Beyond the Mountain Climber Exercise

Getting Fit & Strong With Unique DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training Exercises

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It is just one of those drills. Everyone has seen it, everyone pretty much dreads it. When people don’t know WHAT to do, this exercise seems to pop up in the workout! What is it, the oh so infamous mountain climber. 

It burns, it typically will get any applause when announced as part of the workout, but is there any benefit other than just one mean exercise to the mountain climber? 

The irony is that the mountain climber can be an incredibly beneficial exercise, however, most people do it flat out wrong!!

Most people think the key with the mountain climber is to just kick their knees and out as fast as possible. Praying that the time or reps get completed before the burn gets too much to endure. The truth is that you lose huge amount of benefits to the mountain climber when you go really fast. 

The mountain climber is a tremendous upper body and core drill just as much as it is a lower body exercise. However, most people never pay attention to these areas of the body when performing the mountain climber and miss so much of what it can do for their fitness.

The mountain climber usually gets programmed by going faster, doing more, going longer. Try this, SLOW DOWN! When you slow down how fast you kick the legs you begin to really concentrate on your alignment and where the work is being done from? Unfortunately, most round their upper and/or lower backs, shoulders, and lose so much of the great things that make up the mountain climber.

some common compensations in not getting in the right alignment

You’ve done it, you’ve slowed down your mountain climbers, you finally can feel the work being done throughout the entire body like you should! Now what?

Of course, the mountain climber is not even immune from our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training strategies! 

One of the simplest, yet most powerful DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training drills you can do is our loaded marches.

What is a loaded march? Just as the name implies, it is a march in place. 

Why march? Why not just do more mountain climbers? 

Well, there are unique benefits from doing movements in standing. We get stress from having to balance, not lean or sway. We learn how to apply force into the ground and stabilize from the ground up, which is what happens in most every day and sporting activities. Of course we have our progressions to make this sometimes even a prelude to people that can’t support themselves in a mountain climber position!

Try this four level series….

Front Loaded March

Shoulder Loaded March

Snatch Loaded March

Press Loaded March

So, marching, really?! Well, I do have some rules in how we perform our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training marches. Typically we will go for time (30-60 seconds, progressing up to 2 minutes). The idea is not to go fast, actually you are going to pause for a two count with the leg as close to parallel to the ground as possible. 

There is to be no leaning back, no swaying to the side, no rushing from leg to leg! 

The stance leg needs to lock out, that is a big reason we bring the other leg to parallel! Your butt needs to be tightening and the heel has to be driving into the ground. 

Sounds simple right? 

Try implementing one of these four marches at the end of your workout. You will be shocked at how this becomes a great core workout or an amazing way to end your DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training workout! 

Learn more about our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training system with our educational programs HERE