Breathing Ladders
 

Had a few questions about Mark Twight's breathing ladders, wanted to get some input.

Anyone have any particular favorite exercises? I've seen everything from Thrusters and deadlifts to kb swings/snatches. Anyone tried it with the Olympic lifts?

Seems like 1-10 in waves or 1-10-1 pyramid style are popular rep schemes. Anyone experimented with anything else? I would imagine that it would depend on the lift to some degree, but one would assume that higher rep ladders would allow for longer sessions than say 1-5-1 ladders.


As a complete aside, this stuff reminds me of some of the things I've heard/read about Emil Zatopek (Father of Interval Training; 5,000 & 10,000 world/Olympic records, decided to run his first ever marathon at the last minute in the 1952 games--and won). Apparently he used to run multiple 200 m sprints while holding his breath, so his body could become more effecient in oxygen debt.

Anyway, just soliciting some opinions, wanted to hear some other folk's experiences. Thanks-


"When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, ethier. Then will power wil be no problem." -Emil Zatopak

Ken-
I've not tinkered with them but they look rough. I think there are some good archives that show some workout formats. If you give them a go please do share your experience.

Will do. We've got a date with Mutant Murph Saturday, so it might be next week before I get to it.

Breathing Ladders
 

Ken, I think this may be of some assistance if you have not already spotted it:

http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php?id=27

It's been posted on the website recently.

I've only done them with swings and to build volume rather than induce 'panic breathing' etc.

I've only ever done them with KB swings and snatches. I felt that the snatches were a lot harder than the swings even though for swings I usually do waves of 1-10 and with snatches I usually do waves of 1 snatch right, 1 snatch left, 1 breathe....up to 5. Never really thought to try it with anything else like the Olympic lifts.

Thanks for the link James.

So I figured I'd stick with something pretty straight forward for the first attempt today, did 2 hand kb swings with the 24 kg bell. Experimented a little bit with the reps:
1-10, 1-10, 1-10-1-10, 1-4 Finished up around 29:00 (the phone rang, but I was pretty close to packing it in anyway).

I found the 1-10-1 ladders much more challenging than the 1-10, 1-10 version, personally. With the higher reps, I got more breathing time during the activity, and then dropping back down to the low reps gave me some recovery from the exercise. With the up-and-down ladder, that middle section from about 6-5 had a fairly high suck factor. Although, it could have just been that my FF was a little low today--have to ask Robb about testing for that.

Regardless, it was certainly interesting, and lived up to expectations. I might try it again tonight with a 1-5-1 scheme for kicks. With a light weight.

I think next time I make a serious attempt, I may pick a larger-scale movement (Hang Power Cleans, anyone?), and run it up-and-down style.

And thanks for the link, James--good info.

I'm headed home to take a crack at this. I think I'll try burpees.....

Scotty Hagnas
CrossFit Portland

I've done this and continue to do so, 1-5 Pull-Up + 1-5 KBS, I do seven rounds of this totaling 105 reps of each. I alternate from one to the other, if you do it slow and steady its a good time. If you do it for time it produces a nice metabolic wallop.

Figured I'd share I didn't read the Mark Twight thing because I'm busy but I will. I figured I'd jump in anyways just to be a pain.

Scotty-
that sounds REALLY nasty.

Pierre-
Give me a call when you get a chance.

I put my fighters through some medicine ball clean and presses (20#s).

I made them do 1 rep, breathe once, 2 reps, breathe once, 3 reps, breathe once, start over.


Kind of the opposite of adding breaths as you go, but I was trying to induce some hypoxia (like when you have a 200lb gorilla dancing on your chest).


It kicked our asses.