Looking for a hockey specific workout routine?

[haole 3]

I've been lifting weights for a few years off and on now but I've been doing more of a body building routine. Does anyone know of a training routine they have used or pros or colleges use? I'd love to have a copy of a full on season routine and an off season routine specifically for hockey.

thanks in advance

[Quintin 16]

As a general rule, they use the off-season to improve strength, explosiveness, size, conditioning, injury prevention/rehab work and on-ice skill conditioning.

However, whatever program for an NHL/NCAA player will NOT suit you.

NHL/NCAA/OHL players' programs differ from each player - to suit their individual needs and goals. The physical demands differs from each league. With team training, the S&C coach will outline the training structure but simultaneously cater to each player individually - mainly to attend to their weak areas.

Cookie cutter programs are just that - cookie cutter. To fully maximise your training effort and time, figure out what you need to do to improve in those areas and what would make you a better player. If you have injuries, learn how to train around them. Example being, hockey players tend to have poor hip internal rotation and therefore, lack the ability to squat deep. Plus a whole other host of problems that are common in the pro game.

[Chadd 916]

I may still have the old red wings off season book from a few years ago. Let me look

[shotty 7]

plyometrics/high intensity interval training and yoga.

[ibeck 38]

Try taking a spinning class to improve your conditioning and muscle endurance

[haole 3]

As a general rule, they use the off-season to improve strength, explosiveness, size, conditioning, injury prevention/rehab work and on-ice skill conditioning.

However, whatever program for an NHL/NCAA player will NOT suit you.

NHL/NCAA/OHL players' programs differ from each player - to suit their individual needs and goals. The physical demands differs from each league. With team training, the S&C coach will outline the training structure but simultaneously cater to each player individually - mainly to attend to their weak areas.

Cookie cutter programs are just that - cookie cutter. To fully maximise your training effort and time, figure out what you need to do to improve in those areas and what would make you a better player. If you have injuries, learn how to train around them. Example being, hockey players tend to have poor hip internal rotation and therefore, lack the ability to squat deep. Plus a whole other host of problems that are common in the pro game.

I know the off season training can be different from player to player but I'm guessing most focus on strength, power, and conditioning. I'd like to mainly see what they do in the off season because i only play once or twice a week so I think I could modify their off season training to something I could do year round.

[jds 20]

You wouldn't want to follow the same program all year. A well designed plan has different phases focusing on different facets (aerobic conditioning, strength, power, speed, agility, recovery, maintenance etc). Each stage prepares you for the next with some recovery time. For example, doing a power building routine like plyometrics before building some strength in your legs can easily lead to injury. Power is using strength faster ,in simple terms. You build the strength and then you try to use the strength explosively (power). Also, if you do the same thing all the time the training effect is diminished as your body adapts to the workout. If you are tying to build muscle and strength you tend to do heavy loads and fewer reps. If you are also trying to build aerobic endurance by adding volume to your aerobic sessions the two can counteract the benefits of each somewhat. Periodization is the key.

[black hills tj 5]

Lift Legs.

[haole 3]

You wouldn't want to follow the same program all year. A well designed plan has different phases focusing on different facets (aerobic conditioning, strength, power, speed, agility, recovery, maintenance etc). Each stage prepares you for the next with some recovery time. For example, doing a power building routine like plyometrics before building some strength in your legs can easily lead to injury. Power is using strength faster ,in simple terms. You build the strength and then you try to use the strength explosively (power). Also, if you do the same thing all the time the training effect is diminished as your body adapts to the workout. If you are tying to build muscle and strength you tend to do heavy loads and fewer reps. If you are also trying to build aerobic endurance by adding volume to your aerobic sessions the two can counteract the benefits of each somewhat. Periodization is the key.

I usually change up my routine every 2-3 months depending on my goals but right now I'm mostly looking for a routine to maintain muscle mass (just got finished bulking up 10 pounds) and possibly learn some new lifts that could maybe help improve my game. I know a lot about body building routines and how muscles grow but I want to learn more about sport specific training for hockey.

[jds 20]

Body building is different from functional strength training where you want to train the body for movements specific to your sport. A giant bench press is one thing but how often do you spend time on your back pushing a load away from your chest. Rock singers are great for developing the linked muscle strength of fending a player away from a standing position. A good variation of this is where you put a plate on the end of an Olympic bar and put the other end in a corner and then drive the weighted end up with one arm from a position with your knees flexed. You can add some instability to it by pushing off with alternating legs and same side arm, switching to the other arm at the top. Sort of a push off and "throw" with the right leg/arm and catch with the left and repeat. Medicine ball chest throws from on top of a BOSU ball are also good for this sort of functional strength that might be needed to fend off an opponent.

