Game On Magazine 2017 Game On Magazine - Regular Season Edition | Page 56

›› | CON D I TI ONING | W I T H A . J. Z E G L E N MASTER THE FUNDAMENTALS O Team Canada"s Quinton Howden keeps it simple and has mastered the fundamentals perform each exercise and for how many total sets. The number of sets and reps should match the current goal of the periodization program. In general, higher reps or sets to create higher volume for hypertrophy and lower reps or sets for strength. The tempo refers to the speed at which you are performing the exercise. An exercise usually has four phases: The eccentric phase (lowering or negative), concentric phase (lifting or positive), and the two transition phases: hole phase -- this is at the bottom of the lift where the eccentric phase transitions into the 5 6 | G A M E O N | R E G U L AR S EA S ON ED IT ION 2 018 concentric phase -- and peak phase – this is at the top of the lift where the concentric phase transitions back into the eccentric phase. Changing the speed at which the different phases are performed can be very beneficial for strength, injury prevention (slow eccentric) power, and speed (fast concentric). By just focusing on changing these variables it creates more than enough stimulus to keep improving while letting us become more proficient at our movements. As an example we have athletes that squat year round. The sets/reps and tempos just change to reflect the goal. The end result is having an athlete that is proficient at squats, being proficient at squats allows them to handle heavier loads or move at higher speeds in a safer more effective manner which in turn makes them stronger and more powerful. This puts them in a position to be faster on the ice. Remember the more complicated the exercise is combined with the less you practice it, the less it’s doing for you. Keep it simple. Until next time, Strength, Courage, Hustle, Commitment courtesy Different is not always better. A lot of the time when people work out they want to change the movements at a high frequency to keep things interesting and exciting. Here’s something to think about: Our bodies actually become accustomed to the set/rep schemes and tempos faster than they do to the actual movements. Plus, each movement in the gym should be viewed as a learned skill and the more we practice those movements the more skilled we become and the greater load or intensity we can apply to the movement will give us the biggest return on our investment. It’s no different than putting in work on the ice. If every time you step on the ice you do completely different drills or your team runs new systems, you are going to have a hard time progressing and getting better. So if we’re doing the same movements, how can we keep things interesting and keep improving? The answer is to change up the set/rep schemes and the tempos we’re using. A set/rep scheme refers to how many repetitions you