The other day I heard someone call bodyweight training “boring”, and I couldn’t disagree more. Look beyond staples like squats, push-ups and sit-ups and you’ll find a huge variety of fun, effective moves to try.
To prove my point, top Sweat app trainer Kelsey Wells recently revealed one of her favorite bodyweight exercises: the cross-body mountain climber.
“As a compound exercise, all mountain climber variations work multiple muscle groups at once, targeting your core, back, hips, legs, glutes and shoulders,” she writes.
Wells also loves how you can do them in one of two ways to hit different fitness goals; fast and dynamic for cardio perks or slow and controlled for extra core activation.
How to do cross-body mountain climbers
- Start in a high plank position, facing down with your weight spread between your hands and your toes. Your hands should be directly underneath your shoulders, and your body should form a straight line from your head to your heels.
- Bring your right knee as far towards your left elbow as you can while keeping your back flat and your body steady.
- Return it to the start position then repeat on the other side.
Four-minute cross-body mountain climber workout
If you want to turn this move into a quick core workout, use it in a traditional Tabata format. This means you’ll do 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, and repeat this sequence for eight total rounds.
If you’re a beginner, start by performing the exercise slowly. Focus on perfecting your form and feeling your core muscles working as you bring each knee forward.
If you’re a bodyweight training veteran, pick up the pace and see how many repetitions you can complete in each 20-second work window (while maintaining immaculate form, of course) to spike your heart rate.
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