Advice: Off-Ice Workouts

[TLow97]

Just curious, what types of off-ice workouts do y'all do? I'm not talking stickhandling, shooting pads, roller, etc. Like, what's your gym routine? Or do you do any Beach Body videos? Or do you do "this new thing called 'jogging' or 'yogging', it might be a soft 'J'"?

I have been doing the Insanity workout, mostly out of lack of facilitative resources... I work at a hospital and I do it in the meeting rooms. I had a co-worker who would work out with me, and we did P90X for a while, too. We stopped P90X because we were no longer allowed to store our equipment in those rooms. Insanity makes it easier that way since I don't need weights, bands, etc.

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[howeaboutthat]

Or do you do "this new thing called 'jogging' or 'yogging', it might be a soft 'J'"?

Anytime is a good time for an Anchorman quote.

I do a bit of yogging mainly because, being an ex-military man, it is the thing I was used to doing but I also do some free weights and I've been doing some dryland training plyometrics, after my new coach recommended I look them up.

If you search Youtube there are a fair few 'how to' guides on there.

 

[McBrom7]

Crossfitt. Do it. It changes your life.

 

[Siamese Dream]

Most guys I know use spin bikes.

 

[Stickchecked]

Crossfitt. Do it. It changes your life.

Yea, but for the better or worse?

I asked my PT about Crossfit and his comment was, it's fantastic, and 99.5% of people are not in shape enough to do it.

To the OP, how old are you? How fit are you? What do you struggle with the most in hockey? Personally, I've had issues with my groin and am about to focus on improved my core strength and pelvic stability which I've just learned is very poor. I believe it's going to be a lot of balance board work.

Aside from that, I'm a cyclist so that's my go-to for cardio work.

 

[McBrom7]

Yea, but for the better or worse?

I asked my PT about Crossfit and his comment was, it's fantastic, and 99.5% of people are not in shape enough to do it.

To the OP, how old are you? How fit are you? What do you struggle with the most in hockey? Personally, I've had issues with my groin and am about to focus on improved my core strength and pelvic stability which I've just learned is very poor. I believe it's going to be a lot of balance board work.

Aside from that, I'm a cyclist so that's my go-to for cardio work.

You don't have to go to a crossfit gym to do a crossfit workout. My friend and I do it in our dorm rooms at college. You just need to know what you have to do and do it by yourself. If the time comes that you want to go to a crossfit gym, by all means, do it.

I play rugby so I do it because it has made me immensely stronger and better with the ball. If you don't have good mental toughness or you're not in very good shape, I would not recommend these workouts.

 

[Delayed Offside]

Nothing fancy. Lifting 2-3 times a week and 4-6 mile run on the weekend. Then one hockey game a week. Sometimes two games if I can fit it in.

Lifting routine is pretty simple: squats, bench, bent rows, shoulder press and so on.

 

[Ozz]

I gave up hockey at age 18 and got into bodybuilding and powerlifting. For 11 years I did nothing but that and only worried about conditioning enough to lean out when necessary. When I decided to get back into hockey I changed my leg routines so they focused more on power and balance as opposed to adding size. A lot of powerlifting theory translates well to explosive plyometric training, so that works out well.

Certainly not the best routine for all-out hockey results, but it works well for me and my purposes. As hockey players go I'm a big, strong mofo (5'10" 210, visible abs, and a 1100-1200 powerlifting total to give you an idea). Being an able and skilled player with that kind of size and strength is great. Back as a teen, I was 155lbs. and probably couldn't overpower anybody, but I was fast as hell. Win some/lose some.

 

[MJAYK]

I'm a week into a 3-day gym program. Going for Police school next year so i'm aiming to improve my strength. I'll tell you if i see any major improvements on-ice after a few months

 

[JR97]

How do you like insanity compared to p90x? I've been doing p90x off and on for about a year.

The only other thing I do is ride the bike. a lot. It's great for cardio and the legs. Not much for upper body other than shoulders if you've got a road bike with drop bars.

 

[TLow97]

How do you like insanity compared to p90x? I've been doing p90x off and on for about a year.

