Daily Training Tip #580

Be prepared to work when you show up in the gym. Have the right attitude and get after it!

Daily Training Tip #579

As we’ve said numerous times before, your core is the foundation of all athletic movements. There are so many different types of exercise that all train your core. Don’t get caught in the groove of doing the same exercises over and over again. Mix it up!

Daily Training Tip #578

Caffeine and coffee have been a hot topic of discussion lately. I believe, yes, coffee (caffeine) does have some positive affects on your performance. It might help increase your leg strengh to some extent. However, it is a quick fix and doesn't last. The only real way to improve over your entire year is through hard work.


Also, be aware of giving coffee to your youth or even high school athletes. There are so many more different things you can do as a parent to help your young hockey player out than driving them to Starbucks before a game!

Daily Training Tip #577

Using a balance board is a great way to help improve your balance. Using the board also brings you a lot of different training options. You can build strength by throwing a medicine ball while standing on balance board. You can build up your hands by stick handling and passing on the balance board. You can even build explosiveness by jumping on/off the balance board. Using the balance board brings you a lot of different training options.

Daily Training Tip #576

Keep your training routine in tact, even during a holiday break. If you are used to getting up and going to the gym first thing in the morning, continue doing that when your on break from your team. You might not be able to do the same exercises becasue of lack of equipment, but you can still keep your routine! This will help during your first game back.

Daily Training Tip #575

During the season, your focus shifts from off-ice training to on-ice training. However, as I've said before, in-season training is still very crucial to your development. With being on the ice more and having more practices and more games, you need to make the most of your gym time. It doesn't matter if you are in the gym for a workout, a warmup, a cooldown, a rehab session or anything else; make the most of it! Standing around, watching others isn't going to benefit you very much!

Daily Training Tip #574

Paying a price a in the gym, starts with you! Nobody can do the work for you. You need to be determined enough to complete exercises that you've never done before. Same holds true on the ice.


If you think you can, or you think you can't; you're right!

Daily Training Tip #573

Box Jumps are a great exercise for all age athletes to do. However, there is one (1) common error that you need avoid.


Make sure you land softly with your entire foot on top of the box. If not (like below) your toes have a greater chance of slipping off causing your shins to bang the side of the box.

Daily Training Tip #572

Use a stability ball during your workout today.


You can use a stability ball for the majority of your exercises; you can sit on it, lay on it, lean against the wall on the ball and balance on it. Adding the ball helps create balance and incorporates/activates your core in an additional way.

Daily Training Tip #571

Keep your heals flat when squatting! Keeping your heals flat takes the stress away from your knees and forces your quads to do more work.

Daily Training Tip #570

Your training program needs to have different phases. Which really means change. Your body reacts well to change. Each phase needs to be built with a different goal in mind. Typically, a year around program will have four phases; hypertrophy, strength, strength & dynamic effort, and lastly maximal strength & power. Then there also needs to be change with in each phase. Talk with your strength coach or trainer and discuss some of your options. Stear away from doing the same things over and over again!

Daily Training Tip #569

The faster you sprint, the faster you skate. Assisted and resisted sprint training both lead to faster sprint times, but in different ways. Assisted sprint training produces gains in the initial phase of the sprint, while resisted training produces gains in the later phases of the sprint. Both are important to hockey players.


Try the below today. Using bungees to "assist" you in sprinting/skating faster by getting pulled by a partner and using bungees to "resist" you while you are pulling your partner. This is a great way to build speed both at the start and at the end of your sprint. It is also very fun!

Daily Training Tip #568

As a strength coach, it pains me to watch young hockey players have their parents take their hockey bag out of the car, extend the handle and hand it to the player so he/she can roll it into the rink. It pains me even more to see mom or dad roll the bag into the rink while the player walks along side.




Every little thing you do, both as a player and as a person, will have an affect on you. When you show up to the rink today; take your bag out of the car yourself, take the wheels off and carry your own gear into the locker room. You will become a better player for it!

Daily Training Tip #567

Body weight exercises are a great way for youth hockey players to start off-ice training. You can start body weight exercises at any age and continue them until any age! Push-Ups, Sit-Ups, Squats, Pull-Ups, etc are great exercises to do on a regular basis for any age, any ability player.

Daily Training Tip #566

Injuries happen. Unfortunately, they are part of the game and sometimes happen at the worst possible time. What you do, after you are injuried will determine how quickly you return to action. You can do a couple of things to speed up the process.


1) Follow your rehab, as perscribed.

2) Make sure you continue to stay in shape. If you have an upper body injury, ride the bike. If you have an lower body injury, ride an arm bike. If able, you can also swim. Depending on your injury, there are other things you can do as well.

3) Continue to eat and sleep proper through your injury process. Don't stay up late eating chips on the couch!

Doing the little things, when injuried, can help you return to action quicker!

Daily Training Tip #565

Just like when you enter the rink, have confidence when you enter the gym. The more confident you are, the harder you will work and the greater your results will be.

Daily Training Tip #564

Breathing is a small, but important part of your training. When training or when competiting always breathe out during any "hard" parts. Doing this helps get a little more power and helps with your fatigue levels.

Daily Training Tip #563

If you live in the north country, there is no excuses why you can't lift, jump, sprint and skate together on a daily basis.


One of the greatest parts of living in cold climates is the amount of open ice that can be used for skating and pick up games!

Looking out my office window, Clark Lake looks a little different than it does during the summer months!

Daily Training Tip #562

Everyone has been told at one time or another to "think outside the box." Your training is no different. The movements you make while playing the game, aren't confined to a box. Your legs extend outside, your arms extend outside, sometime your arms are out one side while your legs are out the other side of the box. Your training needs to mimic this.


Train outside of the box!

Daily Training Tip #561

In 2010, emergency rooms treated almost 10 times more cases of reactions to energy drinks than in 2005. This increase is caused by a lot of different factors.


You need to be aware of what you ingest into your body. As an athlete, your body needs to be in top shape. Make sure you are eating and drinking properly!

Daily Training Tip #560

If you are trying to catch the person in front of you (or trying to pull farther away from the person behind you) you can not afford to to skip a workout or a practice.


If a coach told you "it is optional" you better take the option of the showing up and working hard. That is the only way you can catch up and bypass.

No matter how long you play the game of hockey, it is going to be too short. You can't afford to miss things!

Daily Training Tip #559

Soak up as much knowledge as you possible can. There are lots of resources out there that can benefit you and your career. However, the key is to sort out what works for you and what doesn't!

Daily Training Tip #558

Continuing from yesterday, what are you doing to keep the pecking order the way it is?


