The Best Workout for Hockey Players

Are you a hockey player looking for the best way to stay fit and enhance your game? Your search is over–discover the best workouts for hockey players here! You’ll be amazed at the results from a tailored plan.

Quick facts: Best Workout For Hockey Players

• ✅ Long distance running in the off-season is the best workout for hockey players to maintain their cardiovascular fitness – Source: MayoClinic
• ✅ Strength Training helps hockey players to build muscle, improve power, and reduce the risk of injury – Source: STACK
• ✅ Plyometrics exercises help hockey players build explosive power and speed – Source: HockeyTraining.com
• ✅ Core stability exercises such as planks, bridges, and hollow rocks will help hockey players improve their balance, coordination and improve their overall performance – Source: HockeyStrengthandConditioning.com
• ✅ Plyometric drills are essential for hockey players to develop power, agility and explosiveness – Source: NationalStrengthandConditioningAssociation

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Warm-up

Warming up is one of the most important activities you can do before starting a hockey workout. By warming up, you will increase your heart rate and body temperature and lubricate your joints, helping you to perform better and reduce your risk of injury.

So, let’s look at some of the best warm-up exercises for hockey players:

Dynamic stretching

Dynamic stretching is a warm-up technique that hockey players can use before their regular practice or game. It involves completing stretches that require some body movement to complete, such as arm circles and leg swings. Dynamic stretching helps increase flexibility, range of motion, and muscular coordination in the limbs.

Hockey players most benefit from dynamic stretching before they begin agility drills or light sprints. This type of stretch allows them to get used to the range of motion they need while playing hockey.

Dynamic stretching is an important part of any pre-game warmup routine for hockey players. Studies have found that it can improve performance on the ice and reduce their risk of injury when practiced regularly. Hockey players should be sure to choose exercises specific to the movements they will be making during actual gameplay for maximum effectiveness.

Mobility drills

Mobility drills are an important part of any hockey player’s warm-up routine. Mobility drills help loosen muscles and improve range of motion before taking on intense physical activity such as a hockey game. Examples of mobility drills include warm up stretches, dynamic stretching, foam rolling and dynamic exercises such as lunges, squats, burpees and lunge jumps.

When doing mobility drills it is important to start slow and gradually increase intensity as the pre-game warm up progresses. Doing too much activity before taking the ice can impede performance due to muscle fatigue or even lead to injury due to lack of flexibility or rushing through the movements with improper form. It’s important that players take enough time to properly execute each drill so they can maximize their performance on the ice.

Strength Training

Strength training plays an important role in hockey performance, as it helps players to improve their power, speed, and agility. Additionally, strength training increases the player’s stability and balance, while also helping to reduce the risk of injuries.

In this article, we will discuss the best strength training exercises for hockey players and how they can be used to improve performance:

Squats

Squats are an essential exercise for hockey players because they target the muscles in the lower body, primarily your quadriceps and glutes, which are important components of a hockey player’s strength and explosiveness. They also help to build stability and balance in the core. A solid base of support is necessary for on-ice agility, speed and endurance.

Strength training squats should be performed with heavy weights and low repetitions (4-8 reps). Make sure you keep your back straight when executing this exercise – think about sitting down and leaning slightly forward from your hips. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider—whichever feels more stable—and drive through your heels when coming up from the bottom position of a squat. Squats should always be performed with proper form as improper technique can lead to serious injury.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts are a staple of any hockey players’ training regimen. When done correctly, the deadlift will help increase overall strength and power, resulting in better performance on the ice. The key to performing them correctly is to keep your hips lower than your shoulders, as this helps focus tension on the muscles used in skating and shooting.

When picking a weight for deadlifts, it’s important to start light and progress slowly. Beginners should use a weight they can comfortably perform 10-15 reps with and build up from there. After mastering proper form with a lighter weight, heavier weights can be added gradually over time. It’s important to remember that hockey players need to focus on developing explosiveness versus pure strength when using the deadlift in their workouts.

Lunges

Lunges are one of the most accessible and effective exercises for hockey players as they target multiple major muscle groups. Lunges help improve balance and coordination and can be done with or without equipment. When doing lunges with weight, it is important to ensure that the weight added is on the natural level of your skill set so you don’t overexert yourself. Additionally, always make sure to keep your back straight, shoulders up, and chest open.

When doing lunges, ensure that you take a large step forward with one foot while keeping both feet in line with your hips and bending both knees at a 90 degree angle. Remember to really work your leg muscles on the way down by pushing off with both feet at the same time once you have reached the bottom of your lunge. This exercise helps strengthen quads and glutes helping hockey players stay strong on their skates while improving their endurance during games or practices.

