"Rock climber" (or "mountaineer") is a super effective exercise that combines cardio work and the simultaneous use of a large number of muscles. When doing it, the arms, chest, abs and legs are involved, which allows you to work out the whole body in one workout. In addition, climbers are very popular due to their affordability. Indeed, for their implementation, additional equipment is not required, but only its own weight is enough.
Benefits of Exercise
In different sources, you can find several variants of the name of this exercise: Mountain Climbers, "climber", "rock climber". But its essence remains unchanged - it is a high-quality study of the main muscles of the body. In particular, the deltas of the arms, biceps, triceps, muscles of the chest, back, abdominals, quads, abductors of the thighs and hamstrings are involved. Thus, performing "climbers" provides a combination of the main types of stress: cardio and strength training, as well as strengthening the core muscles. This exercise does not require any special conditions or additional equipment, since it uses only your own body weight. So by adding climbers to your workout, you can keep fit wherever you are - at work or play, at home, in the gym.
A high rate of exercise will allow you to increase your heart rate and breathing. And, as you know, cardio is extremely beneficial for the heart and helps burn fat. Therefore, the faster you move your legs, imitating the conquest of mountain peaks, the more efficiently your cardiovascular system will be involved.
Another advantage of the climber is to strengthen the muscles of the upper body without additional weight. Many people think that it is impossible to work out your arms and chest well without dumbbells. And the "climber" will perfectly cope with this task, because when performing it, your arms, shoulders, back hold your weight for a long time, helping to stabilize your body position. Therefore, by the end of the workout, these muscles will definitely remind of themselves with pleasant pain.
Fitness enthusiasts know the importance of strengthening the core muscles, which are responsible for the stabilization and proper functioning of the spine, hips and pelvis. Since the "rock climber" is based on the "plank" exercise, when it is performed, a high-quality study of these muscles occurs. Perhaps even more effective than doing abdominal crunches or squats alone. In addition, the rapid movement of the legs in the "climber" affects the lower back and abs, forcing these muscles to constantly stretch and stabilize. In this phase of the exercise, the core (or core) is also perfectly strengthened.
Technique for performing "rock climber"
1. Take the starting position in the "plank" pose with outstretched arms. Keep your belly drawn in and your body straight so that it forms a straight line from crown to heels. Hands should be strictly under the shoulders. At the same time, squeeze the gluteal muscles, preventing the pelvis from rising, and lower your shoulders down and do not pull up to your ears.
2. Bring the right knee to the chest and as it approaches, tighten the abs more, not allowing the body to sag and leave the "plank" position.
3. As the right leg moves, pull the left knee back and down, resting the toe of the foot on the floor. Then push your right leg back and pull your left knee to your chest, repeating the same actions. Inhale or exhale with each shift. The main thing is not to forget to breathe, because concentrating on the technique of execution, you can unconsciously hold your breath.
4. Continue changing legs, while trying to maintain the set pace, imitating the running position of the lower limbs. Gradually increasing the speed of the exercise, mentally control the position of the body. Pay attention to maintaining a straight line in the spine and do not lower your head down. The stability of your case is of paramount importance.
Modification options
1. If your hands get tired quickly when performing the classic version, try to rest not on the floor, but on a small elevation, for example, on a bench. This will move your center of gravity closer to your lower body, which will reduce the strain on your arms.
2. When you need to make the exercise more difficult, use an unstable surface to support your hands, such as a fitball or BOSU platform. Keeping the plank on a moving support is much more difficult, which means your core muscles will work even more efficiently.
3. To engage the lateral abdominal muscles, when climbing, pull your leg toward the opposite shoulder, twisting your body slightly. Try to maintain the same pace as in the classic version, while carefully controlling your body position.
4. Another option with an emphasis on the obliques and the lower abdomen is the exercise "Spiderman" or "Spiderman", which can be attributed to one of the varieties of "climbers". To do this, stretch your right knee towards your right elbow, not your chest. You can either touch your elbow with your knee, or just get as close as the stretch allows. Then return your leg to the original plank position and repeat the movement on the other side.
5. Increasing the load on the upper body can be achieved by lifting the legs off the floor and resting them against the wall. Then gently pull your knees up to your chest one at a time, maintaining balance. In this case, the pace of the exercise will be low, which is compensated for by a better load on the upper body.
Errors and precautions
A common mistake in climbing climbers is toe bouncing. Although this technique leads to an increase in the heart rate, it does not contribute to a high-quality study of the muscles, but, on the contrary, relieves some of the load from them.
Another common flaw is your toes touching the floor as you bring your knee up to your chest. By making this mistake, you slow down the pace of the exercise and run the risk of injury.
In terms of safety precautions, the climber is not suitable for people who have injuries or any problems in the shoulder and pelvic region. Although this exercise does not harm the knees, people who have had knee surgery need to get approval from their doctor or physiotherapist. Also, "climbers" are contraindicated in women in the first months after childbirth and those who have diastasis (divergence) of the rectus abdominis muscle.
Options for including "climbers" in the workout
1. "Climbers" are perfect as a warm-up before the main workout, as they involve the movement of several joints at once and gently warm them up. You can also gradually increase your heart rate with this exercise, preparing your body for more stress. Finally, during this warm-up, you activate your core, abs, legs, and lower back muscles.
2. Add climbers to your cardio strength training. When you don't have enough time for consistent weight training and a separate cardio load, alternate between them throughout your workout. So you will achieve two goals at once - to strengthen the muscles and speed up the metabolism for effective fat burning. For example, during this workout, you can do squats and lunges, then move on to "climbers" for 1 minute. Repeat this circle three times. Or do them at the end and beginning of the workout, and in the middle - the strength part.
3. "Climbers" are great for HIIT-type activities - high-intensity interval training, when you do some explosive exercise for a short period of time, and then rest for a short time and proceed to the next one. This allows you to give all your best in literally 20-30 minutes of training and is suitable for everyone who does not have time for full-fledged classes.
