Climbing up
and down ladders all day is certainly good exercise, but even if you’re not a
professional ladder user you can still reap some fitness benefits from
ladders.  Using the ones you have at home
can save you money on fancy gym equipment with a stepladder workout that really
pushes your leg workouts to a new level.

Build
strength in your glutes with elevated lunges using the bottom rung of the
stepladder to rest your front leg on. 
Facing the ladder, the extra height gives both legs a more challenging
workout and this also calls in your lower abdominal muscles and hip flexors,
making it a great exercise for your whole lower core and upper legs.

Off-set
squats using the bottom rung to give extra height are another good way of
building hip and leg strength.  Stand
sideways on to the ladder and put one foot on the bottom rung, then do a round
of squats.  You’ll really feel the
difference at first because of the unusual position; if you’re after a new
challenge in your squat routine this is it. 
Another new squat challenge is a Bulgarian split squat.  This position looks like a lunge but it’s
more of a squat style exercise.  Stand
facing away from the ladder with one leg resting on the second rung (the rear
leg shouldn’t be fully straight so start with a bended knee), then do a round
of squats.  This one really puts the
pressure on your standing leg, so it’s best done when you’re fully warmed up.

Get your
blood pumping with some toe taps.  Stand
around two feet away from the bottom rung of your stepladder and quickly tap
the rung with your foot, alternating sides. 
This aerobic component requires speed and strength to just lightly tap
the ladder – too much pressure could topple the ladder towards you, so this
exercise is great for testing your control and stamina.

There are
also some upper body and core exercises you can do with your stepladder.  Decline push ups really work the upper body
and shoulders by raising your feet on the first rung of the ladder.  If this feels too easy, go up another rung
with your feet and see if you can rise to the challenge.

Triceps dips
are also great with a stepladder using the second rung to give that
height.  If your stepladder is very
lightweight you may want to ask someone to foot the rear side for you but most
step ladders are sturdy enough for this exercise.  Start with knees bent and work your way up to
doing triceps dips with straight legs for the ultimate upper body and core
workout.

Planks are
excellent for building core strength, so use the stepladder to give height to
your standard or side planks.  Start on
the lowest rung and build up to the second one when you feel the need for a
bigger challenge.

An extension
ladder can be used for speed and agility training when laid flat on the ground.  It’s best to extend an extension ladder so
that you haven’t got too much height to jump over when performing ladder drills
– it’s easy to trip over the rungs when you’re starting out with ladder
exercises.  There are lots of ladder
drill workout schemes online which give you patterns to follow, so start easy
and work your way up to the more challenging footwork. 

Ladder drills
are excellent cardiovascular exercise, so if you combine these with the
strength challenges of the stepladder exercises you can get a full workout at
home using equipment you already have and if you’re looking for a lunch break
challenge on site, look no further than these step ladder and extension ladder
exercises and see who’s the fittest. Remember to always be sensible and think
safety first, whenever you’re using ladders.