Push-ups

Push-ups are one of the best strength training exercises for hockey players. They can be highly effective in developing upper body strength and explosive power. There are different variations of push-ups that offer a variety of muscle-building challenges.

• For example, narrow grip push-ups target the triceps.
• Wide grip push-ups work the chest.
• Clapping push-ups focus on explosive power development.
• Push-up holds are also a great way to develop isometric strength and stability in the chest, shoulders, and core muscles.
• Hockey players can also benefit from pushing themselves up with their feet instead of their hands—known as an elevation or decline push-up—to provide greater resistance on the muscle groups engaged during this exercise.

Push-ups offer a low risk but high reward exercise for hockey players looking to strengthen their upper body muscles for improved performance on the rink.

Pull-ups

Pull-ups are a great strengthening exercise for hockey players who are looking to gain upper body power, strength, and stability. The primary muscles used for pull-ups (latissimus dorsi, anterior deltoids, biceps) help players be precise when maneuvering the puck and create an explosive power output when passing or shooting.

Pull-ups also target the lower and mid back muscles which help stabilize the shoulder blades, keeping them in proper form while delivering a powerful shot. Additionally, they strengthen the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder girdle and all of the core musculature; this is important in hockey because it helps you maintain balance and move effectively on your skates.

For beginners, focus on maintaining good form by doing pull ups slowly with a full range of motion to ensure correct muscle engagement. As you build up strength, work your way up to max reps with good technique.

Cardio

Cardio is an important aspect of any hockey player’s training regimen. It helps increase aerobic endurance and stamina, which are both vital for on-ice performance. Cardio training also helps build overall strength and improve coordination, agility, and balance.

Let’s look at the different types of cardio exercises to do for optimal hockey performance:

Interval training

Interval training is a popular and effective type of cardio that can benefit hockey players. Interval training involves alternating periods of intense activity with less-intense, active recovery periods. An example of an interval training workout for hockey players could include running on the treadmill for one minute at a high intensity, then walking for one minute at a lower intensity. This pattern would be repeated throughout the duration of the workout.

Interval training can be particularly beneficial to hockey players due to its capacity to improve their game performance as well as their overall health and fitness goals. It’s an efficient workout that enables athletes to work on their speed and power, as well as improve their endurance—all important aspects for playing hockey. It also helps them increase their aerobic capacity, which is essential for long games or multiple games in quick succession. Additionally, interval training can help reduce fatigue and muscle soreness post-game or practice by increasing the body’s ability to recover quickly from strenuous bouts of exercise.

Sprints

Sprints are a great way for hockey players to improve their endurance, speed and agility. Sprinting is an anaerobic exercise that uses the fast-twitch muscles in the legs and lower body for explosive power. It also helps build cardiovascular fitness, making it an invaluable part of a hockey player’s fitness routine.

Sprints can be done on your own or as part of a team practice. To get the most out of sprinting, it’s important to have good form in order to ensure that you’re using your muscles effectively while keeping yourself safe from injury. When done properly, sprints can provide tremendous benefits for hockey players looking to improve their performance on the ice and become faster in their game.

Plyometrics

Plyometrics, also known as jump training or plyos, is a type of exercise that uses rapid and explosive movements to help improve power and speed. Plyometrics can be used as a key component of any hockey player’s workout regimen and is recommended for those aiming to improve their on-ice performance. Plyometric exercises can be done with the body or with weights and bands, depending on individual goals.

Examples of plyometric exercises that are useful for hockey players include:

• Squat jumps
• Box jumps
• Tuck jumps
• Lateral bounds
• Split leaps
• Depth jumps

Each of these exercises use an “explosive” movement to challenge the muscles as they move between stretches and contractions—all while increasing strength and power. Hockey players should look to incorporate plyometric exercises into their conditioning routine in order increase their effectiveness on the ice.

Core Training

Core training is a vital part of any hockey player’s workout regimen. A strong core helps with balance, agility, and explosive power, all of which are essential skills on the ice. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best exercises to help build a strong and powerful core.

Planks

Planks are an important exercise for hockey players as they strengthen their core and help build the necessary stability to increase their performance. The plank is a static, bodyweight exercise that challenges the a hockey player’s core and back stabilizers by having them maintain a static position for an extended period of time. When done correctly, it has tremendous benefits for hockey players in terms of increasing core strength, improving posture, strengthening their grip and helping with balance during on-ice skates.

