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.

Spending a dedicated time exercising, whether it is an hour or half, could be difficult for some people. If you live alone, or are a homemaker, most of the time goes by taking care of household chores, commuting to and from work, grocery runs and general day to day errands. This leads many people to worry that that they may not be able to lead a healthy lifestyle, but a new study shows that even small movements can prove to be a great addition to your daily life. The study was published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, and revealed small movements being a great aid to bigger health issues.

Researchers found that people who weren't in the habit of working out saw improvements in their fitness after doing a specific type of exercise for about a month. These improvements included stronger muscles, more stamina to keep going, and better flexibility. This means you don't need to spend hours at the gym to start feeling healthier; even short bursts of activity can make a real difference.

Can Small Movements Make A Big Difference?

The type of exercise the study focused on is called ‘eccentric exercise’- movement emphasizes the part of an exercise where your muscles are lengthening. Think about slowly lowering any weighted object after you lift it and gently going down into a squat. Research has shown that this type of exercise is easier on your body compared to other types of workouts, and it's very effective at helping your muscles grow stronger and bigger. It's a smart way to build muscle without putting too much strain on your body, making it a good option for people who are just starting to exercise.

Even a small amount of this type of movement done regularly can provide noticeable benefits for your fitness. This is encouraging news for people who might feel like they don't have much time or energy to dedicate to exercise. It shows that even short, simple routines can have a real impact on your strength, endurance, and flexibility, making it easier to do everyday activities.

The participants, mostly women, went through a short period to get used to the study before starting a four-week routine of eccentric exercises. Every day, they performed ten repetitions of four easy exercises- chair squats (standing up and sitting down using a chair), chair reclines (leaning back slightly while seated), wall push-ups, and heel drops (raising up onto their toes and slowly lowering their heels).

After the four weeks of daily eccentric exercises, the researchers found some interesting results. While there weren't big changes in things like body composition, resting heart rate, or blood pressure, the participants did show significant improvements in their ability to do sit-ups and push-ups. They also performed better on the three-minute step test, which measures cardiovascular endurance. Additionally, their flexibility improved, and they reported feeling better mentally. This suggests that even a small amount of daily exercise can lead to noticeable and lasting fitness benefits for people who are not regularly active.

Exercises You Can Perform At Home

Chair squats: standing up and sitting down using a chair

Chair reclines: leaning back slightly while seated

Wall push-ups: placing your palms on the wall and pushing against it

Heel drops: raising up onto their toes and slowly lowering their heels

Tips To Help You Get Started With Eccentric Training

If you're interested in trying eccentric training, remember that you don't have to stick to the exact exercises used in the study. Almost any exercise can include an eccentric component. If you're not very active right now, you'll likely still see progress even if you start with low intensity and very short exercise sessions. Experts suggest starting with just five minutes a day and aiming for around ten repetitions of each exercise. This can be a good starting point to see what's possible, and from there, you can gradually increase the intensity or how long you exercise to keep improving your fitness.

One of the biggest indicators of a good workout for people is how much they sweat. The more you sweat, better the workout. Many people love heated workouts, like hot yoga or spin, even when it’s warm outside. Studios make the rooms very hot, sometimes over 100 degrees. they also believe it is a good way of remaining fit and a great evidence of their hard work. While a lot of people believe this, you still must see how it benefits you and whether are any other safety concerns or health risks you may be putting yourself into by doing this.

The Cleveland Clinic explains that working out in the heat can make your blood flow faster and warm up your muscles. This might make you more flexible. You might also burn a few more calories than in a normal workout. Some people feel good after a hot workout, like they do after a sauna. But, just being hot doesn’t mean you’ll get super fit. You still need to work hard and do the exercises correctly. Don't think that only the heat will make you fit.

Are There Any Risks Of Doing Heated Workouts?

Working out when it’s too hot can make it harder to exercise. According to WebMD your body has to work harder to stay cool, so you might not be able to do as much. This can mean you don’t get as much benefit from the workout. Normal workouts in a comfortable room can be just as good, and maybe even better for you. Heated workouts aren’t a magic way to get fit. They can also put a lot of extra stress on your body, so be careful.

When it’s very hot, you can get dehydrated easily. This can lead to problems like heat exhaustion or fainting. Drink a lot of water before, during, and after class. Watch out for signs that you’re getting too hot, like feeling dizzy or sick. If you have any chest, joint, or muscle pain, stop right away. It's important to listen to your body and make sure you are not pushing yourself too hard.

