How can I maintain my “trail legs” without hitting the trails?
It’s absolutely possible to maintain the “spring” in your legs while stuck indoors, whether that be due to the current pandemic “shutdown”, bad winter weather, or the wildfire smoke we’ve seen over the past few years.
You just need three simple things: Leg Blasters, Skipping or Hopping (depending on whether or not you have a skipping rope), and Flutter Kicks.
Leg Blaster
OK, so technically, the Leg Blaster is four different movements, but put them all together and they kick ass! I got these from the guys at Mountain Tactical Institute (MTI - www.mtntactical.com), and they have been an absolute game changer for my trail running over the last couple of years. Not only for the off-season or when you’re stuck indoors, they are a great supplement to actual trail running as well.
I have gained and maintained way more “pop” in my legs, allowing me to power up the shorter, steep climbs on the more rolling kind of trails, my legs have been much more fatigue-resistant on the fast descents, and I have also greatly improved my mental and physical ability to keep grinding away on the hills because I now know FOR SURE how bad my legs *could* feel…LOL!
The Leg Blaster includes:
X Squats
X Forward Lunges (total)
X Jump Lunges (total)
Y Jump Squats
…and Y is half the number of X. At The BTG, we always list them as X/Y Leg Blasters.
So, for example, the smallest round you could do is a 2/1 Leg Blaster:
2 Squats
2 Forward Lunges (1 each leg)
2 Jump Lunges (1 each leg)
1 Jump Squat
…MTI’s “Mini” Leg Blaster is a 10/5:
10 Squats
10 Forward Lunges (5 each leg)
10 Jump Lunges (5 each leg)
5 Jump Squats
…all the way up to MTI’s “Full” Leg Blaster, which is a 20/10:
20 Squats
20 Forward Lunges (10 each leg)
20 Jump Lunges (10 each leg)
10 Jump Squats
So, the first three movements always go up by 2’s, while the Jump Squats go up by 1’s.
One place where folks often cheat is by just staying upright and “foot switching” on the Jump Lunge instead of actually jumping, landing and dropping to full depth. DON’T BE THAT GUY (OR GAL)!
Try to focus on using as much range of motion as possible on each of the movements. Squats should be thighs at or near parallel to the ground at the bottom (I usually do what we call “Breathing Squats”), Lunges and Jump Lunges should be with the back knee just off the ground at the bottom, and all the jumps for the Jump Lunges and Jump Squats should be explosive and high!
With the Leg Blaster, most people’s quads burn like CRAZY while they’re doing them, but what ends up the most sore afterwards are the glutes. Especially once you get into the higher numbers, the combination of the concentric strength-endurance demand from the Squats, the increasing explosive power and eccentric force-absorption as you work through the Lunges and Jump Lunges, and the final, “tank-emptying” grind of the Jump Squats is just like nothing else I’ve ever used in my training.
Skipping
The Leg Blaster really takes care of your legs from the hips down to the knees, but doesn’t really do much for your calves. When you’re stuck indoors, you could just do endless, boring calf raises, but they don’t do a whole lot to simulate the dynamic loading your calves get while running. That’s where Skipping comes in.
To skip effectively, you want to maintain a light, two-foot bounce, maybe shifting your weight slightly from side to side. Jump *just* high enough to clear the rope, and use a small, tight wrist motion to keep the rope turning over.
Done with a skipping rope, you’ll not only get a great calf workout, but your shoulders will get a pretty good burn on as well. If you don’t have a rope, however, you can just simulate the motion by doing the two-foot bounce, or alternating low hopping on either leg.
Flutter Kicks
The last piece that ties this all together is Flutter Kicks, which engage your core, and especially your hip flexors, to fully round out the attack on your legs. ;)
You can do flutter kicks either from a lying hollow-body position or sitting more upright, either with your arms crossed at your chest, pointing straight down towards your feet, or hands placed on the floor behind you.
