Core · Bodyweight
Side Mountain Climber
How to do the side mountain climber, 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
Start in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and body in a straight line. Drive one knee toward the same-side elbow on the outside of your body, then return it and repeat on the other side. Keep alternating at a steady pace while holding a strong plank.
- 1Your obliques crunching as the knee tracks to the elbow
- 2A braced core keeping your hips level and stable
- 3Shoulders staying stacked over your wrists
Common mistakes
- Letting your hips pike up or sag toward the floor
- Swinging the leg with momentum instead of control
- Shifting your shoulders forward of your hands
Muscles worked
The side mountain climber mainly works the obliques and lower abs, with the upper abs, hip flexors, quads, glutes, and front delts assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- ForearmsMinor
- Mid ChestMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- CalvesMinor
Kovo programs the side mountain climber 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.