BeWOW: The Ladder
Welcome to the Ladder, one of my favorite ways to do a circuit workout. Here’s how it works: You’re going to work your way sequentially through the exercises, starting with the 10-reps group, then the 20, then 30 and so on. Once you complete the 50-reps exercises, work your way backwards, doing the group of 40, then 30, then 20, then 10. See? You’re going up and down the ladder, increasing the reps of each set on the way up and decreasing them on the way back down. And, just for an extra challenge, let’s throw in some sprints. Do a one-minute sprint in between each set of exercises on the way up the ladder, and a 30-second sprint between sets on the way back down. Got it? Okay good—let’s work out!
BeWOW: The Ladder
What You’ll Need
• Mat
• Pull-up bar
• Free weights or bands
• Physioball
• Treadmill, or space to sprint
10 reps
Pull ups
Burpees
Knee-ups
Squat with overhead press
Mountain climbers (10 on each side)
Sprint: 1 minute on the way up; 30 seconds on the way down.
20 reps
Pushups
Dips
Fly (use weights, a band, machine)
Rows (use weights, a band, machine)
Sprint: 1 minute on the way up; 30 seconds on the way down.
30 reps
Skiers (single count)
Physioball crunches
Alternating front shoulder raise (single count)
Sprint: 1 minute on the way up; 30 seconds on the way down.
40 reps
Lunge jumps (single count)
Ab twists
Sprint: 1 minute on the way up; 30 seconds on the way down.
50 reps
Squats
Sprint: 30 seconds.
Explanation of Exercises
Burpees: Just like an up-down in football. Put your hands on the ground, jump your feet back, hit your chest to the ground, and jump your feet back in to your hands to stand up.
Knee-ups: Grip a pull-up bar with both hands. Hanging with your arms extended, use your abs to drive both knees up towards your elbows.
Squat with overhead press: Hold the weights at your shoulders, do a squat. As you stand back up, press the weights over your head. Return them to your shoulders as you squat back down.
Skiers: Start standing with feet together. Jump to the right, land on right foot, left foot goes behind you. Push off your right foot to jump left and land on left foot, right foot goes behind you.
Ab twists: Sit on the floor with knees bent, heels pressing into the ground. Lean back slightly, cross your arms across your chest, and use your abs to twist side to side.
>> Did you complete this week’s BeWOW? Tell us how you did in the comments! Or, feel free to tweet at us about it using the hashtag #BeWOW. Check out all the BeWOW workouts here.
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Audrey McKenna Hasse is the owner of A.M.Fit, a personal training and healthy consultation business on the Main Line. You’ll find her workouts every Monday right here on Be Well Philly.
