Legs · Bodyweight
Ladder Drills
How to do the ladder drills, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Gait
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Perform various fast-paced stepping patterns through a ladder laid on the ground. Focus on quick, precise foot placement.
- 1Feel your coordination and quickness improving as you move through the ladder patterns
- 2Keep light, quick feet and engage your core for balance
- 3Focus on rhythm and agility rather than speed alone
Common mistakes
- Avoid looking at your feet; use peripheral vision
- Don't let your arms remain static; move them in sync with your legs
- Avoid tripping by practicing slowly before speeding up
Muscles worked
The ladder drills works the quads, glutes, hamstrings, upper abs, and calves.
- QuadsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
Kovo programs the ladder drills for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed April 2026.