The Leg Blaster Thread - are we having fun yet?

[EWG]

Also, opening day was yesterday. Leg Blaster session the day before (I'm on 3 fulls and 2 minis this week) and there was a very noticeable improvement over the last few years of preseason when I focused mostly on weights, biking and soccering. Within 3 runs I felt close to midseason stability. Amazing. I've kept the other stuff and just added the LBs. And, btw, I've noticed some quick progression on squat weights which I credit the LBs for.

I'm all in. I have about 3-4 more weeks of building before I switch to maintenance.

[tgapp]

Also, opening day was yesterday. Leg Blaster session the day before (I'm on 3 fulls and 2 minis this week) and there was a very noticeable improvement over the last few years of preseason when I focused mostly on weights, biking and soccering. Within 3 runs I felt close to midseason stability. Amazing. I've kept the other stuff and just added the LBs. And, btw, I've noticed some quick progression on squat weights which I credit the LBs for.

I'm all in. I have about 3-4 more weeks of building before I switch to maintenance.

FKNA!!! Stoked for ya, that's awesome.

Looking to add in gym based strength and cardio training on an ongoing basis. I'd like to think I'm in decent shape - benneke10 will likely disagree, but I've never been consistent with gym based workouts, and I'd like to change that. Helps that this new gal is a former gym rat, and she's great at showing me how to have proper form etc.

DTM is right; it's amazing how much of a difference we can tell after just one month of daily, consistent gym workouts. Now I wanna build on that.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

[Foggy_Goggles]

DTM is right; it's amazing how much of a difference we can tell after just one month of daily, consistent gym workouts. Now I wanna build on that.

Even if you never ascend to an elite level, the life benefit of normalizing putting health and exercise as top priority has been really helpful for me. Bell to bell tram days and skiing all the fuckin' powder are only part of it!

[caderader]

If your legs are “ consistently sore” then you need to give them a break to heal and repair. You will be stronger once they rest. You don’t grow in the gym, you do that out of it. Eat and rest. Our body absolutely needs a rest/recover day/s. If not you will be prone to injury.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

This^ Eat and rest consistently and every so often take a week or two really easy to recover based on your fatigue. If you start to dread that gym day or run that you were amped up for previously or feel tired in the morning when it's time to head out for a run that's a good sign to take a weak easy! Keeping it up for YEARS is the key. That consistency is only possible if you know it's not a sprint (at least not always!)

Jong question alert:

I'm new to training consistently - I've done ski training previous years (mostly for uphill performance so a lot of zone2 cardio), but this year my partner and I are doing the MTI ski conditioning thing, and we, perversely, love it. Maybe it's the masochists in both of us, but my legs have been consistently sore for the past month. Feels good.

So - how do I keep this up year around? In previous years I subscribed to the "get in shape by being super fucking active" mentality, but I'm ready to be a bit more disciplined in my training approach.

Girlfriend wants to do the Uintas Highline trail next year - she chatted with TFW about it and is now super amped. Wants to train all winter. It's fun to have a goal to work towards together.

So - where do we even start?

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

I don't have any real beta on the Uinta Highline Trail but sounds like something Uphill Athlete would be a good starting point for if you haven't read that yet. For me I have so many diverse goals that rely on so many energy systems I try to build competence in a number of modalities. Suggest looking at TrainAsOne as the perfect option for a science based set it and forget it plan for your running.

Then for strength and conditioning start move from a base building block (recommend Tactical Barbell II Conditioning's strength endurance cycle), move into a conventional strength block something akin to Starting Strength. Follow that by thinking about the specific competencies that your goal sport requires. Balance, explosion, single leg strength, uphill/trail running, etc and then find some programs that build those.

Like any project, start with your goal and work backwards. You might want 1 week before your goal event to taper, before that a 4-6 weak peaking block. Work your way back adding the things you want to build depending on the time you have before your goal. Rinse and repeat indefinitely.

You might give one of these a listen:

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR...YTVhNDA0?ep=14

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR...NDNjN2Rk?ep=14

[rod9301]

If your legs are “ consistently sore” then you need to give them a break to heal and repair. You will be stronger once they rest. You don’t grow in the gym, you do that out of it. Eat and rest. Our body absolutely needs a rest/recover day/s. If not you will be prone to injury.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Very true. You will be sore after the first of second hard workout, but after this you should not be sore, or maybe only for a short while.

Leg blasters are pretty hard, like plyometrics, so not more than once a week

Sent from my moto g 5G using Tapatalk

[Dantheman]

DTM is right; it's amazing how much of a difference we can tell after just one month of daily, consistent gym workouts. Now I wanna build on that.

Right on. However, "daily" is not a great idea. You need rest days even on complicated split regimes. Adaptations happen during rest. You can get away with overdoing it early on but it will bite you soon.

You talking Highline in one push or taking a week? Big difference in training approach.

Even if you never ascend to an elite level, the life benefit of normalizing putting health and exercise as top priority has been really helpful for me. Bell to bell tram days and skiing all the fuckin' powder are only part of it!

Life is hard AF when you're out of shape. It's so much easier to do the hard thing.

[phatty]

Back at it today. After a 3x 2K rowing workout, did 1 mini, 3 full, 1 mini. Brutal, but legs are starting to feel strong.

[Hopeless Sinner]

6 full sets today on a c19 vax "hangover."

[J. Barron DeJong]

6 full sets today on a c19 vax "hangover."

Nobody like a braggart.

I tried seeing if I could add leg blasters on deadlift day. Got about 10 reps of the first squats in before shutting it down… so not a stellar performance there.

[bodywhomper]

I find it acceptable to have a false start or just a partial LB day… as long as it does not become the normal behavior.

