The Leg Blaster Thread - are we having fun yet?

[ptavv]

I’m no exercise physiologist but I feel that LBs are too redundant for people that are already doing a lot of leg based activities (mtbing, trail running, big hikes). It seems that doing low reps and max weight is a better combination to increase strength and muscle recruitment during high intensity activities.

have you tried doing a lot of leg blasters? do 10 sets of minis, or 5 sets of full and see if your legs are sore a day or two later

even my trail runner friends who log 60+ mile weeks get destroyed by the eccentric loading of them when they first start, which is a) why they hurt so bad and b) why they're such good training for skiing

[GoSlowGoFar]

have you tried doing a lot of leg blasters? do 10 sets of minis, or 5 sets of full and see if your legs are sore a day or two later

even my trail runner friends who log 60+ mile weeks get destroyed by the eccentric loading of them when they first start, which is a) why they hurt so bad and b) why they're such good training for skiing

Yes, I have. Like I said I’ve done LBs and still do them at times leading up to the season. I never said they don’t have a place, just saying they’re not an end all be all for ski fitness and aerobic capacity and strength seem to be more important, especially if you tour.

[fleaches]

Bolded for emphasis, because inbounds skiing is the focus here and that's the point that you seem to be missing. Sure, if you only tour then go buy Training for the New Alpinism or Training for the Uphill Athlete and knock yourself out. If you use those plans and then try to ski non-stop top-to-bottom tram laps you're gonna get rekt.

I had never heard of leg blasters before seeing this thread. I spend most of the year doing some kind of "uphill athlete" sort of training program for touring, but every year my first couple of weeks of downhill runs are not fun for my legs.

Last week I did two minis and could hardly walk for days. They definitelty work something different from my standard workouts/trail running... I think this will be a good addition and hopefully it pays off in the downhill endurance department.


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[banzai]

This is highly subjective, but the burn I got from LBs is very similar to top to bottom runs on skis. Top to bottom DH runs on the bike get me similar results, but cant do those at the gym/home.

[californiagrown]

Probably not.

Sounds like youre not having fun yet.

How many of you folks are actually jumping as high as possible during the lunge jumps, and squat jumps vs. just getting your feet barely off the ground?

[::: :::]

Hahahahahahahaha
(sigh)
It hurts cuz it’s true

[tgapp]

Sounds like youre not having fun yet.

How many of you folks are actually jumping as high as possible during the lunge jumps, and squat jumps vs. just getting your feet barely off the ground?

Credit card airs ftw

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[Danno]

Sounds like youre not having fun yet.

How many of you folks are actually jumping as high as possible during the lunge jumps, and squat jumps vs. just getting your feet barely off the ground?

I've always done the lunge jumps just as high as needed to switch legs, kinda like tele skiing. Squat jumps I try to really jump (probably not as high as possible but more than a credit card).

[zion zig zag]

I've always done the lunge jumps just as high as needed to switch legs, kinda like tele skiing. Squat jumps I try to really jump (probably not as high as possible but more than a credit card).

Same here.

[californiagrown]

If you arent exploding at max effort, then you are missing the plyo benefit. LBs are great because you get the plyo benefits for the first couple reps until you fatigue and then it naturally transforms into more of an endurance exercise. I would urge everyone to really try and prioritize the plyo aspect for the first few reps of the jumping movements, at least, before going back to pacing yourself to get through the rest of the set. Be warned that plyometric efforts are significantly more taxing to both your muscles and your lungs, so you may temporarily take a step back in your progression towards X sets of full LBs.

Dont jog your sprints... your sprints will naturally turn into jogging speed by the end of the sprint workout.


*caveat that you dont have underlying health/injury issues and are in decent training shape to begin with*

[Foggy_Goggles]

Yes...TtB tram laps, training you can do at home with no equipment, validating your effort, skiing with friends

No...rando dorks that can't ski, the idea that LBs ain't good for skiing, thinking that ski shape is something you start in October

Sent from my Turbo 850 Flatbrimed Highhorse

[tgapp]

If you arent exploding at max effort, then you are missing the plyo benefit. LBs are great because you get the plyo benefits for the first couple reps until you fatigue and then it naturally transforms into more of an endurance exercise. I would urge everyone to really try and prioritize the plyo aspect for the first few reps of the jumping movements, at least, before going back to pacing yourself to get through the rest of the set. Be warned that plyometric efforts are significantly more taxing to both your muscles and your lungs, so you may temporarily take a step back in your progression towards X sets of full LBs.

Dont jog your sprints... your sprints will naturally turn into jogging speed by the end of the sprint workout.


*caveat that you dont have underlying health/injury issues and are in decent training shape to begin with*

This is good advice, and I was mostly speaking tongue in cheek about credit card airs. Mostly.

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[Anachronist]

Bolded for emphasis, because inbounds skiing is the focus here and that's the point that you seem to be missing. Sure, if you only tour then go buy Training for the New Alpinism or Training for the Uphill Athlete and knock yourself out. If you use those plans and then try to ski non-stop top-to-bottom tram laps you're gonna get rekt. Also, there's a periodization component here. There's a reason this thread was started in late October, LBs are basically meant to be final prep for ski season (or, if you sat on your ass all summer, the physical equivalent of cramming for a final you didn't study for all semester and you need a C to get the degree). Aerobic capacity and strength are long-term investments you work on in the off-season.

