The Best Agility Ladders
Professional trainers have been promoting agility ladders for years as an effective type of high-intensity interval training. By focusing on short bursts of intense effort followed by a brief rest, agility ladder exercises typically blast fat and burn more calories than exercises using lower-intensity or steady-state cardio activities. If you've been looking to get this kind of intense workout, all you need is motivation and the right equipment. Added accessories make the workout even more intense or focus on developing specific muscle groups. The proper equipment is key to a successful workout, so fill your water bottle, put on your leg warmers (what do you mean, you don't wear leg warmers?), and read on as we review the best agility ladders out there.
GHB Pro Agility Ladder
The Top Rung
A good agility ladder needs to be lightweight but long, adjustable but not flimsy, and above all, durable. (After all, you’re stomping on this thing with your entire weight.) The GHB Pro is all of these things and more. The GHB Pro comes with 12 plastic rungs, each 16.5″ long, attached to rugged nylon straps. The space between each rung is adjustable up to 15″ so that the overall length of the ladder can be set to a maximum of 20′. Twelve pins help to keep the ladder securely in place while you exercise, and when your workout is over, the whole unit fits into the included nylon carrying bag.
Pros:
- Bright yellow plastic for easy visibility
- Durable plastic connective straps
- Easy to set up
Cons:
- Pack carefully to avoid tangling issues
- Nylon can tear after prolonged use
Yes4All Ultimate Agility Ladder
Exercise More, Pay Less
With an annual gym membership costing about as much as a car payment, more and more people are looking to complete their fitness goals at home. For those on a budget, there’s the Yes4All Ultimate. Made with flexible but strong plastic rungs, and rugged, heavy-duty nylon straps, the Yes4All is ready for your toughest workouts. Each rung is woven into the nylon and can be adjusted up to 15″ from each other. You can choose from three different lengths, varying from an 8-rung model that’s 11′ long to a 20-rung model that tops out at 20′. It’s a flexible workout solution for a not-so-flexible pocketbook.
Pros:
- Available in different colors
- Handy carrying bag included
- Lightweight at only 1 pound
Cons:
- Cannot be used with other ladders to create more length
- No accessories to secure it to the ground/floor
Juvale Agility Ladder Training Set
Glutes & Ladders
Juval knows that it takes more than a durable agility ladder to help you reach your peak fitness. This 13-piece kit comes with a 20′ agility ladder, 6 yellow obstacle cones, four holding stakes, a rugged carrying bag and a nylon parachute to help create greater wind resistance during your workout. We were especially happy to see the strong, aluminum stakes included in the kit, which secure the agility ladder to the ground and keep it in place. The speed parachute features an adjustable nylon band that fits waist sizes up to 41″. Best of all, these accessories open up a ton of different workout options so you never get bored.
Pros:
- Water-resistant
- Easy-adjusting ladder rungs
- Flexible training tool for coaches
Cons:
- Ladder easily tangles
- Cones can crush underfoot
SPRI Roll-Out Agility Ladder
The Flatter Ladder
Certain designs of agility ladders can be frustrating at times: the nylon straps can tangle with the rungs, and adjusting one rung can often mean having to adjust all of them. The solution? The SPRI Roll-Out agility ladder, which is a single piece of durable, non-skid rubber with 15 pre-marked ladder spaces. Simply roll it out on the floor or lawn and you’re ready to work out. The rubber sticks especially well to hard surfaces. At 15′ in length, it’s perfect for a variety of workouts, and when you’re finished, simply roll it up and put it away. No tangles, no frustration.
Pros:
- Made from recycled materials
- Extra-large stepping area
- Resists bunching-up
Cons:
- Not for athletes who need adjustable rungs
- No plastic means it’s heavier (11 lbs.)
Webby Agility Trainer
Go a Few Rounds
Leave it to a UFC fighter who fights in a circular cage to come up with a circular agility ladder. The Webby works on the principle that sports are angular, not linear. It helps reprogram the body to move more efficiently, effectively, and powerfully at every angle. It sets up in seconds and then folds down from a 6′ circle to an 18″ disc almost as quickly. It comes with a convenient storage bag to pack it away neatly between sessions, and it’s made from water-resistant nylon material.
Pros:
- Circular shape creates many more workout options
- One-of-a-kind design
- Good for workout partners
Cons:
- Rung length can’t be adjusted
- Takes a while for it to lay flat out of the box
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscle groups are targeted with agility ladder drills?
Agility ladder workouts target the legs first and foremost: quads, calves, glutes, hamstrings, and even the hip flexors. But it’s easy to find workouts online that use an agility ladder to integrate other muscle groups into your workout, including your core (abs, lower & upper back) as well as biceps, shoulders, and triceps.
Do agility ladders make you a faster runner?
They can. One of the primary goals of an agility ladder workout is to improve speed, quickness, and agility. One way this is accomplished is by focusing on technique. These factors not only improve your speed in other sports and activities, but can help boost your fitness level for virtually any type of sport you participate in.
Is it better to train faster or longer if you want to lose weight?
Training faster burns more calories than training at a steady pace. Let’s take running as an example.
Running faster helps you lose weight in three ways. First, you burn about 100 calories for every mile you run, but as intensity increases, so does calorie burning—up to 10 calories per minute per mile. Second, after a run, you burn additional calories as your body recovers. One study showed that a high-effort exercise session boosted the “after-burn” by more than double compared with a low-effort session. Finally, high-intensity running can help suppress your appetite. Researchers theorize that high-intensity effort heats up the body more, which in turn affects temperature-sensitive appetite controls in the central nervous system.
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