Mountain climbers have earned their place as a staple exercise in boot camps, CrossFit sessions, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) routines. Known to burn calories and improve strength of the full body, mountain climbers work various muscles and push up heart rates within a very short time. Although mountain climbers look simple, bad technique would bring down its effectiveness. In fact, some such mistakes can result in a less productive workout and even injury.

How Long Should You Do Mountain Climbers For?

Mountain climbers should be performed in sets of durations between 20 seconds and 1 minute for best results. Beginners should begin with short, controlled sets. More advanced athletes can include higher-intensity intervals. Many HIITs feature mountain climbers that are conducted for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. For better challenge and effect as you increase it, do more, taking much more time while controlling in slow movement on half and quick the next half in a set. Common mistakes many make and still go with those poor workouts making mountain climbers nearly worthless: avoid these to truly maximize benefit with your workouts.

1. Rounding or Arching Your Lower Back

One of the most common mistakes during mountain climbers is rounding or arching the lower back. As your core starts to fatigue, there’s a tendency to lose control over the spine’s alignment, leading to a dropped or excessively arched back.

This has a couple of downsides. For one, it compromises the posture required to activate your core and stabilize your body. For another, poor spinal alignment can raise the risk of lower back strain and discomfort. The secret to a successful mountain climber exercise is to keep your spine neutral and rigid during the movement.

Ensure you’re holding a strong plank position before initiating any movement. Keep your back flat and avoid excessive bending or arching. If holding the plank position proves difficult, start by practicing with modified versions, such as elevating your hands on a box or chair, or performing the exercise with your knees on the ground.

2. Excessive Lower Back Movement

One common error is when the lower back over-rotates, over-extends, or over-folds during an exercise. It often happens if the core does not have sufficient strength or the hip mobility compromises the body's ability to hold stability during movement.

This places unnecessary stress on the spine as it moves unnecessarily and can also lead to injuries, and due to this extra movement, it cannot be properly used by your muscles. And any kind of shifting in your spine will decrease your ability to work your core, making it difficult to get stronger and endurable.

Focus on keeping your back in a neutral position, minimizing any unnecessary shifting during the exercise. Take every rep slowly and with control, ensuring your core is engaged before you move your legs. Once you are able to perform the technique, you can gradually increase your pace.

3. Taking your hips too high or sagging in your core

Another error that happens during mountain climbers is lifting the hips too high or letting the core sag. Both actions can decrease the effectiveness of the exercise and take away from the intended challenge. When the hips rise too high, it can lead to poor body alignment, reducing the effectiveness of the exercise on your abs, arms, and legs. Conversely, when the hips sag too low, it strains the lower back and creates instability.

The aim of mountain climbers is to keep the body form straight and diagonal from your head to your heels. It makes the hips lie in line with the shoulders so that the correct muscles get targeted for these exercises- your abs, your obliques, and your shoulders.

Engage your abs and glutes throughout the exercise. Lower your hips to keep them aligned with your shoulders without letting them drop toward the ground. Avoid letting your hips shift up or down—keep them stable to maximize the workout's benefits.

Also Read: Master Burpees With These 6 Easy-To-Follow Steps

4. Leaning Your Head Forward

Most people, while focusing on form during mountain climbers, forget to keep their head and neck in proper alignment. The error here is leaning the head forward, which is all too easy to do once you start to get tired. This one will not necessarily hurt right away but puts undue strain on the neck muscles over time and can cause anything from discomfort to full-blown injury.

Also, malalignment of your head may affect your breathing, which is essential for sustaining energy and effectiveness during the exercise.

Align your head with your spine by tucking your chin down a little. Try not to lift your head or look straight ahead excessively because it causes undue strain in the neck and generally will disrupt your form. Imagine lengthening your neck and keeping your head in a neutral position during the lift.

5. Winged Shoulder Blades

During mountain climbers, your shoulders are integral to stabilizing the body. So many people allow the shoulder blades to "wing" or fan out from the back and ultimately end up with instability in that shoulder area, weakening the ability to generate strength in movement.

Winging of the shoulder blades also causes aching pain within the shoulder joints after a few sets of working.

Focus on pulling your shoulder blades down and back, away from your ears, and push forward toward your spine. Think about pushing the ground away from you with your hands, which will naturally engage your shoulders and keep them in proper alignment.

6. Poorly Positioned Hands

A very common error is the positioning of the hands. For mountain climbers, your hands should always be directly under your shoulders, with your wrists, elbows, and shoulders stacked in alignment. As fatigue sets in, it's easy to slide your hands too far forward or too far back, which can cause your shoulders to slump, affecting the stability of your hips and the effectiveness of the exercise.

The duration of the workout should be fully spent with hands placed directly below the shoulders, which provides stability and keeps all other parts in the right alignment, especially keeping the hips rightly aligned. Right hand placement would also help ensure that the weights are evenly dispersed throughout the body and core areas, thus improving control.

7. Overextension of Duration and Intensity

Lastly, another common error is pushing yourself to do mountain climbers for too long or at too high an intensity without proper form. Mountain climbers are excellent for boosting endurance, but attempting long sessions or fast-paced reps without control can quickly lead to fatigue, and poor form can creep in. This diminishes the effectiveness of the exercise and increases the risk of injury.

