5K Racers: Level Up with this Ladder Workout

Racing a 5K requires strategy, pacing, and guts, which is why you shouldn’t let your training go by without getting well-acquainted with speed sessions at the track. And if your track workouts are getting stale, we’d like to introduce you to one that is full of juice and worth the squeeze.

The ladder workout below is a solid approach to speed training. It is a natural workout to increase turnover and get the legs snapping as well as teaching the body pacing. Add this one into your 5k training rotation and track time should fly by.

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The numbers correspond to the number of laps, so you’ll be running a ladder with intervals of one lap (400m), two laps (800m), three laps (1200m), and four laps (1600m).

There are three iterations, depending on your fitness level: Beginners will do a single reverse ladder, intermediate runners will do a forward and reverse ladder, and advanced runners will do a reverse and forward ladder.

Recovery between every interval is a 200-meter jog. Don’t forget to warm-up before starting a speed workout and cool-down afterward.

Track Workout: 1-2-3-4- Ladder

Beginner Runners

• 1600m (4 laps) at goal 5k pace
• 1200m (3 laps) at 3-5 seconds faster than goal 5k pace
• 800m (2 laps) at mile pace
• 400m (1 lap) at mile pace

Intermediate Runners

• 400m (1 lap) at mile pace
• 800m (2 laps) at mile pace
• 1200m (3 laps) at goal 5k pace
• 1600m (4 laps) at goal 5k pace
• 1200m (3 laps) at goal 5k pace
• 800m (2 laps) at mile pace
• 400m (1 lap) at mile pace

Advanced Runners

• 1600m (4 laps) at goal 5k pace
• 1200m (3 laps) at goal 5k pace
• 800m (2 laps) at mile pace
• 400m (1 lap) at mile pace
• 800m (2 laps) at mile pace
• 1200m (3 laps) at goal 5k pace
• 1600m (4 laps) at goal 5k pace

No matter what level you are, this is a challenging ladder designed to work on your speed, turnover, and pacing.

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