What Is an Ascending Ladder Workout?

An ascending ladder is a simple workout format where the number of repetitions increases with each round.

For example, if your workout is:

Squats + Burpees: 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 10

you would perform:

Round 1: 2 Squats + 2 Burpees
Round 2: 4 Squats + 4 Burpees
Round 3: 6 Squats + 6 Burpees
Round 4: 8 Squats + 8 Burpees
Round 5: 10 Squats + 10 Burpees

You've now completed the ladder.

How Does an Ascending Ladder Work?

The repetitions don't have to increase by two.

A 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 ladder increases by one rep each round.

A 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 ladder increases by five.

You can use the format with one exercise or combine several exercises within each round.

The important part is simply:

Each round contains more work than the round before it.

Why Use Ascending Ladders?

I use ladder workouts because they're an easy way to structure strength, conditioning and muscular-endurance training.

They allow you to start with relatively little work and gradually increase the challenge as the session progresses.

They're also incredibly easy to understand.

You don't need to remember a complicated workout while you're tired — just complete the exercises and move up to the next number.

Depending on the exercises, loads, rest periods and size of the ladder, they can be used for anything from strength practice to a fairly horrible conditioning workout.

Ascending Ladder Example

Here's a 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 ascending ladder using squats and burpees:

1 Squat + 1 Burpee
2 Squats + 2 Burpees
3 Squats + 3 Burpees
4 Squats + 4 Burpees
5 Squats + 5 Burpees

That's 15 squats and 15 burpees in total.

Simple.

Although by the end of a sufficiently large ladder, not necessarily easy.

Watch the Example

In the video below, you can see a 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 ladder of squats and burpees in action.

and so on.

A descending ladder is the same, but the reps will decrease each round.

What Does AMRAP Mean in a Workout?

AMRAP stands for “As Many Rounds As Possible” or “As Many Reps As Possible.”

An AMRAP gives you a fixed amount of time and challenges you to complete as much work as possible before the clock runs out.

For example:

60-second AMRAP — Push-Ups

Start the timer and complete as many good-quality push-ups as you can in 60 seconds.

If you complete 24, your score is 24 reps.

Rounds vs Reps

If an AMRAP contains several exercises, you're usually trying to complete as many rounds of the workout as possible.

For example:

10-Minute AMRAP

5 Push-Ups
10 Squats
15 Kettlebell Swings

Complete the exercises in order, then immediately return to the push-ups and begin another round.

Keep going until 10 minutes have elapsed.

If you finish 7 complete rounds plus 5 push-ups and 6 squats, your score would be:

7 rounds + 11 reps

This makes AMRAPs very easy to record and repeat.

What Does “AMRAP 10” Mean?

You'll often see AMRAP followed by a number.

For example:

AMRAP 5 = 5 minutes
AMRAP 10 = 10 minutes
AMRAP 20 = 20 minutes

Unless the workout specifies otherwise, the number refers to the amount of time you have to complete the work.

How Hard Should an AMRAP Be?

This is where people often get AMRAPs wrong.

“As many as possible” doesn't necessarily mean “sprint as hard as possible from the first second.”

You need to manage your effort across the entire workout.

During a 60-second AMRAP, you might be able to attack it pretty aggressively.

During a 20-minute AMRAP, doing the same thing will probably leave you staring at the floor questioning your decisions after about three minutes.

The goal is to find a pace that allows you to accumulate the greatest amount of quality work across the whole time period.

Ideally, you should be able to increase your effort towards the end and finish knowing you didn't have much left to give.

What If I Need to Rest?

Rest when you need to.

The clock will continue counting down, so the aim is to manage those breaks rather than allowing them to become unnecessarily long.

Sometimes I'll give clients something simple to control this:

Take three deep breaths, then get moving again.

That prevents a five-second breather from quietly becoming a minute spent contemplating your existence.

