Ladders

So my lovely (and somewhat douche-y, but I say that in the best way possible) trainer, Joe, has a penchant for forcing me to do "ladder" cardio exercises. What this means is you start out on either Level 0 or Level 1 on a machine, and after five or ten minutes (depending on the machine), you increase the level of resistance one increment every minute until the machine maxes out, and then you go back down.

What this means is A TON of calories are burned, and usually your thighs, calves, knees, arms, and, OH YEAH YOUR WHOLE BODY, are also on fire. It also equates to what feels like a very quick work out because it's changing the whole time and a very satisfied feeling when you see how many calories you burned, how many miles your workout equals, and knowing you actually kept the stupid elliptical going on LEVEL 24- the elliptical's max resistance level.

So despite the fact that whenever Joe tells me to do a ladder, I bitch and moan about it, I relish them. They make me feel so good - which means I'm making my self feel so good. And I really do feel great post-gym. I'm enjoying the soreness and the increased flexibility and lung capacity. It seems it all goes hand in hand.

Sometimes I even do ladders when Joe's not on my ass to do them - and I recommend them to anyone who wants to get their ass kicked cardio-wise.