BeWOW: Conditioning Ladder Workout

Quick! Crack this code: 25-20-15-10-5-10-15-20-25.

Give up? It’s the pattern you’re going to follow for your reps in this week’s workout. You’ll start with 25 reps of each of the seven exercises below, then move on to 20 reps of each, then 15, then 10, and five. After you do five reps of each exercise, you are going to work your way back up the ladder until you complete 25 of each exercise once again.

Work as quickly as you can—with good form, of course—and only take breaks when you need them. For a little healthy competition, time yourself, then leave a comment on this post with your finish time. Bragging rights to the Be Weller with the fastest time.

Good luck!

BeWOW: Conditioning Ladder Workout

Follow this reps sequence for the seven exercises below: 25-20-15-10-5-10-15-20-25

Crunches
Push-ups
Squat jumps
Bent-over rows
Lunge jumps
Tricep dips
Dead lifts with dumbbells

Explanation of exercises
*Click each link below for a video how-to for each exercise.

Crunches: Get in sit-up position, with knees bent and hands behind the head. Without pulling the neck, squeeze your abs and sit halfway up. Hold for a beat, and return to starting position.

Push-up: Start lying face down with your chest on the floor, with hands facing forward and palms down in line with your shoulders; elbows should be pointing back. Push up until arms are extended (the inside of the elbow should be facing forward) and drop back down.

Squat jumps: Stand with feet hip-width apart and perform a squat, dropping your rear until your knees are just behind your toes and your hamstrings are parallel to the floor. As you stand, propel yourself upwards and jump. Return to standing and squat again.

Bent-over row: Hold a dumbbell in each hand with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Bend forward from the waist, keeping your spine straight and letting your hands fall forward in front of you. Pull the dumbbells back (you should feel like you’re rowing a boat), squeezing your shoulder blades.

Lunge jumps: Start standing with feet together and step forward with the left leg into a lunge, bending knee to about 90 degrees. Jump as you stand back up and switch legs before you land, so your right leg is forward. Lunge again, then jump, putting your left leg forward, and so forth. Left and right counts as one.

Tricep dips: Sit on a bench with your hands gripping the edge, fingers forward. Scoot your butt off the edge and walk your feet out a few steps. Drop your body and bend your elbows until they’re at 90 degrees. Push yourself back up until your arms are extended all the way.

Deadlifts with dumbbells: Hold dumbbells with arms extended down so they’re resting on your thighs, feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping shoulders back and abs tight (and without locking your knees), bend at the hips and let the weights lower towards the floor, going as far as you can without bending your knees too much. Drive your heels in to the floor and stand to return to the starting position.

>> 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.

Photo: Shutterstock