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How to use the Swedish Ladder, Station #8

How to use…

The Swedish Ladder, Station (#8)

Swedish wall bars in their many variations have a tonne of uses and are widely used in gyms and schools. In many instances, they are used simply for climbing and for coordination skills, particularly in primary school education. They are also used by more advanced gymnasts for resistance training, flexibility training or abdominal exercises. Gymnasts would traditionally hang from a higher bar with their back facing the bar and perform abdominal exercises such as hip flexion, or hang facing the bar to stretch their back. Wall bars are also useful for parkour training.

How-to Animations:

The how-to animations below provide snippets of exercises demonstrating proper form, posture and positioning.

1. Decline push up

Notes:

A push up is a form of pushing from the chest just like a chest press with dumbbells or a bar in the gym. By elevating the feet and tipping the body down, a greater load is placed on the active muscles.

Muscles used:

Shoulders – anterior deltoids, medial deltoids
Chest – pectoralis major (pecs)
Back – trapezius, rhomboids, spinal and scapular stabilizers
Arms – triceps
Mid-section – core muscles as stabilizers keeping body rigid
Lower body – legs active as stabilizers

Difficulty:

2. Plank and reach

Notes:

The plank is a very common static exercise challenging the muscles of the upper body and mid-section. The mid section muscles are involved in keeping the body straight and preventing the hips from falling. The reach part of the exercise adds an element of functional movement to what would otherwise be a static action thus making it more practical.

Muscles used:

Shoulders – anterior deltoids, medial deltoids
Chest – pectoralis major (pecs)
Back – trapezius, rhomboids, spinal and scapular stabilizers
Arms – triceps as stabilizers
Mid-section – core muscles as stabilizers keeping body rigid
Lower body – legs active as stabilizers

Difficulty:

3. Pulling, option one

Notes:

A basic rule of resistance training is to pair pushing with pulling exercises and, in doing so, you will work all of the muscles in the upper body. This first pulling variation represents pulling “perpendicular to the body” as in seated rows performed at the gym with a bar or dumbbells.

Muscles used:

Shoulders – posterior deltoids
Back – latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, spinal stabilizers
Arms – biceps, forearm group
Anterior mid-section – abdominals, external obliques (as stabilizers)
Posterior mid-section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – hip extensors (glutes, upper hamstrings), quads

Difficulty:

4. Pulling, option two

Notes:

This second pulling variation represents pulling “parallel to the body” as in pull-ups or chin-ups on the bar, or lat pulldowns on a pulley machine.

Muscles used:

Difficulty:

5. Plank and walk

Notes:

Notice the difference from the “Plank and reach”? That’s right, we go from resting elbows to holding yourself up on extended arms. This strongly engages the triceps which are now active in keeping the arms extended. You can see from the animation how the entire body is active to some degree.

Muscles used:

Difficulty:

6. Plank and walk, advanced

Notes:

The only difference between this plank and walk and the version above is the distance one travels. In the Plank and walk advanced, you can plank and walk yourself to 45º or more and back down.

Muscles used:

Difficulty:

7. Calf raise

Notes:

Simple exercises that aren’t too challenging like the calf raise shown here are ideal to sequence between exercises that are more demanding to facilitate recovery.

Muscles used:

Mid-section – as stabilizers
Lower body – calf muscles (plantar flexors)

Difficulty:

8. Calf raise, single leg

Notes:

Using one leg at a time will allow you to increase the load you’re applying to each calf muscle.

Muscles used:

Mid-section – as stabilizers
Lower body – calf muscles (plantar flexors)

Difficulty:

9. Tricep press

Notes:

Keep in mind that your triceps are thoroughly engaged whenever your elbow joint opens against resistance, such as all pressing actions of the upper body. Why is this important? It means you can leave exercises that isolate the triceps if you’re including pressing exercises in your workout.

Muscles used:

Back – trapezius, rhomboids, spinal stabilizers
Arms – triceps
Anterior mid-section – abdominals, external obliques (as stabilizers)
Posterior mid-section – glutes, erector spinae as stabilizers

Difficulty:

10. Shoulder press

Notes:

Place your feet on a lower ladder rung, hands on the ground, arms extended. Walk hands back towards you to pike 90º at the hips. Lower your head towards the ground and press away. This action is like a shoulder press performed at the gym using a machine, bar or dumbbells.

