Standing Mountain Climbers
Primary Muscle Group: Legs & Glutes
Secondary Muscle Group: Shoulders & Arms
Equipment Needed: None
The Benefits of Standing Mountain Climbers
The standing mountain climber is a great low impact exercise that can be performed anywhere without any equipment. It uses every muscle group in the body which makes it a great aerobic exercise for weight loss and muscle toning. The Standing mountain climber is also a great exercise to add into a HIIT routine or a home workout.
Mountain Climbers gets its name because the movement mimics a similar motion that a mountain climber makes when climbing. This exercise is really effective for improving your overall fitness as it increases your heart rate and it is relatively low impact on your joints when you compare it to similar exercises such as Tuck Jumps.
If you are looking for other exercises that are similar to the standing mountain climbers then you can check our Free Workout Plans or our Affordable Workout Plans With Coaching for some professionally designed plans.
The Risks of doing Standing Mountain Climbers
The Risks of the standing mountain climbers are very low if done correctly but it is important to remember to land lightly on your feet during the exercise. To do this stay on the balls of your feet during the movement and try to always land with your knees slightly bend to reduce impact on your joints.
So before giving Mountain Climbers a go, here's exactly how to do them without risking pain or injury.
How To Do Standing Mountain Climbers
1) Start with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms by your side
2) Bring you right knee up and your left arm up and over your head
3) Bring both your knee and arm down and at the same time bring your left knee up and you right arm up over your head.
4) Continue to alternate each side
For Perfect Technique
• Stay on the balls of your feet, and pump your straight up and down above your head.
• Your back should be as straight as possible with your abdominal muscles tight, so try not to hunch your shoulders.
• Control how fast you go. The faster the more intense your workout.
Variations
Once you have mastered the Standing Mountain Climbers exercise you can try alternative exercises that target similar Muscle Groups;
How To Do Speed Skaters
1) With your knees bent and your back leaning forward, leap onto your right leg.
2) Bring your left leg behind and out past your right leg (as a skater would)
3) Push off your right foot to land on the opposite side on your left foot.
4) Bring your right leg out and behind your left leg and land on the balls of your right foot.
5) Alternating feet from side to side.
Jumping Squats
1) Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
2) Hinge at the hips to push your glutes back and lower down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then press your feet down into the floor to explode off the ground and jump as high as you can.
3) Allow your knees to bend 45 degrees when you land, and then immediately drop back down into a squat, and jump again. The less time you rest between squats, the higher the intensity.
The Standing Mountain Climbers target large muscle groups in your legs, making them excellent options for building better shaped legs & burning body fat.