Climbing the Ladder Part 3: Fun Workout Tools

jennincat — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:49:58 +0000

I’m going to continue with Climbing Up the Ladder Part 3: Tools to make workouts painful Keep Workouts Interesting. In part 1 we talked about rep (repetition) ladders and part 2 we talked about weight and time ladders. This week we are going to talk about reverse ladders and pyramids. A reverse ladder is simply reversing the order of one of the variables either rep, time or weight. In other words, you start from the top and go down or descend.

If you are anything like me you need to see an example of how the numbers work. Here ya go!

Reverse Rep Ladder

In a reverse rep ladder you start with the highest number of reps and work down the ladder. I just picked exercises at random for the examples’ sake.

Push Up Reverse (Descending) Rep Ladder

5 Push Ups
Rest
4 Push Ups
Rest
3 Push Ups
Rest
2 Push Ups
Rest
1 Push Ups

(Yes, I can even count backwards.)

Reverse Weight Ladders

In a reverse weight ladder you start with the highest amount of weight and work down. Here are the ladders from last week simply reversed.

Squat Weight Ladder
5 x 45lbs
rest
5 x 35 lbs
rest
5 x 25 lbs

Kettlbell Swing Weight Ladder
10 x 16kg (35lbs)
rest
10 x 12kg (26lbs)
rest
10 x 8kg (18lbs)

(See how the weight decreases. Rocket science, I know.)

Reverse Time Ladder

And in a reverse time ladder you would start with the highest time and work down. Let’s reverse the jump squat time ladder from last week as an example

Jump Squat Reverse Time Ladder

Jump Squats 30 secs
rest
Jump Squats 20 secs
rest
Jump Squats 10 secs

Combination Ladders

A combination is simply going up the ladder in one exercise and down the ladder in another. I love combination ladders because they make the time really fly and kick my booty. Here is an example of a combination rep ladder. Exercise A could be squats and exercise B could be military presses. Personally I tend to like to use lower and upper body exercises but I’ve also done them using opposing muscle groups.

5 Reps of Exercise A
rest
1 Rep of Exercise B
rest
4 Reps of Exercise A
rest
2 Rep of Exercise B
rest
3 Reps of Exercise A
rest
3 Rep of Exercise B
rest
2 Reps of Exercise A
rest
4 Rep of Exercise B
rest
1 Reps of Exercise A
rest
5 Rep of Exercise B

(I should have been a mathematician with these skills.)

Again, these 5 rep ladders are just an example. The length of the ladder can vary as can the “steps between the rungs”. For instance you may want to “climb each rung” by 5s or by 10s. Also note that you lengthen or shorten the rest periods as needed.

In my kettlebell class we did this combination ladder the other day.

50 Swings
10 Squats
40 Swings
20 Squats
30 Swings
30 Squats
20 Swings
40 Squats
10 Swings
50 Squats

It was wonderfully brutal!

Pyramids

(Source)

Last of all for today (if you are still with me) are pyramids. A traditional ladder goes up say 1-2-3-4-5 and then starts over from the bottom. A pyramid on the other hand goes up and then pyramids back down, 1-2-3-4-5-5-4-3-2-1. Like ladders you can do weight, rep, or time pyramids. Here is an example where the number of reps is the changing variable.

Deadlift Rep Pyramid

1 Deadlift
rest
2 Deadlifts
rest
3 Deadlifts
rest
4 Deadlift
rest
5 Deadlift
rest
5 Deadlift
rest
4 Deadlift
rest
3 Deadlift
rest
2 Deadlift
rest
1 Deadlift

A quick word about rest. I gauge my rest time by how I feel. Typically, I follow an equal work to rest ratio. Beginners may feel more comfortable doubling or even tripling the rest time. I’ll also increase my rest time if I’ve been sick or feeling a dip in strength that day.

Okay, I hope I didn’t make this too confusing. Each type of ladder has its purpose regarding endurance, strength, and/0r speed but as I said before I like to incorporate them into my workouts for torture variety.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Climbing the Ladder Part 2: Fun Workout Tools

jennincat — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:27:10 +0000

The window is clean. In fact, I’ve stepped out of that small room out into the sunshine again! (Big cheesy grin.) I’m excited for this week! I have a new recipe and another Girl Hero (always my favorite posts) lined up.

Today, I want to continue my series on program design tools, a fancy way to say, ideas for building dynamic kick azz workouts! Last week, we talked about rep ladders. This week it’s weight ladders and time ladders. Next week, will be reverse ladders, combination ladders, and pyramids. Then we’ll finish up with drop sets, super sets, timed sets, and using active recovery.

Weight Ladders

In a rep ladder the weight stays the same and the reps climb with each rung. In weight ladders, like the name implies ;-), the reps stay the same but the weight climbs with each rung.

Some examples….

Squat Weight Ladder
5 x 25lbs
rest
5 x 35 lbs
rest
5 x 45 lbs

Kettlbell Swing Weight Ladder
10 x 8kg (18lbs)
rest
10 x 12kg (26lbs)
rest
10 x 16kg (35lbs)

As you can probably tell weight ladders can be used with any exercise that uses weight other than your body. Bodyweight exercises won’t work unless you weight them like hang a kettlebell (or a small child) from your foot during pull ups.

Time Ladders

Guess what variable changes in time ladders? You’re right…the time! High five!!!

Examples

Plank Time Ladder
20 seconds
rest
40 seconds
rest
60 seconds

Jump Squat Time Ladder
10 seconds
rest
20 seconds
rest
30 seconds
rest

Repetition, weight, and time ladders each have their own benefits. Adding reps (rungs) will increase your muscle endurance (ability to preform repeated contractions or hold static contractions). Adding weight will increase your muscle strength (amount of actual weight you can lift in a single all out effort). Adding time will increase your endurance or adding more reps per timed block will increase speed and explosiveness.

Why do I use ladders? I’ll be honest, my main reason is to add variety. I workout to improve and maintain my general health (and for vanity) so for me the biggest benefit of ladders is variety. In other words, ladders keep my workouts interesting. Which keeps me working out. Which improves my energy, mood, and keeps me mentally sane. Which improves my relationships. Which is what life is mostly about. (And as a bonus, I get to look decent in a bikini.)