Fitness trainer Kirk Charles has taught his bootcamp class for over 10 years. And during that time, one of the easiest yet powerful moves was the mountain climber.
It’s an exercise that is more challenging than it looks. And it’s an exercise that is hard to do correctly. But, when you do it right, the mountain climber will strengthen your core, and can even solve your upper body weaknesses.
But it is crucial, especially for older men, to master the nuances of this powerhouse move to maximize its benefits.
To set up, go into a plank position, as though you’re going to do a pushup.
Put your hands under your shoulders with your feet around six to twelve inches from each other. Your body should be straight, from your head to your heels.
Lock in your abs and squeeze your gluts to help yourself get into that straight position.
Before beginning the exercise, it’s vital not to allow your hips to dip under that straight line. That change puts pressure on the lower back and allows the abs and glutes to relax.
Avoid leaning back and putting your shoulders behind your hands. That brings your butt higher to the ceiling into a spiked position, like yoga’s downward facing dog position. That might be easier than keeping your body straight, but you jeopardize your shoulders.
To begin, bring your knees toward your chest, like you are running in place. Speed doesn’t matter, you’re main focus should be to keep your body in the right position.
For this move, you should use time instead of repetitions. This way, you are not going to try to get done sooner by going too fast. To start with, do 4 sets of 20 seconds, and get up to 60 seconds after some time.
Author: Blake Ambrose