Ice Hockey Conditioning Dryland / Off-Ice Workout
Warm Up
We are going to start with some low effort runs. We just want you to get loose and warmed up. You see Kevin shaking out his arms and legs here and we are only moving at about 50% - 60% here. We want you to do 2 to 5 sets of anywhere from 20 to 40 yards. Just get loosened up and ready to rock!
2-5 sets of 20 to 40 yards (30 - 90 seconds rest)
Horizontal crossover step into sprint
Now that the warm up is done we are going to start our first exercise and bring up the intensity with the horizontal cross-over step into sprint. With this exercise you want to place your body laterally and perform two exagerated cross-over steps. Then explode laterally of that foot into a forward 25 yard sprint. Notice how Kevin's chest, hips, and toes are all facing laterally until he explodes into the forward sprint. Dont's turn too early, we are tryin to wotk on the lateral power and lateral conditioning that you need to skate faster.
8 sets of 25 yards (45 seconds rest)
5-10-15 Suicide Runs
The next exercise is everyone's favorite. We are going to to some suicide runs. How this is going to work is we are going to sprint out 5 yards and back, out 10 yards and back, and then out 15 yards and back. All sprinting as fast as possible. What is miportant to point out here is how Kevin's total body is going past each cone before he turns around. Make sure you whole body and feet are past each cone. You want to get the full yardage done in this suicide sprint to target the energy system we're after here in this hockey specific conditioning workout. Repeat this 4 times with 45 seconds rest.
4 sets of 1 (45 seconds rest)
Plank Super Set
To finish up this workout we are going to be super setting a plank with the left foot in the air and then planking with your right foot in the air. The plank already by itself is a wonderful exercise for injury prevention and also to help you stay strong over the puck out on the ice. But, as you begin to master the plank and as it gets easier over time one way you can progress and make it more difficult is to remove a ground point of contact. So here we remove one leg for 30 seconds. At the end you have done a 60 second plank but you have removed stabilization standpoints making it more difficult and a better exercise for your hockey performance.
Plank with left foot in the air
4 sets of 30 seconds (0 seconds rest)
Plank with right foot in the air
4 sets of 30 seconds (60 seconds rest)
The reason this hockey conditioning workout is so good is two fold. First it is specific to the energy system needs that your going to use on the ice. Second, it uses both lateral and forward progressions that incorporate all the coordination and muscle sequences that you use while you're skating. The energy system component is incredibly important because condtioning is not an umbrella statement. What a marathon runner does for conditioning is different from what a power lifter does for conditioning and is different for what a hockey player does for conditioning. The work condition means nothing without context. You have to match it up with the energy system that you are using out on the ice so that you can improve where it counts, during game time!