Again I just want to point out that even if you do go buy TFTUA their gym-based muscular endurance workout is 6x10 reps box steps, 6x10 reps front lunge, 6x10 reps split jump squats, 6x10 reps squat jump, 1 minute rest between sets. Not exactly a leg blaster but it has a lot in common in my view. Obviously that's worked in with all the aerobic work of their program.

[californiagrown]

This is good advice, and I was mostly speaking tongue in cheek about credit card airs. Mostly.

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I think everyone has CC hops for the last few reps of the final few sets of lunge jumps and squat jumps haha. If you are still boosting a 30" vert on those you are lying, on EPO, or a combination of the two.

[AK47bp]

Are leg blasters the new CrossFit? So many opinions and experts here.

Is there a video link to these LB motherfuckers so I can see what all hype is about and start torturing myself?

[rudy]

Are leg blasters the new CrossFit? So many opinions and experts here.

Is there a video link to these LB motherfuckers so I can see what all hype is about and start torturing myself?

Google broken?

[J. Barron DeJong]

Are leg blasters the new CrossFit? So many opinions and experts here.

Is there a video link to these LB motherfuckers so I can see what all hype is about and start torturing myself?

Video here:

https://sawback.com/blog/leg-blasters/

(Finally used the Google this year after seeing people talk about leg blasters for years…)

[AK47bp]

Video here:

https://sawback.com/blog/leg-blasters/

(Finally used the Google this year after seeing people talk about leg blasters for years…)

Thanks.

Lots of Google results but wasn’t sure what was the gold standard TGR approved method.

[AK47bp]

Google broken?

Yea. Google was broken but I think they fixed it now.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

When I was still coaching wrestling and training more like a wrestler I could do leg blasters no problem, but during my first few skis days I'd be sore as hell.

More recently, when my main exercise has been trail running, leg blasters fuck me up, but my ski legs start out much stronger than they used to, even though my max strength is less for sure.

Why? I think part of it is that I have skied a lot more since I stopped the wrestling thing and I'm just more efficient than I used to be. But I also think running downhill is great preseason ski training. I mean moving quickly down steep rocky trails so your legs burn, not shuffling down a mild incline.

Last year I skipped the leg blasters ramp up and tried doing sets of split jumps immediately following weighted box steps. I did this because I suspected that most of the benefit of the LB is the split jump, while the rest of the movements are really there to provide fatigue. I also did hill sprints immediately followed by split jumps a couple times. I also have doubts about the benefits of any exercise that leaves you so sore it's hard to walk. After doing this for a month or so I was able to do the full 5 leg blasters without feeling too bad.

The start of this season will likely be rough/ delayed for me. Looks like I need surgery to remove bone spurs in my left foot. Hope I can get it done ASAP.

[Toadman]

Sounds like youre not having fun yet.

How many of you folks are actually jumping as high as possible during the lunge jumps, and squat jumps vs. just getting your feet barely off the ground?

I don't think the goal is to jump as high as possible. But just to get some air. When I was a high jumper in HS and college we did jump squats, one legged hops and bounding exercises. It was never the goal to jump as high as possible during the exercises. It was to save that for later when you were in competition. Besides. We're talking recreational skiing here. Not FIS WC competition. Leave those high as possible competitive types for the tik tok videos. FWIW, I once put a hole in the ceiling at home when I hit it with my head doing some of my workouts. I took it outside after that.

[californiagrown]

Besides. We're talking recreational skiing here.

So this isnt serious, serious business?

hot take incoming... no matter how many LBs I do preseason, i will still need a handful of days to ski myself into shape.

[Toadman]

So this isnt serious, serious business?

hot take incoming... no matter how many LBs I do preseason, i will still need a handful of days to ski myself into shape.

Nothing beats doing what you're practicing for. Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes for perfect skiing! Just like a rowing machine can't simulate the actual event of being in an 8 person scull. Or riding on your bike trainer in no way prepares you for being out on your road bike. But it helps!

[Dantheman]

Why? I think part of it is that I have skied a lot more since I stopped the wrestling thing and I'm just more efficient than I used to be. But I also think running downhill is great preseason ski training. I mean moving quickly down steep rocky trails so your legs burn, not shuffling down a mild incline.

I'm a big, big fan of bombing down trails and I've posted before that I actually think downhill trail running on steep (20+% grade) technical trails is better than LBs for ski conditioning. But, those kind of trails aren't available to a lot of people and the injury risk is not low if you don't have a lot of experience doing it so I don't get up on that soapbox very often.

I also have doubts about the benefits of any exercise that leaves you so sore it's hard to walk.

With heavy eccentric stuff it's very important to keep the volume low in the beginning. There's no way to know in the moment if you've overdone it and it's definitely possible to end up in the hospital with rhabdo. It is a balancing act though. You don't want to cripple yourself but you also need enough stimulus to activate the RBE. Luckily, RBE adaptations happen pretty fast, so start conservative, then when you're a few weeks in you can push hard with a lot less risk.

[paulster2626]

I've found that 52 weeks of regular peloton use doing varying workouts (endurance, climb rides, HIIT/Tabata, 'generic') combined with Nov/Dec front and back barbell squats has gotten me to the point where I can ski all day long no problem. Hiking is still kinda tough for me but that's more to do with drinking 15 beers the night before. Hopefully with new lighter boots this year I am quicker on the ups. My friends who are in better hot tub shape than I but do not do regular leg workouts tire out faster.

That said, when you do a few LB routines and then cannot sit on the toilet gracefully for 3 days, you know you're on the right track.