The Leg Blaster Thread - are we having fun yet?

[crankplank]

7 minis last week had me hobbling. Was happy to hit 10 this week without consequence, should be at 5 full by thanksgiving. Trying to hit my core, i always strain my mid back on my first 3 or bumped run of the year

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[shera]

I don't think it's this one exactly, but Leg extensions. Worth it or worthless is a useful thread with lots of good info. It felt like on the of the "go-to" training threads for quite a while.

Thanks!

[stuckathuntermtn]

I also am often on my feet and ladders for work. I'm tired today

[singlesline]

last year, I did 2 mini's to start my journey and couldn't walk after, so I eased in this year, 1 mini Monday, and have done 1 full daily since then. Next week bringing that up a bit.

You probably don't have to ease it back that far. I believe the "couldn't walk" problem is mostly driven by DOMS from lack of use of those muscles. That first day is what triggers it and once you are back to being able to walk normally, your body is ready to go further. Usually much further. 2-3 minis on the first day might cripple you when the DOMS hits, but 5 days later you're able to do 6-7 with no adverse effects.

Personally, I'd stick to minis until you are doing 10 minis. The point of the mini to full progression is to reduce rest time. You do the same amount of squats in 10 minis vs 5 fulls, but have significantly less recovery time. If you're not up to doing 10 minis yet, then it is probably not worth mixing in fulls.

And just remember that your goal is the skiing, not the training. If you are trying to do 10 minis but your form starts to suffer and your knees are getting wobbly in those lunges after 6 sets...STOP. Don't keep pushing and risk messing up your ski season.

[EWG]

Thanks, EWG. Q: do you notice a different with hip thrusts? I've only done single leg-glute bridges with bodyweight - which have worked well for trail running, core, etc. - but have never done a weighted hip thrust.

I'm trying to create/balance some type of weekly structure of:
-2 days lifting/week
-3-4 days cardio (probably 3 days biking and 1 day running, likely very easy)
-1 off day

All to prep for ski season, biking, trail running, and general life fitness. Would love to see the upper body too.

Yeah, I am super lazy about hip thrusts - they are a pain in the ass to set up - barbell on the ground, sit under it, etc etc, but yes, they're super beneficial. It's shocking how many people have glutes that barely fire once they get past maybe 35 years old or so, and hip thrusts fix that. Strong glutes = strong skiing. For sure. So yeah, we should be doing them, and heavier weights rather than bodyweight is really beneficial for skiing and dynamic movements. If I'm landing a jump, or even catching my body weight dropping into a turn with no air, the G forces are real and much higher than body weight, so heavy weighted movements are pretty important.

Here's my current upper body base workout since you asked for it:

• Bench Press: with bar 5x5 really heavy. Heavier the better. Usually I fail during the last set. First set is 30 pounds lighter as a warmup
• Standing Curls: with dumbbells 3x8 fairly heavy (dumbbells require less setup than a curl bar)
• Side Standing Lat Raises: with dumbbells 3x10 as heavy as possible without failing the last set
• Tricep Extensions: with dumbbells 3x12 as heavy as possible without failing the last set
• Bent over row: dumbbells 3x8 as heavy as possible

Every 2 or 3 lift sessions I replace the bar bench press with dumbbell incline bench press as heavy as possible (which is only 70lb dumbbells since that's the heaviest I have - but I just add reps till exhaustion. So usually 3x10 or 3x12)

Every 2nd or 3rd session I replace the rows with dumbbell Vertical Shoulder Press. Usually dumbbells cause it's less setup.

Hope that helps. There are tons of other good exercises to add in, but this is quick, easy and it keeps me in a good place. You could easily do this all with dumbbells if you wanted.

[Dantheman]

Mixing it up a little this year. I find the first half of LBs to be super boring, so I'm experimenting with just doing the jumping part and adding weight. 5 "fulls" today with 50 lbs, last week was 6 "fulls" with 40 lbs. Also doing my usual hard DH trail running on weekends. Curious to compare results when the lifts spin.

[2FUNKY]

Mixing it up a little this year. I find the first half of LBs to be super boring, so I'm experimenting with just doing the jumping part and adding weight. 5 "fulls" today with 50 lbs, last week was 6 "fulls" with 40 lbs. Also doing my usual hard DH trail running on weekends. Curious to compare results when the lifts spin.

50lbs total or 50lbs per arm?


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[Dantheman]

Total. One 50 lb DB left-handed since my right arm is still recovering from shoulder surgery.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

Total. One 50 lb DB left-handed since my right arm is still recovering from shoulder surgery.

