CONDITIONING
It’s Not Always How
Much but How Well
A. J. ZEGLEN
A
s another off-season begins, it’s an exciting time to grow
both physically and mentally in order to put yourself in a
better position for the next season.
Because of this excitement it can sometimes be easy to think more
is better. In fact, athletes will bury themselves under mountains of
work and grind through marathon sessions in the gym and on the
ice only to feel beat up and run down by the time they start training
camp.
This is problematic considering we want the exact opposite to be
true. We want to feel like we are peaking at the start of camp. Yes,
we want to work hard in the off-season, but we also want to work
intelligently. Every
exercise and move-
ment should have a
purpose: To further
develop our athletic
attributes.
There is a mis-
conception that if
you don’t leave the
gym half dead, drag-
ging yourself home,
it means you didn’t
work hard enough
or make construc-
tive use of your
time. Some train-
ers and strength
coaches buy into
this philosophy just
to make their cli-
ents happy. When
compounded over
multiple off-seasons
this training style
quickly
becomes
counterproductive
and leaves many broken-down, tired athletes in its wake.
Always remember this: Off season training should be about quality
over quantity.
The hockey season is already a grind and the off season is already
very short. We want to actively recover from the rigours of the sea-
son and progress into the next year. This can be done at the same
time with well thought-out, smart programming.
My suggestion is to take a little time off, away from the ice – and
away from skating -- at the beginning of the off-season with more
focus on mobility and base movements. This will give your body some
time to recover while we put it in a position to be able to train again
at a high quality level. We call this phase the primer phase as its prim-
ing our body to be able to train at the level we want. Here’s a good
primer program:
46 GAME ON
2017 CHAMPIONS EDITION
Mobility: A high frequency sport like hockey has many repetitive
movements that cause tightness and imbalances. These should be
addressed through mobility work. We want to be able to move with-
out restriction in order to get the most out of our training.
Aerobic: You need a proper aerobic base to be able to train, even in
the weight room when we’re doing strength work. If we can’t recover
between sets by having an efficient aerobic system, we are entering
each set at a deficit and not getting the most out of it or hitting our
full potential.
Base Strength Movements: A proper execution of the five basic
movements (push, pull, hinge, squat, and carry) should be introduced
at the appropriate pro-
gressions. This is our
foundation. You can-
not build an athlete on
a poor foundation. It is
only a matter of time
before it becomes ex-
posed and things fall
apart. Tempo train-
ing should also be
worked in with special
attention to the eccen-
tric loading of these
movements in order
to help with regain-
ing strength -- and
strengthening tendons
to get them ready for
the intense strength
and power work to fol-
low in the training pro-
gressions.
Accessory Work:
Smart accessory work
can directly help to
correct
imbalances,
improve mobility, aid in injury prevention and will complement the
basic movements. It doesn’t have to be rocket science, just simple
and well thought out. Hockey is a contact sport with lots of shoulder
injuries so rotator cuff work should be programmed in as it helps with
injury prevention, shooting, and assisting in the basic movements.
This is an example of something simple, but effective.
Remember off season training is about quality not quantity. It
should have you feeling at your best when camp starts. When it
comes to training it’s not always about how much but rather how
well. Enjoy your off season, work hard, and if you need help come
see us.
Until next time...
Strength, Courage, Hustle, Commitment