How To Do Cross-Body Mountain Climber & Its Variations.

The cross-body mountain climber is a core-strengthening exercise that targets the entire abdominal region. The cross-body movement actively engages the obliques and hip flexors also. This exercise also improves upper body strength and stability in the chest, shoulders, and triceps muscles.

How to do Cross-Body Mountain Climber?

• Make a position of the high plank where your hands are under your shoulder and put the legs straight on your toes.
• Now tuck your right knee toward your left elbow, as much as possible, but do not try to touch each other.
• After tucking, at the same momentum relax the right leg in the same position.
• Now tuck the left knee towards the right arm. While doing it, engage your abs and obliques muscles, for better performance.
• You need to do maximum reps as much as possible with 3 sets.

Tip: Keep your core, butt, and quads engaged to avoid rocking your hips.

Cross Body Mountain Climber Tips

• When performing mountain climbers, keep your abs tight and try to avoid hunching your back.
• Think about keeping a tall spine.
• Try to keep light on your toes. This should be a fast movement, so pick your feet up as fast as you can, but if you’re new to mountain climbers, take it slowly at first and increase your leg speed as you get more confident and experienced at the exercise.
• To get the most from mountain climbers, be sure to check that your bottom isn’t rising into the air and that your hands remain in place directly beneath your shoulders.

What muscles do mountain climbers work?

Mountain climbers are a great cardio and strength exercise that works your entire body, and the best part is that you don’t need any equipment to do them!

Mountain climbers work several different muscles including the shoulders, hamstrings, triceps, quads, and core. Because of this, it is often considered a full-body exercise. In addition to working these muscles, mountain climbers also help to improve your endurance and aerobic capacity.

The cross-body mountain climber targets your lower abdominal muscle when you come to the leg toward the belly and the twisting part hit the oblique muscle.

Variation of Cross-Body Mountain Climber.

1. Elevated Mountain Climbers

Take a pushup position with your arms straight on the floor and feet elevated on the bench. Bring the right knee as close to your chest as you can. Don’t allow a lumbar curve. Return the foot and repeat with another leg. Continue alternating sides as fast as you can.

2. Gym Ball Mountain Climbers

Place your hand on the stability ball with shoulder-width apart. Make a pushup position by extending your legs on your toes. Now bring one by one knee to your chest by engaging your abs, continue alternating as fast as you can.

3. Mountain Climbers

Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your legs are straight on your toes. Push the right knee towards the chest as far as possible by leaving one straight. Switch legs, pulling the right knee out and bringing the left in. Keep your hips down, run your knees in and out as far and as fast as you can. Alternate inhaling and exhaling with each leg change.

4. Spider-man Mountain Climbers

In a high plank position, bring your knee toward the chest and step one foot up and plant outside your hand into a nice low spiderman or runner’s lunge. Try not to let your butt go way up in the air as you step your foot outside.

5. Wall Mountain Climbers

Plant your feet together on the wall, off the ground with the support of your arms and shoulder. Slowly bring one knee forwards to your chest, then replace it on the wall and bring the other one forward. Here your pace will be slow, but the reward will come in the form of greater upper-body strength.