Full Body Ladder 1

Now that I am focusing on calisthenics for strength training, I have returned to a lot of Mark Lauren’s excellent body weight strength workouts. I have signed up for his streaming app which is pretty incredible. However, you don’t need to spend a dime to get some of Mark’s amazing workouts. This workout is free on YouTube. He has quite a few others as well. In fact, looking at his YouTube page it is a good taste of what you get on his app. On his app you can build your own workouts piecing together 100s of exercises–including many warm ups and stretches of various lengths. He also has full programs where the workouts are already put together for you. Additionally, every DVD he has created is also on his app.

For today’s workout, I started with this 20 minute full body workout which includes a wonderful mobility and strength warm up. It has no stretch so it flows right into what I added onto this–two 7.5 minute ladders that are also on his YouTube channel: Let Me Ins and Cossack Squats (I did not blog these two short workouts). And I ended it with one of the many stretches now available on his YouTube channel–the amazing 13 minute stretch from his EFX DVD.

This was a short and excellent full body workout. Like all of Mark’s workouts, there is a tutorial before the warm up and each ladder. The tutorials are important since form is crucial to get the most out of the exercises. At the end of the tutorial Mark also shows options on how to make the exercises easier and harder. I cannot do a pull up so I used my Fit Tower and did a variation that he does not show but I am familiar with from Cathe‘s Fit Tower workouts.

Full Body Ladder 1 is 20:41 minute; 7:30 minute warm up and no stretch. Equipment: pull up bar, a chair or bench and a fitness mat.

1:25 minute tutorial

Warm up: (each exercise is done for 35 seconds)

1. Thumbs up (lay on stomach with arms extended to sides in a T and thumbs pointed to ceiling, raise arms as high as you can bringing shoulder blades together)
2. Pointers (bird dogs–on hands and knees, extend one arm in front of you and opposite leg behind you, bend knee bringing leg and arm under body tapping elbow to knee)
3. S-reach (in high double kneeling, reaching one arm overhead and behind you so hand touches opposite shoulder while other arm reaches up behind you from low back position also reaching for opposite shoulder, alternate arm positions)
4. Repeat #1-3 two more times

2 minute tutorial

Ladder 1:

1. Standard pull up, one rep
2. Military press, one rep (in pike position with arms slightly wider than shoulder width apart, lower forehead toward ground then press yourself back to start)
3. Close grip pull up, 2 reps (hands close together on bar)
4. Close grip military press, 2 reps (same as #2 but hands are closer together)
5. Repeat #1 & 2 for 3 reps
6. Repeat #3 & 4 for 4 reps
7. Repeat #1 & 2 for 5 reps
8. Repeat #3 & 4 for 4 reps
9. Repeat #1 & 2 for 3 reps
10. Repeat #2 & 3 for 2 reps
11. Repeat #1 & 2

One minute tutorial

Ladder 2:

1. One legged box squat, one rep (stand in front of a chair or bench (something knee high) with both arms extended straight in front of you, lift one leg off floor, squat until glutes touch chair then return to standing)
2. Repeat #1 on other leg
3. Repeat #1 & 2 for two reps each, then for 3 reps each, then for 4 reps each, then for 5 reps each, then go back down the ladder until you are doing one rep each

For more information on Mark Lauren see the trainer page I created for him. For other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.