If you are on the top line and the top power play, what are you doing to stay there?

If you are on the top team, what are you doing to stay there?

If you beat a team the first time you play, what are you doing to assure you beat them again?

The pecking order is always changing, which means if you are on the top, you had better be paying a heck of a price to stay there. There is always someone else that is trying to take your spot. There is always someone else that isn't happy with their pecking order and are doing everything they can do to change it. You need to be doing everything you can do to stay on top. You don't have time to sit on top and enjoy the view, you need to be making strides up and up!

Daily Training Tip #557

What are you doing to change the pecking order?

If you are playing on the third line, what are you doing above and beyond the six (6) players on the top two lines?

If you are on the B team, what are you doing above and beyond the players on the A team?

If you lost the first game against a certain team, what are you doing above and beyond them to beat them when you face them again?

If everyone is doing the same things, everyone is going to improve in a similiar fashion. My question to you is, what are you doing above and beyond everyone else to catch back up to them or to pull ahead of them even further. It doesn't matter where you stand, it matters where you are going.

There are lots of "little extras" you can be doing to put yourself in a position to change the pecking order. You can always shoot more pucks, stickhandle more, spend more time in the gym or get on the ice more.

The pecking order is always changing, make sure you are always moving up!

Daily Training Tip #556

When you are on a tight training and competition schedule, there is no room for drugs and alcohol. You can't perform to your best ability if you abuse your body!

Daily Training Tip #555

Use this Thanksgiving break to get caught up on your academics, sleep, training and to heal up any injuries you might have.

Daily Training Tip #554

You need to push yourself off of the ice, just like you do on the ice. With the proper workouts and the proper work ethic off of the ice, you can really seperate yourself from your opponents.


Pay a Price!

Daily Training Tip #553

If you have aspiration to play in pros, then don't train like the pros. Train harder than the pros. A pro has already accomplished a lot of things, you need to catch up! Pay a bigger price, get bigger results!

Daily Training Tip #552

If you become injuried and are expected to miss a portion of time, your dietary needs will probably need to change. When you are training and practicing on a daily basis, you burn a lot of calories. If you stop all of your training, because of your injury, you need to, at a minimum, cut back on the amount of calories that you intake. Intaking more calories than you burn will increase your body fat, which is something you don't need.


However, you can't cut back to much! Don't under eat! By under eating, while injuried, can actually prolong inflammatory response and can slow down your immune function. So don't cut back to much!

Daily Training Tip #551

Testing shows improvement. If you've gone through a series of tests and haven't show improvement, you probably didn't work as hard as you could have during the off-season.

Daily Training Tip #550

There are always a lot of studies going on, on how to improve on first step quickness. All come back with a combination of plyometrics and strength training; something that MHC excels at!

Daily Training Tip #549

In-Season training is just as important as Off-Season training. In-Season training is slightly different than Off-Season training in the fact that the amounts of reps and sets are different. Sometimes the exercises themselves are different. In-Season training has to be scheduled around game times, etc.


However, In-Season training is the same as Off-Season training in the fact that the intensity level is still very high. It is very crucial to be training as hard as possible. Never put it in cruise control!

Daily Training Tip #548

I read a study yesterday on the NFL. It stated that the shortened preseason, lead to an increase in injuries.


My question to those players is, what did you do on your own during your off-season? Didn't you prepare yourself?

Typically, muscle strains and muscle pulls that occur during the early part of the season can be avoided. During the first few entire team practices and/or games, players tend to go a little harder than they are used to, causing injuries. But my question is, if a players training is proper and they are in proper shape, wouldn't those first few workouts be breeze?

The harder and smarter you train, the better your results will be!

Daily Training Tip #547

If you warm up properly for a game/competition, why wouldn't you warm up properly for a practice or workout?


A neuromuscular dynamic warm up not only helps your body get ready to perform, it also helps reduce the risk of injury.

Daily Training Tip #546

I've written a lot about the proper way to train and condition yourself to be the best hockey player that you can be. How to train your core, how to create power & explosiveness, why one-leg training is important, how to prevent injuries, etc.


However, all successful people do the same thing...

They are willing to push themselves to the limit.

They are willing to outwork every competitor that they have.

And they never look for a handout from someone else. They go out and get it!

It's easy to make excuses, that's why there is only one champion at the end of the season.

Daily Training Tip #545

Knee Bend, Knee Bend, Knee Bend... http://www.letsplayhockey.com/1049blatherwick.html Jack Blaterwick wrote a great article in this weeks' Let's Play Hockey. Take a look and read it for yourself!


A couple of key points...

-"How can you teach skating without dryland training?" Dryland training needs to be a part of your hockey routine. Head to the rink for practice, then head to the gym for dryland. In today's world, a lot of youth associations do have a structure dryland program, however, way too many kids work hard on the ice and then skip dryland. Practice and Dryland need to go hand in hand.

-"Strength Training should be thought of as Skating Practice!" We've been saying this for years, you become a better skater off of the ice!

-"Make this position your comfort zone by completing hundreds of repetitions!" It is impossible to keep your knees bent down to the proper position without proper leg strength. Proper leg strength comes with hard work off of the ice!

Daily Training Tip #544

Don't wast your time doing aerobic training. If done properly, all anaerobic training becomes aerobic after a certain amount of time.

Daily Training Tip #543

Fatigue is also caused by a poor diet and poor sleep habits. YES, the way you eat and the way you sleep will directly affect your performance!

Daily Training Tip #542

The impact of fatigue is seen in a lot of places.


-Your skating form breaks down, causing you to skate slower and less explosive.

-Your puck and stick skills become slower and less accurate.

-Your head/mind become less focused causing an increase in errors.

Training helps delay the onset of fatigue. The better conditioned you are, the longer it takes for fatigue to set in.

Daily Training Tip #541

Just ask the Brainerd Boys & Girls Hockey Teams...Running stairs is a great way to get your morning started!


Running stairs can be completed as it's own seperate workout or part of a workout. While running, make sure to keep good form; chest up, light on your feet and have good knee drive up the hill!

Daily Training Tip #540

Lots of muscles play a role in your over all leg strength. Which means, you have to do multiple exercises to strengthen them all. You should be doing squats, lunges, deadlifts, RDL's, calf raises, etc. Multiple lifts helps build balance, which increases results and decreases injuries.

Daily Training Tip #539

You've been told since you first started skating, get your butt down! Well proper knee bend on the ice can't happen without proper leg strength. So get into the gym!

Daily Training Tip #538

Success is a marathon, not a sprint.


These are all facts;

-It takes 4-6 weeks of hard intense training to show improvement.

