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Mountain Climber

From the Front Leaning Rest with one foot forward, switch feet while keeping the back straight and hips level.

Conditioning Drill 1, exercise 3 of 5

Demonstration

Official photo sequences from the Army's drill manual, read left to right, top to bottom.

Mountain Climber: official ATP 7-22.02 photo sequence (figure 5-3, CD1.3 Mountain Climber) showing the positions of the exercise in order.
Figure 5-3. CD1.3 Mountain Climber · ATP 7-22.02, p. 5-3 (opens the official PDF)

Photos: U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training, ATP 7-22.02. Approved for public release.

How to perform it

Conditioning Drill 1, exercise 3 of 5

Moderate cadence (80 counts per minute)

Starting position

Front Leaning Rest with the left foot below the chest and the left knee between the arms.

Front Leaning Rest: From the Squat, shift weight to the hands and thrust both feet back, landing with feet together. The body forms a straight line from heels to head without the hips dipping. ATP 7-22.02, para. 2-3, p. 2-2 (opens the official PDF)

Counts

  1. 1Count 1. Shift body weight to the hands while switching the position of the feet. Keep the back straight and the hips from moving up and down.
  2. 2Count 2. Reverse the movement to the starting position.
  3. 3Count 3. Repeat count 1.
  4. 4Count 4. Return to the starting position.

ATP 7-22.02, para. 5-5, p. 5-3, Figure 5-3 (opens the official PDF)

What it develops

Develops the ability to power quickly out of the Front Leaning Rest into a run or crouch run.

Focus: Legs, Trunk, Shoulders

Form

Drawn from the cited instructions.

Cues

  • Keep the back straight.
  • Keep the hips level; do not let them move up and down.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips rise and fall.