Core · Bodyweight
Mountain Climber Cross
How to do the mountain climber cross, 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
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Start in a high plank with hands under your shoulders and body straight. Drive one knee across your body toward the opposite elbow, then quickly switch legs in a running motion. Keep alternating the cross-body knee drive at a steady pace while holding your hips level.
- 1Feel your abs and obliques fire as each knee crosses to the opposite side
- 2Keep your shoulders stacked over your wrists and hips low
- 3Drive the legs quickly while your core holds you stable
Common mistakes
- Don't let your hips pike up or sag
- Avoid bouncing your hips; keep the motion driven by the legs
- Don't round your shoulders or hold your breath
Muscles worked
The mountain climber cross mainly works the upper abs, lower abs, and obliques, with the quads, hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, and front delts assisting.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- ObliquesPrimary
- QuadsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- Mid ChestMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- CalvesMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the mountain climber cross 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.