Hockey requires a good deal of strength and conditioning to perform at a high level over the course of a season. Explosive starts and stops combined with regular body contact can wear a hockey player down if he isn't in good shape. One of the secrets to staying in good hockey condition is your off-season hockey training routine. Entering a new season already in shape gives you a head start over other players.
Leg Strength
While hockey has many different elements, it is the strength of your legs that determines your skating ability. Maintaining your overall leg strength in the off-season leaves you with less to do when the season starts up again. Perform exercises such as hamstring curls, dumbbell lunges and Sumo squats for three sets of 10 to 12 reps, two to three times per week. A Sumo squat is a regular barbell squat with your feet extra wide and pointed slightly outward to strengthen your groin area, which is susceptible to injury in hockey.
Upper-Body Strength
Upper-body strength may take a backseat to leg power, but it is still an important element in hockey training. If you have a weak upper body, you will lose battles for the puck and be knocked off the puck easier. During the off-season, perform three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions of barbell bench press, body-weight chinups, seated rows and hammer curls, two to three times per week. A hammer curl is a typical dumbbell biceps curl with the dumbbells rotated to a vertical position to focus more on your forearms. Use both an underhand and an overhand grip for your chinups.
Cardiovascular Strength
If you don't have decent cardiovascular conditioning as a hockey player, you won't last very long. You don't want to hammer out cardio sessions in the off-season at competition levels, but you shouldn't let it drop off either. Do two to three sessions per week for 20 to 40 minutes at a time at about 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, says the Sports Fitness Advisor website. Use exercises with different motion patterns than hockey such as tennis, rowing or cycling.
Flexibility
If you pull or tear a muscle, it can shorten or even end your hockey season. Muscles tighten fast, so keeping them loose is a crucial part of off-season hockey training. Try to perform gentle stretching daily, focusing on your hamstrings, groin and quadriceps. Use static stretches with no bouncing, and breathe throughout every stretch. Perform your stretches before and after your workout sessions.
Rest
One of the main points of having an off-season is to recuperate from nagging injuries and rejuvenate your body. Take time to rest your body in the off-season by catching up on sleep and engaging in leisure activities you enjoy. Make your rest time a priority, and you will start the new season reenergized and ready to go.
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