There are many variations of planks that can be done depending on the level and experience of the player. Variations include: regular plank, side plank and reverse plank etc. Additionally, these exercises can be combined with other elements such as dynamic exercises and resistance bands to further increase intensity and challenge your muscles even more.

Planks are an essential part of any hockey player’s training routine as they offer many benefits such as improved balance, stability, grip strength and improved overall Hockey performance.

Crunches

Crunches are an excellent exercise to incorporate into any hockey player’s core training program. This exercise targets the abdominal muscles, improving balance and stability while strengthening the lower back muscles.

A basic crunch requires you to lie on your back with your hands behind your head and your knees bent, then slowly lift your shoulder blades off the floor and hold for a few seconds. You can also add variations such as twisting or bringing one knee up toward your chest as you raise your shoulders off the floor for a more challenging workout.

Doing crunches regularly can help reduce injuries during hockey games and practices, as well as improving performance since the core muscles are essential for quick turns and shifts on the ice.

Russian twists

Russian twists are a popular core exercise that is ideal for hockey players looking to increase their overall power, stability and strength. This exercise is performed while seated on the floor with feet touching the ground, slightly raised off the floor. Holding dumbbells or a medicine ball in both hands, twist your torso from side to side while keeping your abdominal muscles tight and your chest up. This activates the deep core muscles, which are essential for movement when playing on the ice.

Russian twists can also be done without any weights for added intensity. In order for this exercise to be effective, it is important to keep good posture and form through each repetition. Incorporating Russian twists into regular core training sessions can help hockey players become more explosive and powerful as they move around on the ice.

Leg raises

Leg raises are an effective core training exercise for hockey players, as they help to strengthen the muscles in the abdomen and back. Leg raises build anaerobic capacity, which is important for hockey performance. When performing leg raises, focus on keeping your abdomen tight and maintain control of the movement from start to finish.

To start, lie flat on your back with your feet together and raise your legs off the ground until they reach a 90-degree angle or higher. Hold this position for a few seconds before lowering them back down with control. Repeat 10–15 repetitions or as many as you can do with good form.

Additionally, leg raises can also be done while hanging off of a bar or stability ball to add more challenge and increase stability.

Cool-down

Cool-down exercises are an important part of the workout for hockey players. Cool-down exercises help to reduce the risk of injury and promote recovery by reducing lactic acid build-up in the muscles. They also increase flexibility and reduce muscle soreness.

Let’s look at the best cool-down exercises for hockey players:

Static stretching

Static stretching is a type of cool-down exercise performed after strenuous physical activity and is one of the best recovery exercises for hockey players. It involves stretching a muscle group to its farthest range of motion and holding that position for 10-30 seconds at a time.

Static stretching helps your muscles relax by increasing their flexibility, restoring joint mobility, and reducing muscle tension. It also helps increase circulation to the muscles which helps reduce soreness and speed up recovery times from workouts. Because it is low intensity, it can be used at any time of the day or night to help athletes recovering from practice or game days quickly.

Hockey players should always incorporate static stretching into their cool-down routine as part of their post-workout recovery plan.

Foam rolling

Foam rolling is an important part of a cool-down routine for hockey players. Foam rolling is a technique in which you use a foam roller to massage and stretch tight muscles, as well as break up scar tissue and adhesions. This helps reduce inflammation, improve mobility, and enhance performance while on the ice. By using specific movements and pressure on different areas of the body, foam rolling increases blood flow, breaks down ‘knots’ or tightness in muscles and helps improve flexibility.

It is important for hockey players to incorporate foam rolling into their cool-down routine. Foam rollers can be used any time after a workout or after playing hockey; however it is best if done post-workout as this will help properly prepare the body for upcoming performance or another session. Foam rolling can help athletes get back to peak performance quicker without muscle soreness or fatigue, resulting in improved skills overall.

FAQs about: Best Workout For Hockey Players

Q: What type of workout should hockey players do?

A: Hockey players should do a combination of both strength and endurance workouts. Strength workouts should focus on building muscle in the lower body and core, while endurance workouts should involve activities like skating and running to build up the aerobic capacity of the player.

Q: How often should hockey players workout?

A: Hockey players should aim to workout at least 3-4 times per week with a combination of strength and endurance exercises. It’s important to give yourself rest days in between workouts to help the body recover.

Q: What should hockey players eat before and after a workout?

A: Before a workout, it’s best for hockey players to eat a meal that is high in carbohydrates and proteins. After the workout, the player should consume a meal that is high in protein and healthy fats to help the body recover.