There’s no denying the tremendous stamina, balance and endurance that it takes to be an elite mountaineer or climber. But who wants to risk the altitude sickness, avalanches and frequent Yeti attacks to achieve that level of athleticism? When there are no mountains nearby to conquer or you just don’t care to strap on the crampons or grab an icepick, do this gut-busting cardio exercise to build explosive legs and endure any rocky outing.

Step 1
Get in a pushup position with hands slightly ahead of shoulders and weight resting on hands and toes. Bring the left foot forward, driving the knee towards the chest and placing the same foot flat under the chest. Hips are bent and right leg is straight and strong. Keep weight evenly distributed on both legs. Do not shift weight forward into front foot.

Step 2
Keeping hands firmly on the ground, abdominals engaged and shoulders strong, explosively jump to drive the right knee forward, switching leg positions. Both feet should leave the ground as the right leg propels forward and the left foot drops straight back.

Step 3
Repeat this process of climbing in place for 30 seconds, maintaining strong shoulders without pushing the head or chest past hands. If you have limited range of motion in the hips, place hands on a step or platform. Increase duration as it gets easier to perform.