Getting Faster

[Trooper 8]

The same can be said about any type of training, even more so when weights are involved.

I disagree in that plyos target the CNS and this is what contributes to overtraining. Plyos involve impacts which have potential for injury and this increases as fatigue sets in from too much volume. The rate of injury in the weight room is astonishingly low, lower than in sports such as football, basketball, and other mainstream sports. Understanding the types of plyos a beginner should be doing, the number of footfalls per session and per week, rest between sessions, etc. is of utmost importance and not well understood by many.

[thorbs 2]

Some really good and really meh posts on here.

I'd recommend Mike Boyle (strength coach at BU) to anyone interested in weight room stuff for hockey. He's quite a brilliant guy, has some really against-the-grain ideas, like not squatting in favor of heavy single-leg work. Also recommend Eric Cressey/Mike Robertson for mobility stuff, esp inward rotation in hips, etc.

Also second what Trooper said -- I personally don't think plyos make a lot of sense before a practice. I use them almost exclusively in the off-season myself, and the CNS needs a couple days to recover after an intense plyo workout.

Some strength coaches advocate doing a set of plyos at the start of a workout, esp. lower body days. For example, 6x3 depth jumps, then get into your main movement of the day (squat, deadlift, heavy bulgarian squat, etc.) and then accessory work after.

Also a huge, huge fan of running up hills (NOT stairs), sled pulls and EliteFTS' Prowler (google it and youtube it), and think that steady-state cardio (jogging, etc.) is absolutely useless for hockey players. If you find a hill that takes you between 20 - 40 seconds to run up, and just run up that sucker 2 - 3x a week in the offseason, 100% you'd lean up and be faster and stronger the following season. A lot of strength coaches favor hills because there's less chance of injury in comparison to regular sprinting.

[trtaylor 3]

Overspeed training

[mug25 2]

Also a huge, huge fan of running up hills (NOT stairs), sled pulls and EliteFTS' Prowler (google it and youtube it), and think that steady-state cardio (jogging, etc.) is absolutely useless for hockey players. If you find a hill that takes you between 20 - 40 seconds to run up, and just run up that sucker 2 - 3x a week in the offseason, 100% you'd lean up and be faster and stronger the following season. A lot of strength coaches favor hills because there's less chance of injury in comparison to regular sprinting.

No hills in South Florida man. :( lol

[dayroc 0]

Some really good and really meh posts on here.

I'd recommend Mike Boyle (strength coach at BU) to anyone interested in weight room stuff for hockey. He's quite a brilliant guy, has some really against-the-grain ideas, like not squatting in favor of heavy single-leg work. Also recommend Eric Cressey/Mike Robertson for mobility stuff, esp inward rotation in hips, etc.

Also second what Trooper said -- I personally don't think plyos make a lot of sense before a practice. I use them almost exclusively in the off-season myself, and the CNS needs a couple days to recover after an intense plyo workout.

Some strength coaches advocate doing a set of plyos at the start of a workout, esp. lower body days. For example, 6x3 depth jumps, then get into your main movement of the day (squat, deadlift, heavy bulgarian squat, etc.) and then accessory work after.

Also a huge, huge fan of running up hills (NOT stairs), sled pulls and EliteFTS' Prowler (google it and youtube it), and think that steady-state cardio (jogging, etc.) is absolutely useless for hockey players. If you find a hill that takes you between 20 - 40 seconds to run up, and just run up that sucker 2 - 3x a week in the offseason, 100% you'd lean up and be faster and stronger the following season. A lot of strength coaches favor hills because there's less chance of injury in comparison to regular sprinting.

For uphill runs, how many sets would you run?

Say Monday - i run up the hill 10 times?

wed, friday ...etc..?

[thorbs 2]

dayroc - depends what school of thought you belong to...there are tons of variables. One guy who is pretty well-known, Jim Wendler, comes from a football background so he does runs like a running back would (i.e. he'll do 15 - 25 sprints per session).

It'd also depend on how long it takes you to run up the hill. The one I use is about 30 - 40 seconds, so I'll do between 6 - 10 usually, depending on how I'm feeling.

If you know your body well, I'd say the first time warm up really well (if you need ideas, YouTube joe defranco lower body warmup, martin rooney warmup or eric cressey mobility), run at 85 - 95% (you don't want to pull anything sprinting), and do as many as you need to for your form to start to go to hell. As soon as that happens, stop.

You can use google to find a bunch of articles about having better sprinting form.

[dayroc 0]

dayroc - depends what school of thought you belong to...there are tons of variables. One guy who is pretty well-known, Jim Wendler, comes from a football background so he does runs like a running back would (i.e. he'll do 15 - 25 sprints per session).

It'd also depend on how long it takes you to run up the hill. The one I use is about 30 - 40 seconds, so I'll do between 6 - 10 usually, depending on how I'm feeling.

If you know your body well, I'd say the first time warm up really well (if you need ideas, YouTube joe defranco lower body warmup, martin rooney warmup or eric cressey mobility), run at 85 - 95% (you don't want to pull anything sprinting), and do as many as you need to for your form to start to go to hell. As soon as that happens, stop.

