In-season training for Rec players

[EndBoards 0]

For a married guy with a two year old, I did pretty well with some strength training over the summer. In the past I've found that trying to do weights while the season is going on just brings on too much fatigue. Some of my worst games were ones following weight training (even with several days for recovery)..

I do think that I could handle some cardio during the season though. I was wondering what you guys have found to be a good in-season training schedule.

Obviously your muscles don't require as much recovery from cardio work as they do from strength training, but I was wondering about how your body's energy stores are affected?

Let's say I had a game Wednesday night - if I did a cardio session Tuesday night, would that workout negatively affect my game? Would eating extra on those days compensate?

Just looking to see what you guys have experienced..

[Hooah4 12]

I'm not a trainer or anything but I'm in the same situation as you. I've switched my strengt training routine to once a week. I now do intervals on my stationary bike 4 times a week. 5 minute warm up, 10-20 minutes of either 30hi/30lo or a pyramid system up/down.

I feel that the strenght training really wears me down if I overdo it during the season. Right after a workout I'll make a quick snack like a tall glass of fatfree milk and a PBJ (natural PB/smashed frozen berries). Hits the spot.

[beaucoup_fish 0]

I find strength training not really to be too much of a factor for rec players, considering most leagues are non-contact, but cardio can do wonders for your game.

Try a cardio workout in between games to keep up your conditioning. It'll pay off later in the season when you begin to wear down - you'll be able to keep up your intensity later into games.

Good luck and let me know if it works for you.

[Jim A 4]

I don't do enough strength training to do it without a day in between games/sessions but cardio i can do whenever...typically the day after a game I just go piano and get the blood moving..but i'm not against 30-40 min on the elliptical or bike a few hours before the game..or a quick trail run (~1mile) with the dog..

[freq019 0]

semi-related question, on an exercise bike what routine do you find the most effective?

[Crazy Otto 0]

I do strength training twice a week, and cardio 3 times a week, usually I don't do anything on days I'm playing hockey. I do less heavy lifting and more reps depending on my hockey schedule, since that seems to allow me quicker recovery times.

Freq, for bike training you want to try to do intervals or hills. You might also consider doing a spinning class if that's available to you, since that is basically intervals.

[Jim A 4]

If I do intervals..I do them with the dog..pick a spot about 100-200m..and sprint..he normally gives me a "lead" then chases me down..

For intervals..been lucky that one place has almost no one show up on a certain day and i get the ice for $10 nearly to myself..I do a lot of short interval stuff there...because i can rest..not like pickup where you can go balls out for 2 min and sit for 6...

on the bike..i do it mostly for endurance,etc...some days its just to spin the legs if I skate 3-5 days in a row..and other times its more just stuff below AT...makes me work.

[freq019 0]

By intervals do you all mean, sprints then rest, then sprint then rest etc? I used the exercise bike in my apt weight room a couple of times and it took me a while to figure out how to get enough resistance without doing a hill climb. Now when doing skating sprints would you just go goal line to goal line then coast back then do it again?

[Jim A 4]

most of my intervals are just short sprints with rest inbetween..but i don't really use the bike for them, the bike is more for recovery stuff and some good tempo work

the day I'm on the ice when no one is around I just almost act like I'm in a game ..go after a puck..sprint down the boards..cut in shoot, etc..go hard for about a min..then stop, rest...other times I'll do drills inside a faceoff circle..lots of cutting etc..and yes..at times i just go end to end at full effort..a lot of people like "Herbies" (start at goal line..blue line back, red line back etc) and some do the start in on one blue line and go opposite blue line back, red line back goal line back etc)

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

I don't do cardio training in season because I play 2 times a day but I assume it's very good to do some if you don't play a lot.

[Jim A 4]

cardio can help anyone regardless of the # of times per week you play..base work will help recovery and keep you from going anaerobic and reaching AT too soon during games etc

[biff44 0]

Skating in itself is a great exercise. There is not too much need for lower body strength training UNLESS you feel like you are losing muscle mass during the season. If you are, then hitting the weights is the only solution. Try pumping some good carbs into the pie hole the second you stop lifting--should aid in recovery.

