Core · Bodyweight
Cross Climber on a Padded Stool
How to do the cross climber on a padded stool, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Set your hands on a padded stool in a plank with your body straight. Drive one knee toward the opposite elbow, then switch sides quickly in a running motion, keeping your hips low and core tight throughout.
- 1Obliques firing as each knee crosses toward the opposite elbow
- 2Core staying braced with hips low and level
- 3Shoulders stabilizing your weight on the stool
Common mistakes
- Letting the hips bounce or pike up
- Rushing so much that the knees stop crossing fully
- Sagging the lower back out of the plank line
Muscles worked
The cross climber on a padded stool mainly works the obliques, lower abs, and hip flexors, with the upper abs, quads, glutes, and front delts assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- Mid ChestMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- CalvesMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the cross climber on a padded stool for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.