-It takes 21 consecutive days to break a bad habit.

-It takes 10,000 training hours to become an expert.

Training takes time. There are lots of ups and downs. Keep forging forward. Work as hard and as smart as possible. Don't skip any workouts. You will get rewarded!

Daily Training Tip #537

Sky Jumps are an easy (but beneficial) exercise that all athletes can do regardless of their access to equipment. It can be done at home, in your back yard, on the playground, at the rink, really anywhere. If you have something to hold over your head, great. If not, just squat down, touch the floor then explode up in the air and try to touch the sky.

Daily Training Tip #526

You should be able to complete at least 5-one leg squats (with each leg)with perfect form. If not, you have an area where you really need to improve on. Lower body strength is crucial to your athletic development.

Daily Training Tip #535

You get out, what you put in!

Daily Training Tip #534

Missing a workout is like skipping the last three (3) workouts. That's how important staying on a regular workout schedule is!

Daily Training Tip #533

The success of any training program is determined by the work ethic and discipline of you...the athlete. Your motivation, along with a well-designed, complete program, will determine how good you become.

Daily Training Tip #532

Lunges force athletes into a single-leg support position, which occurs in competition often. However, most sport specific movements don't occur in a straing forward position, so you need to use various forms of lunges; front side, skater, reverse lunges, etc.

Daily Training Tip #531

Vertical Jump and 40 yard dash speeds directly predict skating acceleration. Which means the higher you jump and the faster you sprint, the quicker you will be on the ice!

Daily Training Tip #530

Faster skating is based on the number of times a player can push off to create power, not having a "long" stride. Create a high stride rate!

Daily Training Tip #529

Today's DTT comes from TJ Oshie. In regards to TJ's training and on-ice workouts, TJ says to "Go Hard or Go Home!"


TJ has made himself into a hockey player. He pays one heck of price everytime he steps in the gym or on the ice. He always goes above and beyond what is required. Making yourself into a player, is really pretty simple. It just takes hard work!

Back in June, we had bunch of aspiring athletes at the camp on a Sunday morning. We were giving our Template Talk to these kids and explaining the price they need to pay to play this game at an elite level. All of sudden, the gym doors opened up and in walked TJ. We witnessed TJ go through a pretty special workout at 10a on a Sunday morning. These kids witnessed what TJ does during his workout and were amazed. They realized what they need to do to succeed.

Thanks Osh!

Daily Training Tip #528

Hockey specific training is just that, hockey specific training. It doesn't matter your age or level of play, the training is the same. The older, more advanced the player is, the more advanced the workouts are, but all the concepts are the same. It doesn't matter if you are a squirt, peewee, bantam or a pro, you need to jump, sprint, lift and skate together on a consecutive basis.

Daily Training Tip #527

Technique is important. If you’re lifting or jumping, make sure your technique is correct. If not, improvements are slower to appear and injuries do happen. Proper technique while lifting and jumping has quicker improvements and a decreased risk of injury.

Daily Training Tip #526

USA Hockey says "treat your body like a temple, eat properly."


We take that one step further, "treat your body like a temple and do ALL the little things properly to put yourself in the proper position to succeed." There are a lot of "little things" you can do. Eating properly is one of them, along with sprinting, jumping, lifting, skating on a daily basis, getting enough sleep each night, keeping academics high, being a team player, etc. A lot of little things, add up to a big thing!

Daily Training Tip #525

Add in 300 body squats to your normal workout routine today.

Daily Training Tip #524

Along with forward sprints, try some backwards sprinting today. Just make sure you know where you're going!

Daily Training Tip #523

Completing a workout is taking one step forward. Missing a workout (or taking a day completely off) is like taking three steps backwards. It is so crucial to workout daily.

Daily Training Tip #522

Your core is a multi-muscle machine that all work in sync with each other. You have to work all muscles both individually and as a unit. This needs to be done on a daily basis.

Daily Training Tip #521

Your core is a non-fatiguing area. Which means it can (and should) be worked/trained on a daily basis. Complete some sort of core routine each and every day!

Daily Training Tip #520

Keeping your back flat during certain exercises is a must. We've all heard numerous times; butt down, chest up. Well chest up really means, back flat. Keeping your back flat will decrease the risk of injury.

(While flipping tires, Alex's form is perfect! Butt down, back flat, head/chest up)

Daily Training Tip #519

If you have a concussion and aren't cleared for contact and games, you should also stay out of the gym. Working out can put the same stressors on your brain as playing a game can. Once you are cleared for games, get back into the gym.

Daily Training Tip #518

Resistance Sprint Training is pulling a weighted implement. RST helps build power in your sprinting stride. Along with Assisted Sprint Training, RST is a great tool to add to your training bag to improve your sprinting speed. Remember, the faster you sprint on dry land, the faster you sprint on the ice!

Daily Training Tip #517

Assisted Sprint Training is being forced to sprint faster than you have ever sprinted before. Strapping a 'sprint bungee' to your waist and having a partner pull you, forces you to get out of your comforct zone. It forces an increase in your cycle speed and forces an increase in your turnover speed. After repeated use, your body comes to the realization that it can sprint that fast even without the cord.

Daily Training Tip #516

There are two types of sprint training; resisted and assisted. Both are great and both need to be untilized inside a training program. Purchase a 'speed bungee' and use it at least once a week. Here's the tip, also use the speed bungee on the ice! Just be careful not to step on it as your skates will slice the band!

Daily Training Tip #515

You always here that you need to stay hydrated. True! However, staying hydrated isn't drinking gallons on game day. Staying hydrated is drinking enough fluids each and every day. You need to drink plenty of water on game day as well, but you will see more benefit from constant water intake.

Daily Training Tip #514

Most athletes are looking for the next cutting edge piece of equipment to give them an advantage over their opponents. But it's easy to overlook some of the most simple, yet very effective, training devices available. Jumping Rope is a classic example. It doesn't cost you much to purchase one, then after you have one there is no cost. You can use it everywhere and YES it will add to your improvements. Jump some rope today!

Daily Training Tip #513

Make sure you are prepared for every obstacle that might stand in your way. If you need to be quicker, work on your quickness. If you need to be stronger, work on your strength. If you need to see the ice better, study the game. Prepare yourself for success in every way!

Daily Training Tip #512

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In this matter, hockey players are no different than any other athletes. They need to eat breakfast and need to eat a good, healthy breakfast.


Athletes who practice in the afternoon need to eat breakfast to set the foundation for a full day of healthy eating. Athletes who have early morning workouts need breakfast to help shift their bodies from a catabolic state to an anabolic one. Athletes that are in preseason 2-a-days they need to eat breakfast to begin fueling early and often in order to maximize training.

