The Mountain Climber is a beginner-friendly bodyweight plyometric exercise that targets the abdominals. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesAbs
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentBodyweight
LevelBeginner
TypePlyometrics
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Mountain Climber
Set up in a high-plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and arms locked out.
Brace your core hard and squeeze your glutes to keep your hips level with your shoulders.
Drive your right knee toward your chest, keeping the foot off the floor at the front of the motion.
Snap the right leg back as you drive the left knee forward in a smooth, alternating rhythm.
Keep the hips low and the shoulders stacked over the wrists the entire set.
Continue for 20 to 40 seconds at a controlled pace, prioritizing form over raw speed.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Trains the core under load while spiking the heart rate at the same time.
Builds full-body conditioning with zero equipment or space requirements.
Reinforces a strong plank shape under fatigue and movement.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Letting the hips bounce up and down, which removes the core demand and breaks the plank shape.
Sagging the lower back as the legs drive, which strains the spine instead of loading the core.
Putting the hands too far in front of the shoulders, which collapses the plank and stresses the wrists.
Going too fast and losing range of motion, with knees barely moving instead of driving toward the chest.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Mountain Climber, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