Muscles used:

Shoulders – anterior, medial and posterior deltoids
Back – trapezius, rhomboids, spinal stabilizers
Arms – triceps
Anterior mid-section – abdominals, external obliques (as stabilizers)
Posterior mid-section – glutes and erector spinae as stabilizers

Difficulty:

11. Shoulder press, advanced

Notes:

If the shoulder press version above becomes too easy some day, this option earns a full five stars due to the increased load on the shoulders and the increased challenge to stabilizers.

Muscles used:

Difficulty:

12. Nordic curl

Notes:

Nordic curls is an excellent example of eccentric muscle contraction where a muscle, in this instance the hamstrings as knee flexors, is forced to lengthen while simultaneously contacting. Exercises that involve eccentric contractions will often cause delayed onset muscle soreness, so be careful when first getting acquainted with Nordic curls!

Muscles used:

Back – trapezius, rhomboids, spinal stabilizers
Arms – biceps, forearm group
Posterior mid-section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – glutes and upper hamstrings as stabilizers, lower hamstrings (knee flexors) as prime movers

Difficulty:

13. Hip flexion, supine

Notes:

This is an advanced version of isolating hip and spinal flexion with the torque load of the legs amplified as the legs near the ground. Consequently, the abdominals contract to keep the spine stable. There’s also a small but significant load on the arms and shoulders while bracing on the bars with the hands.

Muscles used:

Shoulders – anterior and medial deltoids
Back – latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, spinal stabilizers
Arms – biceps, forearm group
Anterior mid-section – abdominals, external obliques (as stabilizers), iliopsoas (hip flexors) as prime movers
Lower body – rectus femoris as weak hip flexors

Difficulty:

14. Hip flexion, vertical

Notes:

Hanging vertical hip flexion places quite a bit of stress on the upper body as stabilizers, but bending the knees shortens the legs as levers thus reducing the difficulty for the hip flexors.

Muscles used:

Difficulty:

15. Hip flexion, vertical, advanced

Notes:

This is an advanced version of isolating hip flexion with the torque load of the legs amplified by keeping the knees extended. If you found exercise 13 to be tough, this version amplifies the load even further with the body positioned vertically versus horizontally. And, like the exercise above, there’s a load on the upper body holding on to the bars and stabilizing.

Muscles used:

Difficulty:

16. Hip extension, inverted

Notes:

Stand facing the Swedish Ladder. Bend forward to grab one of the lower two bars. Continue to move forward, walking your feet in towards the bars, head down. From this near-inverted position, press your back against the bars, reach up with one arm to grab a bar 3 or 4 bars higher, depending on your reach. Now, reach up and grab the bar with the other hand as well. You are now in the beginning position of the animation on the left.

Muscles used:

Shoulders – posterior deltoids
Back – trapezius, rhomboids, spinal stabilizers
Arms – biceps, forearm group
Anterior mid-section – abdominals, external obliques (as stabilizers)
Posterior mid-section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – prime movers: hip extensors (glutes, upper hamstrings)

Difficulty:

17. One leg squat

Notes:

Use the Swedish Ladder as an anchor for one leg, step from the bars with the active leg, bend at the knee and hip to perform a one leg squat. This exercise can be performed at various locations around the WCFP and is great for developing better balance.

Muscles used:

Anterior mid-section – abdominals, external obliques (as stabilizers)
Posterior mid-section – erector spinae as stabilizers
Lower body – hip extensors (glutes, upper hamstrings), quads

Difficulty:

18. Hip flexion, prone

Notes:

This easy hip flexion exercise pairs nicely with the hip extension exercise above, the one leg squat. An easy exercise, it also pairs “metabolically” with the above exercise, the squat which is far more challenging. Flexion and extension, push and pull, easy and hard – these are all examples of effective exercise pairing!

Muscles used:

Upper body – shoulders, chest, tricep: all as stabilizers
Anterior mid-section – abdominals and external obliques (as stabilizers); hip flexors as prime movers
Posterior mid-section – erector spinae as stabilizers

How to use…

The Swedish Ladder, Station (#8)

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