Off-season training is a critical time for hockey players looking to improve their game! Traditional strength training exercises and regular cardio workouts are important; however, sport specific training for elite hockey has changed in the last few years and those athletes practicing the following 3 training tips have experienced considerable success and improved on-season results.
Tip #1 Fast Movement Exercises
The most effective training routine to mimic on-ice-off-ice shifts is a circuit program involving whole body exercises. Even more important is that each exercise needs to be conducted using fast, explosive repetitions. Be sure to lift a weight that allows for fast execution of 12-15 reps per set.
Tip #2 Sprint-Rest-Repeat
The ideal shift on the ice is one that lasts from 30-45 seconds and involves skating full speed in both direction ending with scoring a goal for your team, then resting on the bench for two shifts until it is your turn to do the same again and again all night. The off-season training program needs to involve sprinting sessions with similar rest periods that mimic on-ice-off-ice intervals. Practice these repeats on every second day and be sure to practice ‘overload’ intervals but never over train. This means doing more repeats than you would typically experience in one period on ice.
Tip #3 Eat for Competition
Some guys eat the same during off-season as they do during on season, which can result in unfavorable changes in body composition and minimal training improvements. During the regular season you burn so many calories that you can pretty much eat anything and stay fit and lean; however, this is not the case during the off-season. Be sure to switch to a low carbohydrate and high protein diet and make most of your carbohydrates come from fresh fruits and vegetables as opposed to pastas and breads. Supplementing with a high quality protein powder such as PROMASIL from RIVALUS is one way to ensure you get the protein you need in your diet without any excess calories or carbohydrates. The best advice is to approach the off-season as another phase of competition for your sport and as such you need to “Eat for Competition”. Afterall you will be competing for a spot on the team at the end of your off-season program. Oh, one last thing-do one long run per month for your heart and lungs but remember hockey players look a lot more like sprinters than marathon runners!
I feel you have to develop the limiting factors for the sport which would be acceleration and deceleration power, speed and power endurance.
Nothing will be specific to the speed of the sport other than the sport its self, therefore all other training components will be general in nature and not specific.
The important thing for the athlete is to develop the qualities necessary to be successful on the ice - and typically (for speed and power sports) these qualities are the ones not developed while participating in the sport - otherwise why not play all year with no off-season?
I would disagree with the use of circuit training for athletes other than beginners or during the GPP of experienced players (and only for a short period). As power is the name of the game - the qualities which support these abilities must be the priority. So once the basic general conditioning is begun and being developed, It is imperative that athletes incorporate the development of the specific qualities of Power and Speed.
Since Power is a function of Maximal Strength (MxS), MxS will play a vital role in the development of Power. Once the base of general strength is in place then the development of MxS must begin, usually 7-12 weeks can be developed depending on the length of the competition phase (NHL longer than armature). Reps in the range of 8 to as low as 2 or 1 - with sets up to 5 and performed with 3-5 exercises (the prime movers of the sport) are typical.
Once the MxS is in place it can be converted/built-into another vital component Power Endurance. There are specific requirements that must be adhered to in the development of this quality, an example of which would be the length of the rest intervals - as long as 7 min in duration. We can all see that this would not replicate the rest interval between regular shifts in a hockey game. The output during Power Endurance work far exceeds that which is required in the game and therefore needs to be developed in a more recovered state. Rep totals as well will be non-traditional and may run as high as 40-60 reps depending on the ability of the individual athlete.