Mountain climbers… Not exactly our favorite exercise to do – man, it's tough – but a very effective one! At least, if you do it right. And you don't want to have done an exercise like this for nothing… With these 4 tips you will make your mountain climbers worth it, trust us!
Mountain climbers are a challenge, we all know that. If you get tired, it can happen that you can no longer keep your lower back straight, causing your back to arch or curve. This makes the exercise not only heavier, but also less effective. Therefore, try to keep your back straight and your spine aligned from your neck to your tailbone, even when you move your limbs. When you bend your back too much, you no longer use your abdominal muscles to extract power and that is of course a shame!
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Twisting, extending and/or bending your lower back during your mountain climbers can cause you to injure yourself. This usually occurs when you don't have enough core strength (yet) or you have limited hip mobility. This will cause your lower back to naturally contract and move to perform the exercise. Therefore, make sure that you stand in a strong starting position and perform the exercise slowly and in a controlled manner, so that you can more easily keep your back still. If you can do this well, you can increase the tempo!
Keeping your spine fully aligned also means not letting your head hang too much during the exercise. As a result, your cervical vertebrae are no longer in line with each other. It may not bother you right away, but after a long time it can cause tension on your neck. Breathing can also become more difficult and your posture will not improve. Therefore, bring your chin a little bit to your chest and try to keep your head there during the exercise. Remember to stretch your neck, it often helps more than making you feel like you have to keep looking up. Avoid looking up at a mirror, because that also puts unnecessary tension on your neck.
Mountain climbers are great for your shoulders, as long as you do them right. If you don't, they even have a negative effect on your shoulders… You may not really be working on your shoulder blades during exercise, but if you get tired from exercise, your posture may just start to slacken and your shoulders hang out. This also makes you lose power during your mountain climbers, making it harder to stay standing and can take a load off your shoulders. Therefore, make sure to keep your shoulder blades low, along your spine. The best way to do this is by 'pushing the ground', give it a try!
