Be Well Workout of the Week: The Muscle-Burning Mountain-Climber Challenge
Doing this workout is kind of like climbing up and down a mountain — five times. Here’s the deal: You’re going to start with five burpees, then you’ll go through a circuit of exercises, with your reps increasing by five along the way. Midway through the circuit, after you’ve completed 25 mountain climbers, the reps will starts to decrease by five (hallelujah!) until you get to five pull-ups. Then you’ll start over.
Your goal: To get up and down this workout mountain (so get through the circuit) five times, going as quickly as you can without messing up your form. Ready, set, go!
Be Well Workout of the Week: The Muscle-Burning Mountain-Climber Challenge
5 burpees
10 push-ups
15 dead lifts
20 sprinter sit-ups
25 mountain climbers (do 25 on each side)
20 squats with overhead press
15 tricep dips
10 rotating planks
5 pull-ups
Explanations of exercises:
Click links for how-to videos.
Burpees: Just like an up-down in football. Put your hands on the ground, jump your feet out behind you so you’re in push-up position, hit your chest to the ground, and bring your feet back in, stand up.
Push-up: Start lying face down with your chest on the floor, with hands facing forward and palms down in line with your shoulders; elbows should be pointing back. Push up until arms are extended (the inside of the elbow should be facing forward) and drop back down.
Dead lifts with dumbbells: Hold dumbbells with arms extended down so they’re resting on your thighs, feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping shoulders back and abs tight (and without locking your knees), bend at the hips and let the weights lower towards the floor, going as far as you can without bending your knees too much. Drive your heels in to the floor and stand to return to the starting position.
Sprinter sit-ups: Start laying flat on your back. Lift your chest for a full sit-up and drive your left knee to your chest. Lay back down, lift your chest and drive your right knee to your chest.
Mountain climbers: Get in plank position. Alternating legs, bring your knee into the chest, keeping your upper body strong. Extend leg and switch.
Squat with overhead press: Hold free weights at your shoulders, and do a squat. As you stand back up, press the weights over your head. Return them to your shoulders as you squat back down.
Tricep dips: Using a bench or a chair, step your legs out a few feet in front of your body. Steady your hands on the bench or chair and, with your back just a few inches from your fingertips, lower your body to the ground. Then raise your body back to the starting position by pushing into the bench or chair. Repeat.
Rotating plank: Start in plank position on hands and toes. Rotate your body, pivoting on your toes, and reach your right arm up to ceiling; put it back down slowly. Rotate left arm up to ceiling, and return it slowly.
Pull-ups: Suspend yourself on the pull-up bar with your hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Pull yourself up, keeping your body as straight as possible, until your chest reaches the bar. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.
» For more Be Well Philly workouts, go here.
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Audrey McKenna Hasse is the owner of A.M.Fit, a personal training and healthy consultation business on the Main Line. You’ll find her workouts every Monday right here on Be Well Philly.
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