Our elementary school gym teacher, Mr. Jones, was totally onto something when he has us perform countless burpees and mountain climbers in gym class.  These exercises might have seemed torturous back then, but not it is easy to see what fantastic total body strengtheners they are!

The mountain climber is my personal favourite, because it really works the arms, shoulders, abdominals, as well as the calves and especially the quads.

Here is how to do them:

1. Start in a push up position.  Pull your right leg up to place your foot on the floor, directly under your chest.
2. Quickly switch legs so that your right leg is extended behind you and your left foot is directly under your chest, while supporting your upper body throughout in the push up position.
3. Alternate your legs for 30 repetitions (alternating left and right once, once counts as one rep)  REMEMBER: Keep your abdominals tightly contracted throughout for maximum core training.
4. Repeat twice.  For extra upper body strength, perform 15 push ups immediately following your 30 reps, prior to resting.

Increase your repetitions and sets as this exercise becomes more familiar.  Soon you'll feel ready to climb a real mountain.

GO FOR IT!