The mountain climber exercise builds off of a traditional push-up or plank position. You can make the exercise more or less intense through timing (simply march your feet faster or slower), and it's a bodyweight exercise that may count as cardio too. Research has suggested that when mountain climbers were incorporated into a high intensity interval training session, exercise capacity increased (measured by VO2peak), according to the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal from the American College of Sports Medicine.
- Begin with a traditional plank position, shoulders aligned over the wrists and hands. Both legs should be extended and the weight in the balls of the feet.
- Start by drawing one knee in towards your chest, with the knee reaching forward, and push the toes away from the floor. Repeat by switching legs.
- Bring the opposite knee in towards the chest, and switch.