Who Should Avoid Heated Workouts

Some people should not do heated workouts. Older people, pregnant women, and people with heart problems should be careful. These workouts can be dangerous for them. If you have health problems like high blood pressure or asthma, talk to your doctor first. Just because a workout is popular, doesn’t mean it’s safe for you. It's better to be safe than sorry, so ask your doctor.

Exercise is the key to good health, but as with anything—even water or vitamins—too much of a good thing can be dangerous. For 41-year-old Gemma Underwood, a Scottish fitness enthusiast and orange belt in karate, her passion for training nearly cost her life. What started as an “intense” martial arts session led her down a frightening path to the emergency room, where she was diagnosed with a rare and potentially deadly condition called rhabdomyolysis. Her story is a sobering reminder for gym-goers and athletes everywhere: fitness without balance can be fatal.

It was just another training day in March for Underwood in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Her karate session had been grueling, pushing her physical boundaries, but she felt satisfied—until the next morning. Unable to get out of bed due to severe muscle pain and swelling, she noticed her arms had ballooned, and her muscles were extremely tight. But the most alarming sign was what she saw in the bathroom mirror: her urine had turned a disturbing dark brown, which she described as resembling “Coca-Cola.”

Panicked and confused, Underwood rushed to the emergency room. Medical professionals quickly diagnosed her with rhabdomyolysis, often referred to as “rhabdo,” a serious condition involving the breakdown of muscle tissue that releases toxic proteins—specifically myoglobin—into the bloodstream. If untreated, these proteins can clog the kidneys, leading to kidney failure or even death.

What is Rhabdomyolysis?

Rhabdomyolysis is not commonly discussed in mainstream fitness conversations, but it’s a well-known risk among medical professionals and elite trainers. According to the Cleveland Clinic, rhabdo occurs when skeletal muscle breaks down rapidly due to extreme physical exertion, trauma, or dehydration. As muscle fibers die, they release their contents into the bloodstream, overwhelming the kidneys and potentially causing multi-organ failure.

Symptoms vary and can be deceptively mild in early stages. They typically include:

• Muscle pain, swelling, or tenderness
• Weakness or difficulty moving limbs
• Fatigue or malaise
• Nausea or vomiting
• Significantly reduced urination or dark-colored urine (a major red flag)

In Underwood’s case, the condition escalated quickly—an all-too-common reality when the signs are misunderstood or ignored. Doctors told her the cause was likely inadequate hydration during her intense workout. “I wasn’t hydrated enough,” she admitted. “I should have been drinking more water before.”

Water plays a vital role in preventing rhabdomyolysis. Without enough fluids, the kidneys struggle to flush out myoglobin and other harmful muscle breakdown products. During strenuous exercise, particularly in high-heat environments or lengthy sessions, fluid loss through sweat increases dramatically. If not replenished, the body enters a state of dehydration, magnifying the impact of muscle strain.

Despite being fit and experienced, Underwood made the critical mistake of underestimating her hydration needs—a mistake that nearly proved fatal.

Underwood spent five days in the hospital receiving intravenous fluids and was fitted with a catheter to monitor kidney function. She’s now on a mandatory exercise hiatus for at least three weeks and has made hydration a top priority.

“I’m currently resting, no exercise at all, and drinking plenty of fluids,” she shared. “It was terrifying knowing I could’ve died from something that seemed so routine. Make sure you're hydrated before any workout, no matter how intense it is.”

Her message is clear: no one is immune to the dangers of overtraining. Her story is a cautionary tale not just for elite athletes but for anyone who steps into a gym or takes on a new fitness challenge without adequate preparation.

How to Exercise Smart and Stay Safe?

While rhabdomyolysis is rare, it’s becoming increasingly common among high-intensity workout communities, especially in CrossFit, spin classes, and boot camps where participants are encouraged to push limits. The good news? It’s entirely preventable.

Here’s what every exerciser should remember:

Hydration is non-negotiable: Drink water before, during, and after workouts. Electrolytes help too.

Ease into new routines. Whether you’re new to fitness or returning after a break, increase intensity gradually.

Listen to your body. Pain and fatigue are signals, not challenges to override.

Know the symptoms. Dark urine, severe swelling, and unexplained weakness are not to be ignored.

Rest and recovery matter. Muscles grow and repair when you rest—not when you overtrain.