The only other thing I do is ride the bike. a lot. It's great for cardio and the legs. Not much for upper body other than shoulders if you've got a road bike with drop bars.

I love both... Insanity is nice because the workouts don't take as long as P90X, but it's mostly plyo/cardio. Good to build up stamina, in my opinion.

To the OP, how old are you? How fit are you? What do you struggle with the most in hockey?

I'm 29, and a muscular fat dude. Probably too early to tell, but from my evaluation I felt that I struggled with lateral movement. I mean, no one's gonna expect me to dangle ANYBODY but it's something I'd like to work on when it comes to backchecking.

 

[Jarick]

Not a hell of a lot. Mostly golf lately. Sometimes swing a kettlebell, do deadlifts or squats with it. I've got some muscle but more fat. But don't have the mental energy or time to dedicate to getting rid of it.

 

[hlaverty06]

Insanity, recovery days in insanity I don't do, play hockey instead and on Sundays too

 

[Beville]

Monday, Wednesday, Friday = Running + Weights (Try and go for Max. Weight during the season)

Tuesday + Thursday = Cycling.

Saturday and Sunday are the Off Days - I ref both nights so I like to rest the body for the game.

My regime is only 'so' intense because I'm in the process of getting fit for the Army

I also do a daily stretching regime as well, just to try and improve my flexibility and such... No idea if it's actually worked at all but y'know

 

[BuddehJuS]

Just get your self into a gym! I've been doing it for about a month, and the increase in on-ice performance is phenomenal! I'm a big guy at 6'5, 250ish, mostly if, not all fat. I have started weight training, and my skills have increased dramatically. I've played about 3 days a week for the past 3 years, thus I had a bit of an edge. I'm not an overly detailed person when it comes to the gym, but I do have basic knowledge of things I want to accomplish. Now, I'm dangling, and going celly all day.

 

[Jyrki]

You don't have to go to a crossfit gym to do a crossfit workout. My friend and I do it in our dorm rooms at college. You just need to know what you have to do and do it by yourself. If the time comes that you want to go to a crossfit gym, by all means, do it.

I play rugby so I do it because it has made me immensely stronger and better with the ball. If you don't have good mental toughness or you're not in very good shape, I would not recommend these workouts.

I'll also note that knowing how to do crossfit workouts is absolutely vital. Since they're generally supersets with little rest in between having appropriate form is key to preventing injury.

A lot of crossfit gyms are run by idiots who don't really know how to do the exercises and people tear joints, break bones, separate shoulders, etc. by being misguided - the whole cultism within those gyms prevent users from speaking out against poor coaching and training. Not to mention they're really expensive.

If you're looking into doing crossfit look for people who know how to do the workouts, or look for online videos. Don't pay two or three hundred bucks on a crossfit gym so idiots tell you what to do, you can do everything you need to for a fraction of the price either in a good gym or at home.

 

[Stickchecked]

Has anyone followed the book "Core Performance: The Revolutionary Workout Program"? I saw it today in the bookstore and it gets good reviews on Amazon. I'm going to get it from the library and try it out.

 

[ean]

Core work is the most important, bar none. Legs and back next.

 

[Stickchecked]

Yea, I'm learning from PT that core work is more than just abs and back, plank and birddog, even more than just transverse abs. It's the ability to immobilize the pelvis during movement and isolating the tiny muscles that stabilize the pelvis.

Way more subtle than I would have ever imagined and the exercises all require real concentration to accomplish.

I'm encouraged, though, because I feel this is the dimension that I've been missing and suffering from for the past three years.

 

[Jarick]

Yesterday I actually worked out. Not very long or hard, but I worked out.

Put together a quick circuit that I can do in about ten minutes before dinner on weekdays. Short enough to not make excuses yet intense enough to stimulate the body.

Mon-Wed-Fri, alternate sets of deadlifts with my 40# kettlebell and a farmers walk around the basement. Tue-Thu, alternate sets of goblet squats with my 25# bell and some pushups.

Focus on perfect form to stimulate the muscles and improve flexibility without injury. Work from about 10-15 seconds of work up to 30-45 seconds work to simulate a hockey shift.