As your fitness improves, you may find you can work for longer, recover more quickly and accumulate more repetitions within the same time.

Don't Sacrifice Movement Quality

An AMRAP is a test of how much good-quality work you can complete.

It isn't an excuse to gradually turn every exercise into something unrecognisable.

If you're performing push-ups, they should still be push-ups.

If you're squatting, maintain the movement standard you've been given.

And if your technique is deteriorating significantly because of fatigue, slow down or take a short break.

More bad reps aren't necessarily better than fewer good ones.

Why Use AMRAP Workouts?

I like AMRAPs because they're simple, measurable and incredibly versatile.

Depending on the exercises and duration, they can be used to develop conditioning, muscular endurance, work capacity or simply provide an efficient training session.

They're also easily repeatable.

If you complete:

8 rounds + 12 reps

the first time you attempt a workout and:

9 rounds + 4 reps

several weeks later under the same conditions, you've increased the amount of work you can perform in the same period of time.

That's progress.

AMRAP vs For Time

The difference is straightforward:

AMRAP: The time is fixed and you're trying to complete as much work as possible.

For Time: The work is fixed and you're trying to complete it as quickly as possible.

So:

10-minute AMRAP: How much can I do in 10 minutes?

5 rounds For Time: How quickly can I complete 5 rounds?

Both require pacing.

The clock just works in opposite directions.

The Bottom Line

AMRAP = As Many Rounds or Reps As Possible.

You have a fixed amount of time.

Complete as much quality work as you can.

Pace yourself appropriately.

Keep your technique intact.

And when the timer reaches zero, stop.

Your completed rounds and repetitions are your score.

Over the course of the 40 seconds, 2 rounds are completed.

Even if you know you wont have time to complete an additional round - go for it anyway to get the full benefit and increase your results.

EMOM: Every Minute on the Minute

EMOM stands for Every Minute on the Minute.

It's a simple way of organising training using the clock.

At the start of each minute, you perform a prescribed amount of work. Whatever time remains in that minute becomes your rest period.

Then, when the next minute begins, you go again.

HOW DOES AN EMOM WORK?

Imagine you have a 5-minute EMOM of 20 squats.

You would start a timer and perform 20 squats at:

0:00 — 20 squats, then rest
1:00 — 20 squats, then rest
2:00 — 20 squats, then rest
3:00 — 20 squats, then rest
4:00 — 20 squats, then rest

After the fifth round, you're finished.

If your 20 squats take 25 seconds, you have approximately 35 seconds to rest.

If they take 45 seconds, you only have around 15 seconds.

So as fatigue builds and the work takes longer, your available rest can decrease.

That's where things can get unpleasant quite quickly.

CHOOSE THE WORK CAREFULLY

The aim isn't necessarily to cram as much work as physically possible into every minute.

You need to be able to complete the prescribed work and recover sufficiently to repeat it.

If every round takes 58 seconds and leaves you desperately staring at the clock for two seconds before starting again, you've essentially created continuous work rather than a particularly useful EMOM.

That might occasionally be intentional.

Usually it isn't.

Adjust the:

Repetitions
Weight
Distance
Exercise

so the format suits what you're trying to achieve.

ALTERNATING EMOMS

You can also alternate exercises between minutes.

For example, a 10-minute alternating EMOM could be:

0:00 — 100m run, then rest
1:00 — 15 press-ups, then rest
2:00 — 100m run, then rest
3:00 — 15 press-ups, then rest

Continue alternating until the 10 minutes are complete.

This gives you five rounds of each exercise.

Alternating movements can also give particular muscles more recovery time while you're still performing work every minute.

WHAT ARE EMOMS GOOD FOR?

EMOMs are incredibly versatile.

Depending on the exercises, loads, repetitions and duration, they can be used for:

• Strength practice

• Conditioning

• Strength endurance

• Technique work

• Building training volume

• Keeping a session time-efficient

A heavy lift performed for one or two reps every minute creates a very different training effect from 15 burpees every minute.

