Mountain Climber - Basic

Recommendations: 1-3 Sets, 20-30 Dur

Intermediate Quads Hip Flexors Hip Extensors Shoulders Body Only Gym Home

Purpose: To develop core strength of the lower and middle body.

Benefits: It is the single best exercise to develop full body strength and increase your fat-burning metabolism.

Position yourself on your hands and toes in a pushup position on an exercise mat. Ensure that your back is flat and parallel to the floor. Bring your right knee up until it is approximately under your right hip. This is your starting position. Explosively reverse the positions of your legs, extending the right leg until the leg is straight and supported by the toe, and bringing the left knee up with the hip and knee flexed. Return explosively to the starting position by extending the left leg until the leg is straight and supported by the toe, and bringing the right knee up with the hip and knee flexed. Repeat for the required duration.


The quads are a set of four muscles in the upper front thigh. All four muscles work to straighten the knee. One of the four (rectus femoris) also helps to bend the hip. Squats are considered a vital exercise for increasing the strength and size of the legs and butt.

Step 1

Position yourself on your hands and knees, back flat and parallel to the floor, in a push up position but right knee under right hip.

mountain-climber-basic-step-0

Position yourself on your hands and toes in a pushup position on an exercise mat. Ensure that your back is flat and parallel to the floor. Bring your right knee up until it is approximately under your right hip. This is your starting position.

Step 2

Reverse leg positions, right leg extended and left knee under left hip.

mountain-climber-basic-step-1

Explosively reverse the positions of your legs, extending the right leg until the leg is straight and supported by the toe, and bringing the left knee up with the hip and knee flexed.

Step 3

Return to the starting position on hands and toes.

mountain-climber-basic-step-2

Return explosively to the starting position by extending the left leg until the leg is straight and supported by the toe, and bringing the right knee up with the hip and knee flexed.