Losing weight - New flex?

[xrickyb86x 1]

I was a hefty 226 pounds about six months ago and since then I've gone down to 188 pounds. There were areas of my game I had to adjust due to becoming much smaller in such a short amount of time. For example: I used to be a lot stronger. Guys would literally bounce of me because of my size. I was also a lot stronger on the puck in corners. So now I just work harder in these situations. I've also become a much faster/aggressive skater so I constantly forecheck instead of hang back.

One area I never thought of adjusting was my shot. It wasn't until recently that I noticed I can't flex my 100flex Eastons like I use to. So the power I'm used to getting behind the stick isn't there.

I just want to see if anyone has experienced the same thing and if the lower flex actually helped or if it threw their game off.

Couldn't figure out if this goes in the equip forum or another. Feel free to move thread.

[hamstercaster 2]

Going to a lower flex would make sens in order to load your stick the same way you used to. However, you say that you have lost weight but have you gain muscle mass or are you planning on gaining muscle mass in the near future? If so, it may be wise to keep your actual flex as you would soon be able to flex it the same way as before as you'd be stronger. But if you don't intend on putting much muscle mass on your body, you may want to try a lower flex for sure. A 87 would be a good start I think. Hell, I'm near the 300 mark and I use a 87 to 92 flex.

It may take some getting used to at first but I think you'll adapt rather quickly or it may just feel as it did before you lost weight and you'll get your shot back

[Neo5370 132]

I think you answered your own Q, if you can't flex the 100 like you used to.

Keep in mind weight/flex is usually just a rule of thumb as weight is sometimes a good estimate of force one can put on a stick.

If you'rer strong AND you "lean" your bodyweight into it, weight will be a factor.

Bigger people tend to be stronger than smaller people (very generally).

There's personal preference.....etc.

Or someone could be like me, and just got fatter but not stronger lol :D Definetly do not need a higher flex.

[xrickyb86x 1]

I plan on losing all the weight I want to then work on weightlifting and getting some muscle. I was one of those fat guys that shouldn't be fat. Hahaha. Like, super small/scrony in my younger days, then I just blew up. So I never had too much muscle to begin with. Just a whole lot of weight. I'm gonna raid my step dad's garage today and see if he has any lower flex sticks laying around. It's funny how I noticed this problem right when I hit below 190 pounds.

[Machinehead2k5 32]

I'm 225 probably more since breaking my ankle. Started playing at 16 with a 90 Stiff Easton Pro Axis Aluminum stick at 170lbs and felt pretty good in my hands (but i was working out everyday playing HS football at the same time). After I went to college I worked out sporadically got up to about 200lbs of good muscle, mostly lower body muscle but didn't improve my chest strength at all, still couldn't bench over 200lbs and switched to a INT (60-75) and a JR (50) flex sticks. Shot improved pretty good.

You can lose weight and still keep strength but it seems like you've lost a lot of strength with your weight loss. Start out with a 75 INT flex and go from there.

[tareatingrat 4]

I'm a bigger guy who's fluctuates wildly in my weight. Lowest I've been is 199lbs, highest while playing hockey is about 240lbs.

Depends on what you've done to lose weight. If you weren't lifting weight while cutting, you probably lost a lot of strength. If you lifted three times a week, or even lifted really heavy once a week, you probably still lost a bit of strength, but not as much as you might think.

I would think at 188lbs you could probably use the same sticks as before. It might be more of a psychological thing, where you think you can't actually flex the stick as much.

Personally, I tend to stick with the 100-flexes. I've tried the 85/87's, but I've come to the conclusion that because I'm relatively strong, the 100 gives me the best pop on my shots.

That said, your style might be more indicative of what flex you should use. I've used both 85/87 flex sticks and 100 flex sticks with a radar gun, and my fastest was with a 100 flex original Stealth, and just behind that by a couple of mph was a 85 flex S19 that was cut down a bit (borrowed from somebody).

Both were shot with the same technique, as far as I could keep it the same.

So, in a controlled situation, standing still, it didn't make much of a difference for me with objective feedback.

However, in a game, I find I get less time to load a stick the way I want to with a lower flex, and I seem to do a better job with a 100-flex at being able to get off a quick, powerful shot with my particular technique (I tend to power through shots more than use the flex of the stick, and I shoot off of my off leg a lot).

If you have an 85 flex you can borrow from somebody, try a game with it. If it works better for you, it might be more suited to your technique.