Defibrillators, exercise and eating discussions remind me of a problem I can't solve: legs or heart? -- in my world, the 2 seem to be diametrically opposed.

Note to begin with: I (firmly) believe the only way to get real hockey conditioning is to play hockey. But I can't play hockey every night. So, to varying degrees, I train off-ice. Today, I cycle. When I was younger, I lifted (squats).

The problem: if I train hard off-ice, my conditioning (heart) improves. But my legs are heavy. No sproing. No hops.

Alternatively: if I back-off my off-ice conditioning, my legs feel good (better). But my conditioning is lousy.

Do I pick a middle-ground - then try to improve the middle?

Or do I pick one (conditioning) - then try to improve it while minimizing the downside of the other? How? Increase intensity of off-ice? (I'm not sure I can) Increase duration?

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions, discussion will be welcomed.

(no - I'm already to crabby to take steroids)

How close to games are you training? Give at least a day in between. A man of your "distinction" might need two. You shouldn't exercise the same muscle group every day, day after day either. You could also lift lighter weights, doing squats and lunges and such, but at an increased rate and keeping your heart in a good zone. You should have a heart monitor and know your anaerobic threshold.

Good advice Austin. Thanks.

There was a time when I planned workouts around hockey. But not anymore. Sure, if my legs are heavy and I worked the day before, I can figure that out.

But my question/problem/observation is more general -- as observed over the course of a couple months, do you max cardio and take what the legs will deliver? Or do you keep your legs fresh (and strong) and suck wind?

... oh yea, I wear a monitor now and then. I run up into the low 170s after a good shift. Then it drops. That reflects what I see on the bike -- I can cruise in the low 160s pretty comfortably. But I can't get very far into the 170s - I just don't have the legs for it.

I'll try and dig up the workouts my old trainer gave me. He played hockey and used to train Bodie Miller, so I think he knows a little about the subject.

Michael;

Not an expert but the key is to train your heart, legs and more importantly your core at the same time.

Your core muscles are critical to good skating form to hold your hips steady throughout striding and recovery.

A series of exercises have been developed that work your core, hips and quad muscles while also raising your heart rate levels to simulate the anaerobic thresholds that you experience during a typical hockey shift.

If you want more info drop me an email at montemayer@montemayer.com and I will be happy to share the information.

Monte

Without divulging all of his secrets, Monte has NHL-player workouts.

I'm a guy who only plays hockey occasionally (1 times a week at most) and usually only from October to March. Otherwise, I spend most of my time in other stuff like cycling, X-C skiing, and a little bit of running during "transition" times of the year. So, at this time of year for instance I'm transitioning from pretty much cycling only for the last 6 months into playing some hockey. Typically, I can step in right away to hockey and aerobically keep up fine, but even with all that cycling there is a definite lack of "snap" in the legs, and my upper body needs some ramp up time as well as cycling does very little for that.

I've also noticed that when I get heavy into X-C skiing in the winter that the effect is similar, i.e. great aerobic capacity but lack of power in the legs. I think it makes a difference in the type of workout you do when you cycle/ski though, e.g. doing short burst intense interval stuff on the bike or skis is going to be better prep for hockey. Simply cycling or skiing for hours doesn't cut it unless you put in that intensity. This time of year I usually do some cyclocross racing, which is a nice blend of that short intense cycling and a little bit of running, and it works the core better due to the jumping on/off the bike, carrying the bike, etc. This kind of workout is great for hockey.

I actually think that running might be a better overall workout for hockey. It works your core muscles and your back better than cycling. Mostly though it's just easier to do the workouts given the cold weather and lack of daylight. I find it very difficult to do a meaningful workout on the bike trainer/rollers this time of year. You don't need to do long runs, rather something in the 3-5 mile range at a fast pace, and throw in plenty of hills or run intervals.

Thanks for all of the great responses and questions regarding hockey training.

Couple of things that I wanted to post hopefully for everyone's benefit but first a few caveats:

1. I am not a doctor nor have I played one on TV.
2. I am not a certified personal trainer nor do I have a bunch of letters behind my name.
3. My hockey playing skills are at best marginal and at worst awful. And at 43 years of age I am trying to keep up with people half my age so I need every advantage I can get.

Here are a few things that I wanted to let everyone know because I think they are important and have helped me not only from a hockey perspective but from an overall fitness perspective.

