Core · Bodyweight
Mountain Climber and Dynamic Plank
How to do the mountain climber and dynamic plank, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Isometric
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Start in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders. Drive one knee toward your chest, then quickly switch legs in a running motion for several mountain-climber reps, then lower onto your forearms and back up to your hands in a dynamic plank. Keep your hips level and your core braced as you flow between the two movements.
- 1Your abs and hip flexors driving the knees toward your chest
- 2The core staying braced as you shift from hands to forearms
- 3Shoulders stacked and hips level throughout the flow
Common mistakes
- Letting the hips pike up or sag toward the floor
- Swinging the legs with momentum instead of controlled drives
- Rushing the plank transition and collapsing your torso
Muscles worked
The mountain climber and dynamic plank mainly works the lower abs, with the upper abs, obliques, hip flexors, quads, and front delts assisting.
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- Mid ChestMinor
- LatsMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- GlutesMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- CalvesMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the mountain climber and dynamic plank 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.