Exercises
If you were told that there was one exercise that would not only help you prepare to conquer Everest but also set you on track for a six-pack, you'd likely scoff. Well, retract that scoff, here's the mountain climber.
Taking inspiration from Edmund Hillary and co, the mountain climber is a challenge for the entire body, especially if you do it fast enough to act as a cardio workout, and it's particularly hard on the core and legs.
Admittedly, even if it becomes a regular part of your workout regime you probably won't either climb Everest or get a six-pack overnight, but it's a fine first step. And we're very big on first steps here at Coach.
How To Do It
- Start in a press-up position, resting on your toes and with your arms straight.
- From there bring one leg forward so your knee reaches your chest, all the while keeping your core braced.
- Move the leg back to the start position and then repeat with the other leg.
The basic movement works out all manner of core muscles, but to get the fat-burning benefits it needs to be done at pace. Shoot for as many mountain climbers as you can in a minute, each leg movement counts as one rep, while keeping perfect form of course. Coach's one-minute score? 62.
Benefits
Even if you can't maintain a rapid pace with your mountain climbers, the motion alone will target core muscles. Your legs also take a bit of a pasting, while supporting your upper body ensures that your arms don't get off scot-free either. Done at pace to gain the cardio benefits, the mountain climber really is a full-body exercise.
Variations
The mountain climber is an easy exercise to build into a circuit routine, and can be varied in any number of ways. If it's too tough at first, you can rest your arms on an elevated object, so your legs take more of your bodyweight.
Then if you want to make it harder, you can support your arms on an exercise ball to reduce your stability and work the core more.
You can also throw in a twist by moving your leg forward to the opposite side of your chest each time. Fun, right?
This content is from the experts at Men's Fitness magazine.
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