Mountain Climber

Mountain Climber is a cardiovascular conditioning - alternating knee drives in a plank exercise involving Hip flexors, Core muscles. Use these steps to learn the movement and work with your coach to choose a suitable level.

Last updated: 2026-10-31 · DynPerformance

Primary muscles: Hip flexors, Core muscles
Secondary muscles: Quadriceps, Anterior deltoid
Exercise type: Cardiovascular conditioning - alternating knee drives in a plank

Exercise technique

Support
Place your hands beneath your shoulders and enter a high plank.
Torso
Brace your abdominals and form a line from head to heels.
First drive
Bring one knee toward your chest while keeping the other foot behind you.
Switch
Return that foot backward as you bring the opposite knee forward.
Hip control
Switch legs without raising your pelvis or rotating it from side to side.
Hand pressure
Spread your fingers and keep your shoulders above your hands.
Tempo
Continue at a speed that allows you to maintain torso position, exhaling as you move.

Key technique points

Fix your hands beneath your shoulders.
Keep your hips near the shoulder line.
Drive your knee toward your abdomen.
Do not rotate your torso when switching feet.
Keep your elbows extended.
Prioritize pelvic control before speed.

Common mistakes

Raising the hips

Do not shift into an inverted V and reduce the plank demand.

Sagging through the lower back

Do not release abdominal control and let your pelvis drop.

Shifting the shoulders backward

Do not move your weight away from your hands and disrupt upper-body support.

Swinging the knees sideways

Do not replace a straight knee drive with unplanned hip rotation.

Striking the feet heavily

Do not bang your feet onto the floor with every switch.

Holding the breath

Do not keep your torso continuously locked by holding your breath during rapid leg changes.

Frequently asked questions