The format is just the framework.

What you put inside it determines the training.

IN CLOSING

An EMOM is simple:

The minute starts.

You do the work.

You rest for whatever is left.

The next minute starts and you go again.

It's an excellent way to structure training because the clock keeps you accountable while still providing regular rest.

Just remember that EMOM describes how the workout is organised—not how hard it has to be.

Metcon: What Is Metabolic Conditioning?

Metcon is short for metabolic conditioning.

It's a broad term generally used to describe workouts that combine exercises into relatively continuous bouts of work to challenge your conditioning and ability to sustain or repeat effort.

A metcon might use:

Weights
Kettlebells
Sandbags
Bodyweight exercises
Running
Rowing
Cycling
Carries

Or, if you're training somewhere like the Commando Temple, probably something unnecessarily awkward and heavy.

WHAT DOES A METCON LOOK LIKE?

There's no single structure.

A metcon could be:

An AMRAP — complete as many rounds or reps as possible within a set time.

An EMOM — perform prescribed work at the beginning of each minute.

For Time — complete a specified amount of work as quickly as reasonably possible.

Intervals — alternate periods of work and recovery.

A circuit — move through several exercises for a number of rounds.

The structure simply gives you a way of organising the work.

WHAT ARE METCONS FOR?

Primarily, conditioning.

Depending on how they're programmed, metcons can challenge your cardiovascular system, local muscular endurance, work capacity and ability to recover between repeated efforts.

They can also allow you to accumulate a substantial amount of work in a relatively short period.

But the exact training effect depends enormously on what you put into them.

Five heavy sandbag carries with plenty of recovery is very different from ten minutes of burpees, even if somebody calls both workouts a metcon.

DO METCONS BUILD STRENGTH?

They can contribute to strength development, particularly for beginners or when heavier resistance is involved.

But if maximal strength is your main goal, dedicated strength training with appropriate loads and sufficient recovery is generally the better tool.

Turning your squats into a race doesn't magically make them better strength training.

Sometimes the point is to lift something heavy.

Sometimes the point is to keep moving when you're tired.

Know which one you're training.

METCONS AND FAT LOSS

Metcons expend energy.

So does running.

So does walking.

So does lifting weights.

So does staying alive.

A hard metcon can contribute to your overall energy expenditure, but you don't need to leave the gym lying in a pool of sweat to lose body fat.

Fat loss ultimately requires an energy deficit over time.

Use metcons because they provide a useful conditioning stimulus—not because you're trying to punish yourself for what you ate yesterday.

METCON VS STEADY-STATE CARDIO

Neither is inherently better.

Steady-state cardiovascular training—running, cycling, rowing and similar activities performed continuously at a manageable intensity—is an excellent way to develop aerobic fitness.

And plenty of people genuinely enjoy it.

Metcons provide something different.

They can combine different movements, challenge multiple muscle groups and expose you to repeated changes in effort.

If you find that more enjoyable, brilliant.

If you'd rather go for a run, that's also brilliant.

You don't get additional fitness points because your cardio involved a kettlebell.

DON'T TURN EVERYTHING INTO A METCON

This is probably the most useful coaching point.

Just because you can perform five exercises back-to-back against the clock doesn't mean you should.

Fatigue changes how you perform movements.

That's not inherently dangerous, but it can make highly technical or very heavy exercises poor choices for fast conditioning work.

Choose movements you can perform competently under the level of fatigue the workout is likely to create.

And remember:

More exhausted doesn't automatically mean more effective.

IN CLOSING

A metcon is simply a way of training your conditioning through structured bouts of work.

It can be short.

It can be long.

It can use weights, bodyweight exercises, running, machines or awkward objects.

It can be absolutely horrible.

But horrible isn't actually the objective.

The objective is to create the conditioning stimulus you're looking for.

Everything else is just how you choose to get there.