Descending Ladder Workout | Body Recomposition Workout Plan Day 20

Fun Gym Workout | Live Lean Shred Ep. 20

On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m sharing descending ladder workout #12 from the Afterburn 1.0 body recomposition workout plan.

Welcome back to day 20 of our 6 week Body Recomposition Workout Plan Series.

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Body Recomposition Descending Ladder Workout #3

This is descending ladder workout #3 from the Live Lean Afterburn 1.0 Body Recomposition Workout Plan.

This workout should take you 35-40 minutes to complete.

During this time you’ll be raising your heart rate to burn the last 10 pounds of fat, while building muscle and strength.

If you missed it, check out the previous descending ladder workout here.

Here’s the link to download the pdf for the full workout, with video links to all the exercise demonstrations:

If you haven’t downloaded the workout yet, you can sign up here to get the new workout PDFs emailed to you for free.

Warm Up

Repeat this warm up circuit two times, without breaks, for a total of 4 minutes.

• WU1. Seal Jacks x 30 seconds
• WU2. Air Squats x 30 seconds
• WU3. Push Up x 30 seconds
• WU4. Alternating Pendulum Lunge x 30 seconds

Here’s the link to download the pdf to the full warm up, with video links to all the exercise demonstrations:

Descending Ladder A: Unilateral Exercise

Descending ladder A includes a single unilateral exercise that follows a 5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder rep scheme.

A unilateral exercise is a type of movement that involves training one side of the body at a time to improve strength, balance, and muscle symmetry.

A1. Alternating Dumbbell Incline Press

The first exercise is the alternating dumbbell incline press.

• Reps: Start with your left arm, following a 5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder:
  • 5 reps on your left arm, then 5 reps on your right arm
  • 4 reps on your left arm, then 4 reps on your right arm
  • 3 reps on your left arm, then 3 reps on your right arm
  • 2 reps on your left arm, then 2 reps on your right arm
  • 1 reps on your left arm, then 1 reps on your right arm

• Rest:
  • The 5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder is one continuous set, so no rest when transitioning between rep changes
  • 45 second rest between sets
• Sets: 3

Coaching cues:

• This is considered a unilateral exercise because it involves lifting the weight with one arm at a time, while the other extended arm isometrically holds the weight in the air.
• This allows each side of the body to work independently to improve muscle imbalances and enhance core stability.
• Once you complete the 5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder, put the weights down and take a 45 second break before moving on to the second set.
• Complete 3 sets, then move on to descending ladder superset B.

Descending Ladder Superset B

Descending ladder superset B follows a rep scheme starting at 6 reps: 6-5-4-3-2-1.

B1. Barbell Deadlift

The first exercise in descending ladder superset B is the barbell deadlift.

Barbell Substitution: Since I didn’t have access to a free weight olympic barbell, I substituted this with the smith machine romanian deadlift variation.

• Reps: 6-5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder
• Rest:
  • The 6-4-3-2-1 descending ladder is one continuous set so no rest when transitioning between rep changes
  • 45 second rest between sets
• Sets: 2

Coaching cues:

• Complete 6 reps of the barbell deadlift then, without rest, immediately proceed the push up gripping the barbell for reps.
• Once you complete 6 reps of the push up, without rest, immediately complete 5 reps of the barbell deadlift, then 5 reps of the push up.
• Continue this descending ladder rep scheme all the way down to 1 rep.

B2. Push Up (Gripping A Barbell)

The second exercise in the descending ladder superset B is the push up while gripping a barbell.

Barbell Substitution: Once again, since I didn’t have access to a barbell I completed the push up while gripping the smith machine bar.

• Reps: 6-5-4-3-2-1 reps/leg descending ladder
• Rest:
  • The 6-4-3-2-1 descending ladder is one continuous set so no rest when transitioning between rep changes
  • 45 second rest between sets
• Sets: 2

Coaching cues:

• Once you complete 6 reps of the barbell deadlift, immediately put the barbell down on the ground and complete 6 reps of push ups while gripping the barbell.
• Once you complete 6 push ups, immediately stand back up, then complete 5 reps of the barbell deadlift and so on, until you reach 1 rep.
• Once you finish the set, take a 45 second rest, then repeat it one more time for a total of 2 sets.
• After you are done, move on to descending ladder tri-set C.

