What's your weight training regimen?

[Slick]

I hit the bike after my workout today. Hope that was okay, too.

 

[XX]

I usually do my Cardio (bike) and then do my lifting. Should I not be doing that?

Not sure I could squeeze running or biking in on my off days.

You don't have some spare asphalt and 15-20 minutes???

http://www.cs.unm.edu/~wneumann/files/guerilla_cardio.pdf

Aside from the lame name, its basically interval training high intensity style. 15 minutes of that is worth your time. 10x more effective than an hour on a bike or whatever. To put it simply, it burns fat while not allowing your body to go into a catabolic (read muscle eating) state. Long sessions of cardio will do this and hurt your gains. It WILL kick your ***. I went from roller blading 10 miles a night to doing 15 minutes of that and the first half dozen times i was dead at the end.

Definitely do it after lifting, preferably HOURS after or on a different day together. Your body triggers a different response to cardio and releases hormones into your bloodstream that make lifting less effective as far as building mass goes.

I hit the bike after my workout today. Hope that was okay, too.

The bike is okay, I used it during the summer after my workouts, and I still got gains. However you are much better off running on your own spare time before bed or early in the morning. Its more productive physically and mentally, because you are actually going somewhere. Physically, the motions and stress it puts on your body is better for athletic improvement. Think about it. What can you relate skating to more; sprinting for your life or sitting stationary peddling on a bike? For some people that can be a big mental block as far as hitting the bike. I just closed my eyes and put the iPod on, so it didn't bother me a bit. Swimming in the pool using intervals is my personal favorite.

 

[hckyguy14]

So ultimatly I'd be better off ditching the 30-45 minutes of bike doing this high intensity interval training on my off days? I may be able to squeeze in 15 minutes before bed. Problem is in the winter when it snows, but I guess that'll hlep my balance

 

[Slick]

So ultimatly I'd be better off ditching the 30-45 minutes of bike doing this high intensity interval training on my off days? I may be able to squeeze in 15 minutes before bed. Problem is in the winter when it snows, but I guess that'll hlep my balance

Haha another Mass-hole with the same problem as me. Call me a Sally, but I'm not so sure thermal underwear is going to keep me warm when it's 10 degrees out.

 

[Niftygrl16]

Riding a stationary bike is one thing, but taking a spin class is a whole other animal. You are out of the saddle for half of the class (usually an hour class) and with the different riding positions, you work everything from you obliques on down. Between the hills (dialing up the resistance) and the breakaways, you not only condition your legs but you also work on getting your heart rate up quickly and then recovering. Just like a 90 second shift and coming back to the bench. My recovery time is great and I also don't get fatigued as much towards the end of the game.

Other than the usual lunges or squats, here are a few other things I like to do to help with my hockey. One is a "side leg squat." You stand on a step with one foot horizontally on the step and the other foot should be dangling off the step. You then shift your weight back over your heel and squat. You don't have to go low to feel the effects of this one. It works the legs, glutes and core because it's tough to keep your balance.

Another one is similar to this with some upper body added. This one utilizes the cable machine at the gym. You only need one side. Position the mechanism so the cable pull is about waist level, maybe a bit higher. Grab the cable and take a few steps back. Just make sure that if you reach forward with the cable that the weights don't come all the way down. Stand on one foot. Make sure it's the foot that is the same side as the hand you are holding the cable in. Reach forward while you squat down. Be sure to keep your weight back. The foot that is off the ground should kick behind you. You don't want to be leaning forward....just reaching. Then exhale as you straighten your body up and pull the cable back to your waist (palms up). I do three sets of 10. It works your legs, glutes, core and back.

I hope these made sense! It's hard to explain things that are easier demonstrated.

 

[vcx*]

XavierX

I'm in fairly good shape, but my stomach, well its flat but can't see the abs basically but i am in good healthy shape. Just wondering, the 180grams of protein, is it ok if its protein shakes only?

Or is it better to eat chicken and what not, since the protein shake has all that you need in one drink.

 

[Niftygrl16]

XavierX

I'm in fairly good shape, but my stomach, well its flat but can't see the abs basically but i am in good healthy shape. Just wondering, the 180grams of protein, is it ok if its protein shakes only?

Or is it better to eat chicken and what not, since the protein shake has all that you need in one drink.

Protein shakes are more of a way to take in extra protein when you can't get enough through regular meals. You really should be doing both, not just shakes.

 

[XX]

XavierX

I'm in fairly good shape, but my stomach, well its flat but can't see the abs basically but i am in good healthy shape. Just wondering, the 180grams of protein, is it ok if its protein shakes only?

Or is it better to eat chicken and what not, since the protein shake has all that you need in one drink.

Abs showing through is entirely dependent on genetics (sorry) and body fat percentage. You can fight this multiple ways, but really you need to get as lean as possible. Also, and I might be stating the obvious, but you need to do *real* ab workouts. Crunches and sit ups don't do **** for you. They are *aerobic* by nature, meaning they exercise the muscle but apart from small gains they don't *build* muscle. What you want to aim for is anaerobic exercise, which builds muscle. Do this by treating your abs like any other muscle. You wouldn't expect your biceps to grow if you just lifted your arm up over and over and over again with no weight, would you? Get some weights from a bench press and put 1 on your abs when you do crunches. Trust me, it doesn't take a whole lot, so start off slow with 5 or 10lbs. This will help them shine through, combined with dropping bodyfat %

HIIT cardio burns almost exclusively fat, so be sure to do a lot of these sessions spread out throughout your week when time is fitting. Do not do 30 minutes of HIIT, it loses its affect and drains your hormonal system. Keep it short. Keep it intense.

