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Chris Freytag demonstrating a medicine ball mountain climber wearing a black top and workout pants

 Learning how to do Medicine Ball Mountain Climbers will improve core, back, chest and shoulder strength. This exercise will work the entire body in a low impact move. No jumping needed! Anytime you’re multitasking muscle groups, you’re getting a total body workout!

There are many functional benefits to incorporating more total body exercises into your fitness routine. The more muscles worked, the more calories burned!

Plus, improving overall strength helps maintain posture to help you sit up straighter, walk taller and prevent injury!

Although this exercise requires equipment, the Medicine Ball Mountain Climbers uses primarily bodyweight to increase strength and stamina, while the medicine ball offers a heightened stability challenge. Mountain climbers, when maintaining a steady pace, are both a strength and cardio exercise.

If you have any problems with your wrist or hands, you can do this exercise without the ball.

Here are some tips to help perfect your Medicine Ball Mountain Climbers: Keep your torso squared. Engage your abs the whole time. Don’t bend your elbows. Even though you will be using a medicine ball for these mountain climbers, it always a good idea to remind yourself of proper form to get the most effective workout.

Refresh your memory on how to do a proper plank, which is the basis of the mountain climbers, before you get started! Then try any of our great medicine ball workouts like 8 Medicine Ball Moves to Sculpt Your Core.

How to Perform Medicine Ball Mountain Climbers:

1) Begin in plank position with both hands cupping medicine ball, arms straight and legs long behind you.

2) Hold body long and tighten abs while pulling right knee to chest.

3) Return right leg to straight while pulling left knee to chest.

4) That is one repetition.

Targets: core, back, shoulders, chest