Stepping up
Experiencing the ups and downs of Jacob’s Ladder
Jacob’s Ladder in the middle of Truro’s Victoria Park is a challenge.
All day people walk by the set of 178 wooden steps; some look up and think it over; some promise “next time.” But more than a few head up the stairway, trying to keep count.
Larry Anthony, maintenance supervisor with Truro Parks and Recreation, started doing what he calls “multiples” as part of a fitness boot camp in 2012.
He doesn’t live far from the park and kept coming back to do a ladder or two.
About 20 people joined his Facebook group called Conquering Jacob’s Ladder where they posted and recorded their ladders.
Some, like Anthony and Wanda Gallant, tried and managed for several years to do 1,000 ladders in a summer.
Sometimes they’d see how many reps they could do in one go. Twenty wasn’t unusual. Once
they hit 50. And Sept. 15, 2012, they did an incredible 60 ladders.
“Thirty felt good so we just kept going,” says Anthony. “Maybe someone has done more but I haven’t heard of them. We saw a lot of people on the ladder.”
Anthony has done the ladder in sneakers, steel-toed boots and
even snowshoes.
In April 2014 he started doing at least one ladder every single day and kept going for 365 days, ending on April 29, 2015.
“Once I was sitting home, it was 11:30 at night and I said ‘Oh shoot, I haven’t done the ladder.’”
So he ran down to the park to keep the streak going.
Shannon Jarvis, the active community co-ordinator with Truro’s Parks and Recreation, says Anthony’s example of setting a goal, making himself accountable to others on Facebook, and making a game of exercise are great ways to stay regularly active.
“Every little bit of exercise is beneficial, but outdoor exercise is amazing,” says Jarvis. “Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise is associated with increased energy and revitalization, decreased anger, depression and tension, when compared with exercising indoors.” Jarvis says Victoria Park is particularly well suited.
“The scenery is stunning, there are over 600 stairs in the park, plus pull-up bars and a location for doing sit-ups,” she says. “There are a variety of trails and difficulty levels that all offer something different. I prefer to walk outside when I can, rather than on a treadmill; you get to see so many beautiful sights and breathe in clean, fresh air – and it’s free.”
Jarvis says stair climbing is a
great exercise and by going both up and down, you’ll work more muscles in different ways.
“Both directions will help you improve your cardiovascular fitness, improve strength and muscle tone and work on your balance,” she says.
If anyone knows of other records or streaks of outdoor exercise in Victoria Park or other Colchester County locations, you can share them with us on Facebook, by email at jonathan. riley@tc.tc or by calling 8967512.
Cover photo By Jonathan Riley/ Truro Daily news
From April 2014 to April 2015, Larry Anthony did at least one trip up and down Jacob’s Ladder in Truro’s Victoria Park every day for 365 days straight.