Conditioning not so important in hockey...

[sherwood21 0]

Jason Chimera is just insanely fast, he isn't as smooth as Nieds but he can fly

[Cavs019 702]

Didn't he break 13 around the rink?

[sherwood21 0]

I dunno, he sure looks like he could..

I could just go ask him, he lives a few doors down :D

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

I dunno, he sure looks like he could..

I could just go ask him, he lives a few doors down :D

ask him, ask him...lol

And as for Cavs's comments for Niedermayer, I repect his comment but for some reason I don't like the way Niedermayer skate. But I've heard so many people saying how good of a skater is Niedermayer so I have to agree at aertain point...

For my PP, the 2 skaters I love the most to see skating are Fedorov and Kovalev...

I also admire Sergei Samsonov quickness and agility. Kariya is another that come to my mind...

[ktang 34]

About the skating "looks": Fedorov has the classic Euro hockey skating style (back curved forward, shoulders ahead), and Niedermayer / Coffey have the classic speed skating style (back curved backward, shoulders back). Both styles work.

About conditioning: From what I understand from what I've looked into, hockey players need a blend of anaerobic power and aerobic conditioining. Anaerobic power for playing the shift, and aerobic conditioning for recovering for the next shift. Training for one robs from the other (white vs. red muscle fibre emphasis), so hockey players must compromise. They won't be the best aerobically, and they won't be the strongest, but they will have the best blend of the two.

[Eazy_b97 1]

The best analogy of "builds" i've heard is military like. Strong, but not bulky.

[Cavs019 702]

exactly. You want to be able to hold as much strength as possible but remain streamlined and not overly bulky.

As far as skaters go, Kovalchuk is probably my favorite to watch. Its like he's being shot out of a cannon every stride.

[gopens67 0]

I think some of the best skaters in the league include andy mcdonald, and rico fata.

[SB39 2]

Just train like an MMA fighter and you'll be fine. Try to Lion's Den workout;

50 pushups, 50 squats, 50 situps, 10 pullups

40 pushups, 40 squats, 40 situps, 9 pullups

30 pushups, 30 squats, 30 situps, 8 pullups

20 pushups, 20 squats, 20 situps, 7 pullups

10 pushups, 10 squats, 10 situps, 6 pullups

No rest ever, go straight into the next exercise, set, and round. If you can do more than 2, you should be ruining people on the rink

[EndBoards 0]

Just train like an MMA fighter and you'll be fine. Try to Lion's Den workout;

50 pushups, 50 squats, 50 situps, 10 pullups

40 pushups, 40 squats, 40 situps, 9 pullups

30 pushups, 30 squats, 30 situps, 8 pullups

20 pushups, 20 squats, 20 situps, 7 pullups

10 pushups, 10 squats, 10 situps, 6 pullups

No rest ever, go straight into the next exercise, set, and round. If you can do more than 2, you should be ruining people on the rink

I assume you use no weight on the squats, correct?

[Hipster 5]

To adress the OP: Conditioning is very important in hockey.

I think the original author of the post is confusing conditioning with muscle size or build. Professional hockey players may not have an impressive physique, but I guarantee you that pound-for-pound they are some of the strongest and most powerful athletes out there.

One of the best things that you can tell a beginner is to get into shape and start eating right. Heck, if you can just get them in the squat rack a few times a month and teach them to eat pasta before a game they'll be way better off than not doing anything..

I've read through a bunch of this thread, and I think Endboards has it pretty much dead on.

Hockey players physiques are more about performance than looks and its usually a physique that comes from the combination of strength and endurance our sport requires. The down side of that is that a build that is efficient rather than bulky is more susceptible to looking "out of shape" when you spread 10 15 pounds of off season pounds over it. One of my college teamates was nicknamed "Garfield" because he was always coming into camp pudgy like the cat....but it was just 15 pounds hiding a fantastic hockey build. 2 weeks into pre-season, he was ready for anything. and he never lifted anything heavier than a keg.

Have you ever seen an old commercial fisherman or farmers? They don't look like mens swimwear models, but some of them are awesomely powerful from a lifetime of total body work....none of it done in a gym with weights.

Those guys have performance oriented physiques. They are built to do a job. That's sort of what hockey players have....in general.

I see plenty of muscle dudes with puffed up chests and biceps and spindly thighs, and I just laugh. You can tell they've never actually played a sport at a high level in their life. They're just weight room heroes. All show and no go. Too small to be football players and too puffed up to be any other type of good athlete.

They probably do 3-4 exercises and none of them are oriented towards strengthening their core. Its all about the upper body.

So to play your best hockey, train for performance, don't build muscle just to look good in a polo shirt. Train for performance. And in hockey that means a cross between endurance strength and quickness.

[biff44 0]

The #1 key for hockey is % body fat. Too much body fat is like skating around with a weight belt on. Also, more body fat means you will heat exhaust quicker, so need shorter shifts.

Everything else takes a back seat.

[sonsplayhockey 0]

I would agree that skill and experiance is way more important than physical conditioning in lower level adult hockey leagues where I play. I think it might only be in the lower levels of play such as this (teens etc) that the statement would be mostly true.

[All Torhs Team 0]

im 14 and play AA ice and AAA roller. and trust me i dont have abs at all but im not fat either. i hardly condition. the only excercise i get is from playing hockey five times a week. i think for roller it is all natural talent. but for ice it would help to be conditioned becuase your getting checked into the boards...sometimes having to jump back up and to me....giving checks takes alot out of ya................

just my opinion , tell me what you think of this.

[trucks 0]

im in a similar situation playin roller and ice and i get no exercise at all. im a goalie so i dont move much anyways but ye ive got a little gut goin but thats because of my eating and drinking habits. it also doesnt help that i lost all my stamina becuase of a drug habit but i manage to get the job done and i realize im not makin the nhl so why waste my time and money workin out.

[All Torhs Team 0]

i agree.....im no sidney crosby... but if your parents, or even your self are going to spend so much time and money on the traveling then why not be the best you can be.

I know its all just for fun...but its even more fun when youre better.

[trucks 0]

meh id rather get stoned and watch family guy then workout...prolly not the best attitude but whatever.