You can use google to find a bunch of articles about having better sprinting form.

thanks, i'll check that out for sure.

[gxc999 7]

I strongly do NOT recommend jogging or running to build hockey speed. That works for endurance and conditioning but not explosiveness. If you want to see your acceleration increase, work on suicides, targeted plyometrics (lower rep, higher intensity) and heavy leg weight training (leg presses and other leg machines, very high weight, low reps). If you want to be more explosive on the ice, you have to emulate that off the ice, low rep, high intensity workouts are the only way to do that.

The primary school of thought is that explosiveness is a direct result of burst strength within the necessary component muscles and sufficient muscle memory vis a vis the CNS. Basically, make your skating muscles stronger and use them more efficiently to become quicker.

[Shark#81 0]

Weight of skates and shins, and gear. In the video they guy has none of it- just skates. Load on the gear and that blunts acceleration. So weight reduction, is as important has horsepower. Carbon fiber all the way baby!

[gxc999 7]

Weight of skates and shins, and gear. In the video they guy has none of it- just skates. Load on the gear and that blunts acceleration. So weight reduction, is as important has horsepower. Carbon fiber all the way baby!

Lol. I actually prefer the opposite, I skate in everything at stick time even when there's nobody else. Why? The weight is significant resistance. Even though you're only talking maybe 10-12 lbs, it definitely makes a difference over time.

[thorbs 2]

Shark#81...it's pretty ridiculous to think that a few pounds of gear would radically change how fast you are. That's just your inner gearwhore talking.

Now...if you're in the gym squatting/deadlifting/single-leg squatting heavy, doing speed work and drop a few pounds...that's the difference.

[Shark#81 0]

We are no different than race cars, airplanes etc. All engineers try to drop as much weight as possible. When I built my carbon shins, the first game with them I was getting at least a foot (12") further distance per acceleration burst than with plastic. I was accelerating into open ice zones faster and winning more races to the puck. This is also because my shins are heat molded to my legs, there is no wobble. In the next month I am going to construct EPS Foam core shins (even lighter) and I think I am going CF plates on my hockey pants too. It's a lot of work but it's one of the reasons I am reasonably competitive as a defensive forward in the league at my age. The cool thing is nobody has this CF gear so it is an advantage that only I possess.

But I am with everyone else - you can achieve as much or more with proper training and technique. A big component of hockey skating and stick is technique.

How fast did carbon sticks replace wood almost 100% now? Besides great response and wicked shooting, there is less weight to carry around too.

Shark#81...it's pretty ridiculous to think that a few pounds of gear would radically change how fast you are. That's just your inner gearwhore talking.

Now...if you're in the gym squatting/deadlifting/single-leg squatting heavy, doing speed work and drop a few pounds...that's the difference.

[Trooper 8]

We are no different than race cars, airplanes etc. All engineers try to drop as much weight as possible. When I built my carbon shins, the first game with them I was getting at least a foot (12") further distance per acceleration burst than with plastic. I was accelerating into open ice zones faster and winning more races to the puck. This is also because my shins are heat molded to my legs, there is no wobble. In the next month I am going to construct EPS Foam core shins (even lighter) and I think I am going CF plates on my hockey pants too. It's a lot of work but it's one of the reasons I am reasonably competitive as a defensive forward in the league at my age. The cool thing is nobody has this CF gear so it is an advantage that only I possess.

This is a joke right?

[pass the bisk 0]

For acceleration, practice making your first few steps faster. You can put a few sticks with a couple feet of each other and then just try to go as hard as you can. With the sticks closer together, you will take faster steps, and thus making you accelerate faster.

[thorbs 2]

We are no different than race cars, airplanes etc. All engineers try to drop as much weight as possible. When I built my carbon shins, the first game with them I was getting at least a foot (12") further distance per acceleration burst than with plastic. I was accelerating into open ice zones faster and winning more races to the puck. This is also because my shins are heat molded to my legs, there is no wobble. In the next month I am going to construct EPS Foam core shins (even lighter) and I think I am going CF plates on my hockey pants too. It's a lot of work but it's one of the reasons I am reasonably competitive as a defensive forward in the league at my age. The cool thing is nobody has this CF gear so it is an advantage that only I possess.

But I am with everyone else - you can achieve as much or more with proper training and technique. A big component of hockey skating and stick is technique.

How fast did carbon sticks replace wood almost 100% now? Besides great response and wicked shooting, there is less weight to carry around too.

I don't mean to be rude, but you can't be serious. I have no idea how experienced you are with hockey, but shedding a pound or two of gear isn't going to make this miraculous difference you're speaking of and it's irresponsible to suggest that by having several grams less per piece of equipment is going to be someone's ticket in hockey.

Also don't know what kind of shinnies you have if they wobble...

