Mountaineering Exercise - All Around Fit with Mountain Climbers

Flat stomach, firm buttocks and strong arms? You'll get all that with the Mountain Climbers exercise. That's what Mountain Climbers is really all about!

You dream of a toned stomach, defined arms and a crisp butt? The dream can become reality. :)

With the mountain climber exercise you get your metabolism going and boost fat burning at the same time.

The Mountain Climber is a true all-rounder. With it you train your entire body. The best thing about it is that you don't need any equipment except for a gym mat. With the mountain climber fitness exercise you mainly use the abdominal muscles.

But also the shoulders, buttocks and arms get their money's worth. In addition, your fitness improves.

All you need is a few minutes of time and a little practice. Then you can fully benefit from the many advantages of this exercise.

What is the climber for exercise?

The Mountain Climber owes its name to the climbing movement that is performed during the exercise. The exercise is one of the full-body exercises and simultaneously trains the abdomen, back, buttocks and legs.

It is one of the exercises that should not be missing from the trunk training (abdomen and back). Depending on the pace, you can also improve your endurance.

All you need is your body weight. This exercise is a classic in the living room or in the gym.

How do Mountain Climbers go?

This exercise is really mega strenuous for beginners. If you are a beginner, we recommend you start with easier exercises. For Mountain Climbers you need to have a certain basic fitness and strength.

But of course you can also do the mountain climber exercise as a beginner. But then make sure that you do it correctly and better do fewer, but clean repetitions.

You don't need much for the mountain climbing exercise. Grab your gym mat and sports shoes that give you good grip.

• Equipment needed: no
• Difficulty: easy
• Suitable for beginners: yes
• Designations: Mountain Climber, Mountaineer
• Muscle groups used: Abdomen, back, legs, buttocks

Take the challenge: 30 Days Plank Challenge!

Mountain Climbers version

• Start in the push-up position. Tense your entire body, the body forms a line.
• Your hands are under your shoulders. The fingers point forward.
• The legs are stretched back, balance on the toes and balls of the feet.
• Tighten your stomach.
• Release one foot from the floor and pull the knee toward the chest or elbow.
• Put the leg back down and do the exercise with the other leg.

You are bored with the exercise over time? You want more? Then try these variations of the Mountain Climbers:

1. the lateral climber

The starting position is the same as in the basic exercise. Now, however, you don't pull your knees straight forward, but sideways and parallel to the floor. You open the hips. Here the pomus muscles are used even more.

2. the one-armed mountain climber

You are a true balance artist? Perfect. In this exercise you support your weight with only one arm.

Unlike the basic variation, you can now only pull one knee forward at a time. This means that when you support yourself on your left arm, you pull your right leg forward and vice versa.

That's why you should definitely stretch your legs regularly!

3. the plank climber

In this Mountain Climber exercise you perform the movement in the same way as in the Basic exercise.

What's different? You don't rest on your arms, but on your forearms. Just like in the Plank exercise.

Your body automatically sinks lower, so it's okay if your butt comes up a bit when you pull your knees forward.

How to count the Mountain Climber?

Exercises that require alternating right and left leg lifts are counted differently than pushups or squats, for example. You count the Mountain Climber by taking 1x right and 1x left as one repetition.

A repetition therefore consists of this execution:

• You start in plank with arms outstretched
• Pull the right leg to the right elbow
• Bring the right leg to the starting position
• Pull the left leg to the left elbow
• Bring the leg back to the start position
• This is a Mountain Climber replay

What to look for in the Mountain Climber design

Yes, it looks heavy. And it is. But once you get the hang of it and build up some muscle, it gets easier and easier.

But even then, this fitness exercise is anything but easy. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, do only as many repetitions as you can do cleanly. It's better to do a few correctly than many incorrectly.

• Warm up your wrists with circular motions before you start!
• The hands are exactly under the shoulders.
• The abdomen is tense, which prevents a hollow back
• The buttocks are not stretched too much in the air.
• The body forms a line.
• And the back is straight.

Mountain Climbers are not for you if you have joint problems. The same applies if you have had injuries to your ankles or knees in the past.

Especially in the beginning, you should not push yourself too hard. Pay attention to a controlled and clean execution. But always listen to your body. It will show you your limit.

Do you have pain in your wrists when you put your hands flat on the floor? Then you can also hold on to a few compact dumbbells lying on the floor.

To avoid injuries, you must always pay attention to your posture and body tension.

As a beginner, you should start with a few repetitions. Over time, you can then slowly increase. It is more important to pay attention to the correct execution at the beginning.

These are the most effective fitness exercises for your living room!

Which muscles are trained during the mountain climber fitness exercise?

What are the benefits of the Mountain Climber? With the mountain climber exercise you stress your entire body. Each and every time you do it, a lot of muscle groups are involved. From the straight abdominal muscles, the back extensor, triceps, leg biceps, pomus muscles, hip flexors to the chest muscles.

When you do Mountain Climbers, you should do the exercise dynamically. So make nice flowing movements and at the same time tense the body properly. Then your muscles will get the best stimuli.

If you start with this fitness exercise, you can be sure that you will get sore muscles.

