Daily Training Tip #738

Everyone uses weight plates during their workouts. They load up the bar with them before they do a squat or a bench. Every weight room is filled with them.

Think outside the box and use those same weight plate and complete a weight plate circuit. You can then reproduce that same circuit in any gym that you are at. A great way to get a workout in, improve on your development and work towards injury prevention.

Daily Training Tip #737

Only you know what is inside you. Only you know what you are capable of doing. Only you can achieve your goals!

Daily Training Tip #736

Give your routine a slight shake up, take your workout to the pool today. Or if you live in Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, take it to the lake. You can complete most of your dryland training in the water. It is a nice change of pace, fun and less impact on your body. Get in water that is waist deep and complete some squat jumps, the water adds resistance.

Always make sure you are completing your water workouts with a friend or coach, just to be on the safe side.

Daily Training Tip #735

Breathing is such a simple thing that sometimes while we are working out, we forget how to breathe.Just remember this; Breathe out during the hard part of each exercise. Then of course, Breathe in during the easy part.

Daily Training Tip #734

Make sure you are the hardest working athlete in your gym. However, keep in mind, there are thousands of other gyms across the world. Each of those athletes are training to compete for the same spot that you are. Keeping working hard and smart to gain your competitive advantage.

Daily Training Tip #733

Incorporate Bath Towels into your workout today! They can add intensity to your workouts. Examply, drape a towel over your pull up bar and grab the towel to do your pull ups with! A great at home way to improve on your grip strength!

Daily Training Tip #732

Make sure you use the proper size/strength Rubber Band when you are using them in the gym. The Lifting “Rubber” Bands are a great addition to your workout. They can also assist during some exercises such as pull ups. However, the proper size/strength band is crucial. If too heavy of a band, full extension will not happen. If too light of a band, not enough resistance will occur.

There are a wide varity of bands, make sure you pick the proper one.

Daily Trainnig Tip #731

Most times your rest intervals are just as important as your work loads, lifts, etc. Certain exercises require more rest in between sets, while others require less. Sometimes you are asked to start your next work set on more or less rest. Follow the Rest Intervals closely. Don't over or under rest.

Daily Training Tip #730

Doing what everyone else does, will get you the same results as everyone else. You need to seperate yourself from everyone else by out working and out training everyone else!

Daily Training Tip #729

There are so many different people out there that each tell you different amounts of water to drink. It gets a little confusing. Easiest thing, be drinking water all day long. You should never 'feel thirsty.' Your urine should be clear. There isn't a need to count how many ounzes of water you actually drink, just drink water!

Daily Training Tip #728

Quality is much better than Quanity, in terms of training. (1 rep the proper way is better than 2 reps incorrectly)

Daily Training Tip #727

In today's world, everyone's schedules are jammed packed with activities. You are getting pulled in every direction. Your training time is to short. I've said this numerous times before, you have to traing hard and train smart. Someone else, somewhere else is and they will pass you up. Keep your competitive advantage!

Daily Training Tip #726

Sometimes you don’t need to get into a gym to have a good workout. Your house and garage are usually filled with great workout ideas. As I pulled out of my garage this morning, I saw enough things laying around that I could have came up with a great workout.

I saw a sledge hammer for Overhead Chops. I saw a couple of gallons of paint for Front/Side Raises. I saw a rope and a lawnmower I could have tied together and done some Rope Pulls. I saw my tool box I could have done Curls and Tricep Extensions with.

Be creative, there are so many things you can use to help you improve your conditioning levels.

Daily Training Tip #725

Every single On-Ice Movement can be reproduced off-ice in the gym. You need to train to be a complete hockey player and improve on each of your on-ice skills, however, you can spend more time improving on your on-ice weaknesses off of the ice.

Daily Training Tip #724

Spend a portion of your training time each day focusing on your weaknesses. It doesn’t matter what you did before or what you are going to do the next day, work on your weaknesses. If your shot is an area that needs work, improve on it. Or stickhandling. Get the idea?

Daily Training Tip #723

Staying in shape is much easier than letting yourself get out of shape and having to start all over. Continue to pay a price ALL season/year long!