[Shark#81 0]

I have cut the weight of shins in two - that is half of what you would normally wear. I have shown to BCHL players and equipment guys they can't believe how light they are. I'll for sure agree you can't appreciate the effect is until you try them. And if you are a big D man then who cares. But if speed is your game..... my shins are part of my lower leg as they are heat molded just like my skates. So they are form fitted - improving protection and any sort of play between the shin and leg.

Nothing new here. I mean RBK spent what 3-4 years on jerseys to shave just a few grams. 14% on a jersey and this:

Two of Reebok’s moisture management systems have been incorporated into the new uniform system to make the uniform lighter. First, Reebok’s proprietary PlayDry™ technology was incorporated to move moisture and accelerate evaporation. Then a brand new innovation was developed specifically to address the needs of the hockey player: Reebok’s Bead Away™ water repellency system. Current uniforms absorb moisture from water bottles, sweat and ice, Bead Away technology resists them over the duration of the game.

Q: Just how much lighter and drier is new Rbk EDGE Uniform?

A: The integration of the Reebok Bead Away™ and PlayDry™ technologies work together to offer players a 14% reduction in pre-game jersey weight. This equates to over a game puck of weight removed from the current jersey and sock, enabling players to stay stronger and faster. Rbk Play Dry wicks moisture away from the skin and the Rbk Bead Away water-repellent technology provides a drier uniform by retaining up to 76% less moisture throughout the game

[mug25 2]

I have cut the weight of shins in two - that is half of what you would normally wear. I have shown to BCHL players and equipment guys they can't believe how light they are. I'll for sure agree you can't appreciate the effect is until you try them. And if you are a big D man then who cares. But if speed is your game..... my shins are part of my lower leg as they are heat molded just like my skates. So they are form fitted - improving protection and any sort of play between the shin and leg.

Nothing new here. I mean RBK spent what 3-4 years on jerseys to shave just a few grams. 14% on a jersey and this:

Two of Reebok’s moisture management systems have been incorporated into the new uniform system to make the uniform lighter. First, Reebok’s proprietary PlayDry™ technology was incorporated to move moisture and accelerate evaporation. Then a brand new innovation was developed specifically to address the needs of the hockey player: Reebok’s Bead Away™ water repellency system. Current uniforms absorb moisture from water bottles, sweat and ice, Bead Away technology resists them over the duration of the game.

Q: Just how much lighter and drier is new Rbk EDGE Uniform?

A: The integration of the Reebok Bead Away™ and PlayDry™ technologies work together to offer players a 14% reduction in pre-game jersey weight. This equates to over a game puck of weight removed from the current jersey and sock, enabling players to stay stronger and faster. Rbk Play Dry wicks moisture away from the skin and the Rbk Bead Away water-repellent technology provides a drier uniform by retaining up to 76% less moisture throughout the game

And I bet you believe Reebok when they claim their 11K sticks make you shoot 20% harder than the leading competition.

Marketing jargon my friend. Companies will say anything to sell a product.

[Shark#81 0]

Actually my first youtube hockey video "Never Made the Show" started off poking fun at Reebok ads/marketing. All the sticks (and skates for that matter) seem to be made in a handful of factories over there - slap the label on it as it goes out the door!!

Our team does use the jerseys. The socks in Thrashers Cobalt are hard to find but I got 2 prs. from the Hockey Shop in Surrey, BC. I like them, so does another player on our team, i've ordered 6 more pair I think they are worth it. They are not that much lighter than the woolie type socks but yeah they are OK.

[Trooper 8]

I have cut the weight of shins in two - that is half of what you would normally wear. I have shown to BCHL players and equipment guys they can't believe how light they are. I'll for sure agree you can't appreciate the effect is until you try them. And if you are a big D man then who cares. But if speed is your game..... my shins are part of my lower leg as they are heat molded just like my skates. So they are form fitted - improving protection and any sort of play between the shin and leg.

Nothing new here. I mean RBK spent what 3-4 years on jerseys to shave just a few grams. 14% on a jersey and this:

Two of Reebok’s moisture management systems have been incorporated into the new uniform system to make the uniform lighter. First, Reebok’s proprietary PlayDry™ technology was incorporated to move moisture and accelerate evaporation. Then a brand new innovation was developed specifically to address the needs of the hockey player: Reebok’s Bead Away™ water repellency system. Current uniforms absorb moisture from water bottles, sweat and ice, Bead Away technology resists them over the duration of the game.

Q: Just how much lighter and drier is new Rbk EDGE Uniform?

A: The integration of the Reebok Bead Away™ and PlayDry™ technologies work together to offer players a 14% reduction in pre-game jersey weight. This equates to over a game puck of weight removed from the current jersey and sock, enabling players to stay stronger and faster. Rbk Play Dry wicks moisture away from the skin and the Rbk Bead Away water-repellent technology provides a drier uniform by retaining up to 76% less moisture throughout the game

The math isn't hard, it may be 14% of the jersey weight, which they claim is the weight of a game puck. That's about 6 oz. So take a 175 lb player. Add a total of 10 lbs of equipment, just guessing. That's 185 lbs or 2960 oz. 6 oz. is about .2%. Maybe the placebo effect is helping, if that's the case, great.