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Exercise library · Abs

Mountain climbers

Hip flexion for the abs with your bodyweight.

How to do it

1 of 3

High plank, hands under shoulders

  1. Starting position

    Start in a high plank with hands under shoulders, arms straight and feet behind you.

  2. The movement

    Drive one knee at a time toward your chest, then return the foot while keeping your torso still.

Most common mistake

Don't bounce your hips, keep your shoulders over your hands and your abs braced.

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Muscle group
Abs
Equipment
Bodyweight
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Time

Muscles worked

Mountain climbers are a plank with your legs at work. The rectus abdominis and the deeper transversus abdominis hold your trunk still, and the obliques stop your hips twisting as each leg leaves the floor. Your hip flexors drive the knee forward, while your shoulders, chest and shoulder blade muscles support your upper body throughout. Slow and controlled, it is core work; fast and long, it becomes conditioning.

Common mistakes

  • Your knee barely comes forward. Tiny shuffles of a few centimetres are quick but achieve little. Bring the knee right in under your chest on every step, even if it slows you down.
  • You sink between your shoulders. With your chest hanging between your shoulder blades, your joints take the load instead of your muscles. Push the floor away so your shoulder blades spread and your upper back stays firm.
  • Speed comes before position. Going flat out from the start costs your form within seconds. Find the pace at which your plank line holds, and speed up only once it is solid.

Variations and alternatives

  • The plank is the place to start if your trunk gives way once your legs move.
  • Plank shoulder taps move the action to your hands and train you to keep your hips still against rotation.
  • High knees give the same knee drive standing up and spare your wrists.
  • Burpees suit you when you want more full-body work and a higher heart rate.

Sets and reps

As a core exercise, 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 slow reps per leg work well, pausing briefly with the knee forward. For conditioning, try intervals such as 20 to 40 seconds of work and the same rest for 4 to 8 rounds. Work and rest are explained further in the guide to sets and reps.

Extend the work time before raising the tempo, and log your rounds. That is how progressive overload works in a timed exercise. If the floor version is too hard, put your hands on a bench or box. If your wrists or shoulders hurt, rather than just feeling the effort, stop and have it checked by a doctor or physiotherapist.

Also called

  • mountain climber

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