No matter what you are doing, you need to eat a good, healthy breakfast. Get up and eat!

Daily Training Tip #511

You will get out what you put in!


During your workouts, if you only put in a 50% effort, you are only going to get out 50% of the results. If you put in every ounce of effort that you have, you will get the greatest results as your return. Only you will decide the outcome!

Daily Training Tip #510

Agility training is something that needs to be done on a regular basis. An easy to way to make it fun is to incorporate competition drills with a partner.


Try getting a 'break-a-way' cord and try to get away from your partner, while your partner is trying to stay close to you. This is a great workout and adds a fun, competitive angle to your workout.

Daily Training Tip #509

If you are going to run a mile (or more) break it up into a 200yd sprint followed by a 200yd jog and repeat 3 more times. This is better for your hockey career than just running a mile.

Daily Training Tip #508

Overhead, One leg exercises are a great complex exercise, that develop hockey specific athletic movements. You can use; medicine balls, kettlebells, dumbbells or even weight plates. Keep you chest up and your back flat while completing any overhead lifts.

Daily Training Tip #507

Early morning workouts are the best for your development. Get out of bed and head to the gym. Once workout is completed, then get on with your day!

Daily Training Tip #506

We've said before, hockey is a lower body sport. If you want to improve on your shot, improve your lower body, not your wrists. Your wrists play a very minor part in your shot. Improve them, yes, but spend the majority of your time on your lower body.

Daily Training Tip #505

As your season gets going and you complete pre-season off ice tests, keep in mind it doesn't matter how you compare to others, it matters how you compare to your post-season off ice tests from last summer.


A test should only be given to chart improvement!

Daily Training Tip #504

I've been asked numerous times over the last month, "why does it take me a couple of shifts to 'get into the game?' After a couple of shifts, I'm good, but the first few shifts I'm terrible."


The reason is simple. You're not getting properly warmuped. Before you get your hockey gear on, you should have a good sweat going. Your heart rate should be raised and your muscles should be loosened up. This should take somewhere between 7-15 minutes of a hard, dynamic warmup. Directly after your warmup, quickly get your gear on. If you sit and take thirty minutes to get dressed, you will cool down. Take no more than seven (7) minutes to get dressed.

Stretching is not a warmup. If you are only stretching before a game, you are not properly warmuped!

Daily Training Tip #503

Change of direction drils are a must for every training program. You change direction on a dime all of the time during a game, your training needs to prepare you for this.

Jump forward, land and as quickly as possible, jump right or left.

Daily Training Tip #502

When jump training and doing plyometric exercises don't forget the push/pull motion your legs need to make. By exploding off the ground and snapping your knees to your chest, you're working your hip flexors and mimmicking more of your skating stride.

If you look at both Wayne and Joel, doing different exercises, both have the push/pull motion down perfectly. They explode off the ground and quickly snap their knees up towards their chest.

Adding the push/pull to your jumps will improve on your results even more!

Daily Training Tip #501

Another new study was just published saying, cardio training burns more fat than resistance training. When you look at the science of this, no kidding!


However, you've heard me speak about straight cardio training not being the best for your hockey development. If you're a hockey player and are a little over weight and need to lose some pounds, train to be a hockey player! Just slightly change your diet so you are burning more calories than you are intaking. In the long run, this will be better for you career.

Daily Training Tip #500

Become a better athlete first! Don't commit to a specific sport too early. Typically, the best young hockey players (or any other sport) are the best athletes. Improving in all aspects of your athletic ability at an early age, will translate into a better hockey player at a later age.

Daily Training Tip #499

To avoid early season injuries, make sure you're in great shape prior to training camp. Typically, early season injuries happen because a player gets out of shape and then tries to push it too much at the start of the season.


This year, the NFL has experienced an increase in Achilles Tendon tears during their preseason matches. With what football has gone through so far this season, it is easy to see why. Players thought they were working out and some have found out the hard wary, there is a difference between just working out and actually paying a price.

You can never be in too good of shape. No matter where you play, you can never be too good. Always continue to do the little things to help yourself improve. Your career is too short to let yourself get out of top shape.

Daily Training Tip #498

First Step Quickness means slightly different things to different people, but simply put, First Step Quickness (FSQ) means getting from point A to point B as quickly as possible. When, in hockey,  point A and B are always changing, FSQ is very important. No matter how you are training, make sure you  are improving on your FSQ.

Daily Training Tip #497

Perform some of your exercises on unstable surfaces today. Unstable surfaces help improve your balance and your core conditioning. Unstable surfaces can be sand, bosu balls, balance boards, dynadiscs etc. You can do all sorts of exercises on unstable surfaces!

Daily Training Tip #496

Another new study just out, proving what MHC has been saying for numerous years...Milk, it really does a body good! This new study found that milk is the best recovery drink. It beat out sports drinks, water and supplements. When you head home from the gym today, drink a big glass of milk!

Daily Training Tip #495

MHC has been saying this for many years...cycling tends to shorten your hamstrings. Don't use the bike for the majority of your training. You need to sprint, lift, skate and jump for your training.

Daily Training Tip #494

Pay close attention to rest intervals between exercises. During certain phases; more rest inbetween exercises is needed, while during other phases less rest is required. On average, hockey players can work 1 and rest 2 or 3. Which means the 1 is dependant on the length of the exercise.

Daily Training Tip #493

Functional shoulder traiing is a great way to strengthen your shoulders and help to prevent injury.

Daily Training Tip #492

Plain and Simple...YOU CAN NEVER WORK TO HARD!

Daily Training Tip #491

There is no such thing as a "last day." Once you leave MHC, you need to continue what you've started. Don't go home and sit on the couch! Because of the equipment involved, you might not be able to do everything we do here, but you can do some things. Be creative and continue working. When tryouts arrive, you will arrive!

Daily Training Tip #490

Hockey is a one-legged sport. You get your power from one leg at a time, while the other leg is supporting your body. Your training needs to mimmick this. Use one leg exercises in the gym today!

Daily Training Tip #489

The athletes that really pay a price are always rewarded! Don't just think you train, go out and actually train!

Daily Training Tip #488

Playing strong in the third period of a game or playing strong late in the season is directly correlated to your off-season training. The better conditioned you are before the season starts, the better you are late in the season and late in the game. Make sure you are in great shape before your season starts!

Daily Training Tip #487

Lack of water has the potential to induce cramps. Another important to make sure you are well hydrated.

