which are located in the upper part of your legs, after this exercise a sure sign you’ve strengthened. You’ll also engage your core muscles to keep your back straight while your shoulder muscles help keep your upper body elevated.

The constant movement of mountain climbers can generate significant calorie burn, which translates to helping your body burn fat. The number of calories you burn during this exercise depends on the duration and intensity of the exercise. Your body weight also affects how you burn calories. Regardless, you can expect that you’ll burn a significant number of calories during a group of mountaineers, especially if you’re moving with brisk power. For those keen to lose weight, this full-body workout can be beneficial.

Do Mountain Climbers burn belly fat?

Mountain climbers will be doing more than just heavy sweats they’ll also target the abdominals, hip flexors, and shoulders in the process. Not only does it strengthen your core, but it also promotes the necessary fat loss to reveal the abdominal muscles you’ve been building without exacerbating back pain.

It is an exercise that burns calories and helps increase your heart rate. It also targets your heart, making it the perfect exercise to lose stubborn belly fat.

With slow mountain climbers, your heart is challenged under greater time and tension. You rely less on momentum or elastic energy, and as a result, your shoulders and abdominal muscles will also feel the burn. Meanwhile, twist climbers raise the speed as well as your heart rate so you’ll get a cardio workout while doing your oblique and hip flexion exercises at the same time. And get your shoulders and abs to work overtime with the wide stance mountain climbers, promoting core stability by opening the hips.

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How many Mountain Climbers should I do a day?

You can do them in sets of 20 seconds to a minute. Choose a period that allows you to maintain a steady pace and good form for the duration.

HIIT exercises for beginners often begin with 20 seconds of exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest per set. But in high-intensity fitness classes in Heiken, mountaineers are done in one-minute groups. The first 30 seconds are slow and controlled, and the last 30 seconds increase the frequency of your heart rate rising.

How many calories do Mountain Climbers burn?

Mountain climbers burn a lot of calories:

Mountain climbers require quite a bit of caloric expenditure which means that when combined with a healthy diet, they can aid in weight loss.

The number of calories burned by mountain climbers should fall in the range of 650 to 700 calories per hour for a 130-pound adult.

A 155-pound person burns 298 calories in 30 minutes and does high-intensity aerobic exercise (such as mountain climbers), working out about 10 calories a minute.

The exact calorie burn depends on your age, weight, fitness level, and intensity (based on your heart rate).

Originally published at https://stepbyfitness.com/ on 12 February 2022

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