How to Pick Up the Pace With Ladder Drills

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Whether you're about to partake in a strength-training session, trail run or an obstacle race, a dynamic warm-up should always be included in your workout. A good warm-up will help prevent injuries and prepare the body for your exercise routine.

Mobility drills, activation exercises and stability training are great ways to get a solid 10-minute warm-up done and helps increase the heart rate.

More: 4 Warm-Ups for a Better Workout 

One fitness tool that is great to rev up the heart rate and challenge your footwork and coordination is the agility ladder (also known as the speed ladder).

There are a few variations out there, but you definitely don't need anything fancy to get the job done. If your budget is tight, you can use electrical tape and tape out some boxes on the floor.

The benefits of ladder training include:

  • Multi-planar coordination
  • Boost heart rate and blood flow throughout the body
  • Increase mind-body connection

More4 Agility Ladder Drills to Boost Your Quickness

Will the Ladder Make You Faster?

My answer to most things related to exercise and nutrition is, it depends. While ladder drills may not be the only thing to help you pick up your pace, these drills can improve your coordination and speed because you have to be light and quick on your feet.

If you're a beginner, or someone fairly new to exercise/running, then it absolutely will improve your speed and coordination. When properly coached, the coordination and body awareness you will gain from ladder training will transfer nicely to improved running speed and mechanics.

Someone who is more experienced, however, should focus more on running, bodyweight drills and strength training to improve their speed if that's the goal. But ladder drills are great to mix things up.

More: 17 Bodyweight Exercises for Speed and Strength 

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About the Author

Doug Balzarini, CSCS, MMA-CC

Doug Balzarini, CSCS, MMA-CC, is a fitness professional and the founder of DB Strength in San Diego. He is also the head strength and conditioning coach for Alliance Training Center where he works many with top professional MMA athletes. Visit www.dbstrength.com for more information.

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