How To Do a Ladder Workout for Runners
A ladder workout will help build your speed and adds variety to your running routine. Photos by Marques Jackson Photography.
By Marnie Kunz
If you want to get faster and improve your fitness, a ladder workout is a form of speed workout that gets great results. Doing a ladder workout — a form of interval workout — also adds variety to your running routine. Ladder workouts can be adapted for all levels of runners, making them an ideal form of speed training. Whether you’re training for your first 5K or for the Boston Marathon, ladder workouts can help you get faster while adding variety to your running program.
What Is a Ladder Workout?
A sample ladder workout.
A ladder workout for runners is an interval workout where the interval distance starts out short and gets longer as you go “up the ladder,” then after the midway point, the ladder goes back down to short intervals.
Intervals are fast segments of running mixed in with slow, recovery periods. Interval training steps up your running intensity in controlled segments with periods of recovery or slow jogging. This is in contrast to tempo runs or steady effort runs that are done at a consistent pace the whole time.
How It Works
A ladder workout is a great way to spice up your running routine with a variety of interval distances, and ladder workouts will make you faster over time. I love ladder workouts because I get bored easily and they offer a welcome change from long, slow base runs. Also, just as the ladder workout gets really tough and intense, at the “top” of the ladder, it then gives you a breather as you get shorter intervals to complete by the end.
A sample ladder workout on the track includes a warm-up, 200 meters of fast running, 200 meters of recovery running, 400 meters fast, 400 meters of recovery running, 800 meters fast, 800 meters of jogging to recover, 400 meters of fast running, 400 meters of slow jogging to recover, and then back down the ladder to end with running 200 meters fast, followed by a slow recovery 200 meters and a cooldown.
A long distance ladder workout.
Stretching
It’s important to do dynamic stretches before any speed training, and stretch after the run as well. This will help prevent running injuries and keep your body moving with a full range of motion in your joints. Dynamic stretches involve ongoing movement so they help you warm up while also giving you a good stretch.
Benefits of Ladder Workouts
Ladder workouts offer the benefits of speed training — increased metabolism, strengthening muscles, improved running speed, better oxygen efficiency when running, and improved fitness level.
If you incorporate a ladder workout into your running training program once a week, you will get faster. You will see an improvement in your race times and even in your base run pace over time. Be sure to follow your ladder workout with a rest day or easy recovery workout day to allow your muscles to rebuild and recover fully.
Also, keep in mind that you can adapt the ladder workout to your fitness level and goals. So if you are training for a half marathon, for instance, you can add distance to the workouts, starting your ladder workout with 400 meters, 800 meters, 1200 meters, and go up to 1-mile intervals. Using the principle of progressive overload, you can gradually add more distance or repeats to your ladder workouts.
How To Do A Ladder Workout
To do a ladder workout, you just need your running shoes and a GPS watch or a running app on your phone. Plan for about 45 minutes of workout time, including stretching, warming up, and cooling down.
A track makes ladder workouts easy as you will always know your distance. On a standard outdoor track, 200 meters is half a lap, 400 meters is one lap (.25 of a mile), 800 meters is two laps (.5 of a mile), and 1600 meters is 4 laps (1 mile).
If you do not have access to a track, however, it’s no problem — you can use a free running app on your phone such as Strava or use a Garmin or other GPS running watch. I am including measurements in meters/track distance as well as mile distance in the sample ladder workout so you can use whatever measurement method works best for you.
To do a ladder workout, first warm up with a slow jog for 800 meters or .5 of a mile. Then stretch and begin your ladder workout. This sample ladder workout is for runners who already have a solid running base of running regularly for at least 6 weeks. It may be your first speed workout, but you should already be running regularly before beginning speed training.
Sample Ladder Workout
Warm Up: 800 meters (2 laps on a track or .5 mile) slow, relaxed pace run. Stretch.
Run 200 meters fast (half a lap on the track or .125 of a mile), 90% effort level (at mile race pace)
Jog 200 meters slow, recovery jog
Run 400 meters (one lap on the track or .25 of a mile) fast, 90% effort level
Jog 400 meters slow, recovery jog
Run 800 meters (2 laps on the track or .5 of a mile) fast, 80% effort level (5K race pace)
Jog 800 meters slow, recovery jog
Run 400 meters fast, 90% effort level
Jog 400 meters slow, recovery jog
Run 200 meters fast, 90% effort level
Jog 200 meters slow, recovery jog
Cool Down: 800 meters (2 laps on a track or .5 mile) slow, relaxed pace run. Stretch.
Total Distance: 3.5 miles
Ladder Workout for Runners Pacing
When you are doing your ladder workout, your paces will vary depending on the interval length and your goal race distance and pace. If you are training for shorter distance races, you will want to run your fast intervals at your mile race pace and 5K race pace. For the longer ladder workout, aim for your 10K race pace for your fast intervals.
If you need help calculating your goal paces for your ladder workouts, check out our running pace chart.
How Often To Do A Ladder Workout
If you are new to speed training or just getting back into running, do one ladder workout a week to boost your speed and fitness level. For more advanced runners, add one ladder workout a week to your training, and do one additional speed workout a week. You can do a tempo run, strides, Tabata running, fartleks, or another interval workout for your second speed workout.
Your ladder workout will count as a hard day in your running program, so follow it with a rest day or easy recovery day. It’s important to follow the easy-hard principle with your running program so your body has plenty of recovery days as you train. You do not want to do hard days every day or go all-out with speed workouts two days in a row as this will lead to running injuries and burnout.
Speed Workout Tips
When you do ladder workouts for runners - or any speed workout - keep in mind that it takes 4 to 6 weeks to start seeing results from speed workouts. So don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Consistency is everything when it comes to track workouts, so keep putting in the effort and you will see results.
If you need a customized running program designed by a certified run coach, including when and how to do speed workouts, Runstreet has you covered. If you need daily virtual coaching, we can help with that too.
Have you tried the ladder workout? What do you think? Comment below.
Happy running to you!😊
Related Posts: 3 Track Workouts to Get Faster, How to Run Strides, 10 Benefits of Track Workouts, Interval Training for Beginners
Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach, dog lover, Akita mom, and writer based in Brooklyn, NY.
The standard distances on on outdoor track.
