Martin St-Louis does not skip leg day...
We're facing a significant challenge. When players or coaches turn to platforms like YouTube in search of off-ice training methods for strength, power, and speed, they're inundated with generic advice like "do this every day to build speed," "top 5 exercises to build strength," or "27 speed drills to do at home." Unfortunately, such advice often comes with prescribed sets, reps, and even specific loads that fail to consider an athlete's current performance level, activity, available time, or recovery capacity. Following these suggestions to the letter would have us squatting and stumbling through agility ladders for nearly every waking hour. What we urgently need is a comprehensive, science-based approach that is not only individually scalable but also maximizes development potential, all while respecting the athlete's available time for training.
Sound complex? Not really. Things are much simpler when you're not chasing views, subscriptions, or more concerned with people "smashing that like button" than you are with helping players and coaches develop in a way they never have before. Let's get into it.
What are we really after?
Elite-level hockey players have a mix of speed, strength, and stamina; they're heavier, with more lean mass than sub-elite players. So, if we want to cut a clear path to play at an elite level, at least from a physical performance perspective, we need to become bigger, faster, stronger, and better conditioned.
We need to first ask, "what is the most effective way to build each of these qualities, while also considering the busy (and active) life of a hockey player?".
The answer: High-Intensity Training to build size and strength, and High-Intensity Interval Training to address conditioning as it applies specifically to ice hockey.
These key components ensure a player's training covers all necessary physical aspects, moving beyond the general idea of strength and conditioning.
Rep Ranges
Before we jump into training methodologies, lets quickly breakdown rep ranges.
Strength: 1-5
Hypertrophy: 6-30
Muscular Endurance: 30+
Now, before you run into the gym and grab that bar, let's understand that if you want to make gains, you must give your body a good reason to adapt. These rep ranges mean nothing if you do not push close enough to, or reach, failure.
A Quick Note on Proximity to Failure
Proximity to Failure (PF) is a necessary component of any training program and goes hand-in-hand with sets and reps. But, more often than not, for whatever reason, it's completely forgotten. Coaches and trainers often prescribe something like 3 sets of 10 reps, or worse, 3 sets of 10 reps at a given load, without accounting for PF. Let's be very clear, if you don't get close enough to, or reach Momentary Muscular Failure, your body will not make adaptations in terms of strength or hypertrophy. How close you need to get to failure depends on the number of sets (volume) and frequency you train a given exercise/muscle group, along with your recovery ability.
With PF in mind, let's get into the methodologies.
Mike Mentzer - One of the most iconic bodybuilders of all time, and creator of "Heavy Duty", a High-Intensity Training methodology.
High-Intensity Training
High-Intensity Training (HIT) focuses on maximizing effort on a limited number of sets per exercise, pushing each set to Momentary Muscular Failure (MMF), or even beyond using "intensity techniques" such as myo reps, forced reps, assisted reps, half reps, negatives, etc.
This approach is beneficial for stimulating muscle growth efficiently within a short period, making it a practical component of a hockey player’s training regimen. The main advantage of HIT lies in its ability to maximize stimulation for muscle growth while minimizing time spent training and allowing ample recovery time.
Despite its benefits, HIT's efficiency does not necessarily translate to "optimal" muscle growth. Achieving peak muscle growth often requires more sets per muscle group per week, and at a higher frequency than HIT typically involves. However, we must take into account the other aspects of our training and activity (HIIT, on-ice sessions, other sports, etc.).
While you'll certainly grow more with more sets per muscle group and a higher frequency, your recovery can seriously be impacted, leading to reduced growth, increased systemic fatigue, and potential burnout, especially while in season.
For an aspiring professional bodybuilder, traditional HIT is not likely the way to go.
For a hockey player, HIT is by far the best option.
You'll get significant benefits of hypertrophy training in a fraction of the time, and at a considerably lower recovery cost. It's important to note that you can very well see strength (1RM) gains while on a HIT program, particularly with upper body lifts, and especially if you're training in the lower end of the hypertrophy rep range. For the lower body (squats and deadlifts), you'll want to focus your efforts as described in the Strength Training section below.
Brian Alsruhe - Maryland's Strongest Man - Founder of NeverSATE Athletics and proponent of Giant Sets.