Daily Training Tip #486

As we progress closer to our seasons, the intensity of your training needs to pick up. Your weights needs to increase, while your repetitions need to decrease. You need to be lifting, sprinting, jumping and skating more now then ever. Prepare yourself now so you "turn heads" when the season starts!

Daily Training Tip #485

Along with physical improvement, functional training also needs to promote welfare and well being. Great people have a better chance of being great athletes.

Daily Training Tip #484

A common curry spice called curcumin may offer some relief to athletes who suffer from tendinitis. When you have tendinitis, every bit of relief helps. This is just another example how a good diet can help you in many ways!

Daily Training Tip #483

Do your homework on any supplements you want to take. Some are good for you, some aren't. Some work, some don't. You only have one body, you don't have any room for mistakes!

Daily Training Tip #482

No matter how hard you worked yesterday, you owe it to your body to work even harder and even smarter today!

Daily Training Tip #481

Rubber bands are a good supplement to add to your workouts. Rubber bands can be used for numerous aspects of improvements. They can be used for stretching/recovery, strength building in lifting, explosive strength in jumping and certain partner battling drills. If you don't have a set of rubber bands, think about purchasing some.

Daily Training Tip #480

Control what you can control. You can control what you do with your body. If you develop and prepare your body, you will put yourself into a position to succeed. You body is your greatest assest, take the proper care of it!

Daily Training Tip #479

Active rest is an important part of the training process. You body does need to rest, however, it doesn't like not doing anything. Active rest is a way to let you body rest, while not affecting what you developed during the previous days. For every day, you take completely off it's like throwing away the past three (3) workouts. Active Rest is getting off the couch and being active; running, rollerblading, racquet ball, basket ball, etc. Something that is fun, but causes you to sweat a little bit!

Daily Training Tip #478

When a player shows improvement in any one certain area, it is a good indicator that they have room to improve more yet, if you continue to "pay a price." When a player becomes stable in anything, they will only get to a certain level and not beyond. If you've improved a little bit, you can improve a lot!

Daily Training Tip #477

Even if you are the best in the group or the best on your team, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Somewhere, another hockey player is better than you. You need to keep them in your sights and continue to "pay a price" and catch & pass them!

Daily Training Tip #476

Circuit training can be a fun, sport specific way to improve your game. There are so many different types of stations you could use. Make sure you use the proper work/rest ratio and pick hockey specific stations.

Daily Training Tip #475

Your leg (or really entire lower body) strength is crucial to your development. There is a big difference between your strength, explosiveness, speed, cycle speed, etc. Most athletes need to improve on all areas. However, without strength the others become weakened as well.

Daily Training Tip #474

Hockey is played outside of a box, so your training needs to be outside of the box as well. Mix your training up. Think outside of the box and train outside of the box!

Daily Training Tip #473

You back plays a key role in your athletic career and beyond. Without your back, you won't be able to do to much. Train and develop your back properly! Back Extensions, Hypers, Pull Ups, etc are just a few common lifts that help develop your back.

Daily Training Tip #472

Put yourself in position to make your coaches' decision easy! During the tryout process, you already know that the coaching staff is going to pick the best players for their team. Well, make sure you are the best and coaches' decision becomes easy!

Daily Training Tip #471

A lot of the off-ice training you participate in, is geared towards injury prevention. However, injuries sometimes do occur. When injuries occur, you need to adhear to the rehab process. The doctors and trainers know what they are doing. They tell you the rehab process because it works for your specific injury. By not rehabing properly, you won't heal properly.

Daily Training Tip #470

As experienced yesterday, working hard is fun! We had a great circuit outside yesterday with a lot of smiles and laughs. If you don't have fun working out, you might want to change careers.

Daily Training Tip #469

I read an article yesterday on how important it is to play other sports because "playing other sports prevents overuse." I completely agree that athletes should play multiple sports, but not to prevent overuse. If your training is correct, overuse will never happen.


Off-ice training does so much for your career. I can't say it enough, you determine how far your career go!

Daily Training Tip #468

You need to invest your biggest amount of time catching your dream!


We all have dreams, but those dreams don't mean anything until you pay a heck of a price to achieve that dream. You need to lift, jump, sprint and skate on a regular basis. When working, do more than just going through the motions. There is a difference between hard work and working hard. Work hard and achieve your dream.

Daily Training Tip #467

Incorporate Med Balls into your workout today. There are so many things you can do with a med ball. Be creative! Try one out during today's workout!

Daily Training Tip #466

Lifting, Jumping, Sprinting and Skating together during the same day produces the best results. You can't just do one, you need to be doing all four on a regular basis.

Daily Training Tip #465

Workout for yourself! ONLY you know if you are "paying a price." No one else knows, but you. The harder you work, the better you become. The better you become, the better your team gets. You are the one that has to look yourself in the mirror each morning. Make sure you don't cheat the man in the mirror!

Daily Training Tip #464

Your training needs to be complex.


Make sure you work all rotational "planes" of your body during your workouts. These three (3) planes cover all movement rotations during athletic movements. Traverse, Saggitial, and Frontal planes. Working all three, makes the improvements come faster.

Daily Training Tip #463

Minimize your Ground Contact Time (GCT) when you are jumping. Everyone can jump. But the way to improve your scores is to minimize your GCT. By landing on the ground and quickly exploding back into the air, you add another element to your training. This element is where improvements come from.

Daily Training Tip #462

Sometimes taking the time to learn a new exercise and learning how to do it properly can save your career! Don't think you're too old or too good to learn how to squat the proper way. Learning it as soon as possible will acelerate your performance.

Daily Training Tip #461

At this point in your off-season training, your max squat should be nearing 2.5 times your body weight. As long as you can keep your form, you should continue slowly adding more weight.


As we increase your squat weight, you need to continue to jump, sprint and skate on a regular basis. Just lifting only adds strength, you need to continue adding explosiveness.

Daily Training Tip #460

One of the biggest areas of neglect for the tatical athlete is the posterior chain which consists of your hamstrings, gluteals and lower back. These muscles play big role in your skating stride. Outside of the skating stride, these three (3) muscle groups can lead to chronic pain after your playing career is completed.


The Stiffleg Deadlift (Romanian Deadlift), Gluteal Ham Raises and Med Ball Hamstring Curls (Ball/Hip) are three lifts that help strengthen your posterior chain. You should be completing at least one of these on a regular basis.

Daily Training Tip #459

If your time is limited in the gym, spend that time working on your lower body. Too many people are rushed in the gym and only have time for one or two lifts. Those one or two lifts are usually bench press and bicep curls. When those two lifts need to be two lower body lifts.


