Core · Bodyweight
Elevated Mountain Climber with Hands on a Bench
How to do the elevated mountain climber with hands on a bench, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Place both hands on a bench and walk your feet back into a high plank with your body in a straight line. Bracing your core, drive one knee toward your chest, then quickly switch legs in a running rhythm. Keep your hips low and your shoulders stacked over your hands.
- 1Feel your core working to keep your hips steady as you drive the knees
- 2Keep your shoulders stacked over the bench and press the floor away
- 3Drive each knee toward your chest with a quick, controlled tempo
Common mistakes
- Don't let your hips pike up or sag toward the floor
- Avoid bouncing on your toes and losing the plank line
- Don't shrug your shoulders up toward your ears
Muscles worked
The elevated mountain climber with hands on a bench mainly works the lower abs and hip flexors, with the upper abs, obliques, quads, and front delts assisting.
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- Mid ChestMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- GlutesMinor
- CalvesMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the elevated mountain climber with hands on a bench 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.