Why it matters

The Jacobs Ladder builds your aerobic base, work capacity and conditioning.

How to do it

Adjust the seat and any pads so the working joint lines up with the machine’s pivot, set the pin to your working weight, and keep contact with the support pad throughout.
Set your effort to a pace you can sustain for the planned duration.
Settle into a rhythm before pushing the pace.
Hold a steady, repeatable rhythm for the working duration.
Keep your breathing matched to your pace throughout.
Adjust your effort so the last minute feels as controlled as the first.

Settle into a cadence you can hold for the full effort.
Breathe rhythmically and in time with your pace.
Build the pace gradually rather than starting too hard.
Drive through your whole foot on each step and stand tall.
Follow the machine’s guided lever path smoothly and control the weight back to the stack.

Starting too fast and fading in the second half.

A fast start you cannot hold means the back half of the effort suffers.

Instead Open at a pace you could hold to the end, then build.
Tensing the shoulders and upper body while working.

Tension up top wastes energy that should go into your legs and lungs.

Instead Relax your hands, shoulders and face so the effort stays in your legs and lungs.
Letting the effort drift down whenever your attention wanders.

Coasting drops the training effect for that stretch of the effort.

Instead Check your pace regularly and hold it steady to the end.
Letting the weight stack slam down at the bottom.

A slammed stack means gravity did the lowering, not your muscles.

Instead Control the return so the plates settle without banging.

Tempo: Hold a sustainable, repeatable pace for the target duration.
Breathing: Breathe in a steady rhythm matched to your cadence.
Setting up: Adjust the seat and any pads so the working joint lines up with the machine’s pivot, set the pin to your working weight, and keep contact with the support pad throughout.
If you are new to it: Use intervals of easier effort to build duration over time.
Once it is easy: Add pace changes or intervals to raise the training stimulus.