Have you tried their quadzilla complex? It's kinda similar to LB's but it's more lunges and is weighted with dumbbells.

[Toadman]

Have you tried their quadzilla complex? It's kinda similar to LB's but it's more lunges and is weighted with dumbbells.

I have some tendon/joint issues, so for me doing plyometrics tends to aggravate those tendons and joints and increases recovery time and increases chances of injury. So, I have spent this season just doing weighted lunges, squats and wall squats with kettle bells/dumbbells . We shall see how things go this weekend on the slopes.

[2FUNKY]

Total. One 50 lb DB left-handed since my right arm is still recovering from shoulder surgery.

Nice, I was curious how that was going with your recovering shoulder. I am doing a similar variance with 40lb ea side dumbbells after my quad focused lift day as I split my leg days. Man do I feel it the next day. Sick this week unfortunately, it will be interesting to see my loss when I can get back in.


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[Dantheman]

Have you tried their quadzilla complex? It's kinda similar to LB's but it's more lunges and is weighted with dumbbells.

I've heard of them but never looked into the details.

Nice, I was curious how that was going with your recovering shoulder. I am doing a similar variance with 40lb ea side dumbbells after my quad focused lift day as I split my leg days. Man do I feel it the next day. Sick this week unfortunately, it will be interesting to see my loss when I can get back in.


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That's awesome. Unilateral is tricky and less than ideal, but it works. Shoulder is healing up great. No reason I shouldn't be 100% by new year's.

[Hopeless Sinner]

Made it to 4 full sets so the rest of the conditioning will have to happen on the mtn. The good news is syn-visc injections and weight loss seem to be working well in both knees after 6 days skiing.

[babybear]

Have you tried their quadzilla complex? It's kinda similar to LB's but it's more lunges and is weighted with dumbbells.

I've heard of them but never looked into the details.

We did these in the class I took this Fall but we also had weighted iso lunges. I had always been a leg blasterer prior
They were tabata style with 20 seconds on/ 10 off in the sequence of: weighted squats, weighted lunges alternating between legs, weighted iso lunge hold (then switch legs), and finishing with jump squats (no weights)
the last few classes we had to hold the iso lunge with the front heel raised.
The coach said, "we're not doing leg blasters this year because everybody complains about them" but I only found these to be different vs less painful.
We started off with 5 sets and did 11 by our last class. the jump squats kill me

[Foggy_Goggles]

Nice B Bear "Ski Conditioning Class" a Mountain Town Class. Its kinda a whos who of people that take their skiing seriously. Ours never stops, year 'round. And then once a week I workout with the High School Age Comp Center Kids. Keeps me young!

I'll say this. I just helped teach this avalanche awareness class. Many of the other instructors couldn't handle a top to bottom power run at The Jane (maybe 1200 vert). Most of them are in their 30s and talk about "early season" not being in skiing shape. I'm no expert, but I don't think skiing is the best way to get in skiing shape.

[fool]

Yeah, I am super lazy about hip thrusts - they are a pain in the ass to set up - barbell on the ground, sit under it, etc etc, but yes, they're super beneficial. It's shocking how many people have glutes that barely fire once they get past maybe 35 years old or so, and hip thrusts fix that. Strong glutes = strong skiing. For sure. So yeah, we should be doing them, and heavier weights rather than bodyweight is really beneficial for skiing and dynamic movements. If I'm landing a jump, or even catching my body weight dropping into a turn with no air, the G forces are real and much higher than body weight, so heavy weighted movements are pretty important. Here's my current upper body base workout since you asked for it: Bench Press: with bar 5x5 really heavy. Heavier the better. Usually I fail during the last set. First set is 30 pounds lighter as a warmup Standing Curls: with dumbbells 3x8 fairly heavy (dumbbells require less setup than a curl bar) Side Standing Lat Raises: with dumbbells 3x10 as heavy as possible without failing the last set Tricep Extensions: with dumbbells 3x12 as heavy as possible without failing the last set Bent over row: dumbbells 3x8 as heavy as possible Every 2 or 3 lift sessions I replace the bar bench press with dumbbell incline bench press as heavy as possible (which is only 70lb dumbbells since that's the heaviest I have - but I just add reps till exhaustion. So usually 3x10 or 3x12) Every 2nd or 3rd session I replace the rows with dumbbell Vertical Shoulder Press. Usually dumbbells cause it's less setup. Hope that helps. There are tons of other good exercises to add in, but this is quick, easy and it keeps me in a good place. You could easily do this all with dumbbells if you wanted.

