This 'Triple Ladder' Workout Is a Quick Way to Train During a Time Crunch

Finding yourself pressed for time happens to us all. Sometimes, a scheduled workout gets bumped or shortened, but it is always best to get something done, even if only for 15-20 minutes. Here is a quick workout with several full-body and cardio events rolled into what I call an extended warm-up with pyramids and short runs between sets.

Whether you call them "ladders" or "half pyramids," the progressive circuit nature of this workout routine is one of the best to warm up during your workout. In fact, normal workouts usually feature the following ladders as our warm-ups for upper- or lower-body workout days.

But today, we will do them all as a stand-alone workout. Here is how this “Triple Ladder” Workout goes:

Squats ladder 1-10 with a 100-meter jog/walk between sets

Do one squat, jog 100 meters. Do two squats, jog 100 meters. Do three squats, jog 100 meters ... Keep going up to set 10 for a total of 55 squats and 1,000 meters of jogging. These are air squats, but you can always make them harder with a weight vest or a set of dumbbells. Make the runs 2 x 50-meter shuttle runs if you want to keep the squats in a single location.

Pull-ups ladder 1-5 (or 10) with a 100-meter jog/walk between sets (stop at 5-10)

Depending on your ability, take your pull-ups up from one to 5-10 sets. Do one pull-up, then a 2 x 50-meter shuttle run; two pull-ups, another 2 x 50-meter shuttle run; then three pull-ups, followed by a 2 x 50-meter shuttle run back and forth from the pull-up bars until you reach your limit of 5-10 sets. This is best done on an outdoor pull-up bar, but if you do not have one, you can replace the 100-meter jogs with a 20-second jumping jack or jump-rope session each set.

Push-ups ladder 1-10 with a 100-meter jog/walk between sets (stop at 10)

Do one push-up, jog 100 meters; two push-ups, jog another 100 meters; three push-ups, another 100 meters. Keep going up to Set 10 for a total of 55 push-ups and 1,000 meters of jogging.

This triple ladder will yield 55 push-ups, pull-ups and squats, along with 3,000 meters of accumulated running. If you keep moving nonstop through this "warm-up workout," you can get this done in 20 minutes.

If pressed for time, a likely skipped activity will be the cooldown/stretch. While there are many reasons why you do not want to skip this phase of the workout, sometimes it may be put off until later. But it is easy to make up the following stretch and/or foam rolling later in the day.

• 5-10 minutes of cardio cooldown (walk, jog, bike, swim, etc.)
• 5 minutes of stretching
• 5 minutes of foam rolling

I recently did this and spent a few minutes stretching in the shower, getting dressed and even on the car ride to where I needed to be that morning. You can always stretch, massage or foam-roll later in the day or make up your workout if you can find the full hour you usually have when your schedule does not get jumbled.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you're looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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