Ladder Training for Volume and Density Workouts

Chuck Sipes was a legendary "classical" bodybuilder who used ladder training to great success.

     Some lifters struggle, believe it or not, with getting enough volume in their workouts.  And it doesn’t really matter whether it’s high-frequency, high-volume workouts or high-intensity, high-volume workouts.  A lot of the time the reason for this is because of fatigue.  For lack of a better term, the lifter “gasses out” too early in the workout from doing too much at one time.  To counteract this, a lifter needs a way to manage fatigue.  This is where “ladder training” comes in.

     When doing more voluminous workouts, I love ladder training.  Let’s look at a few different methods of ladders, and how to plug the methods into a particular workout scheme.

The Up/Down Method

     The first method we’ll look at is what I call the “traditional” up/down method of ladders.  This is where you start with one repetition and add a repetition with each successive set.  Once you reach your maximum number of repetitions, go “back down” the ladder until you reach one rep again.

     In a past “Classical Bodybuilding” piece on Chuck Sipes, I mentioned that he was a fan of this method of training before ladders were even a “thing.”  He liked them on big, compound movements, primarily squats and bench presses (or their equivalents).

     If you select to use this method on a “big” movement such as squats, then select a weight where you would probably fail around the 15th repetition.  Start with one rep, and work your way up to 10 reps.  At that point, you can either work back down or you can start back over at one rep and go back up to 10 again.

     The first time that you try this, you may be more sore than usual the day after the workout.  This is simply because you were able to get more volume in the workout than what you’re accustomed to even though the workout seems as if it’s easier while you’re doing it.

     You can also use this method for high-frequency training on bodyweight exercises or compound movements using much lighter weights.  I like to do these on chins, for instance.  If I was to go out to my garage gym right now and try one all-out set, I would typically be able to do these for about ten reps.  But then, if I try to do multiple sets, my reps drop on each successive set, not allowing me to manage fatigue very well.  If I did a total of 5 sets then my sets in this case would usually look something such as this: 10 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps, 5 reps, and maybe another set of 5, but usually only 3 or 4 reps on my last set.  My rep total would be, then, somewhere between 32 and 34 reps.  But if I do ladders, I’m able to easily get from 1 to 8 reps with no fatigue whatsoever for a total of 36 reps.  Even though the reps are roughly the same, I’m not fatigued, I feel great when the workout is over, and I’m able to train more frequently.

     Another thing that improves with my ladder workout as opposed to the “traditional” 5-set workout is the density of the training.  Even though I’m doing more sets with the ladder method, I’m able to get them in a shorter period of time.

     At times in various articles, essays, and posts, I’ve mentioned my Uncle Kirk (who will soon be appearing in my next “Deep South Mass and Power Chronicles”), a beer-drinking, tobacco-spitting Texan who can still deadlift over 400 pounds in his 70s!  For years, he held the masters record in the state of Texas in the deadlift.  Anyway, he told me that one time when he was injured, he used this method on push-ups to keep a lot of his strength and muscle mass while recovering.  Every day he would do push-ups starting with one rep and working up to 20 reps, then working back down to one rep.  If you’re counting, that’s 420 repetitions.

The 2-3-5-10 Method

     Here is one that I learned from Dan John about a decade ago, and that I like to use on a regular basis.  On a compound movement such as deadlifts, bench presses, or squats, pick a weight where 10 reps is really hard but you know that you can manage 10 reps.  Do a set of 2 reps, rest a little, do a set of 3, rest a little more, do a set of 5, rest some, and then do a set of 10 reps.  Repeat for as many cycles as you want.

     The beauty of this method is how quickly you can move through the sets.  Two reps is easy, so you quickly go to 3 reps.  Three reps is easy, too, so you quickly do a set of 5.  Since 5 reps is also easy, you quickly do a set of 10 reps.  And, yes, the 10 reps is hard, but since you know you only have to do 2 reps on the next set, you quickly move on to it, as well.

     I typically recommend that you do 5 cycles for a total of 100 reps.  This is a great alternative to the 10 sets of 10 method.  When doing 10 sets of 10, however, assuming you’re taking minimal rest between sets, you have to use a weight where you would fail at around the 20th repetition (if you were only doing one set).  The reps, of course, are the same with 10x10, but the workload will be quite lower due to the poundage used.  Also, the density is much the same.  In fact, you might be surprised that you can finish the 2-3-5-10 quicker than simply 10 sets of 10.

The 2-3-5 Method for Strength and Power

     In the same way that the 2-3-5-10 method is a great alternative to your typical 10 sets of 10, the 2-3-5 method is a great alternative to your traditional 5 sets of 5 method of lifting.  Select a weight where 5 reps is really tough but you do think you can do it, at least for a couple of sets if you were performing straight sets of 5 reps.  Now, do a set of 2 reps, rest a couple of minutes, do a set of 3 reps, then rest a couple more minutes and do a set of 5 reps.  I like this sequence for a total of 25 reps: 2-3-5-2-3-5-2-3.

     The beauty of this technique, once again, is how well it manages fatigue.  You only really have two hard sets, the 2 sets of 5.  The other sets may feel heavy, which they should, but they’re still done with relative ease.

     If you were to attempt the same weight for 5 sets of 5, then you would probably get 5 reps on your first couple of sets, but the reps would drop off after that, leaving you (probably) with a couple sets of 4 reps, and one set of 3 reps.

Programming the Workouts

     The main problem that many lifters have—not just with ladders but with any method—is the programming.  Basically, ladders can fit into either low-frequency or high-frequency workouts.  It depends on the weights being used, the exercise selection, and the total number of reps.

     If you opt for the “up/down” method or the “2-3-5-10” method, then make sure you’re taking enough rest between workouts, about the same as if you were doing a 10 sets of 10 workout.  Here’s a good split:

Day One: squats

Day Two: bench presses and barbell curls

Day Three: off

Day Four: deadlifts and overhead presses

Day Five: off

Day Six: repeat

     The exercises are just examples.  Other good exercises you could plug in would be dips, chins, any kind of overhead dumbbell presses, sumo deadlifts, deficit deadlifts, and high-pulls.

     If you are after strength and power, then utilize the 2-3-5 method.  Here, since the reps are considerably lower (25 reps as opposed to 100 reps per exercise), you can train more frequently.  Here’s a good split:

Day One: squats and barbell curls

Day Two: deadlifts and bench presses

Day Three: off

Day Four: repeat

     Lastly, if you want to do some bodyweight workouts, or use much lighter weights on the compound movements (this is a great option for older lifters such as myself), then I would simply rotate between an upper body day and a lower body day.  Take a day off whenever you feel as if you need it.