Either way, think about lifting your chest and chin towards the ceiling instead of crunching forward, and remember that the movement should always come from your hips, not your knees. If they’re a little too spicy, bend your knees slightly, but keep them bent the same through the whole movement, still moving from the hips, not the knees.
Putting It All Together
I like to combine these movements together as a circuit, which I perform either for a set number of rounds or a total amount of time. Ideally, I usually have some upper body in there too, like push-ups, rows or even better, Scotty Bob’s (which I’ll cover in another post).
If you’re just starting out with the Leg Blaster, what I would recommend is to pyramid the Leg Blaster, working up in numbers until you can’t complete the Leg Blaster unbroken (I.E. without stopping), then working back down. I’d also start with a small-ish number of flutter kicks, because they’ll really add up over the rounds.
For example:
Round 1
2/1 Leg Blaster (2 Squats, 2 Lunges, 2 Jump Lunges, 1 Jump Squat)
10 Push-Ups
Skipping (x100 rope turns)
10 Flutter Kicks (each leg)
Round 2
4/2 Leg Blaster (4 Squats, 4 Lunges, 4 Jump Lunges, 2 Jump Squats)
10 Push-Ups
Skipping (x100 rope turns)
10 Flutter Kicks (each leg)
...and so on, until you can’t complete the Leg Blaster unbroken. Let’s say that’s after six rounds:
Round 6
12/6 Leg Blaster (12 Squats, 12 Lunges, 12 Jump Lunges, 6 Jump Squats)
10 Push-Ups
Skipping (x100 rope turns)
10 Flutter Kicks (each leg)
…in the Leg Blaster, you had to stop in the middle of the Jump Lunges, so you would then work down for Round 7 onward:
Round 7
10/5 Leg Blaster (10 Squats, 10 Lunges, 10 Jump Lunges, 5 Jump Squats)
10 Push-Ups
Skipping (x100 rope turns)
10 Flutter Kicks (each leg)
…until you’re back at the 2/1 Leg Blaster in Round 11:
Round 11
2/1 Leg Blaster (2 Squats, 2 Lunges, 2 Jump Lunges, 1 Jump Squat)
10 Push-Ups
Skipping (x100 rope turns)
10 Flutter Kicks (each leg)
Rest as needed throughout, but ideally try to rest only at the end of each round, and keep the rests short – 45-90 seconds max.
Want it a little tougher?
If you figure your legs are really strong, try starting with the Full Leg Blaster and work your way down to 2/1, with double the flutter kicks:
Round 1
Full 20/10 Leg Blaster (20 squats, 20 Lunges, 20 Jump Lunges, 10 Jump Squats)
10 Push-Ups
Skipping (x100 rope turns)
20 Flutter Kicks (each leg)
Round 2
18/9 Leg Blaster (18 Squats, 18 Lunges, 18 Jump Lunges, 9 Jump Squats)
10 Push-Ups
Skipping (x100 rope turns)
20 Flutter Kicks (each leg)
…and so on, down to:
Round 10
2/1 Leg Blaster (2 Squats, 2 Lunges, 2 Jump Lunges, 1 Jump Squat)
10 Push-Ups
Skipping (x100 rope turns)
20 Flutter Kicks (each leg)
Again, rest as needed, but try to complete the Leg Blasters unbroken (I.E. without stopping). Ideally, only rest at the end of each round, and then only for as long as you need.
Here’s a video of one round of the above, with a 4/2 Leg Blaster, 10 Push Ups, Skipping (100 rope turns) and Flutter Kicks (Tall Sitting; 20 each leg):
Got Questions?
I just might have some answers…LOL! Feel free to message me on Facebook or Instagram, or email via the Contact Us link on our webpage with any training / nutrition questions you may have.
If you’re interested in training with us, check out www.btgfitness.com/online-training for our Online Training options, or send me a message to be added to the waitlist for In-Person Training when we re-open!
—Coach JP