Hopefully, you have time to complete more than two lifts today, but if you don't spend your time on your lower body.

Daily Training Tip #458

DRINK WATER!!! The hotter it is outside, the more water you need to drink. You need to think ahead and be prepared. It is too late to start drinking water after you are already hot. Drink leading up to your workouts.

Daily Training Tip #457

Skipping a workout really affects you. For every workout you skip, it's taking three steps back! Your only off days are ones that are structured!

Daily Training Tip #456

Along with improving strength, quickness, explosiveness, etc off of the ice, you can also improve on your balance. During the lifts that you complete standing, stand on one leg. If you are good at lifting on one leg, shut your eyes! Over time, this will improve on your balance.

Daily Training Tip #455

Start learning basic athletic skills at an early age!


Watch kids play at the playground. They run, jump, skip, skip rope, do cartwheels, do summersaults, etc. Those are basic athletic skills. Great athletes are able to do all of the above skills. If you can't you better learn!

Daily Training Tip #454

I can't stress enough how important drinking water is! The harder your workouts are, the more important drinking water is. Drink water and then drink some more water!


If your body is like a finely tuned race car, you have to put the proper fuel in your gas tank. Would you ever think of putting a Mountain Dew in the gas tank of a race car right before the Indy 500? If not, why would you put a Mountain Dew in your gas tank right before a game/workout?

Water is your most important fuel.

Daily Training Tip #453

Cross Training helps athletic ability. Yes, hockey specific training is needed, however, general cross training helps improve on your athletic ability which in turn improves on your hockey ability.

Daily Training Tip #452

Fight through your off days!


Over the course of the entire year training program, you are going to have some good days and some not so good days. You body naturally has some peaks and dips. One thing that seperates the good from the great is fighting through those not so good days. Bring your "lunch pail" and "hard hat" and show up for work, ready to work. Fight through those days and in the long run, you will be better for it!

Daily Training Tip #451

While in the gym, make sure you are working on reverse muscles. Easiest example that everyone knows is; once you  work your biceps, you need to work you triceps; or you hamstrings and quadriceps. There are other more complex examples like push/pull lifts, flex/extend lift, adductors/abductors, but the easiets thing to remember is to work the reverse muscles and movements. By doing this, you will create a balance in your body which you need!

Daily Training Tip #450

Every three to four weeks you should complete some physical testing. Testing shows improvement. Without improvement, why train? That is why we test @ MHC, so we can document improvement. If you don't test, there is no concrete evidence of improvement.


While testing, make sure you complete the same exact tests each time. If the tests aren't accurate, then the results are flawed.

Daily Training Tip #449

Reaction time can be improved on during your off-ice training sessions. There are some computer programs that aid in this, some physical games/tests and some other techniques. However, an easy one is to have a partner to yell 'GO' during your lift. As you as you hear 'GO' explode the weight in the proper direction. Don't repeat until you hear 'GO' again. This will help build reaction time.

Daily Training Tip #448

We always talk about lifting, jumping, skating and sprinting together on a regular basis, however part of your training needs to be shooting/stickhandling pucks.


You need to spend time daily with a stick and a puck. You can stickhandle anywhere. Just bring your stick and puck (or ball) and stickhandle where ever you go! Talk with your parents and decide together where you can shoot pucks at home. Once you have good spot, shot pucks often.

Daily Training Tip #447

Training on uneven surfaces helps build ankle & lower body stability. Today @ MHC, we will be adding beach sprints into our dryland workouts. As your foot plants, rebuilds and explodes out of the sand, your stability muscles are activiated and improved on.


You don't want to have all of your training on uneven surfaces, but adding in some training on sand is a good change of pace.

Daily Training Tip #446

Hockey players are the best athletes in the world. Because of the nature of the game, there are high demands placed on your body. Your training needs to mimick the demands that are placed on your body. There are so many aspects of the game, you need to train for all of them off of the ice.

Daily Training Tip #445

As we open the gym doors on this July 4th, we are excited to watch all the fireworks. Not the fireworks in the sky, but the fireworks in the gym today. Our Monday's dryland is filled with explosive movements and explosive jumps, something every training program needs.


If your training program doesn't include fireworks, you better get to MHC!

Daily Training Tip #444

The Multi-Hip Machine is an often overlooked piece of training equipment. When used properly, the multi-hip machine (or 4-way hip) can help you seperate yourself from the pack. It works you hip flexors, hip extendors, hip adductors and hip abductors. All four (4) muscles are very crucial to your skating stride. If they aren't developed enough, you will not be the skater you aspire to be and you will be more prone to injury.


If you don't have a multi-hip machine you can do one of two things. 1) attend MHC! 2) mimick those movements with the help of a rubber band or rubber tubing.

Daily Training Tip #443

After having two (2) seperate discussions yesterday with two (2) people, my DTT today is a repeat.


There is a difference between thinking you work hard and having others think you work hard because you actually work hard. Only you can determine your own destiny. You have people in your corner to help and support you, but ultimately it is you that gets you to where you want to go. Be honest with yourself and with your workouts. It doesn't matter what others do, it matters what you do! Work hard off the ice and put yourself in position to succeed on the ice!

Daily Training Tip #442

As the weather continues heating up, it is more and more crucial to be drinking fluids. Amounts vary between individuals, so the easiest thing to do is drinks lots. You can’t wait until you start to feel thirsty. Feeling thirsty is the first sign of dehydration. When you are training hard in high heat, don’t let yourself get thirsty. Drink water, powerade, milk, juice all day long.

Daily Training Tip #441

The intensity of  each of your workouts needs to be at a peak levels. When a coach walks into the room or when your teammates walk into the room or when you idol walks into the room, typically athletes pick it up a notch. Don't wait for someone else to watch you work hard, make sure your intensity is always high!

Daily Training Tip #440

We received some big, heavy tires this spring. We've been excited to incorporate them into the schedule. Once the weather finally cleared up, we were able get out on the dryland court and have some fun yesterday.


Flipping tires is a great way to build explosive power. It is a good match between strength and speed. It incorporates your entire body and incorporate multiple at the same time, which is a great way to build teamwork.

Daily Training Tip #439

I've covered this before, but one of your goals of your off-season training program needs to be to correct muscular imbalances. Sometimes muscular imbalances happen, the key is correcting them so they don't interfier with your performance. It's simple to correct, you need to train/develop both sides of your body equally!

Daily Training Tip #438

There is a 96% correlation between your off-ice sprinting speed and your on-ice skating speed. Which means, the faster you sprint on dry land, the faster you skate on the ice. So improve your sprinting speed today!

