HIIT It or Quit It: Agility Ladder Edition

I love agility ladders. I love them because they constantly challenge my clients to think as quickly as their feet move, and those who complain about being completely uncoordinated find themselves just as foot loose as Moose himself after adding it to their training once or twice a week. Adding speed and agility to training doesn’t just help during the game though. IKEA on a Sunday? You should see how fast I can dart through the unpredictable paths of furniture hungry masses. For real.

You know what I also love? HIIT. What is HIIT? High Intensity Interval Training is a type of workout that is extremely short and high effective. According to the American Council on Exercise, HIIT is a cardiorespiratory training technique that alternates brief speed and recovery intervals to increase the overall intensity of a workout. This technique can increase both aerobic and anaerobic capacity and also burn fat. There isn’t really a specific formula for duration, but can be as short as 30 seconds or as long as 5 minutes. The key is to work hard during the work period.

So what happened the day I decided to combine my favorite training tool and HIIT? Mind blown. No. Entire body blown. I present to you, the exquisite pleasure of Agility Ladder HIIT.

 

The Formula

Each drill lasts 30 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. Perform the six drills 3 times each for a total of 18 rounds. (30:10:18) I use my GYMBOSS timer, but there are some great interval timer apps like Impetus to help keep time.

 

The Drills

High Knees

Starting at the beginning of the ladder, perform high knees as each rung is hit with both feet. When the end of the ladder is reached, turn around and repeat in the opposite direction to return to start.

Lateral Plank Walk

In a plank position, start at the beginning of the ladder. Walk your right hand and foot to the next rung, followed by the left. Repeat until the end of the ladder is reached, then return to start in the opposite direction.

Forward Load N’ Explode

This one is a fun explosive drill. At the beginning of the ladder, quick feet through the first rung and land on the left side of the ladder with the left foot. Loading the left leg, quickly jump laterally onto the right foot on the right side of the ladder. Repeat the sequence for each rung until the end is reached, then turn around and repeat in the opposite direction to return to start.

One-Foot Drop Squat Hops

Ode to ankle strength and stabilization! Starting on the left foot, hop forward two rungs. In the second rung, drop into a single leg squat as low as you can go while staying balanced over the left ankle. Repeat the sequence until the end of the ladder, then switch to the right leg to return to start.

Lateral In N’ Outs

Standing parallel to the ladder, start with the right foot immediately following it with the left into the first rung. Quickly step back out with both feet just on the outside of the ladder. Advance to the next rung to the right. Repeat the sequence until the end of the ladder is reached, then repeat in the opposite direction to return to start.

Lateral Push Ups

Using the same technique as the lateral plank walk, add a push up each time the hands meet in the same rung. Easy peasy.

 

Pro Tips

- Use your whole body to perform the drill: swing your arms and drive the actions with both your hips and legs.

- Look up! Train as if you were training for your sport, so don’t be caught looking at your feet when you could be focusing your eyes on what is happening around you.

- Form over speed: do a run through once or twice at a slower pace to get the rhythm and form right. Speed in these drills won’t benefit you if you are running through them like a wacky waving inflatable tube man. Once you’ve gotten a handle on technique, go for speed.

Agility Drill of the Week: 1-Foot Lateral Zig Zag Hop

In college, a group of friends and I took a road trip from Illinois to California with activities like surfing, hiking and bungee jumping in the agenda once we got there. Along the way we stopped in Salt Lake City to take obligatory pictures of standing on the salty lake. On the way back to the car, I sprained my ankle pretty badly by rolling it in the gravel parking lot. Lame, right? Out of all the things we did on the trip, that was how I injured myself? That embarrassing moment has plagued my sports career ever since and have had to keep up with ankle strengthening every time I think about playing. If I could sprain my ankle just WALKING, then I surely could sprain it again skating/running/playing dodgeball/WALKING.

With that being said, creating ankle strength and speed at the same time can be a daunting task. If 1-footed balance exercises are already in your weekly program, I am very proud of you. But if you are ready for the next level, try this 1-foot lateral zig zag hop drill to put that ankle strength in movement. This drill is advanced level, so if you know your ankles are still weak or recovering from injury, do not attempt this drill.

1-Foot Lateral Zig Zag Hop

Start on your left foot with your left leg slightly bent at the ankle and knee. You will want to perform this drill from a slightly athletic position rather than standing straight up. From the outside of the ladder closest to you, hop into the first rung then forward on the other side of the ladder farthest from you. You will then jump backwards into the 2nd rung and back on the outside. Repeat the movement all the way to the end on the same foot and then execute the drill on your right foot coming back to the start. This drill is killer so you will only want to do the drill once or twice on both legs until you have built up the strength to complete 3 to 5 times.

ADOTW Pro Tips

- Use your whole body to perform the drill: swing your arms and drive the actions with both your hips and legs.

- Look up! Train as if you were training for your sport, so don’t be caught looking at your feet when you could be focusing your eyes on what is happening around you.