Thanks, EWG. I took this as an input and leveraged what I've done in past - Phrak's GSLP program - and also added in some refrence to Strong Lifts 5x5 Lite, to see what ChatGPT would give me for advice. I said I'm focused on endurance biking/running, skiing (with a little backcountry), and general fitness in the mid-life stage (30s-40s). I also said I wanted to maximize compound movements and keep workouts under an hour, lifting twice a week. I also wanted to focus compound lifts on strength and hypertrophy for other lifts. I like what it gave me, which was just slight tweaks to what I had before:

Day 1: Upper Body + Posterior Chain (Deadlift Focus) 1?? Deadlifts (Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back, Core, Grip) – 3 sets × 4-6 reps 2?? Bent-Over Rows (Upper Back, Lats, Rear Delts, Biceps, Core) – 3 sets × 6-10 reps 3?? Overhead Press (Shoulders, Triceps, Upper Chest, Core) – 3 sets × 6-10 reps 4?? Pull-Ups (Lats, Biceps, Upper Back, Core) – 3 sets × 6-10 reps 5?? Bicep Curls (Biceps, Forearms) – 3 sets × 10-12 reps 6?? Hanging Leg Raises or Ab Rollouts (Core, Hip Flexors) – 3 sets × 10-15 reps 7?? Suitcase Carry or Farmer’s Carry (Core, Grip, Postural Endurance) – 3×30-40 yards per side 8?? Passive Dead Hang (Shoulder Mobility, Spinal Decompression) – 30-60 sec

---

Day 2: Full Body + Ski Conditioning (Squat + Pressing Focus)

1?? Back Squats (Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, Core) – 3 sets × 4-6 reps 2?? Bench Press (Chest, Triceps, Shoulders) – 3 sets × 6-10 reps 3?? Upright Rows (Shoulders, Traps, Biceps, Upper Back) – 3 sets × 8-12 reps 4?? Lateral or Frontal Raises (Shoulders, Traps) – 3 sets × 10-12 reps 5?? Dips (Triceps, Chest, Shoulders, Core) – 3 sets × 6-10 reps 6?? Leg Blasters – Mini Set (Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves, Core) – 2 rounds (10 air squats → 5 jump squats → 5 lunges per leg → 5 jumping lunges per leg, no rest) 7?? Core: Paloff Press or Cable Rotations (Core, Obliques, Stability) – 3 sets × 10-12 reps per side 8?? Nordic Hamstring Curls or Sliders (Hamstring & Knee Health) – 1-2 sets of slow eccentric reps per week 9?? Passive Dead Hang (Shoulder Mobility, Spinal Decompression) – 30-60 sec

Out of curiosity, I asked:

Are Hip Thrusts or Glute Bridges Necessary?

Hip thrusts and glute bridges are great for glute activation, hip drive, and lower back protection, but since your program already includes: ? Deadlifts & Squats – Strong glute engagement ? Leg Blasters & Bulgarian Split Squats (if added) – Dynamic glute endurance When to Add Them: 1?? If you feel weak in hip extension or glutes don’t activate well → Add 2×12 Glute Bridges as a warm-up 2?? If you want more glute hypertrophy without overloading the quads → Add 3×8-12 Hip Thrusts on Day 1 (after deadlifts) Would you like me to finalize the 2-day plan with all these adjustments?

I liked that logic, so I left them out for now. I was also impressed by ChatGPTs rep range nuance:

3?? Why Are the Hypertrophy Rep Ranges Different? Good question! The variation in rep ranges is intentional:

• 6-10 reps → For big compound lifts that need some hypertrophy but still train strength (Bent-over rows, OHP, pull-ups).
• 8-12 reps → Standard hypertrophy zone for accessory compound moves (Upright rows, dips, single-joint lifts).
• 10-12 reps → For isolation movements where fatigue builds quickly (Bicep curls, lateral raises).

Final Recommendation: If you prefer consistency, you can standardize everything in the 8-12 range, but the current rep scheme optimizes both strength & muscle growth.

3?? Why Are the Hypertrophy Rep Ranges Different?
Good question! The variation in rep ranges is intentional:

• 6-10 reps → For big compound lifts that need some hypertrophy but still train strength (Bent-over rows, OHP, pull-ups).
• 8-12 reps → Standard hypertrophy zone for accessory compound moves (Upright rows, dips, single-joint lifts).
• 10-12 reps → For isolation movements where fatigue builds quickly (Bicep curls, lateral raises).

Final Recommendation:
If you prefer consistency, you can standardize everything in the 8-12 range, but the current rep scheme optimizes both strength & muscle growth.

[fool]

I tried to get formatting to work but this forum is sucking. If someone has an easy way to post with clear formatting, I'll post again. Until then I'll leave it as is. :/