Strength Training (ST)
Training for strength means that we're trying to improve our ability to lift maximal loads, i.e., our 1-Rep-Max (1RM), usually in the "Big 4" lifts--Back Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, and Overhead Press.
Let's get something out of the way up front--training your 1RM is perfectly fine and not inherently dangerous, provided you're lifting with proper technique.
Your 1RM is NOT your ability to pull an incredible amount of weight off the ground while looking like a scared cat.
It measures your ability to perform a lift with maximal load, using PROPER technique.
Whether we're testing or simply recording our reps in our training log, poor technique means that rep didn't count--it doesn't allow us to accurately measure and track our performance and progress.
Now that that's out of the way, in order to train for strength, we should be within 0-3 reps to failure by the time we hit 5 reps or fewer.
It's important to note that while we're aiming to improve our 1RM, we won't often train with 100% of our 1RM. Systemic fatigue would certainly build up quickly and we wouldn't make the progress we desire.
For this reason, we like to balance our strength training using a modified 5/3/1 method. In a nutshell, over a 3-week period we'll train with a 5RM load, a 3RM load, and finally a 1RM load (or close to it).
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT (with two "I's"), involves short bursts of intense exercise alternated with low-intensity recovery periods.
This training method is particularly effective for hockey players due to the sport's nature, requiring quick bursts of speed and power.
This is the type of conditioning we're referring to when in reference to ice hockey. We need our athletes to be able to exert maximum effort for about 45 seconds, rest on the bench for a few minutes and do it again and again for the duration of the game.
So, when training for conditioning, we need to emphasize the ability to perform at maximal effort for a short duration, then recover in a relatively short period, just like a shift on the ice.
The best method for training this attribute is HIIT.
HIIT has incredible benefits for hockey players, including improved muscle thickness, peak power, and mean power output, which all translate to on-ice performance. The integration of recovery intervals in HIIT increases mitochondrial enzymes in fast-twitch muscle fibers, which enhances both the speed and endurance capabilities of an athlete.
HIIT not only boosts cardiovascular fitness and respiratory function but also prepares the body for efficient recovery.
"General" conditioning training can often include medium distance running or steady-state bike sessions. Are these effective for cardiovascular training? Absolutely. Are they optimal for on-ice performance? No.
This is why HIIT is the go-to method of conditioning training for hockey players as it closely mimics an on-ice shift. This specificity will provide us maximum carryover from the gym to the ice.
Combining ST, HIT, and HIIT
When combined, ST, HIT and HIIT offer a comprehensive training strategy that addresses both the strength and conditioning needs of hockey players.
HIT focuses on muscle growth and ST on strength, while HIIT enhances cardiovascular endurance, quick recovery, and performance under high-intensity conditions typical in hockey games.
This approach ensures that athletes can build muscle, improve endurance, and recover efficiently, contributing to enhanced performance on the ice.
This sounds like a lot to program. Let's take a breath and look at a couple quick examples:
New to HIT?
HIT: 1-2 sets per exercise (exercises dependent on program/goals); Estimated time to complete (ETC): 25-35 minutes
HIIT: finish with interval rounds (bike, WOD, etc.); ETC: 10-15 minutes
Ready to add in strength training?
Squat day ("Powerbuilding")
ST: Back Squat (modified 5/3/1); ETC: 10-15 minutes
HIT: 1-2 sets per exercise (exercises dependent on program/goals); ETC: 15-20 miunutes
HIIT: finish with interval rounds (bike, WOD, etc.); ETC: 10-15 minutes
See, not so bad. Of course, adjustments would be made based on a number of factors, but this is a standard starting template. Want more detail? Take a look at our article on How to HIT.
Final Words
Consistently engaging in dedicated off-ice training (ST, HIT, HIIT) for as little as 8-12 weeks can substantially boost on-ice performance for hockey players, demonstrating marked improvements in speed and strength, not to mention confidence--imagine going into a corner battle knowing you're about to dominate your opponent.
This programming sets a robust foundation for their athletic development, contributing significantly to their long-term growth and peak performance capabilities in hockey.
Starting training early (yes, even Mites and Squirts can, and should, perform strength training when adapted appropriately) taps into periods of high neural adaptability, providing a lasting impact on an athlete's career.
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