Mountain Climbers
How to do the Mountain Climbers with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.
Quads
Chest, Hamstrings, Shoulders
Bodyweight
How to do the Mountain Climbers
- 1
Begin in a pushup position, with your weight supported by your hands and toes. Flexing the knee and hip, bring one leg until the knee is approximately under the hip. This will be your starting position.
- 2
Explosively reverse the positions of your legs, extending the bent leg until the leg is straight and supported by the toe, and bringing the other foot up with the hip and knee flexed. Repeat in an alternating fashion for 20-30 seconds.
Log it, see it on your body.
Every Mountain Climbers set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap, so your quads volume is visible at a glance, and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.
Where the Mountain Climbers fits
The Mountain Climbers shows up in training built around a specific goal. See how it fits:
More quads exercises
Mountain Climbers: common questions
What muscles does the Mountain Climbers work?
The Mountain Climbers primarily works the Quads. It also recruits the Chest, Hamstrings and Shoulders as supporting muscles.
Is the Mountain Climbers suitable for beginners?
Yes. The Mountain Climbers is a beginner-level exercise, so it's a solid choice if you're new to training. Start light and focus on the movement pattern before adding load.
What equipment do I need for the Mountain Climbers?
None. The Mountain Climbers is a bodyweight exercise, so you can do it without any equipment.
Is the Mountain Climbers a compound or isolation exercise?
The Mountain Climbers is a compound exercise, it moves multiple joints and works several muscle groups at once, which makes it efficient for building overall strength.
How do I do the Mountain Climbers with correct form?
Begin in a pushup position, with your weight supported by your hands and toes. Flexing the knee and hip, bring one leg until the knee is approximately under the hip. This will be your starting position. Follow the full step-by-step above for the complete movement.
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