If you’re a hockey player at any level looking to improve your game, a good hockey manual is likely something you shouldn’t be without (even though you probably are)! Hockey training can be complex and the game of hockey is so dynamic, and so unlike any other sport, that you really do need to train specifically for it. Here are the top 3 reasons you need a good hockey training manual.
Reasons You Should Be Using a Guide
1) It will provide you with a multitude of different workouts and exercises.
Hockey training is tough, but like any training, if your body gets used to it, your gains will slow and eventually plateau. You need to be mixing things up to keep your body confused. Doing the same exercises over and over month after month won’t do this, but with a good manual, you’ll have plenty of different exercises to choose from, all of which will directly benefit your on-ice performance.
2) Hockey is a complex sport and it’s training is also complex.
Hockey players don’t train the same as football players, or baseball players, or basketball players. Each game requires its own regime, and hockey is no different. Hockey is unlike any other sport on earth. It’s naturally unstable and as or more dynamic. Rather than doing generic workouts, you’ll benefit greatly from doing exercises specifically designed to improve your hockey game.
3) You don’t know as much as Pro’s know.
You might know a thing or two about training, but it’s almost guaranteed you don’t know as much as Pro hockey players know. Pro’s spend their entire lives training specifically to get better on the ice, and that knowledge is priceless. Getting a good manual written by a pro will take you a long way because you’ll be directly benefiting from their years and years of hockey training experience.
If you don’t already use one, you should seriously consider getting a good guide for your hockey training. Any exercise at all will benefit you, but doing hockey specific training will put you miles ahead of the guys who are just doing general workouts. If you want to take your game to the next level, a hockey manual is something your training needs.
Improve Speed With These 3 Hockey Workouts
If you want to be an all-star hockey player, being able to skate at top speed will definitely be a priority. While your on-ice conditioning will be very important to developing this skill, doing some off-ice hockey workouts can help out as well.
Many hockey players aren’t spending as much time in the gym as they essentially could if they wanted to boost their performance.
Let’s look at the top hockey workouts you can do in the gym to improve your speed capacity.
Walking Lunges
The first good lower body movement to perform that will target all the muscles that are used in each stride you take is the walking lunge. Walking lunges are also good since they’ll increase your balance and stability, two other important fitness elements that are essential for playing well when on the ice.
When performing walking lunges, make sure to keep the body in a very upright position the entire way through so that you’re targeting the right muscle groups.
Squats
Next, squats are a must-have in any of the hockey workouts you’re performing. One thing that is important when playing the sport of hockey is to have good quad endurance as you’ll be in that slightly bent and crouched over position the entire time you’re skating.
Squats with a pause at the bottom can help assist with this skill. When doing these, you’ll want to use a tempo pattern of 2:2:2 rather than the typical 0 or 1 second pause you take at the bottom of the movement to boost that endurance capacity.
Perform 8-10 reps of 2-3 sets in each of your hockey workouts.
Side Leg Raise With Cable
Finally, the last exercise to include in your hockey workouts is a side leg raise with a cable. While this is a very non-traditional leg exercise, it’s going to help to improve the stride power capacity you have since you will be moving the leg outwards in that sideways movement pattern.
When doing these, stand on a slightly bent leg to help mimic the body position you’re in when taking a stride on ice. Raise the leg out as high to the side as possible and then lower back down to the side of the body.
So there you have some great exercises to include in your hockey workouts. If you stay committed and work hard, you should have no problem seeing vast improvements in your skill.
Key Hockey Exercises
Playing hockey at a competitive level can be physically exhausting. Getting into shape can help you perform at your highest level. How many times have you went to a hockey tryout or camp, and thought wow I am not in shape!
Tip1:
If you are trying out for a high level of hockey it is important to start working out many months before it starts. Putting on an extra 10-15 pounds of muscle can be crucial in making the cut. You want to be the biggest and strongest you can be when hockey season hits.
That being said what are the best hockey workouts and hockey exercises that you need to perform to gain that muscle fast? The truth is there are many. You want to stick to compound exercises that put on size fast. The majority of your exercise days should consist of mainly leg exercises. In hockey, speed is everything. If you can skate fast you can build your game around that.
For example a good hockey workout would consist of a three day split. Day 1- Legs, Day 2- Arms, Day 3- Chest & Back, Day 4- Mixed (Core, running, anaerobic training). Then repeat.
Tip2:
It is also very important to build your forearms as it can greatly improve the accuracy and speed of your wrist shot or snap shot (This falls into the arms day). Having a good snap shot can make you a vital player in key situations. The snap shot is the hardest shot to stop because it has such a quick release.
When training for an upcoming hockey season you should try to start at least 2 months in advance. You can workout everyday with every fourth day a rest. The harder you push yourself, the more results you will see. Get bigger and faster your next season of hockey and control the play.
Final Talk:
Getting in shape for hockey season can be difficult if you are not following a program. Don’t waste your money on expensive gym memberships when most of the training can be done from the comfort of your own home. Check out this article that covers a great program that provides day by day nutrition plans and workout routines