- Form over speed: do a run through once or twice at a slower pace to get the rhythm and form right. Speed in these drills won’t benefit you if you are running through them like a wacky waving inflatable tube man. Once you’ve gotten a handle on technique, go for speed.

Agility Drill of the Week: Figure 8 Up Downs

Are we having fun with burpees yet? I know I’m … not. This week’s ADOTW involves a burpee-like move and adds agility to all the already awesome goodness. Think of it as an ode to my hometown footwork fame plus a crossfit addict’s need to add plyos to EVERYTHING.

Figure 8 Up-Downs

Set 2 cones a few feet apart, just wider than shoulder width apart. Starting in the middle of the cones, shuffle around them in a figure 8 motion. When you return to the start, pause, place your hands on the ground in front of your feet while bending your knees. Next, jump back into a plank position with your neck and spine in a neutral position and immediately jump your feet back to your hands. Stand up, adding a vertical jump at the end, then repeat the figure 8 motion in the opposite direction. Do 10 to 12 reps or see how many you can do in 1 minute.

Pro Tips

- Use your whole body to perform the drill: swing your arms and drive the actions with both your hips and legs.

- When jumping back into a plank, you shouldn’t look like you are trying to do the worm on the way back. Concentrate on keeping your body as flat as a board as you push back up. Since this is a full body move that means your arms and core are doing work too.

- Look up! Train as if you were training for your sport, so don’t be caught looking at your feet when you could be focusing your eyes on what is happening around you.

- Form over speed: do a run through once or twice at a slower pace to get the rhythm and form right. Speed in these drills won’t benefit you if you are running through them like a wacky waving inflatable tube man. Once you’ve gotten a handle on technique, go for speed.

Agility Drill of the Week: Weave N' Sprint

There is a scene I always think of in the Bourne Supremacy when I am running. In the beginning of the movie, Matt Damon is running on the beach and then all of a sudden, he kicks it into high gear and turns into a sprinting machine. I started running recently and am doing my best to stick to it, but I know in my heart that I will always loathe distance running. I’ve always been a sprinter and will always be a sprinter. So in my head, I am Jason Bourne-ing my runs just in case I ever need to go fight bad guys and uncover conspiracies.

This week’s drill is a one built to work both agility and speed. Adding this drill to your weekly practice can improve your footwork in multiple directions and then kick you into high gear in a forward action. Below are the steps to execute along with some tips!

Pro Tips

- Use your whole body to perform the drill: swing your arms and drive the actions with both your hips and legs.

- Look up! Train as if you were training for your sport, so don’t be caught looking at your feet when you could be focusing your eyes on what is happening around you.

- Form over speed: do a run through once or twice at a slower pace to get the rhythm and form right. Speed in these drills won’t benefit you if you are running through them like a wacky waving inflatable tube man. Once you’ve gotten a handle on technique, go for speed.

Weave N’ Sprint

You will need 10 cones. Set the first 5 cones about a foot apart, then the other five 50 yards away in a straight line in the same manner. Start at one end and while facing forward the entire drill, weave quickly through the first 5 cones then sprint to the end of the last cone set. Turn around and repeat from the other side so that you end where you began. That is 1 rep. Repeat this drill 6 to 8 times total.

Got it? Good. Let's go Jason Bourne-ing.

Agility Drill of the Week: 1-Foot Lateral Hop

I’ve been having a little bit of fun with agility drills lately, and I wanted to share them in a fun way. So today I present ADOTW—animated for your enjoyment!

Agility drills have some great benefits. Not only can you train all 3 planes of motion:

• Sagittal = forward or backward

• Frontal = side to side

• Transverse = rotational

you can increase your body/mind awareness, coordination and speed. I like to add 3 to 4 agility drills to the end of each workout to keep agility fine-tuned. They are also great metabolic finishers, which burn the last bit of energy you have to increase endurance and keep calories burning off long after you’ve finished.

Pro Tips

- Use your whole body to perform the drill: swing your arms and drive the actions with both your hips and legs.

- Look up! Train as if you were training for your sport, so don’t be caught looking at your feet when you could be focusing your eyes on what is happening around you.

- Form over speed: do a run through once or twice at a slower pace to get the rhythm and form right. Speed in these drills won’t benefit you if you are running through them like a wacky waving inflatable tube man. Once you’ve gotten a handle on technique, go for speed.

1-Foot Lateral Ladder Drill

Increase your lateral power and speed with this drill. The fun and not-so-fun part about this drill is that you are training single leg stability as well, so you will find your lower leg on fire by the end. The stronger your lower leg muscles are, the faster you can react.

Start with both feet to the side of the agility ladder, a few feet away. Then, loading your right foot, hop laterally to the outside of the ladder with your left. From there you will quickly hop to the inside of the ladder and back out with the same foot. Load your left foot, then hop back out to the side but forward to the next starting position. Repeat on both sides.

And don’t forget, have fun!