The Leg Blaster Thread - are we having fun yet?

[ASmileyFace]

Single leg RDL (with weights) on an upside buso has really helped my hamstrings, glutes, and knee stability.

Single leg RDLs have been a huge part of my recovery from a major distal femur fracture in april 23'. For hamstring, glute and knee stability there are few exercises that work quite as well in my experience.

Started adding in Leg Blasters two weeks ago to my usual recovery gym routine, intermixed with leg focused weight lifting. I'm one year and four months out from my accident where I was non-weight bearing for 3 months+ and I'm probably 65%/75% back to the strength from the "before times." Got a lot of work to go, but I think leg blasters are fantastic when you cannot find time to do more concentrated workouts

[zion zig zag]

Inherent. It's a more upright position so engages the hammies less.

For strength programming, I like Galpin's 3-5 rule: 3-5 exercises, 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps, 3-5 times per week.

That's a huge range of overall volume. Work the higher end for pushing strength development in your off season(s), the lower end for in-season maintenance.



Concur.

Copy, thanks for the reality checks.

I just asked Chat GPT to build me a workout program based on Galpin's principles. Tweaked the prompts a few times and it seems pretty good.

[bodywhomper]

a major distal femur fracture in april 23'.

That sounds painful and possibly life threatening. Glad you’re on the road to recovery.

[Dantheman]

So maybe it's just a personally modified version of what dan's talking about. But the point is to tailor what you are doing to your situation. My lovely wife is quite strict about her lifting, and I htink that leads to some negative situations, like going into a ski trip with gased legs. She getting more flexible about it...

Exactly. If I'm skiing hard more than one day per week at the level I want to be at I'm definitely not lifting 3 days a week. Lifting is great but it's a means to an end.

[pfluffenmeister]

Full leg Blasters are significantly more taxing than minis (duh?).
Hopeful target was three sets, only did two.

[zion zig zag]

Exactly. If I'm skiing hard more than one day per week at the level I want to be at I'm definitely not lifting 3 days a week. Lifting is great but it's a means to an end.

Yep, That’s why I feel like I have limited time for some type of strength program. There isn’t much time between bike and ski seasons.

[rod9301]

I do leg work for 6 weeks, 3 times a week in May June and October, then in mtb and ski season, once a week, but only 6 reps at the max weight i achieved before, so i don't get sore

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[shera]

I'm doing walking lunges every morning along with my regular air squats to warm up for the day. Did not realize I had such a big hole in my fitness. Shouldn't be surprised, there comes a point where it really is use it or lose it. I might never be able to do jumping lunges and get my knee all the way to the ground like in the leg blasters. Working on it though.

[californiagrown]

I might never be able to do jumping lunges and get my knee all the way to the ground like in the leg blasters. Working on it though.

When you do walking lunges, are you touching your knee to the ground (or very nearly doing so)? When doing your walking lunges, just work on being bouncy out of the bottom. You'll get it way quicker than you think if you are consistent.

[shera]

When you do walking lunges, are you touching your knee to the ground (or very nearly doing so)? When doing your walking lunges, just work on being bouncy out of the bottom. You'll get it way quicker than you think if you are consistent.

Yes I am touching the ground. I'm pretty much heaving myself up but I'll try, thanks.

[ASmileyFace]

That sounds painful and possibly life threatening. Glad you’re on the road to recovery.

It was pretty rough. I am lucky to be alive, let alone doing leg blaster 3 days a week/getting psyched about ski season. I've talked about my accident a bit in the CO thread and elsewhere but I'll try and keep my personal story out of this one.

Week three of leg blaster 3x times a week. I thought I had graduated to eight sets of mini's with two sets of fulls w/30 seconds in between earlier this week... but I cooked myself by adding that into my already leg heavy lifting and eccentric routine. Had to drop down to a normal 10x mini's w/60 seconds in between after a low intensity/high weight set of lifts this AM.

[neufox47]

Yes I am touching the ground. I'm pretty much heaving myself up but I'll try, thanks.

You may want to nix the jumping lunges until you have more leg strength. Or don’t try to go all the way down. Tough to say without seeing you do them but plyometrics should always be done with good form. Heaving doesn’t sound good and one small injury will derail all your progress.

[pfluffenmeister]

3 sets of fulls yesterday.
I was doing 30 seconds downtime between sets on minis; have to go 60 seconds on fulls.

