Interval workouts are one of the best ways to workout at home. There are lots of reasons why interval workouts are a great choice for the at-home exerciser. They are quick, don’t require a lot of equipment, and can be done in a small space.
A ladder workout is one way to organize an at-home interval workout. In a ladder workout, you increase the number of repetitions of each exercise in it. Think of climbing a ladder, one rung at a time.
A reverse ladder workout decreases the number of repetitions from one exercise to the next. These workouts are usually done either as sets– up the ladder or down the ladder– or for a certain amount of time.
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A four-exercise ladder workout you can do at home
This is a reverse ladder workout. Rather than counting up and climbing up the ladder, this workout is a countdown. Repetitions of each exercise decrease by half for the next exercise.
40 jumping jacks, 20 pelvic tilt crunches**, 10 squats, 5 pushups
You simply do the circuit as many times as you can in ten minutes. This is a super quick, super intense workout. Try it for ten minutes at a time, two or three times during the day.
What equipment do I need for this ladder workout?
All you need is a timer set to 10 minutes and a yoga mat. If you don’t have a yoga mat, you’ll want to do this ladder workout somewhere you can lie down on a rug or carpet.
Ladder Workout Exercise #1: Jumping Jacks (with no-impact modification)
Ladder Workout Exercise #2: Pelvic Tilt Crunches
**Please note that pelvic tilt crunches are not an appropriate exercise if you have diastasis recti. If you are looking for tummy-safe workouts, I highly recommend Fit2B. Those workouts are all designed for women who have (or have had) a diastasis.
Not sure if you have a diastasis? If you have separation between the left and right sides of your rectus abdominus muscle (the “six-pack” muscle), that’s a diastasis. It’s extremely common, especially in women who have been pregnant. You can use this guide to do a self-check.
Better safe than sorry!
Ladder Workout Exercise #3: Squats
Ladder Workout Exercise #4: Push Ups (with modifications)
Make sure to write down how many circuits you completed in each ten-minute segment. Next time you do the workout, you have a goal to beat!
Want a variation? Instead of a countdown, do this circuit as an full ladder workout.
That means you’ll do:
40 jumping jacks
20 pelvic tilt crunches
10 squats
5 push ups
….and then take a quick 5-10 breath breather before climbing back up the ladder….
5 push ups
10 squats
20 pelvic tilt crunches
40 jumping jacks.
Performing the full ladder workout is a great way to challenge yourself if you only have a very short amount of time.
Set it up like a personal challenge–
- Can I do the whole exercise ladder before all of my kids get in the car?
- Can I go down and up the exercise ladder as a mini-break from work to refresh my mind?
- Will the cable guy show up for his appointment before I complete the ladder workout?
When you start changing your thinking about how and when to exercise, you’ll find you have gaps of time during the day you can sneak in a little workout. No complete sweating and outfit change required.
Drop me a comment and let me know how you liked this ladder workout!
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