What do mountain climbers do

How do you do Mountain Climber? Step 1 Start from a high plank position with your hands stacked directly under your shoulders. Step 2 Drive one knee forward toward your chest while engaging your abs. Step 3 Return to your plank position, then drive the knee of your opposite foot in.

This improves stability and decreases the intensity of the move. Place the chair in front of you. Put your hands on the seat directly below the shoulders with your arms straight. Extend your legs straight out behind you and balance on your toes; your body will be on a slight angle.

Begin performing a marching movement, bringing your left leg toward your left elbow, then your right knee toward your right elbow. Continue to alternate legs and squeeze your core.

Here are some moves that work the same muscles; try them first to build strength that will make performing climbers easier. Being able to perform a solid plank will definitely help you perform mountain climbers properly. Put your hands on the floor below your shoulders, keeping your arms straight.

With your back straight and your hips low, lift your body weight up, squeezing your core. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times. Bailey is also an Anatomy and Physiology professor. Caroline Haley. Caroline is a freelance writer based in New York City.

She has written health, nutrition and wellness content for Boots Pharmacy, Meredith Corporation in collaboration with Pfizer and Livestrong. Her writing — on topics such as fitness and women's empowerment — has also appeared in Grok Nation, L. Weekly, Elle. You can find more on her and her work at www. Mountain climbers are a great cardio drill with an emphasis on your abs. Video of the Day. Tip Mountain climbers work the abdominals, glutes, legs, triceps, shoulders and more, while getting your heart rate up.

Mountain Climbers: Exercise Benefits. Return foot to start and repeat with the other leg. Quickly alternate driving knees in toward chest as if running. The move may seem pretty tough to mess up, but there is one common mistake you should be careful not to make: As you're driving your knee to your chest, you might unknowingly start to lift your butt up into the air, losing your flat back, which can place more stress on your wrists, says Joi.

What's more, "when your butt is poked up more, it's not the same knee drive [as when your back is flat], so there's less engagement in your hip flexors, core, and glutes during the push-off," she explains. Be careful of making these mistakes in your indoor cycling class , too.

Even though there are no kettlebells or fancy equipment involved, mountain climbers are a seriously tough exercise — and it's okay if you want to modify them to meet your fitness level and needs.

In fact, modifications are a great way to ease any painful pressure on the wrists, says Joi. Adding a slight elevation, such as by placing your hands on a box, step, or bench, to your mountain climbers will do the trick, too — and it'll help you maintain that flat back, says Joi.

Also worth noting: If standard mountain climbers are too intense or you end up performing them in a downward dog position , bring your knees up to your chest at a slower rate and tap your toe to the ground, rather than quickly driving them up as fast as you can, she adds. No matter which adjustment you decide to go with, know that "just because there is a modification doesn't mean you have to stick with it [throughout the round]," says Joi.

If your rounds of mountain climbers barely get your heart rate up props to you , it's time to take things up a notch.

One option: take your workout off the hard floor of the gym and bring it to the soft beach sand , which will further challenge your stabilizing muscles and make the push-off even more difficult for your lower body, says Joi. Or, try a round of traveling mountain climbers, which will test your obliques and lower body.