Day 18 is the third ladder day, and both exercises are new. The pattern is 10 toe tap hops, 4 climber taps, alternating four times through with no pause - one full ladder for a set, 2 minutes rest, 3, 5 or 7 sets by level. It is the only ladder in the program that does not use half jacks as its base.
Toe tap hops are a hop on one leg while the other foot lifts up and across in front of you and the opposite hand reaches down to tap it - hop, tap, land, then the other side; ten toe tap hops is five per side. Climber taps take the same idea to the floor: from a high plank, bring one knee in under the body and reach the opposite hand back to tap the lifted foot, return the hand and foot to plank, then the other side - four climber taps is two per side. Standing you tap the foot with the hand while hopping; in plank you tap the foot with the hand while holding a three-point plank. Four rounds is 40 toe tap hops and 16 climber taps, and every block asks the trunk to rotate under load, upright and then face down.
Keep the toe tap hops small and quick, landing with a soft knee and staying tall through the spine. In climber taps, keep the hips level as the hand reaches back - if the hips swing up or the supporting shoulder collapses, slow the movement down. Drop from the last toe tap hop straight into plank and start the climber taps; the transitions are the ladder.
Ten hops with a tap, four planks with a tap, four times over - the whole ladder is hand-to-foot, and the trunk did the work standing and lying down.
Make it Harder: Turn every toe tap hop into a proper jump - leave the floor with both feet and tap the foot at the top.
Make it Easier: Do the toe taps standing without the hop, and the climber taps as slow knee-ins without the hand reach.
