Cross Body Mountain Climber
- Primary muscleAbs
- EquipmentBodyweight
- DifficultyIntermediate
- TypeComplex
- Secondary muscles
- Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Delts, Triceps
- Body part
- Core
- Position
- Prone
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
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Driving each knee toward the opposite elbow adds a rotational component the standard mountain climber never asks for, pulling the obliques into every rep. It rewards a slower, deliberate tempo, so treat it as core work with a conditioning flavor rather than a pure sprint in place.
How to do the Cross Body Mountain Climber
- Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line.
- Engage your core and lift your right foot off the ground, bringing your right knee towards your left elbow.
- Return your right foot to the starting position and repeat the movement with your left foot towards your right elbow.
- Continue alternating sides, moving at a controlled pace.
- Keep your hips level and avoid lifting your hips too high or sagging them too low.
- Maintain a steady breathing pattern throughout the exercise.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Keep the head neutral and look at the floor a foot in front of your hands.
Muscles worked
Common mistakes
- Hips piking up — the body should stay in a plank as the legs move; if the backside rises the abs have stopped working.
- Shoulders drifting behind the hands — keep the shoulders stacked over the wrists so the core, not the arms, holds the position.
- Knees dragging — hover the knees an inch off the floor and keep them there for the whole distance.
- Sprinting from the start — build speed only once you can hold a flat back for the whole set.
Where it fits in a workout
Climbers and crawls go in the warm-up or as a conditioning finisher. Pair a bear crawl out and back with a set of push-ups for a bodyweight circuit.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.