[J. Barron DeJong]

I find it acceptable to have a false start or just a partial LB day… as long as it does not become the normal behavior.

Right now I’m doing pretty high reps on deadlifts: 6 sets of 12 reps. Currently at 230 lbs, trying to get it to 250 before ski season. So a little tired after that.

Plan is to move to low reps and work on strength after that, which should be in a couple weeks, and then I’ll add the leg blasters in.

[bodywhomper]

Sounds like a plan.

I had plans to do a leg blaster session tonight. I just moved and stacked oak firewood in my shed for a few hours in the rain. Not gonna do leg blasters. Toast.

[RootSkier]

Right now I’m doing pretty high reps on deadlifts: 6 sets of 12 reps. Currently at 230 lbs, trying to get it to 250 before ski season. So a little tired after that.

Plan is to move to low reps and work on strength after that, which should be in a couple weeks, and then I’ll add the leg blasters in.

That's a lotta fucking deadlifts.

[J. Barron DeJong]

That's a lotta fucking deadlifts.

You’re telling me!

[2FUNKY]

Right now I’m doing pretty high reps on deadlifts: 6 sets of 12 reps. Currently at 230 lbs, trying to get it to 250 before ski season. So a little tired after that.

Plan is to move to low reps and work on strength after that, which should be in a couple weeks, and then I’ll add the leg blasters in.

Why? Doing that many is pointless. You’ll get stronger dropping reps a little less, 8-10 range as well as sets, 3-4. Plus you’ll be able to pull more weight. That just sounds like a shitty cardio workout. Lol. Hell I’m out of breath thinking about it. Lol!


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[californiagrown]

Why?

1) mascochism
2) training to be a stone mason
3) doing a minicycle of high volume pulling to break a plateau
4) because it aint nuthin but a peanut. Lightweight babaaay!

[2FUNKY]

1) mascochism
2) training to be a stone mason
3) doing a minicycle of high volume pulling to break a plateau
4) because it aint nuthin but a peanut. Lightweight babaaay!

Hah!


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Stuntmonkey]

I'm getting 10 minis right around the 18min mark. Any faster and I think my legs would fall off.

[J. Barron DeJong]

Why? Doing that many is pointless. You’ll get stronger dropping reps a little less, 8-10 range as well as sets, 3-4. Plus you’ll be able to pull more weight. That just sounds like a shitty cardio workout. Lol. Hell I’m out of breath thinking about it. Lol!


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Well, when your home gym consists of a trap bar, a weighted vest, and a pull up bar, you make it work as best you can.

Not going to go to a gym, and no room anywhere for a bench or a squat rack.

Trying to build muscle size (I’m skinny) and endurance, so reps. As a side benefit, I’m at least getting a bit of interval training at the same time.

Also, I don’t do this all the time. Just doing it in shoulder season when I don’t care about how fast I am on a bike, and ski season hasn’t started. I was doing low reps/high weight in the summer.

[Dantheman]

Why? Doing that many is pointless. You’ll get stronger dropping reps a little less, 8-10 range as well as sets, 3-4. Plus you’ll be able to pull more weight. That just sounds like a shitty cardio workout. Lol. Hell I’m out of breath thinking about it. Lol!


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Taking the phrase "You can't out-science hard training" to a whole new level

The last time Andy Galpin was on Attia's podcast Attia told him about a high-rep deadlift workout he had been doing lately. Galpin responded, "Whoever programmed that workout either needs a raise or to get fired." [emoji1787]

[californiagrown]

Well, when your home gym consists of a trap bar, a weighted vest, and a pull up bar, you make it work as best you can.

Not going to go to a gym, and no room anywhere for a bench or a squat rack.

Trying to build muscle size (I’m skinny) and endurance, so reps. As a side benefit, I’m at least getting a bit of interval training at the same time.

Also, I don’t do this all the time. Just doing it in shoulder season when I don’t care about how fast I am on a bike, and ski season hasn’t started. I was doing low reps/high weight in the summer.

FWIW, if you have enough room for a trap bar, you have enough room for a squat rack- even spotter arms!. Come see my spider infested, cramped, poorly lit garage gym if you dont believe me.


Also, i take it back. Trapbar deadlifts are going to use quite a bit more legs and less back than real deadlifts and are much more suited (IMO) to higher reps. Carry on.

[J. Barron DeJong]

FWIW, if you have enough room for a trap bar, you have enough room for a squat rack- even spotter arms!. Come see my spider infested, cramped, poorly lit garage gym if you dont believe me.


Also, i take it back. Trapbar deadlifts are going to use quite a bit more legs and less back than real deadlifts and are much more suited (IMO) to higher reps. Carry on.

My trap bar is pushed out of the way against the wall in my (small) office; pulled into the middle of the office to use. No room whatsoever in the garage, what with two cars, a pop up trailer, a workbench, cabinets, tool chest, bikes, skis, chest freezer, etc. in a three car garage.

[californiagrown]

My trap bar is pushed out of the way against the wall in my (small) office; pulled into the middle of the office to use. No room whatsoever in the garage, what with two cars, a pop up trailer, a workbench, cabinets, tool chest, bikes, skis, chest freezer, etc. in a three car garage.

The fuck are your cars doing in there? Garages are for toys. Youre doing this wrong.

[Hopeless Sinner]

The fuck are your cars doing in there? Garages are for toys. Youre doing this wrong.

lol

[J. Barron DeJong]

The fuck are your cars doing in there? Garages are for toys. Youre doing this wrong.

I don’t like clearing snow off them, and they get in the way snow blowing.

Also, I had a car sitting out one winter for a series of storms where it didn’t get cleared off and ended up with a cracked windshield.