Descending Ladder Tri-set C

The rep scheme for this tri-set is set up as a 6-5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder.

Note: In the workout video I mistakingly completed a 5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder.

During the descending ladder tri-set, you will keep the weight in your hands when transitioning between exercises.

Since you will only be using one set of dumbbells for all 3 exercises, before starting the tri-set, select the weight based on the hardest exercise.

Descending ladder tri-set C is comprised of the following 3 exercises:

1. Standing Arnold Press
2. Standing Two Arm Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extension
3. Dumbbell Front Squat To Calf Raise

Based on these 3 exercises, the hardest exercise would be the standing two arm dumbbell overhead tricep extension since you can’t lift as much during this exercise as you could during the dumbbell front squat to calf raise.

Therefore, pick a set of dumbbells based on your standing two arm dumbbell overhead tricep extension strength.

C1. Standing Arnold Press

The first exercise in the descending ladder tri-set is the standing arnold press.

• Reps: 6-5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder
• Rest:
  • The 6-4-3-2-1 descending ladder is one continuous set so no rest when transitioning between rep changes
  • 45 second rest between sets
• Sets: 2

Coaching cues:

• Complete 6 reps, then without letting go of the weight, immediately complete 6 reps of the standing dumbbell overhead tricep extension, then 6 reps of the dumbbell front squat to calf raise.
• After completing 6 reps of all 3 exercises in the tri-set, without resting, immediately complete 5 reps of each exercise, then repeat this until you get down to 1 rep.
• That’s one set.

C2. Standing Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension With Two Dumbbells

The second exercise in the descending ladder tri-set is the standing overhead dumbbell triceps extension with two dumbbells.

• Reps: 6-5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder
• Rest:
  • The 6-4-3-2-1 descending ladder is one continuous set so no rest when transitioning between rep changes
  • 45 second rest between sets
• Sets: 2

Coaching cues:

• After completing 6 reps of the standing arnold press, without resting, immediately transition into the standing two arm dumbbell overhead tricep extension, with the same set of dumbbells.
• Once you complete 6 reps, immediately transition to the dumbbell front squat to calf raise for 6 reps, without resting or letting go of the dumbbells.

C3. Dumbbell Front Squat To Calf Raise

The third and final exercise of this descending ladder tri-set is the dumbbell front squat to calf raise.

• Reps: 6-5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder
• Rest:
  • The 6-4-3-2-1 descending ladder is one continuous set so no rest when transitioning between rep changes
  • 45 second rest between sets
• Sets: 2

Coaching cues:

• After completing 6 reps of the standing two arm dumbbell overhead tricep extension, immediately transition into completing 6 reps of the front squat to calf raise.
• Once you complete 6 reps, keep the weight in your hands, and immediately move back into the standing arnold press for 5 reps, and repeat this tri-set all the way down to 1 rep.
• That’s one set.
• Once you finish the full descending ladder, take a 45 second rest, then repeat one more time for a total of 2 sets.

7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Descending Ladder Superset D

Superset D is a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder.

In the workout video, I incorrectly completed a 5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder.

D1. Jump Squat

The first exercise in this 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder superset is the jump squat.

• Reps: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder
• Rest:
  • The 7-6-4-3-2-1 descending ladder is one continuous set so no rest when transitioning between rep changes
• Sets: 1

Coaching cues:

• Complete 7 reps of the jump squat, then without rest, immediately complete 7 reps of knee tucks, then back to jump squats for 6 reps, and so on, until you get down to 1 rep.
• Complete just one set of this superset.

D2. Knee Tuck

The second exercise in this 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder superset is the knee tuck.

• Reps: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 descending ladder
• Rest:
  • The 7-6-4-3-2-1 descending ladder is one continuous set so no rest when transitioning between rep changes
• Sets: 1

Coaching cues:

• Once you finish 7 reps of jump squats, immediately complete 7 knee tucks, then without rest, complete 6 jump squats, and so on, until you hit 1 rep.
• Complete just one set of this superset.

You just completed descending ladder workout #3.

Hopefully you felt good and are feeling the sweat.

This is what you have to do to get lean.

Enjoy.

Next Workout: Circuit Training Workout #13 | Body Recomposition Workout Plan