Excellent Agility Ladder Drills for Cardio

Are agility ladder drills an effective cardio training technique?

Agility ladders are designed to increase foot speed, and non-linear quickness by strengthening fast twitch muscle fibers. Because of the high-intensity level of these exercises, speed ladders are also a great cardio training method.

There are literally hundreds of different agility ladder workouts you can use.

6 Quality Agility Ladder Drills

I’m going to outline some of the most popular and effective agility ladder drills that are guaranteed to take your cardiovascular training to a new level.

I recommend choosing about ten exercises, and perform each one down and back. There should only be about 15-30 seconds of rest between each. Once you get to the end of the ladder, you will perform about a five yard sprint.

Here’s the formula:
agility exercise >> sprint >> rest >> same agility exercise >> sprint >> rest

To make the agility drills more difficult, you can add a burpee or pushup at the end of the sprint. You can actually add any type of exercise to supplement the agility ladder drills. There is a lot of room for adjustments.

If possible, I also recommend performing these drills with a friend or two. It will really make the whole experience much more fun, and will keep you motivated to keep going.

First, you will need a nice open space, and then you need to lay out your agility ladder.

Don’t get discouraged by some of these agility ladder drills. There is some thinking involved because some of the moves may seem complex at first.

If it’s a drill you have never tried, then take it slow and perfect the form before turning on the throttle.

1. One foot in each square.
You will simply step in each individual square with one foot each. Try to get your knees up high like your performing high knees.

2. Two in each square.
This time, you will step in each individual square with both feet.

3. Lateral shuffle
Start at the beginning of the ladder with the ladder on your right-hand side. Step with your right foot into the square followed by your left foot in that same square. Continue this motion moving to your side all the way down.

4. Ickey Shuffle
Start by standing next to the ladder and looking down to the end. This one is slightly more complicated so listen carefully.

You will step into the first square with your lead foot with your other foot following. Your lead foot will then continue on to the outside of the ladder next to the following square. Now you will step in the second square leading with your left foot.

You can also perform a reverse ickey shuffle, but this is a more advanced drill.

5. 1 Foot Hip Rotation
Start by facing the agility ladder. You will then step with your lead foot into the first square and simultaneous your hips. If you stepped in with your right foot, you will twist to the left and vice versa.

6. Two Feet Shuffle
Start on the side of the ladder with your body looking down to the end. You will simply jump with both feet into the first square, jump to the outside next the following square, jump into the second square, and jump back out to the other side. Just remember in, out, in, out.

Along with the descriptions above, I have also compiled some videos of people actually performing agility ladder drills.

Keep in mind, that some of these people are not performing the agiliy drills correctly. It’s important that you weed out these people, and avoid trying to mimic their incorrect technique. Trust me, it’s pretty obvious to tell who is performing the drills correctly.

Important Agility Ladder Drills Tips

Agility ladder drills are a great way to spice up cardio routine and challenge your body in a new, and unique way.

I hope this gave you a better understanding of the potential benefits of agility ladder drills. If you’re looking for advanced ladder drills, I highly recommend 130 Best Agility Ladder Drills.

Good luck!