Explosive skating

[PhilMick]

Went up to 65 lbs on each side today. I'm kinda surprised how easily I'm upping the weights every time I squat. Gonna try doing 70 pounds next time(plate + 25 on each side).

Season is gonna start full force in a week or two though. I'm guessing when that happens I'll have to limit squatting to once a week? And the furthest possible from a game... I'm thinking of doing it two days before a practice, or a day before depending on how much free time I have. I wanna get to squatting 2 plates on each side before I take a break from squatting(if I do... don't really want to).

I feel like when I start doing 2 plates, my explosiveness will be much much better. Remains to be seen, it's what I'm hoping for that's for sure. If I get that extra gear(I'm flirting with it I think for now), my game will be really different.

Should I start leg pressing any time soon? Like that I have 2 exercises for legs... Let's say when I get to doing 2 plates squatting on each side, should I start adding leg press? I already feel less sore than when I first started out, despite lifting much heavier weights. That's normal though I guess.

Didn't read back through this thread to see if it's been mentioned, but box jumps are excellent for developing explosiveness.

 

[Sensinitis]

either you got it or you don't.

you need to go back in time when you were 8 or 9 and learn the fundamentals.

tons of conditioning and skating drills

That's not true. Getting into better physical condition and training your legs can go a LONG way.

 

[TKSPT]

Training On One Leg

The prevailing opinion in strength and conditioning circles is that hockey players should be doing single leg exercises for both strength and balance.

The rationale for this is that hockey skating places a lot of demands on the stabilizer muscles of the leg as well as the larger power muscles.

I recommend trying the Bulgarian Split Squat (raise back leg on a bench and squat down deep on the front leg). This exercise also hits the hip flexor and glute muscles, which is where a lot of your skating power comes from. Check out Henrik Zetterberg's version of the Split Squat with TRX suspension and kettlebell: http://www.stack.com/2012/10/17/suspended-kettlebell-split-lunge/

Also perform a hip-dominant exercise such as a Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift. http://www.stack.com/video/1646075707/SingleLeg-Romanian-Deadlift/

The guys I train get results by combining both bilateral (two leg) and single leg exercises. The single leg versions hit more of your "skating" muscles of the hips, glutes, hamstrings and lower leg stabilizers.

 

[ATL Star]

Delete... didn't see rest of the thread.

 

[TheOtherScott]

I noticed a big difference in my speed just from adding sprints to my usual running routine and doing squats on my off days. Knocked a few minutes off my 5k time in a few months.

 

[CarpeNoctem]

The best way to skate faster is to practice skating faster. I know that sounds like a stupid John Madden quote but it's true. Work a ton on your explosive starts (coming from a standstill). Working on sprinting up stairs and plyometrics. That'll help a lot for quick starts. For top end speed however, a little bit of muscle thickening/work is in order. The squat is nice, but there are some other options.

 

[TheOtherScott]

Don't forget about balance work. Skating fast means using energy as efficiently as possible, and the better balanced you are, the less energy you'll be spending on keeping yourself upright.

 

[Sensinitis]

I can almost squat 2 plates now(did 2 plates on SMIT machine last time). I feel more explosive, next game is tomorrow and monday. Will give updates.

Sprinting is a really good tip. I've gone on a few jogs and done some fast start sprints and I feel like it's a really good exercise.

Balance would basically be keeping the 90 degree knee bend, back straight and torso slightly tilted forward, correct?

 

[BmxHockey]

Improve rate of force development (RFD) if you want to be more explosive. Google it.

 

[TKSPT]

Improve rate of force development (RFD) if you want to be more explosive. Google it.

Rate of force development is key in hockey off-ice training and it should be the primary goal of your off-ice power training. A high RFD can be elicited both through dynamic and isometric (static) muscle contractions. Basically, your movement speed on the concentric phase of a lift/movement should be fast if you want to maximize RFD.

Lift heavy to recruit more muscle units, lift as fast as possible on the concentric phase to increase RFD. The heavier you go the slower the movement of the weight but if your effort is put into a fast movement the "intended" movement speed is what counts, not the actual movement speed.

This little bit of sports science is what makes hockey players powerful without being overly muscled in the legs and hips (too much bulk is a disadvantage). Always do this work at the beginning of a workout — quality reps mean everything here. The goal is not muscular fatigue.

 

[TheOtherScott]

Balance would basically be keeping the 90 degree knee bend, back straight and torso slightly tilted forward, correct?

It doesn't necessarily need to be specific to your skating stride. Even some yoga poses as a cool-down can help. It doesn't need to be a major focus, but don't ignore it either.