Daily Training Tip #437

Something as simple as breathing can affect your performance. Breathing is an important component in the training process. Breathing at the proper time helps with that "extra boost" during workouts or competition. Rule of Thumb; Exhale during the Hard Part. If you always breathe out during the hard part you will increase your improvements and lessen you chance for injury.

Daily Training Tip #436

There are a lot of technical points to the jumping you complete during plyometric training. However, if you focus on a few, your development will be much greater.


1) Minimize your time on the ground. By doing this, you will focus on landing and exploding up again right away. Stay off the ground as much as possible.

2) Minimize the amount of noise you produce when you land. Land softly. There are a lot of components to your landing, however, focusing on landing softly will help you develop the proper landing skills.

And

3) Snap your knees to your chest during flight. This incorporates your hip flexors and helps you clear your obstacles.

Daily Training Tip #435

Technique is a very important part of your off-ice training. Your technique needs to be your main focus while training. Once your technique is good, then and only then can you increase your weight.

Daily Training Tip #434

The proper work to rest ratio is very important to your development. Work/Rest Ratio is the amount of time it takes you to complete an exercise compared to the amount of rest you take in between exercises. You might hear something like 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, etc. While everyone's training goals are different, everyone's work/rest ratio is different as well. For hockey players, different work/rest ratios are used for different exercises. Make sure you study up on this and make sure you rest the proper amount of time.

Daily Training Tip #433

One training piece that most people forget about is training all your movement groups together on the same day and during the same training schedule. You should be lifting, jumping, skating and sprinting all on the same day. This allows all of your muscle movement groups to grow together at the same time.

Daily Training Tip #432

One Thousand Sit-Ups A Day, Keeps The Doctor Away!


Completing 1,000 sit-ups each day is the single most easiest thing you can do to improve your athletic ability. Every single athletic movement, originates in your core. So improving your core (by doing sit-ups) will improve all aspects of your game.

In terms of development, your core is a non-fatiguing area, which means you can train and develop it on a regular daily basis.

Start training today!

Daily Training Tip #431

As you progress through your off-season program, make sure you are getting enough one-leg work. Hockey is game that is played 80% of the time on one leg. Your training needs to mimick those movements in some way. Complete one-leg strength exercises as well as one-leg power exercises.  

Daily Training Tip #430

Ladder Drills are a great way to improve your foot quickness (or cycle speed). There are thousands of ladder drills to work with. The main thing is your head needs to tell your feet to move and then your feet actually need to move. Fairly simple to accomplish with repeated work!!

Daily Training Tip #429

What you do in the weight room when no one is looking defines you as a person and as a player. Great players are paying a price when others are around and are paying even more of a price when others aren't around.

Daily Training Tip #428

According to Mitch McLain, using a weed whip for two straight days is a great shoulder workout!


I'm not exactly sure if the research has been done to back Mitch up, but he is onto something. Using a weed whip, using a push mower, weeding your garden, being active outside, etc is a great way to fill your "active rest" days. Too many people just sit on the couch or have someone else do the work. Get off the couch and do it yourself! There are lots of ways to burn calories and stay active.

Don't tell Mitch, but he's missed so many spots with the weed whip, he has to do it again today!

Daily Training Tip #427

A new study found that short dynamic warmups are the best thing to do to get ready for competition or a workout. Numerous stretching and warmup tatics were studied and a short dynamic warmup came out on top in preparing  your body for action.

This is no news to MHC, we've been doing this for years!

Daily Training Tip #426

Sometimes injuries do occur. When they do, follow your doctor's orders exactly. It will probably benefit you to get multiple points of view from different doctors, but follow what they say. They are experts and know what is best. Follow their rest guidelines and their rehab guidelines. You'll be back on the ice in no time!

Daily Training Tip #425

Another great entire body circuit is completing a weight plate circuit. You should be completing a weight plate circuit once every other week. They are designed to improve the strength of the entire body. Make sure you use the correct poundage of weights.

Any weight plate will work, however, grip plates work very well for this workout. Pictured below are the new grip plates that were purchased by one of MHC's favorite campers. Thanks #74!

Daily Training Tip #424

Complete various physical tests on a regular basis, so you are able to track your improvement. Nobody cares about the orginal scores you received the first time. However, if no improvement is shown after training, then you need to rethink and recalculate what have you have been doing.

Daily Training Tip #423

If a group workout is suppose to start at say noon, you need to be ready to go by noon. So that means you need to arrive at the gym at least 15 minutes early and get warmed up so you are ready to go. If you're right on time, you're usually late!

Daily Training Tip #422

A new study just proved (again) that low-fat choclate milk beats all recovery drinks in terms of helping your body recover after a workout or competition.


Drink Milk!!

Daily Training Tip #421

You can't focus  your training on one area. You need to target your entire body. You need to build symmetry and balance. You need to work on areas that are more prone to injury. You need to pay one heck of a price!

Daily Training Tip #420

When starting your plyo workouts again this off-season, make sure you focus on a few things.


1) Before take off; bend your knees as deep as you can, keep your chest up, keep your head up.

2) During flight; snap your knees up towards your chest, keep your chest up, keep your head up.

3) On landing; land lightly on the balls of your feet, flex ankles, flex knees while keeping chest and head up.

4) Focus on landing on the ground and exploding up in the air as quicly as possible, keeping your ground contact time down to a minimum.

Daily Training Tip #419

Walking/Running backwards is a low impact, high quality workout, that all athletes should add to their monthly program.


Walking/Running backwards can be incorporated into the sprinting days of your workout or can even be added into your warmup or cooldown. Moving backwards helps build your hamstrings, which are sometimes overlooked by hockey players. Moving backwards also helps build the stabilizing muscles of your knees.

Daily Training Tip #418

A big buzz work in today's training world is "First Step Quickness." Well First Step Quickness is nothing more than the proper combination of explosive power and quickness (or foot cycle speed). Both of these are easy to improve on.


MHC has developed a workout that includes the proper work/ratio and explosive power/quickness ratio.

Daily Training Tip #417

There is no such thing as an off day. There are "active rest" days.


Some days/some workouts are more intense than others. Some are less intense and seem easier. Some days are built with no workouts. Those days are not for sitting on the couch. They are for "active rest." Active rest is playing backyard basketball, going for a jog, roller blading, anything active.

You will get more out of your workouts if you have active rest days instead of "doing nothing days."

Daily Training Tip #416

If you're not making mistakes, then you must not be doing anything. The key that makes people successful is to learn from mistakes and turn those mistakes into successes.