The reason for this is that you are using so many muscle groups at once. From your toes to your arms, there are many muscles involved.

With Mountain Climber you train

• the straight abdominal muscles
• the four-headed thigh muscles
• the leg biceps
• the large gluteal muscle
• the triceps
• the back extensor

What are the most common mistakes in mountaineering exercise?

Because the exercise is very complex, there are a few things you should keep in mind. To make sure you don't make any mistakes, here's a list of the most common faux pas.

The hunchback

The most common mistakes include a hunched back and a hanging head. This happens especially when you build up too little body tension.

Remember: your head is the extension of your spine! Don't let it hang and don't look at your legs, but stretch it through.

The arms and hands

They are either too far together or too far apart. They are in the right position when the palms are under your shoulders.

The fingers point forward and not to the side.

Don't push your elbows all the way through, it puts too much strain on them. Especially if you do a lot of repetitions.

The buttocks and hips

Too high? Too low? What is right now? Correct is when your body forms a line. The butt is neither in the air nor very close to the mat. If it is, then you automatically make a hollow back and that is what we want to avoid.

Another mistake is hip movements during execution. Leg movement is always only in front of the body.

Avoid rotating your hips to the right or left when you bring your knee forward. This can cause back and hip pain.

Stagnant movements

Yes, the mountain climbing exercise is indeed not easy and requires a lot of strength. But still make sure to make fluid movements.

Better 4 flowing repetitions with nice body tension than 10 faltering ones without control.

How many calories do you burn at Mountain Climbers?

The mountain climber exercise is one of the most effective bodyweight exercises. Not only because you strengthen a lot of muscle groups, but also because you can burn a lot of calories with Mountain Climbers. If you do the exercise for 60 seconds at a time, you can burn up to 15 calories.

So, theoretically, it could be 900 calories in an hour. In practice, not even the best trained athlete can perform the mountain climbing exercise for 60 minutes.

If you're all about burning extra calories, then you should go with the Theme High Intensity Training occupy. Or you can have a look at our special exercises for losing weight over.

All advantages of the mountaineering exercise at a glance

The Mountain Climber exercise is one of the free body exercises. That means you don't need any equipment for it.

This way you are very flexible during your workout. Your abdominal muscles benefit the most from the mountain climber exercise.

You can build up your strength slowly

When you're just starting out, it can be quite difficult. If you can't do the mountain climber exercise, you can do it with a table at first.

This makes it much easier to get a feel for the movement and build initial muscles in the arms.

You burn a lot of calories

Mega exhausting, isn't it? But that's a good thing. When you really put your back into it, you burn a whole lot of calories.

And not only during the exercise.

If you manage to build muscles, then you really get something out of it. Muscles need a lot of energy. The more muscles you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate. So even when you are sitting or lying down, you burn more energy than someone who is untrained.

With Mountain Climbers you boost fat burning and metabolism.

Tight all around

While many exercises use only one muscle group, the mountain climber exercise is quite different.

In order for you to perform them, your whole body has to work. Your balance, endurance and strength are required.

This provides training of the abdomen and buttocks, thighs, upper arms, chest and shoulders.

You are completely flexible

The Mountain Climber fitness exercise makes you location independent. You can exercise outdoors, at home or even on vacation.

All you need are good shoes or non-slip socks. This is important because you will be putting your weight on only one leg and two arms for a short time. If you wear slippery socks, it can end up quite painful.

So in theory, you don't even need a fitness mat.

Did you know that you can improve your endurance in the living room?

No more pain in the back

Anyone who sits a lot knows back pain all too well. The lower back in particular is often affected.

The only thing that helps is muscle building. In other words, strengthening the affected area in a very targeted way. Muscles help you to compensate for sitting and have less pain.

For this to succeed, you need muscles in your back and abdomen. The mountain climber fitness exercise trains exactly these two areas.

Why the mountain climber exercise is effective

Want to get your whole body fit with just one exercise?

The Mountain Climber is the perfect full-body exercise that you can easily do on the go. All you need is a little space and a yoga mat.

The name mountaineering exercise or mountain climbers comes from the fact that the movement sequence is reminiscent of climbing a mountain.

With Mountain Climbers you get your abdominal muscles in shape. At the same time, your endurance is promoted.

In addition, the shoulder, leg and gluteal muscles are also trained. What more do you want? :)

An exercise for the whole body. It's best to do the mountain climber as a conclusion after an abdominal and leg workout. You will see how quickly this exercise will bring you to your limit.

The Mountain Climber Exercise

• trains strength and endurance
• strengthens your abdominal muscles
• Improves stability
• can prevent back pain
• you can do at any time without equipment

Our conclusion

The mountain climber exercise is not only perfect for your abs workout. Rather, Mountain Climbers help you get your entire body bikini fit.

Pay attention to clean execution and not to as many repetitions as possible.

Although the exercise is not one of the easiest, you will really enjoy it over time, because you will notice rapid progress.

Have fun climbing! :)

To browse further:

• Train the back of the thigh - Start now!
• Adductors workout: 17 effective exercises for toned inner thighs
• Mega effective: squat with kettlebell

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