Keeping your hips down matters far more than going fast.
Quick and rhythmic, roughly one breath every four knee drives. Do not try to match it rep for rep.
Start here if you cannot do mountain climbers with clean form yet.
Intermediate · None
Move up when mountain climbers stops being a challenge.
Both, and which one depends entirely on speed. Slow and controlled makes it a core exercise. Fast makes it conditioning with the core holding on.
Fatigue, or going too fast. When the hips pike up, the plank position is gone and so is most of the benefit. Slow down or stop the set.
They can, because your weight sits on your hands for the whole set. Spread your fingers wide and press through the whole palm rather than the heel of the hand. If it still hurts, swap them for squat thrusts, which spend far less time loading the wrist.
Which day to do Mountain Climbers, how many sets, and what to pair it with - the AI builds the whole plan. Your first one is free.
Build My Free PlanThe hardest and the most effective. One rep gives you a squat, a push up and a jump.
Running on the spot, but with the knees driven high. Serious calorie burn in almost no space.
A burpee without the jump and the push up. All the heart rate, none of the pounding on your joints.
Everything on this page is worked out from a formula or from published averages. It has never met you, and it cannot see your blood pressure, your medication or an old injury.
Talk to a doctor before you start if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a heart condition, diabetes or high blood pressure, take regular medication, have or have had an eating disorder, are recovering from injury or surgery, or are under 18. Stop and get advice if any exercise causes pain, dizziness or chest discomfort.
More about where these numbers come from is on the about page.