If you take in all your protein from just shakes, then something is wrong. Your body needs whole foods, carbs and fats. Use your shakes as a last resort when whole healthy food isn't available, and after your workouts + before bed. Again, some products like pure whey protein are for immediate after workout consumption. Use these powders in water for faster absorption. For before bed, look into a mixed product that contains casein protein (which is slower absorbing) and use milk to mix your powders. Not only does it taste a hell of a lot better, but it does a lot more for you than just pure whey.

If you cant follow strict meals, and lets fact it a lot of us cant, just "graze" on healthy food. Often times I buy a whole broiled chicken and leave it in the frig and just scavenge some, throw it on a slice of wheat bread when I'm hungry. The more you eat, the faster your metabolism, and the more muscle you gain. Its just a matter of burning off the excess, and eating the right foods.

XavierX

Or is it better to eat chicken and what not, since the protein shake has all that you need in one drink.

Thats a big misconception. Science cannot replicate the chemicals and compounds that occur in nature perfectly or as nearly efficiently. Not even the best, most expensive Meal Replacement Product (MRP) is a perfect meal replacement. They are called supplements for a reason. They should only be used in addition to whole foods. Theres no problem using them as a substitute for a meal you otherwise wouldn't have time to make. I use a MRP before bed and sometimes for breakfast. Also, if I'm hungry, and theres nothing healthy around, I fire up a shake. You should never starve your body. If you are hungry all the time, thats a positive sign, because your body is asking for more resources to throw into the fire. Trust me, when I first read "six meals a day" I balked and then once my metabolism got going I often find myself eating more than that. You cant hurt yourself by eating chicken, so long as its not KFC fried or whatever. Just use common sense.

So ultimatly I'd be better off ditching the 30-45 minutes of bike doing this high intensity interval training on my off days? I may be able to squeeze in 15 minutes before bed. Problem is in the winter when it snows, but I guess that'll help my balance

Absolutely. Your body wants to spread the stress (read: working out) over as much time as possible. You don't want to over train, which will throw your systems out of wack. If you do HIIT like that article shows for a few sessions, you will notice the difference. Your metabolism will be through the roof and so long as you feed your body healthy foods, the fat will come melting off. If someone could get a six pack by sitting on a bike all day, well hell id do it! But it doesn't work that way.

Running a HIIT session before bed will help you sleep better as well. Just time it with some music or use a stop watch. Have fun with it. Personally, doing HIIT is a lot more rewarding for me, as I know its kicking my *** and I'm working hard. Sitting on a bike peddling away can become tedious. Like I pointed out before, HIIT also burns a higher % of fat versus regular cardio. Some articles have it somewhere as 9x more effective. When you do long sessions on the bike, your body eats itself in order to keep going. Who's more muscular; marathon runners or sprinters?

Some food suggestions:
Breakfast - Eggs (preferably whites), bagels, protein shakes or MRP products. Important meal. Do NOT skip.
Throughout the day - Chicken, Turkey (very lean), Tuna and then other meats
At night - cottage cheese, MRP/Protein Shake before bed

If you guys have questions about specific supplements you hear about or see on TV, PM me. I'd be more than happy to explain the science behind it, whether they are reputable, whether it works or not (i've tried a lot of stuff) and whatnot.

 

[hckyguy14]

Thanks XavierX.

Tons of good info you have. Seems like you really know your ****.

 

[XX]

Thanks XavierX.

Tons of good info you have. Seems like you really know your ****.

Thanks. I come from a medical family, and I've been down the road of getting fit before. I'll also be going for certification through the American College of Sports Medicine once I finish up my business program. Theres a lot of resources out there but never take anything you read from a magazine seriously.

Good luck and keep me posted on results!

 

[Wisent]

I'm curious as to what other hockey players do in regards to weight training. Let's not include how much weight's on the bar, I don't want this to turn into a competition.

I do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and alternate these two sets;

Barbell Squat 2x3
Barbell Row 2x3
Behind Neck Barbell Press 2x3
Barbell Curl 2x3
Weighted Sit-up 2x8

Bench Press 2x3
Bent Knee Deadlift 2x3
Millitary Press 2x3
Triceps Extension 2x3
Calf Raise 2x8

Light load, but I make gains with it, so I got no complaints. I usually do weighted sit-ups three times a week, abdominal muscles recover fast enough to let me do so. Might be detrimental to making gains doing it thrice a week, I don't know. If someone wants to chime in on that, please do.

If I do situps 3 times a week, the muscle is not the problem, it is the back that is killing me. Sit ups are bad for the back without proper equipment. You should pay attention that your back doesn`t suffer.

 

[XX]

If I do situps 3 times a week, the muscle is not the problem, it is the back that is killing me. Sit ups are bad for the back without proper equipment. You should pay attention that your back doesn`t suffer.

Sit ups are damn near useless anyways. Stick to crunches using proper form and weighted resistance.