You seem to have the mass already, so now you need to train it to move in tandem with other muscles and at speed.

[Quintin 16]

I know the off season training can be different from player to player but I'm guessing most focus on strength, power, and conditioning. I'd like to mainly see what they do in the off season because i only play once or twice a week so I think I could modify their off season training to something I could do year round.

With regards to the NHL strength and conditioning programs, their's is based on the athletes' training history and structured to build on from their training history, as well as being able to physically prepare for the NHL. Asking for an NHL off-season program, without any previous strength/speed/power/conditioning work, is like asking for drive an F1 car without having driven your first car.

With your bodybuilding style training history, you would benefit from any kind of strength training. The generic approach for improving strength, speed, power, conditioning is incorporating the essential movements that can benefit anybody. The kicker is, knowing which movements work best for you. This isn't a case of "which exercise is the best", because each person reacts and progresses differently - whether it's a physical, hormonal, genes or injury issue. Hockey players, as a norm, require a lot of core strength and leg power. So typically, many would just want to go right ahead and get on as much leg plate-loaded stations, bust out some set/reps and add in some sit ups? Wrong.

The nature of hockey, especially contact hockey, is that it is chaotic - meaning you face multiple situation that are "imperfect" to the physical demands required for your body. The core lifts (ie. squats, deadlift, bench, overhead press) are essential but the assistance exercises separate different training goals.

With that being said, here are some brief guidelines:

- For strength, incorporate the compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench, overhead press) and their variations and build on your 3-5rep max. Perform them first to engage your CNS to maximise your training effort.

- For power, lift 60% of your 1RM as fast as possible. Go for quality than quantity, so keep the volume low ie. 1-3 reps

- For conditioning, you have to know what your game is like. Do your shifts last for 1min+ being in beer league or 45secs all out effort? If it's the former, aerobic conditioning will do you fine (jogging, cycling etc.). If the latter, anaerobic conditioning will suit your needs (hill sprints, resisted sprints, rowing etc.)

[rk5n 0]

Example being, hockey players tend to have poor hip internal rotation and therefore, lack the ability to squat deep.

I agree that athletes need to work around injuries, that is just common sense. However, poor internal rotation is not an injury and therefore should be trained. Not doing deep squats due to poor flexibility is just cutting corners. Work on your flexibility then do deep squats. In fact due to the modern lifestyle of all humans, we all have poor hip maneuverability.

[Quintin 16]

I agree that athletes need to work around injuries, that is just common sense. However, poor internal rotation is not an injury and therefore should be trained. Not doing deep squats due to poor flexibility is just cutting corners. Work on your flexibility then do deep squats. In fact due to the modern lifestyle of all humans, we all have poor hip maneuverability.

Many hockey players advocate squatting as the standard in their training. Yes, I agree as well but when dealing with the amount of problems (short adductors, poor psoas function, labral tears etc.) professional hockey players possess, squatting isn't the most appropriate thing to do.

You're right, poor hip internal rotation isn't an injury; but more of a common trait that we see with hockey players. Of course, common sense would suggest we work on correcting muscular imbalances - but when coaches can only work with athletes for 2-3 months during the off-season, you want to maximise their training as much as possible without having to spend most of their time re-inventing the athlete's physical structure. Rather than spend more time than needed to allow an athlete to squat deep, we train both muscular and neuromuscular function with other lower body exercises ie. deadlifts and its variations, while simultaneously correcting their muscular imbalances.

With that said, I still advocate squatting in any athlete's programming, as it is invaluable and just a great exercise. However, I would use its variations rather than ATG back squat. Any axial loading I would recommend would be associated with unilateral work ie. reverse lunge with a front squat grip.

[haole 3]

This is an informative discussion...thanks for the advice so far.

I actually did a strength routine for 10 weeks at the beginning of this year, it was very similar to the starting strength routine. It basically includes all your main power lifts; deadlifts, bench, squats, power cleans and barbell rows. I gained a good amount of strength but my cardio was taxed so thats why I'm kinda looking for a routine that will balance strength and cardio.

[ktang 34]

I've done a Starting Strength routine the last 4 summers, starting in April and ending in mid August, with additional groin and rotator cuff work to guard against injury. I start with linear progression, and then move to a Texas Method weekly increase when the weights get heavier.

I then do plyometric, power, shinny, and High Intensity Interval Training for Aug and September, and 2 weeks of O2 at the end of September, so I feel like I'm "prepped" for the start of the hockey season.

Good thread!

