How to Follow a Hockey Conditioning Program
Everyone who watches ice hockey knows that it is one of the more brutal contact sports. It is also a sport that requires excellent balance and coordination and can be very graceful. A conditioning program for hockey includes strength and weight training, as well as cross-training sports, like soccer and biking for improving balance and lateral movement.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Hockey stick
- Ice skates
- Spinning or stationary bike
- Stairs
- In-line skates
Instructions
-
Follow a Sports Conditioning Program for Hockey
-
1
Start your workout with some warm-up stretches for your arms, shoulders and back. Follow with the hamstrings, hips and groin. Hips and groin muscles are especially vulnerable to pulls and strains during a hockey game.
-
2
Work your stomach muscles with abdominal crunches and oblique twists, targeting muscles used in swinging a hockey stick. This type of conditioning program will strengthen your lower back, as well as your abdomen. Use weights for shoulder shrugs and leg lunges as an additional part of your weight training.
-
-
3
Improve your balance by doing one-leg squats for 30 seconds at a time. Work up to 60 seconds on each leg. Close your eyes and stand on one leg for as long as you can before you start to wobble, strengthening your legs as you work on your balance.
-
4
Spend time ice skating, even when you are not in a game situation. You can in-line skate during the off-season or whenever you do not have ice time. Take your hockey stick with you to practice your shooting and stick work.
-
5
Join a soccer club. Soccer is a popular cross-training sport for a hockey player, as the object of keeping the ball away from opponents and going down field for a goal is the same as hockey. You work the same muscle groups in playing both games.
-
6
Participate in an aerobic exercise for 30 minutes, several times a week. Running up and down the stairs, jogging and biking are examples of activities that will elevate your heart rate and keep your lungs healthy. The New England Hockey Journal website has spinning-bike routines you can follow (see Resources below).
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Give yourself ample recovery time (about 48 hours) from weight training before a game.