But there are plenty of muscles that get little work out while skating. Basically your entire back is loafing out there on the ice, which is not too good when you are muscling someone in the corner or take a big fall and need it to be buff. So a lot of back exercises are good (seated row, chin ups, etc).

And the more you skate, the less flexible your hamstrings and hip flexors will get, so you have to work a lot on flexibility (or enter the house of pain).

And Plyometrics are always great for increasing agility, and as long as you avoid the drastic ones (like a deep box jump), they do not screw you up on game day.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

cardio can help anyone regardless of the # of times per week you play..base work will help recovery and keep you from going anaerobic and reaching AT too soon during games etc

no way, if you do to much cardio, you will burn muscle and your muscle mass will decrease a lot.

With all the ice time I do, I have a GREAT CARDIO and I don't need any Cardio workout anymore for the moment.

[Jim A 4]

Kovy....you don't burn excess muscle unless your nutrition is jacked..there have been NHL'ers who do Ironman length triathlons in the offseason and you don't see them whittling to nothing..i'm not talking about sprints,etc that you get on the ice..but endurance..and cardio has a big help in that..there's a reason you see NHL'ers on the bikes after games and a practice earlier in the day...they need it...

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Kovy....you don't burn excess muscle unless your nutrition is jacked..there have been NHL'ers who do Ironman length triathlons in the offseason and you don't see them whittling to nothing..i'm not talking about sprints,etc that you get on the ice..but endurance..and cardio has a big help in that..there's a reason you see NHL'ers on the bikes after games and a practice earlier in the day...they need it...

they don't do bikes after games for cardio from what I know, it's to get the lacid lactic out of their legs.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Kovy....you don't burn excess muscle unless your nutrition is jacked..there have been NHL'ers who do Ironman length triathlons in the offseason and you don't see them whittling to nothing..i'm not talking about sprints,etc that you get on the ice..but endurance..and cardio has a big help in that..there's a reason you see NHL'ers on the bikes after games and a practice earlier in the day...they need it...

Sometimes I do some 20-30 min of cardio but it's only when I'm not tired.

Someday, I play 4,5 hours so I don't need to do cardio on these days.

What I'll try to do this year is like 3 strenght training / week with plyos exercise insert in the program, 2 cardio endurance training / week, no anaerobic training and lot of stretching.

+ off ice stickhandling and shootingeven if I play a lot...

[beaucoup_fish 0]

Try pumping some good carbs into the pie hole the second you stop lifting--should aid in recovery.

Actually, I believe it's protein that aids in recovery and works to repair muscle...

[Jim Bob 0]

Here is a good article on post-workout recovery nutrition:

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/recupdate.htm

Basically, lots of protein and some ideal carbs are what a body needs after a hard workout.

And if you're in a pinch, chocolate milk is a good recovery drink as it has both carbs and protein.

And as far as working out in-season goes, I have pulled back on my lifting volume, but I still try and lift 4 days a week.

I'm only playing on one night a week, so it's relatively easy to work in to my schedule.

And I'll only do cardio the night before a game.

Here is my basic schedule:

Thursday: Dynamic Lift-Cardio-Stretch

Friday: Power Lift-Cardio-Stretch

Saturday: OFF

Sunday: Dynamic Lift-Cardio-Stretch

Monday: Power Lift-Cardio-Stretch

Tuesday: Cardio-Stretch

Wednesday: Game Night

On a dynamic lift day I'll do one of 3 things:

Power Clean-Push Press Complex

Hang Clean-Front Squat-Push Press-Back Squat-Squat Press Complex

Dumbbell Swings & Single Arm Dumbbell snatches

and then I'll do some core/ab work

On a power lift day I have these workouts:

1) Max Effort (Squat or Deadlift & Bench)

2) Straight Legged Deadlift or Goodmornings & Bis+Tris (Usually a superset of Barbell curls and Facecrushers)

3) Overhead Squats and an upper back superset (seated rows & rope pulls to neck)

For cardio I've been doing a 5 minute warmup, 35 minutes of intervals (45 hard/75 easy) on a stationary bike and really killing myself and then a 5 minute cool down.