[shera]

You may want to nix the jumping lunges until you have more leg strength. Or don’t try to go all the way down. Tough to say without seeing you do them but plyometrics should always be done with good form. Heaving doesn’t sound good and one small injury will derail all your progress.

Good points. My walking lunges are improving and I'm putting a little pop into the up section now, so it looks kinda like a skipping motion. Leg blasters are also improving but I'm not going all the way down, rather I'm trying to maintain a certain pacing and pop. I think I need to pay attention to plyometrics from here on out, it was never on my radar before.

Someone in TGR told me a long time ago that Freeze Frame was the perfect rhythm for bump skiing. Is that right? I'm playing that song and jumping around and twisting, also laterally,

[pfluffenmeister]

Three fulls, one mini; feel pretty good.

[Hopeless Sinner]

I'm starting w a much more gradual ramp up than the past 3 years to try to avoid injury. If I have to do them for the first month of the season to get to 10 full, so be it. Currently up to 3 sets minis 2x/week.

[Dantheman]

Yep, That’s why I feel like I have limited time for some type of strength program. There isn’t much time between bike and ski seasons.

The crux is the "performing at the level I want to" part. If you are, congratulations, you've achieved your goal, do just enough to maintain. If you're not, you might need to adjust your priorities for a while.

[pfluffenmeister]

I'm starting w a much more gradual ramp up than the past 3 years to try to avoid injury. If I have to do them for the first month of the season to get to 10 full, so be it. Currently up to 3 sets minis 2x/week.

Holy Christ!
10 fulls is the program's target?

I thought it was five?



Basically the same number of reps as ten minis but with only five breaks as opposed to ten.

[bodywhomper]

Weight vest?

[caderader]

Holy Christ!
10 fulls is the program's target?

I thought it was five?



Basically the same number of reps as ten minis but with only five breaks as opposed to ten.

It is 5 per the og article about using them for skiing (backcountry.com link incoming, don't buy anything and avert your eyes if you must) - link.

I've detailed the below before but am trying again to make it coherent, this is my year round routine that allows me to show up at the mountain 2-3 weeks per year after not having skied in a year and feel like I can crush it (at the very least physically).

Maximizing Ski Days for Flatlanders....

As someone who skis only a handful of days each year, I’ve learned the hard way that being out of shape just isn’t an option if I want to really enjoy my time and get after it. I'm already a shitty enough skier without being weak. My ski season typically starts in February, coinciding with Mobile’s generous Mardi Gras break, and living just 12 feet above sea level, I have to be deliberate in my training to ensure I’m ready for the slopes.

Strength Training Progression

For overall strength, I stick to a tried-and-true program. In previous years, I followed Tactical Barbell or Ice Cream Fitness, but this year, I’m doing Wendler’s 5/3/1 BBB program, which I hit 3-4 times a week. I begin ski-specific leg training around Thanksgiving or early December transitioning from heavy lifting to high-rep, low-weight routines. Tactical Barbell’s conditioning program is my go-to for this, with progressively increasing reps and sets each week(week 1 starts with 3x20 and then 2x20 and finishes with 3x50 and 2x50 days in week 5 .

By the time I’m deep into this routine, performing a 6-7 exercise complex that includes Bulgarian split squats at 3x50 reps with only 60s or less rest between exercises, I feel like I've already met Jesus and the leg blaster progression doesn’t seem nearly as intimidating. More importantly it makes that one more step when you've already been bootpacking or touring for hours feel easy! I integrate single-leg max strength work in November-December; this is inspired by Zahan Bilimoria’s guidance, which emphasizes single-leg maximum strength and made a big difference to me in those challenging siotuations that are so common skiing when you're not skiing perfect consistent pow and you get bucked a bit (maybe that's just my shitty skiing again). I transition to leg blasters in December-January, and continue to alternate between these phases leading up to my first ski trip. Plyometrics are added in when I start the single-leg strength work to enhance explosiveness(way more important now that I'm semi old than it was when I was younger and took jumping high for granted...).

Cardio and Aerobic Base
Living at sea level means I have to focus heavily on cardio to ensure I’m ready for altitude. Nothing sucks like being on the mountain with a new friend, getting shown an awesome spot with a "short bootpack", and being ragged and 10 minutes behind (or more) as they try to decide whether they feel guilty ditching you or not...This gives me plenty of motivation to put in the miles late at night after putting kids to bed... I follow a blend of long, slow distance (LSD) runs combined with pretty regular speed work. Uphill Athlete has been a helpful resource in understanding this balance. I also rely on the TrainAsOne app, which tailors my running schedule based on AI and best available science, I'm a huge fan and recommend it to anyone that wants a customized, set it and forget it running plan, the free version is plenty excellent. I’ve logged around 700-800 miles this year, with the majority of that coming since May, averaging 20-40 miles per week when my schedule allows.