1. Lifting weights in general is GREAT exercise and is a great way to build strength, however there are certain movements that will actually be detrimental to your hockey ability. I know of an athlete when he started playing hockey who could bench press 225 9 times and squat over 300 pounds. Certainly impressive numbers from a raw strength perspective, but it begs the question of "how does that strength translate to on-ice performance?" The net of this discussion is that those movements while helping to build raw strength simply aren't functional when it comes to playing hockey. For example, how many times in an ice hockey game will you be required to move large amounts of weight while on your back? Also, like the squat, there isn't a single time on the ice where you will be required to move large amounts of weight on BOTH feet. From a hockey perspective I believe that leg exercises should be done on one leg (such as split squats, one legged squats, single leg deadlifts etc. to simulate the one-legged movement of skating on the ice. This is certainly much more effective way to train for hockey related purposes.

2. Developing balance skills is critical to success on the ice. Many athletes equate large amounts of weight to strength. While in general this is true if you are training for a sport like football, however I would suggest that training on an unstable surface such as a bosu ball or swiss ball will develop small stabilizer muscles that are never seen in a muscle magazine. The key to training for hockey is to develop the body as an entire unit. Hockey is played with the entire body and those small stabilizer muscles are difficult to develop with macro movements such as a squat. Compound movements such as a squat push press on a bosu ball not only develops strength, but develops balance skills at the same time. Case in point is the slap shot. The legs are really the engine that drive a slap shot and as weight transfers from one leg to the next, the core holds the body in place and the athlete must balance on the front foot as the shot is released by the forearms and back. The slapshot requires the entire body to work together.

3. Movements that emphasize the use of the core with leg development are the must functional for help an adult hockey player perform better on the ice. Couple of comments here on leg strength. Most leg development is focused on the quadriceps. The large muscle that look like tree trunks on every JMS and AHA player And while the quads are certainly an important muscle, the hip flexors are really the muscle that are key not only for skating, but for stopping and transitioning from forwards to backwards and etc. The interesting thing about this is that most skating movements such as a crossover or cross under originate from the core and then require you to fire your hips.

Critical to being able to perform these dynamic movements is the ability to coordinate core strength and leg drive. Exercises such as a swiss ball jack knife and ball passes help to develop these types of functional movements.

4. What about spinning / treadmill / step mill etc etc to increase my endurance on the ice?

Certainly ANY aerobic type of activity will increase your cardiovascular endurance on the ice and personally I believe that having a strong aerobic foundation is important to the overall performance of the athlete. That being said, hockey is largely an anaerobic activity. To draw a comparison from track and field, world class sprinters do NOT train by using 4 mile runs. Studies have shown that long cardio sessions will help endurance, however interval sprints are much more beneficial to developing the ability to improve acceleration and foot speed.

So how to increase endurance on the ice? Here are my laymen suggestions:

a. Skating technique is critical. The reason most people fatigue quickly is because they have a sub-optimal skating stride on the ice. This forces them to exert more energy than needed to keep up. (I can attest to this from personal experience)

b. Intervals are a great way to simulate the anaerobic nature of hockey. Whether you are using a treadmill, stationary bike or jogging, raising and lowering your heart rate repeatedly will help to train your cardiovascular system to the rigors of a hockey game.

b. Strength training should be done in succession with very little rest. In the generic hockey training program I sent out, the sets are performed with little or no rest. This forces your muscles to consume large amounts of oxygen and elevates your heart rate. This provides a couple of benefits, not only are you building strength, but you are increasing your VO2 max at the same time. Secondly, this forces your body to burn calories even after your workout is over. (EPOC) Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption forces your fat stores to be broken down while you are at rest enjoying a muffin and latte at Starbucks (sorry i couldn't resist that based on the Time article).

Summary -

The net of this entire discussion is this. Movements that force your core to fire while developing your sense of balance on a single leg are the single most beneficial for helping develop on ice success. Movements such as one legged squat, single leg romanian deadlift, squat push presses on a bosu ball, lunges with rear foot on a swiss ball etc are very functional and translate well from the weight room to the ice.

For those of you looking for a little motivation, check on this video clip on youtube. Something to strive towards (even if you hate Sean Avery)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8MwTA4b ... re=related

Have a great weekend everyone and shoot to thrill!

MM

Hmmmmm.... kind of going against Austins theory of not needing to warmup or workout before skating.

Pretty good advice, but I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned plyometrics. Plyos will maximize the a fore mentioned "sproing" you're looking for, as well as give you one of the hardest cardio workouts you will find off the ice. Things such as tuck jumps, lateral leaps (speed skaters), bounds, standing long jumps, jumping rope, etc. Combine these exercises and perform multiple sets and reps (typically 3 sets and 10 or so reps), and you will get one of the best workouts of your life.

The exercises are high-impact, so be cautious with them. Make sure you have enough rest before your next skate time or workout.

And no, I'm not a doctor either, but I'm training to be one at the U. Working on my PhD in exercise physiology.

Good luck!!