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.