 

[Ozolinsh_27]

I'm starting Cosgrove's No Equipment, No Problem workout. Basically its 2-3 sets of bulgarian split squats, pushups, lunges, rows and 1 plank. I'm just getting over bronchitis (3rd week now) so I need something to slowly get back into hockey with.

 

[FreshNsoClean]

Straight P90x. I've used it for 5+ years for Hockey, BMX, Motocross, Tough Mudder... ect. Now that I got bored and wanted to switch to goalie, I'll actually be doing the Yoga & Stretch DVD. Which I never did before. I highly recommend it. Stick to cardio (running sprints, biking, rollerblading) outside. P90x covers the rest.

Good luck

 

[Stickchecked]

For the people talking up P90X, do you all have chin up bars? My problem is I don't have anywhere to put one. And that seems to leave a big hole in most of the workouts.

Any suggestions?

 

[noobman]

You don't have to go to a crossfit gym to do a crossfit workout. My friend and I do it in our dorm rooms at college. You just need to know what you have to do and do it by yourself. If the time comes that you want to go to a crossfit gym, by all means, do it.

I play rugby so I do it because it has made me immensely stronger and better with the ball. If you don't have good mental toughness or you're not in very good shape, I would not recommend these workouts.

Crossfit has many issues:

1. It is not periodized and has no structured progression. The exercises are seemingly issued at random and have no natural progression. How can you really track your progress?

2. It is not specific. Crossfit issues general-purpose exercises designed to train you at random. While you may be fitter, it is not the ideal solution for someone looking to train for improvement in a specific area.

3. It is dangerous. A beginner cannot suddenly start doing olympic powerlifts and handstand pushups. A novice to intermediate Crossfitter probably can't do tabata olympic powerlifts (something that is in and of itself contradictory) until failure, then go for a 5 mile run the next day. The leg muscles will be fatigued and the legs will be more injury prome.

4. IT IS DANGEROUS. On top of that, the typical mantra in Crossfit is to do as much as possible. The Crossfit mentality is that 20 bad squats in which you move a grand total of 4-5 inches is superior to 5 good squats where you go through the full range of motion with correct form. Repetitive use of poor form is a recipe for chronic injury.

5. It is not for beginners. You can seriously hurt yourself doing some of the stuff Crossfit asks you to do, especially if you're not well-versed in the movements and lifts you're asked to do.

With that being said, it more closely resembles an extreme sport than it does a real fitness program. I don't fault anyone who wishes to do Crossfit, but it should be noted that Crossfit is more for those who are already very fit and looking to challenge themselves than it is for those who are looking for a starting point. If you are looking to train for a purpose, you're better off building a program better tailored to that purpose... unless of course your purpose is to be really good at Crossfit.

Since I'm recovering from injury myself, my routine is pretty basic. I do VMO bodyweight squats with some basic upper body lifts, and spend time on the bike. I'll do this 2-3 times a week. 1-2 times a week I'll swim some laps. I only play hockey once a week. One day a week I'll do a maintenance day where I wear the knee brace to the gym and do the heavier lifts like real squats (well, box squats) and deadlifts plus some abdominal work.

 

[Jarick]

There's that saying you don't run to get in shape, you get in shape to run. That goes double for Crossfit. It is INTENSE. It is a sport, not a workout program.

P90X is no joke either...I've tried it a couple times and never made it past 30 days without EXTREME burnout. As in I can't motivate myself to do anything at all whatsoever for weeks.

I will say, I've watched some great videos about technique and how the body works, and you can burn the hell out of your muscles just by getting into the right position (aka yoga). My muscles hurt just as much doing 25-40 pound deadlifts with PROPER technique without nearly as much overall fatigue as when I was deadlifting close to 200 pounds.

Watch about 36:00 into the first video...crazy. That feeling of loading the hamstrings like a bow and arrow. The entire first half of the video as well with the physiology of the squat, great stuff.





Today I'm looking forward to grabbing both my kettlebells and walking up and down the stairs. Loaded carry + unilateral squats + core stabilization + grip work + low impact cardio.