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