The spiderman mountain climber is a bodyweight core exercise performed in a high plank that trains theabs, obliques and hip flexors by driving each knee to the outside of the same-side elbow. Where a standard mountain climber pulls the knee straight under the chest, this version swings it wide and plants the foot beside the hand, so the hip opens through external rotation and the obliques on that side shorten while the other side resists sagging. It is slower than a regular climber and rewards range over speed. Coaches use it as a warm-up or in bodyweight circuits.
What Muscles Does the Spiderman Mountain Climber Work?
- Primary: Rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques
- Secondary: Hip flexors (iliopsoas, rectus femoris), gluteus medius, tensor fasciae latae
- Tertiary: Serratus anterior, anterior deltoids, triceps brachii, hip adductors
How Do You Set Up for the Spiderman Mountain Climber?
Set up on a non-slip floor with room to place a foot beside each hand. Take a high plank: hands under your shoulders with fingers spread, arms straight, feet together, body in one line from heel to head. Push the floor away so your upper back is broad rather than sagging between the shoulder blades. Tuck your pelvis slightly, brace your abs and look at the floor a hand's width ahead of your fingers.
How Do You Perform the Spiderman Mountain Climber?
- Fix your plank by pressing the floor away and locking your hips level, with your weight spread evenly across both hands.
- Swing your right knee wide and forward, keeping the hip open, and plant your right foot flat beside your right hand.
- Finish the step when your right knee sits outside your right elbow and your hips have neither lifted nor dropped.
- Hold for one count, squeezing your right obliques and pressing your hands into the floor.
- Drive the right foot back along the same wide arc, landing the toes quietly beside the left foot.
- Repeat with the left leg, swinging the left knee outside the left elbow, then return to the plank to complete one rep.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Knee outside the elbow, not under it: aim the kneecap at the outside of your elbow so the hip opens sideways instead of tucking under the chest.
- Hips level with your shoulders: imagine a glass of water on your lower back; if it would spill, your hips moved.
- Push the floor away with both hands so your shoulder blades do not pinch together.
- Land the stepping foot flat and silent, which forces the abs to control the swing rather than momentum.
- Keep your gaze slightly ahead of your hands so your neck stays in line with your spine.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Racing through reps like a cardio climber: the foot never lands beside the hand and the hip stops opening, so slow down until every step reaches the elbow.
- Piking the hips up as the knee comes forward: the trunk unloads and the step becomes a hip hinge, so keep the hips level with the shoulders.
- Sagging the lower back between steps: the lumbar spine hangs in extension under body weight with the abs switched off, so tuck the pelvis before each step.
- Letting the shoulders drift behind the hands: the weight moves back onto the toes and the abs stop stabilising, so stack the shoulders over the wrists.
- Dragging the stepping foot along the floor: the movement loses its arc and the hip flexors take over, so lift the foot clear and swing it wide.
What Are the Best Spiderman Mountain Climber Variations?
- Incline spiderman climber: hands on a bench reduce the load for beginners learning the step.
- Slow spiderman climber with hold: a 3-second pause with the foot beside the hand raises the stability demand.
- Spiderman push-up: adding a push-up as the knee reaches the elbow turns the drill into a chest and core combination.
- Mountain climber hip twist: the knee crosses toward the opposite elbow, shifting the work to rotation.
- Sliding disc spiderman climber: the stepping foot slides on a disc, removing the swing and keeping the abs under constant tension.
How Do You Progress the Spiderman Mountain Climber?
- Bodyweight only: progress by planting the foot closer to the hand and holding the lunge longer rather than adding load.
- Start with 6 reps per side and add 2 per session until you reach 12 clean steps each side.
- Add a set once 2 sets are complete without the hips lifting; cap at 4 sets.
- Slow the return leg to a 2-second count, or add a 3-second hold at the elbow.
How Should You Program the Spiderman Mountain Climber?
Use the spiderman mountain climber as a warm-up drill before squats and lunges, or as a core accessory late in a bodyweight session. Two to three sessions a week is enough. Perform 2 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps per side, or 30 to 45 seconds of slow steps, resting 45 to 60 seconds between sets. Pair it with a dead bug so the abs also train holding still against a moving limb.