Plyometrics and Hip Stability

As I’ve hit my mid-thirties, I’ve noticed that explosiveness—especially jumping—isn’t as easy as it used to be. To counter this, I’ve incorporated more plyometrics into my routine this year, particularly during the November-December strength phase. I don't have a great tested routine here and built something based on a few articles and ChatGPT last year but am open to anyone that does have a good plyo routine.

I’ve also learned the importance of hip strength in preventing imbalances. Weak hips, despite having strong legs, lead to discomfort and minor tweaks and injuries elsewhere in the body. Jay Johnson’s SAM (Strength and Mobility) routine has been a game-changer for addressing this. It’s quick (only a few minutes 2-3 times a week), and it’s one of the best injury prevention strategies I’ve found, especially if you’re running regularly. There's a video on youtube if you don't know the exercises. I usually follow the Phase 1 or Phase 2 “Easy Day” routines.

As someone who only skis 1-3 weeks a year, I don’t have the luxury of skiing into shape. I’m grateful that as I’ve aged, maintaining a solid(perhaps could be called maniacal...) fitness routine that allows me to still be doing things I've never done skiing even as I slowly get older.

[Hopeless Sinner]

Holy Christ!
10 fulls is the program's target?

I thought it was five?



Basically the same number of reps as ten minis but with only five breaks as opposed to ten.

Don't know how I got the number 10 in my mind, but it's been stuck on 10 since I looked at the video linked above years ago. I use a trainer so probably should see what she has in mind in terms of total number of sets.

[ASmileyFace]

10 seems crazy to me. Best session I've had so far was 2 mini's with 3 fulls and that felt plenty desperate. I'm in wood cutting season now so leg blasters are on hold for a week+ till I finish chopping and stacking these couple of chords.

[caderader]

10 seems crazy to me. Best session I've had so far was 2 mini's with 3 fulls and that felt plenty desperate. I'm in wood cutting season now so leg blasters are on hold for a week+ till I finish chopping and stacking these couple of chords.

It's all about progression, I find that depending on the year I've been limited on muscular endurance some years, and cardiovascular fitness in others. If I've been working out and running consistently for 12+ weeks when I enter leg blaster time I can usually skip straight to 5 fulls but usually save myself the terrible doms and just fast forward a little and do the progression over 2-3 weeks. I could see getting to 10 fulls when I come into it in shape, although I would make the case that there's diminishing returns at some point and that time might be better spent on other domains.

On previous years where leg blasters are the first working out I've done for the year at the start of the leg blaster progression I get absolutely freaking smoked by the first week of the progression and 10 feels entirely impossible. I remember having to lay in the cold shower with my legs in the air after sets in years where I;ve not been working out lol

[auvgeek]

It was pretty rough. I am lucky to be alive, let alone doing leg blaster 3 days a week/getting psyched about ski season. I've talked about my accident a bit in the CO thread and elsewhere but I'll try and keep my personal story out of this one.

Week three of leg blaster 3x times a week. I thought I had graduated to eight sets of mini's with two sets of fulls w/30 seconds in between earlier this week... but I cooked myself by adding that into my already leg heavy lifting and eccentric routine. Had to drop down to a normal 10x mini's w/60 seconds in between after a low intensity/high weight set of lifts this AM.

So stoked for you dude!

I don't have a great tested routine here and built something based on a few articles and ChatGPT last year but am open to anyone that does have a good plyo routine.

The plus plyos app is good. I signed up for their "return to sport" plan since I'm coming off some injuries and it seems decent. https://www.plusplyos.com/ I'll probably give the 2-week free trial a shot afterwards. I'm less comfortable programming plyos for myself than strength or ME.

[EWG]

And so it begins. Squats and deads last night for the first time in 2-3 weeks (so many outdoor pursuits that I didn't have time/energy over that period to get a leg day in and still recover). Leg Blaster start this morning with minis. Not so bad even with the soreness from the squats last night. But they still suck in principle.

The only proper way to do leg blasters is to fill yourself with hate.