Steady-State Cardio Ladder

December 29th, 2017 by

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Steady-State Cardio Ladder

I don’t think I’m in the minority when I say I find steady-state, machine-based cardio boring. That’s probably a bit of an understatement LOL.

For me to get through it, and stay consistent with it, I need ways to keep my mind occupied. Yes, Netflix and Spotify help, but having some variables to play with and adjust during the course of a cardio workout makes things even more bearable.

With that in mind, here is a steady-state cardio workout I’ve used a lot over the years which keeps my mind occupied while getting in better condition.

“The Ladder” is comprised of several “rungs” of intensity. Each “rung” on the ladder is a bit more intense than the rung before it. Here is an example using a stationary bike (pedal rate of between 65-75 rpms):

Ladder Rung #1: 1:00 @ level 5
Ladder Rung #2: 1:00 @ level 6
Ladder Rung #3: 1:00 @ level 7
Ladder Rung #4: 1:00 @ level 8
Ladder Rung #5: 1:00 @ level 9

At this point, you would start again at rung number 1 and begin again. You would do 6-8 of these ladders (30-40 minutes). Keep in mind, again, this is only an example. A ladder can have as many (or as few) rungs as you want, and each rung can be for as long as you want (it doesn’t have to be 1:00 as listed above). Once again, you can implement this type of routine using any piece of traditional cardio