Begin with short bursts of 20-30 seconds, focusing on good form. Once you feel comfortable, you can increase the duration of each set or build up to higher-intensity intervals. Listening to your body is key to ensuring you maintain a high-quality workout while minimizing the risk of strain.

Just one bout of physical activity, specifically resistance training or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may trigger a measurable anti-cancer response in the body. That’s not wishful thinking. It’s the takeaway from a compelling new study by researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia, who found that a single workout could slow the growth of cancer cells by as much as 30%.

While exercise has long been considered a complementary therapy in cancer care, this study sharpens the focus. It suggests that even short-term, intentional movement could offer physiological benefits for breast cancer survivors at the cellular level. And that’s a big deal.

Led by PhD researcher Francesco Bettariga, the ECU study explored how exercise impacts breast cancer survivors not just in the long term, but immediately. The team zeroed in on myokines, which are proteins secreted by muscles during exercise. Myokines are emerging as powerful players in the body’s defense system, with proven anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects.

Participants in the study—all breast cancer survivors underwent either a single session of resistance training or HIIT. Researchers then measured their blood before, immediately after, and 30 minutes post-exercise. The results showed a clear and consistent increase in myokine levels across both workout formats.

This spike wasn’t just theoretical. Bettariga’s lab data indicated that these boosted myokine levels could reduce the rate of cancer cell growth by 20–30%, after just one session.

Why It Is More Important for Breast Cancer Survivors?

We already know that cancer—and the treatments used to fight it—can wreak havoc on the body’s immune system and metabolism. Fatigue, inflammation, muscle loss, and long-term damage to cellular function are all common side effects. That’s part of what makes this study so significant: it demonstrates that even bodies under considerable strain from cancer treatment can still mount a biological defense through exercise.

“The results from the study show that both types of exercise really work to produce these anti-cancer myokines in breast cancer survivors,” Bettariga noted. “The implications are powerful—this is strong motivation to integrate exercise into cancer care.”

What’s unique here is the immediacy. Most studies emphasize the long-term benefits of exercise over weeks or months. This one highlights a biochemical response that kicks in within minutes.

Link Between Inflammation And Body Composition?

Beyond myokines, the study also looked into another critical component of cancer recurrence: inflammation.

Persistent inflammation plays a major role in tumor progression. It promotes the survival and spread of cancer cells and suppresses the immune response, making it harder for the body to fight back. Worse, both cancer and its treatments can increase inflammatory biomarkers in the bloodstream.

According to Bettariga’s extended research, the answer lies in body composition—specifically, reducing fat mass and increasing lean muscle through consistent exercise.

“Strategies are needed to reduce inflammation,” he said, “which may provide a less supportive environment for cancer progression, leading to a lower risk of recurrence and mortality in survivors of breast cancer.”

Building lean muscle through resistance or interval training doesn’t just make you stronger. It could actually help change the biochemical environment of your body to be less hospitable to cancer cells.

Why Diet Alone Isn’t Enough?

The study also underscores an important caveat: quick-fix weight loss strategies don’t deliver the same benefits. In fact, losing weight without preserving or building muscle may do more harm than good.

“You never want to reduce your weight without exercising,” Bettariga cautioned. “You need to build or preserve muscle mass and produce these beneficial chemicals—like myokines—that you can’t get through diet alone.”

That means crash diets, juice cleanses, or calorie-cutting without movement won’t contribute meaningfully to the anti-inflammatory or anti-cancer response. The muscle is the medicine in this case—and it has to be activated.

How to Add HIIT or Resistance Training into Your Routine?

If this all sounds powerful but overwhelming, start simple. The study wasn’t testing elite athletes. It was studying real breast cancer survivors, many of whom were new to structured exercise routines. For resistance training: Think compound movements that target large muscle groups—like squats, lunges, push-ups, or lifting light weights. You don’t need a gym or equipment to start. Even bodyweight training done consistently can build lean mass.

For HIIT, try alternating 30 seconds of high-effort movement (like jumping jacks, stair climbs, or brisk uphill walking) with 1–2 minutes of slower recovery. Repeat the cycle for 15–20 minutes.

The key isn’t the duration, it’s the intensity and consistency. According to Bettariga’s findings, even one session is enough to jumpstart the body’s internal defense mechanisms.

Can This Improve Future of Cancer Care?

There’s a growing shift in how we view recovery and survivorship. No longer is exercise considered a “bonus” or “optional.” Increasingly, it’s being recognized as a core component of medical care—one that can potentially alter the trajectory of disease, especially in cancers with high recurrence rates like breast cancer.

While more research is needed to explore the long-term implications of myokine production and its effect on cancer recurrence, the current data is promising. At a time when many cancer survivors are looking for ways to reclaim control over their bodies, this study offers something rare: a simple, immediate action that can make a real difference.

It is very easy to do exercises wrong, especially strength exercises. The reason why one must be careful when they are doing weights is because you could end up overexerting one certain muscle and not get the results you wanted. One such exercise is dumbbell row.