[haole 3]

I've done a Starting Strength routine the last 4 summers, starting in April and ending in mid August, with additional groin and rotator cuff work to guard against injury. I start with linear progression, and then move to a Texas Method weekly increase when the weights get heavier.

I then do plyometric, power, shinny, and High Intensity Interval Training for Aug and September, and 2 weeks of O2 at the end of September, so I feel like I'm "prepped" for the start of the hockey season.

Good thread!

nice...can you give a sample of your plyometric, power, shinny (???) routine?

[ktang 34]

Plyometric workout:

(i) jump onto 24" box, landing with straight legs - 3 sets of 8 reps;

(ii) ladder drill - side to side, then forward, repeat for 8 "rungs" of the ladder for 3 sets;

(iii) jump off 18" box, on landing jump onto 24" box, landing with straight legs - 3 sets of 4 reps; and

(iv) Squats, working up to 365lbs x 3 x 3.

Power workout:

(i) Light power cleans, leading to overhead presses;

(ii) Power cleans; and

(iii) Deadlifts, working up to 405lbs x 1 x 5.

Shinny:

3 times per week. No backchecking, no forechecking, lots of laughing.

HIIT:

3 times per week - 135lb squats, 20 secs "on", 10 secs "off", 5 times at first, 12 times by the end.

O2:

3 public skating sessions or swimming per week.

[SydNap 25]

There's a lot of good advice here so far. My big caution would be to make sure you're training all parts of the body and that you're looking for symmetry in muscle groups as well in different body parts. This helps to prevent injury, and is the biggest factor in the progress I'm making. Some guidelines I use:

1. Stay off the machines! Machines will work a specific body part without using the complementary muscle group. The only exceptions I allow are for injury (like when I separated my shoulder and did leg press instead of squatting..because I simply couldn't), and I will also do hamstring curls (simply because my quads are stronger and I'm trying to even them up). Think exercises like squats, lunges, isometric deadlift, powercleans, etc.

2. Legs and Core are much more important than upper body work. My upper body day is more of a cardio/superset day where my goal is to protect my shoulders and build my forearms. Chest, Bicep, and Tricep specific exercises really shouldn't be the goal of a hockey player...leave that to the bodybuilders. Whole-body exercises like Pull-Ups and Dips will advance your body control and build stabilizer muscles better than tricep or bicep specific work.

3. Build in rest days. If you're skating and lifting legs/core, there's no way your body is 100%. I know I can't skate 100% for 3 days after doing my legs hard, so a Sunday night game means I have to do my legs on Thursday night or earlier. On "rest days" I will work on balance and stickhandling in the basement. If you're stuck because of your schedule, lighten the workout and use this as a reason to diversify your training.

4. Schedule your workouts around games. You have to be your own trainer in this sense. Putting in too much and too close will mean injury. It's a very fine line between working hard and overworking...especially the hips, core, and legs

My coming week:

Thur - Pickup 2 hrs., Core at home

Fri - Public Skate 2 hrs (replicate shifts), light Legs (had to lighten b/c I'm playing on Sunday night)

Sat - light Cardio, Upper Body

Sun - *Game*

Mon - "Rest Day" (balance and stickhandling)

Tues - Pickup 1 hr., Core at home

Wed - Run, Legs

[trtaylor 3]

I've been lifting weights for a few years off and on now but I've been doing more of a body building routine. Does anyone know of a training routine they have used or pros or colleges use? I'd love to have a copy of a full on season routine and an off season routine specifically for hockey.

thanks in advance

Bemidji State Hockey training resources

[jebaxter 0]

If you "like" this page on Facebook you get access to a lot of hockey specific training videos with workouts designed by Gary Roberts and Matt Nichol...

https://www.facebook.com/niketraining/app_255300304565463

A few more good workouts here: http://howtohockey.com/how-to-gain-on-ice-speed-with-off-ice-training

[SydNap 25]

Bemidji State Hockey training resources

One of the better sites I've seen. I'm thinking about adding the 10/10 run into my program, just for shits and giggles and as a way to measure my cardio..

[muddy 2]

Good stuff guys!! We are constantly online looking for ideas to add to our workouts.

Thanks for sharing!!

[kenneth 5]

Bemidji State Hockey training resources

does this link work for anyone?

[haole 3]

does this link work for anyone?

No it takes me to a log in page...it worked before when it was originally posted though.

[Orange&Black12 1]

Hi Guys.

Dont want to interrupt but let me ask you this:

What is the most important thing for a powerful shot?

I´ve heard so much and i really like to practice my shot it´s my best weapon.

Some say it´s core strength others say arm or wrists etc.

Or do you think it depends on the type of shot. More core on slap shots or more arm/wrist for snap/wrist shots you know.

Thanks for answers.

Bye