Tip: Try Whole-Body Ladder Workouts

You can use ladders for your entire workout, but you need some planning and thinking. Here's an example:

• Press: 2-3-5-2-3-5
• Deadlift: 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3
• Squat: 2-3-5-2-3-5
• Curls: 1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3

Think three days a week and "autoregulate" the loads. In other words, increase the load when it feels easy.

1. Pick your rep range. Taking your approximate 5 RM (rep max) and doing a ladder with 1-2-3 reps is a good place to start. Start light.
2. Pick the number of times to run through the ladders. I'd suggest starting with three, though. If you get all three ladders, then you need to add weight next time.
3. It's all about staying fresh and crisp. It's not about grinding out reps and gritting your teeth. Autoregulation is primary. There are no percentages, plans, or programs to figure out. The athlete needs to adjust the load by "feel."
4. Let the volume do the work. This is often underappreciated. Getting strong, getting ripped, and getting massive takes time, energy, and effort. With strength, you need lots of clean reps with crisp technique to teach the nervous system to eventually lift massive loads.
5. The speed of the load and the overall effort must be maintained throughout. If you want to grind out reps, ladders are NOT for you.
6. Don't sweat bad days. Ladders seem to work from nervous system adaption. Like all systems, fixing the wiring might take some extra time.