Sitting at a desk all day or focusing on "pushing" exercises like bench presses can lead to rounded shoulders and back pain. Dumbbell rows are a "pulling" exercise that helps balance your body. They strengthen your back muscles, which can improve your posture and reduce common aches and pains from daily life.

How to Do a Dumbbell Row

Dumbbell rows are a simple yet effective exercise. Here's a step-by-step guide to doing them correctly:

1. Place a workout bench in front of you. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
2. Steady yourself by putting your right hand on the bench. Pick up a dumbbell with your left hand.
3. Keep your back straight, creating a diagonal line from your head to your hips. Your shoulders should be slightly higher than your hips.
4. Keeping your left arm close to your body, pull the dumbbell straight up toward the ceiling. Your spine should stay completely still—only your arm and shoulder should move.
5. Slowly and with control, lower your arm back down to the starting position.

Tips for Perfect Form

Even though dumbbell rows seem easy, paying close attention to the details will help you get the best results and avoid injury. To prevent straining your neck, keep your head still and look at a spot on the floor about three feet in front of you. It’s also a good idea to start with your weaker arm first so you can give it your full attention when you have the most energy.

Focus on your breathing. Inhale before you pull the weight up, then breathe out as you pull. Or, you can hold your breath as you pull and breathe out at the top or on the way down. This helps keep your core stable. When choosing a weight, start with a lighter one and work your way up. The last repetition should be difficult, but not so heavy that you have to swing your whole body to lift it. You can also slightly change the angle of your elbow to target different back muscles.

Muscles Worked by Dumbbell Rows

Dumbbell rows are great for building strength in your mid and upper back. This exercise targets several important muscles, including your lats which is the large muscles that keep your back stable and help your shoulders move, your traps which are the muscles in your neck and upper back that help move your head and maintain good posture, and your rhomboids, the upper back muscles that help stabilize your shoulders.

Back pain is one of the most common reasons people see a doctor. By adding dumbbell rows to your workout, you can strengthen the muscles in your back and build better posture. This can lead to less back pain, a stronger core, and an improved range of motion.

Dumbbell rows can be a fantastic part of your fitness routine. However, if you have any health concerns, recent injuries, or long-term medical conditions, it's always a good idea to talk to a doctor or physical therapist before you start a new exercise.

Lifestyle changes are necessary at every age. Young adults often get away with eating unhealthily, staying up late and getting up early. However, as you grow older, the effects of staying up beyond a certain time, indulging in alcohol or even overexerting yourself become apparent. So one must make changes to their lifestyle according to their age. As such, people above 60 should pay more attention to certain aspects of their health like their brain health, as they are susceptible to cognitive decline.

A new study shows that a two-year program focused on healthy eating, exercise, and "brain training" helped older adults avoid a decline in their thinking skills. The study, called U.S. POINTER, included more than 2,100 people aged 60 to 79 who had a higher risk for cognitive decline due to factors like a poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, and a family history of memory problems. The results were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto.

Combination of Healthy Habits

The participants in the study followed a program that focused on three key areas:

Healthy Eating

Participants switched to the MIND diet, a specific eating plan known for supporting brain health. This change from their previous unhealthy diets was a key part of the program to boost cognitive function.

Regular Exercise

The program required participants to meet fitness goals that included a mix of exercises. They did aerobic workouts, resistance training, and stretching to improve both their physical and mental health.

Brain Training

Participants were also tasked with exercising their minds. They used a program called BrainHQ for daily challenges and engaged in other intellectual and social activities to keep their brains active and sharp.

Participants in a more structured version of the program met regularly with staff and peers, while a second group followed a less structured, self-guided plan. The results showed that the structured program provided a greater benefit to brain health. An impressive 89% of all participants completed the two-year study.

Broad Benefits for a Diverse Group

The study found that this program worked well for a wide range of people. It didn't matter if they were male or female, what their ethnicity was, what their genetic risk for Alzheimer's was, or what their heart health was like. Everyone seemed to benefit. The researchers saw a significant improvement in the participants' overall thinking skills, including their memory, attention, and ability to multitask. This research sends a strong message that making healthy choices can have a powerful impact on brain health for many people, and it shows that treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's will likely include both medicine and healthy living.

Physical Activity Guideline For Elderly

According to the UK National Health Services older adults should try to be physically active every day. Regular activity can help improve your overall health and lower your risk of serious conditions like heart disease and stroke. Before starting any new exercise routine, especially if you haven't been active in a while or have health concerns, it's a good idea to talk to a doctor. They can help you choose activities that are safe and right for your fitness level. Here are some goals for them

• Be active daily, this can include light activities like walking.
• Do exercises that improve your strength, balance, and flexibility at least two days a week. This is especially important if you are worried about falling.
• Get moderate exercise, aim for a total of 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. This could be a brisk walk, dancing, or gardening.
• Get vigorous exercise, aim for 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. This could be jogging or a strenuous hike.
• Reduce sitting time, try to sit or lie down less throughout the day. Break up long periods of inactivity with a short walk or some light movement.