Dumbbells for Hockey?

[Whip 0]

Summers coming up and I am looking forward to working out, I wont be able to go to the gym so I was wondering if I could get dumbbells and strengthen myself up for next season. So bascily I got a few questions: Does a hockey player need upper body strength?

The type of dumbells I plan on getting are strap on weights, its where you have the dumbell shaft and then you buy weight plates, so as you get stronger you fasten more plates onto it. Is this good for training?

So is this a good way to improve my strength and to improve my playing level for next season?

[hunter4oz 0]

you should also consider working on your upper body muscle speed along with conditioning. use the high rep low weight method.

[Eazy_b97 1]

I'm using an a home gym bench right now and it's working out great. The majority of weights used for hockey training are free weights anyways.

[Cavs019 710]

just using dumbells are not going to have a significant impact on your performance on the ice. Its much more involved. Ideally you want to strengthen your core muscles, increase leg strength and improve your endurance. Hockey players do not want to be overly bulky, as it slows them down. This also goes along with maintaining a proper diet, etc.

[kosydar 0]

I'm going to take boxing lessons this summer. Anyone else done this?

[hockey39 0]

I'm going to take boxing lessons this summer.  Anyone else done this?

Got a punching bag...I will take boxing, w/o the lessons. Should really help endurance, improving core muscel strength along w/ overall strength, and even improve foot speed/ hand speed.

Along with weight training, kickboxing helped improve my cardio / endurance, hand speed, and leg strength. Just doing dumbells will limit your training.

hockey39

[Lester8 11]

A hockey player does need upper body strength. Strong shoulders will help stickhandling and provide shock absorbing padding. A strong chest helps you push off the boards or move players from the crease. A strong back and abs helps your shooting. Weights are not all a hockey player needs, search the forum for terms like bike, running, and plyometrics.

If you're under 18, don't go nuts with weights 'cause it can mess with your growth. Limit the weight or you could easily give yourself an injury (You could weaken your bones with weights and then break them later on). Stick to 10 lbs dumbbells for shoulder exercises and crunches. For anything else, stick to even easier sets just to show each muscle its motion. Learn the proper exercise form for now. That's to keep you out of injury and not cause any more in your important growth years. Get a cheap York bench at Wal-Mart so you have something to workout off of. Check your local libraries and bookstores for exercise ideas and pointers. Ask here with any specific questions.

If you're over 16, go nuts. I recommend you sell your York bench then buy a power rack and a decline/flat/incline bench. The most versatile equipment you can get. My set up, with universal barbell, plates, and two cow matts ran around $1500 CAD. That's assuming you are the home-gym-type: basically you don't want to go to the gym. Other people need to get out of the house, change clothes at the gym, and see people in order to workout.

I put the overlap in the age groups because it's not perfectly clear cut. Again, weights are not everything a hockey player needs.

As for boxing, I can see a lot of gains for hockey. You'll develop a tolerance for taking abuse and a propensity for dishing it out. It could teach you a mental edge. I would start low and wouldn't get too competitive because you may take too many shots to the head and start to scramble your brain. Also there's a point where it becomes boxing-specific gains and the skills don't transfer to hockey. I think the main thing would be experiencing the strain of going toe-to-toe. The punching motion is a tremendous ab workout so don't let those punching bags collect dust. If you have a Slam-Man, fill the base up half way, put a Flyers jersey on it, grab with one hand and slam away. Practice switching hands too.

[biff44 0]

Here are some off-ice ideas:

http://www.uscha.net/office.htm

[Lester8 11]

The boxing hop can help you with faster feet. But because you're not making huge leaps, it's not building hop-strength. Ideally, you force yourself to make big hops quickly. For example, the drill from Complete Hockey Conditioning where a guy has a ball in each hand, drops one and you pounce to catch it. So hopping, like skipping, is a quick feet drill but not quite plyo (Strength and speed).

[Petey21 1]

Wrestling is supposed to be good training too, not only for strength and endurance but also for balance. For example, Peter Forsberg has practised wrestling with Swedish wrestler Martin Lidberg (Greco-Roman style wrestler, who won the World Championships in 2003) with great success.