Same thing holds true in the gym. There is so much to be doing and so much to be done off the ice, that you are bound to make mistakes. Learn from those mistakes. Lean on other successful people. Always work towards excellence.

Example; Olympic Lifts. Olympic lifts take a long time to master. You need to be working on perfecting them on a daily basis. You will make thousands of mistakes while trying to perfect them. Just keep working!

Daily Training Tip #415

Soreness is part of the working our process. At one time or another, possibly more, you are going to get sore. The key is overcoming that soreness.


There are numerous ways to overcome soreness. I reccommend working through it. You might have to alter your workout slightly, but work through the soreness. NEVER skip a workout and sit on the couch to over come it. Best thing is to get to the gym and continue working!

Daily Training Tip #414

When training; be aware of severe weather. Keep tabs on the forecast and move your daily workout inside if needed. Severe weather can also mean high heat. High heat can possibly do just as much damage to your body as not drinking any water.

Daily Training Tip #413

Part of your off-ice training needs to be body control. Just because you are big, strong, quick or explosive; it doesn't mean anything if you can't control your own body. Complete exercises in the gym that force you to change direction on the ground or in the air. Focus on body control.

Body Control Includes...
Taking off while jumping.
Landing while jumping.
Changing of direction, quickly
Spinning forwards to backwards and backwards to forwards.
Keeping head up, knees up, etc

Daily Training Tip #412

A hockey player needs to train his/her "Million $ Muscles." Million dollar muscles are your muscles from your nipple line down to your knees. This is where you main training focus needs to be. I call this area your million dollar muscles because if you train this area well enough, someday you might be lucky enough to make a million dollars playing this great game.

Herbie always said, "The Legs Feed The Wolves." As the training world has advanced, Herbie wasn't that far off, his area has just expanded a little bit.

Daily Training Tip #411

For maximal development, the best time to workout is in the  morning. Get out of bed and go to the gym. Then return home, eat breakfast and head to school/work.

Thinking back to DTT #410, have enough vision and forward thinking to still get enough sleep. If you know you are going to the gym early in the morning, then go to bed a little earlier the night before.

Daily Training Tip #410

You should be working your way up to 2.5 times your body weight on your squats. Slowly increase your weight, building up to 2.5 times your weight. This may take a while to achieve. MOST IMPORTANTLY, keep using proper form! Proper Form always comes first.

Daily Training Tip #409

Getting enough sleep on a regular basis is crucial to your development. The average athlete needs 8+ hours of sleep each and every night. The younger you are, the more sleep you need.

Daily Training Tip #408

Not only are pull ups a good test to complete because they have a correlation to your overall strength, but pull ups help improve on your back hand shot. They improve on your upper back muscles that supplement your lower body when shooting a puck on your backhand.

Daily Training Tip #407

Not only is the log jump a good test to complete because of it's direct correlation to athletic ability, but raise the log jump up and it becomes a great exercise to build explosive power.

Daily Training Tip #406

Off-ice training needs to be considered an integral part of your development. Improvements need to start off of hte ice. I've witnessed way too many athletes that viewed off-ice training as just a time filler. These athletes' careers ended way too early. Put yourself into a position to succeed. Pay a price in the gym both by working hard and working smart.

Daily Training Tip #405

Jumping Rope is a good warmup and/or a good workout that benefits all athletes of all sports. Jumping Rope helps build coordination and agility. Make sure you pick the right size rope that fits you the best.

Daily Training Tip #404

Part of your training process needs to be injury. Injury prevention is just as important as improvements. With injuries, improvements will never happen. Common areas that hockey players are injuried or see signs of early fatigue is in your shoulders and hips. There are lots of small muscles inside of your shoulders and hips that are often over looked during  your training. Make sure you spend a little extra time this week on these two areas.

Daily Training Tip #402 & #403

Sorry for the slow delay, I've been having problems with the website.

#402 This is the time of year when the weather is getting nice. For a change of pace, move your workouts outside. If you can't complete your entire workout outside, use alternative workouts. It's good to change things up and get outisde a bit.

#403 As long as you're outside training, try to find a softer surface to train on. Look for a beach or grassy area and stay away from concrete and blacktop areas. The softer ground will save you shins, knees and hips in the long run.

Daily Training Tip #402

This time of the year when the weather is starting to get nice, complete alternative workouts outside. If you are unable to move your entire workout outside, pick an alternative one; swimming, biking, rollerblading, beach sprints, etc.

Sometimes moving outside makes a workout more enjoyable. If a workout is more enjoyable, you will stick to it for a longer period of time and you will work harder at it.

Daily Training Tip #401

As an athlete, your three (3) favorite drinks need to be...
     1) Water to help prevent dehydration
     2) Sports drinks to replace electrolytes
     3) Milk to help the recovery process
There are other important drinks, such as orange juice and cherry juice, but the above three should be consumed on a daily basis. Water needs to be ingested throughout the day, every day. Sports drinks should be ingested after intense workouts and competitions. Milk should be ingested shortly after intense lifting workouts.

Daily Training Tip #400

Completing normal lifting exercises while standing on one (1) leg, helps improve your balance. There is no need to complete specific balance exercises, just incorporate into your normal workout schedule.

A simple standing shoulder press can help improve your balance. Make sure you complete equal amounts on each leg.

Daily Training Tip #399

You need to wear the proper clothing when you are training outdoors or in harsh elements. You need to be flexible with what you are wearing and as the weather/elements change, you need to be able to adapt. Proper footwear is also critical.

Daily Training Tip #398

Pool workouts are a great way to get a low impact hockey specific workout in. You are able to do both power & speed plyos in a pool as well as sprinting. Of course swimming is a great cardio workout.

As the lakes unthaw in the north country, you can also use a nearby lake to get your workout done in.

Daily Training Tip #397

You can do so many different exercises with Medicine Balls, exercises that work the entire body. If you don't have a med ball in your possession, I'd suggest purchasing one.

You are able to work you lower body and core by doing Bosu Squats holding a 12pound Med Ball.

You can develop your core by doing Overhead Slams with a 10-12pound Med Ball.



Daily Training Tip #396

Be aware of non-FDA approved supplements. The labels might say one thing and there might be something completely different inside. Most supplements aren't approved by the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA), which means their contents can't be proven.

In today's world, you can buy supplements almost anywhere. Some are good, some are not so good. Beware of what you are intaking!

Daily Training Tip #395

Skating training can only do so much for a player. However, a good off-ice program can make the changes to a player's body so he/she can skate faster.

Take a look at the pictures below. Off-ice training is more  important for your career than you will ever know. Start training today!