Burpee Ladder

ExtrasBW

An ascending (or ascending-descending) rep ladder of standard burpees — e.g., 1, 2, 3...10 — used as a benchmark conditioning test and a scalable metabolic finisher.

Demo: CrossFit

Sets

1

Reps

1-10 ladder (55 total reps)

Rest

0s

Contraindications

Avoid with wrist, shoulder, or knee pain. High cumulative fatigue — appropriate only once standard burpees are well-tolerated in volume.

Setup

Clear floor space, timer or rep counter ready.

Execution

  1. 1Perform 1 burpee, then rest briefly (or move immediately per the chosen protocol)
  2. 2Perform 2 burpees on the next rung, then 3, continuing to ascend
  3. 3Maintain consistent burpee technique (full push-up, full jump) at every rung
  4. 4Track total time to complete the ladder, or work for a fixed time and count total reps
  5. 5Optionally descend back down after reaching the top rung (pyramid structure)

Key cues

  • Keep burpee form consistent from rung 1 to the final rung
  • Pace early rungs conservatively — the later rungs are where fatigue bites
  • Use minimal rest between rungs to maximize conditioning stimulus
  • Track total time as your benchmark metric

Common faults

  • Sprinting early rungs and blowing up before the ladder's top
  • Letting push-up/jump quality degrade badly on higher rungs
  • Losing count under fatigue (use a visible tracker)
  • Taking excessive rest between rungs, defeating the conditioning purpose

Tweaks

  • Ascend only to a set peak (e.g., 1-10) vs. full pyramid (1-10-1) for double the volume
  • Substitute half-burpees on later rungs if full-form burpees break down too much
  • Use as a monthly benchmark test to track work-capacity progress

Regressions

Burpee (Standard)

Muscles

Primary: Chest, Quadriceps, Glutes, Shoulders

Secondary: Core, Triceps, Calves

Notes

Primary energy system: lactic (glycolytic) heavily dominant, especially in the later rungs. Ladders are a favorite GPP structure of Ross Enamait's because they naturally self-regulate pacing while still driving maximal total work output.

Sources

Attribution: Ross Enamait / CrossFit Journal