Daily Training Tip #722

Hitting the Heavy Bag is part of a workout. We’re training to be better athletes. We are not teaching fighting. Try hitting the heavy bag as hard as you can and as fast as you can for 30 seconds.

Daily Training Tip #721

Having a routine is a good thing, if the routine you follow is a good one. If you are sprinting, lifting, skating and jumping on a daily basis all year around, continue and keep going. If that is not your routine, you better change your routine!

Daily Training Tip #720

As we progress closer to the start of the hockey season, you should soon be switching to a new phase of your off-season program. Your weights should be increasing as your reps should be decreasing. Its also a good idea to switch up some of your lifts as well as your body reacts well to change.

Daily Training Tip #719

I’ve said this numerous times before, hockey is a 1 Legged sport. A good portion of your training needs to be on one leg. One leg activities should be strength, explosive, power, quickness and balance activities, same as your two legged activities.

Train on 1 Leg!

Daily Training Tip #718

There are a lot of different exercises you can complete using Nothing But You. Body weight exercises are very good for your development. For instance, you can add to your leg strength by completing Body Squats (a squat with no resistance) on a daily basis. Pull Ups are another good exercise that uses no resistance.

Body weight exercises let you use perferct form and are less taxing so they can be performed them all the time.

Daily Training T ip #717

Be creative when designing your own ‘home gym’ or home training center. Most hockey players have an area at or around their house that is used for stickhandling and shooting pucks. Well, use that same area to get some extra strength training done as well.

Strength equipment is usually big, bulky and expensive. Be creative in your design of your home gym. Take a trip to your local hardware store and pick up some PVC piping and make some hurdles to jump over. Use your hockey bag to complete lateral jumps over. Fill your school backpack with your school books and complete squats with it. There are so many creative ways to build your home gym so you are able to train at at home and get in some extra work after everyone else is in bed.

Daily Training Tip #715

I skipped DTT #715 yesterday, so I’ll make it up today.

There are no rest days! Your body has a habit of being active and working hard. It doesn’t react well to “rest days.” Your program needs more intense days and less intense days, but no rest days. Your less intense days can be active rest days, which are being active on your own. Your career is way to short for you to be having days completely off from training.

Daily Training Tip #716

In a world where people seem to be handing off their work loads to others to complete, this can’t happen in the gym. ONLY YOU can complete your work in the gym. There are no excuses, no one else included, only you. You either work hard and work smart or you don’t. It is really that simple.

Daily Training Tip #714

Getting up early for one workout really doesn't do too much for you physically. The best results start to happen 4-6 weeks (and beyond) into a good, sound, structured workout program. Training needs to be a part of your life for the 'Long Haul' and not just for a day or a week.

Daily Training Tip #713

There is a science behind the training program that you are on. Certain exercises with different sets/reps are designed specifically according to your goals as an athlete. There is very minimal benefit into coming into the gym each day and completing random exercises. Best results happen after 4-6 weeks of consecutive training. Stay the course, complete the entire program.

Daily Training Tip #712

A well-trained core is essential for optimal performance and injury prevention. There are so many different core exercises that you can do. Pick a few different kinds each day and complete 1000 daily sit ups!

Daily Training Tip #711

From a development standpoint, your body doesn’t know what a holiday is. Let your body continue doing what it always does. Enjoy the holiday with a great workout today. This gives you a competitive advantage on your opponent.

We are expecting a lot of fireworks in the gym today!

Daily Training Tip #711

Along with training your core, you need to develop your lower back. Back Extensions and their opposite, Hypers, are a great way to train your back. There are numerous ways to complete both exercises; on a machine, on a swiss ball or even on your bed at home. These two exercises are so easy to complete, there can’t be an excuses of no doing them.

Daily Training Tip #709

Everyone has an equal chance at success. It doesn’t matter where you life, who your parents are or how much money you have. It matters how hard and how smart you work. You will determine your own success. You need others in your corner that are able to help you along the way, but ultimately, you determine your own success.

Daily Training Tip #708

Just like in school, physical testing is done to see improvements. Have a professional test you to get a mark on your explosiveness, strength, speed and power. This helps you see that your hard work is paying off and helps your professional make sure the program is doing what it is designed to do.