Hockey Training: Back to Basics
Hockey Training: Back to Basics
Hockey Training: Back to Basics
Muscles and Endurance: Two Types
Your muscles are made of two kinds of fibers, which are mixed throughout the muscle. These fibers are so different that it helps to think of them as entirely separate muscles.
Fast Twitch (Type II)
Hockey players use primarily fast twitch fibers to generate quick bursts of huge power, like sprinters. These fibers can provide awesome strength, but they get fatigue quickly ( < 60 seconds) and need to rest often. This just so happens to be perfect for hockey. You go all out for 45 seconds, then you go sit on the bench for a minute and a half. Fast twitch endurance iscritical to a hockey player.
Slow Twitch (Type I)
Slow twitch muscle fibers are for moderate to low intensity exercise over extended periods of time, like running a marathon. They can't push very hard, but they can go at the same pace for an absurdly long period of time. Slow twitch fibers are all butuseless to a hockey player. The rink and your shift are both too short for these fibers to ever kick in.
So why is the distinction between the two types of muscle fibers important? Becauseyou can only train one type at a time. You're either training your fast twitch muscles or your slow twitch, but never both. Unfortunately for most of you players, your workout is training the slow twitch and doing nothing for your fast twitch.
Your Workout Sucks
Ever skate ladders, lines, or laps before? Maybe you run a couple miles on the treadmill sometimes? You can skate for 20 minutes straight, or run for an hour, but either way, you probably got less than a minute of fast-twitch endurance training during that period. Your fast twitch muscles run out of gas after 60 seconds or so. If you don't stop and rest them, they turn off and your slow twitch muscles kick in. Long-distance, moderate-intensity workouts are the bane of a hockey player's existence. They're worse than worthless: they tire you out so you can't go as hard during sprints, and then you can't train your fast-twitch muscles as well as you should. Sorry bud, most of that time you spent humping your ass back and forth between lines waswastedtraining muscle fibersyou'll never use during a game.
Increasing Game Endurance
So far, we've established that you want to train your fast-twitch endurance, but what does that mean? Allow me to introduce you toThe Burn.
Your muscles require oxygen to create energy when you are exercising. During short, intense bursts of effort, like sprinting in hockey, that oxygen is used up faster than your body can replace it. When your muscles try to generate energy without enough oxygen, acid builds up. Acid makes you weaker, robs you of power towards the end of the game, damages your muscles, and slows your recovery. You are most familiar with the acid build-up by the burning sensation it creates in your quads after intense skates.
Dealing With Acid
During each shift, some amount of acid builds up in your muscles, and while you're on the bench, your body removes it. However, as the game wears on, your muscles accumulate acid faster, and they take longer to recharge. Increasing endurance is about training your body to resist acid build up and remove acid quickly, even after many shifts.
Any training that will increase this kind of endurance must mimic how you'll have to perform during a game. That means short bursts of intense exercise, followed by a period of rest. Sounds like we need some interval training.
It's All About The Intervals
Interval training is the meat and potatoes of hockey training, and understanding the concept of the work-to-rest ratio is critical to developing a proper program. The game of hockey is characterized by periods of high-intensity effort ("work") interspersed with periods of sitting or standing on the bench ("rest"). For example, if we're running 3 lines, then the work-to-rest interval is 1:2 - the rest period is twice as long as the work period. To design a proper conditioning program for hockey, we must use work-to-rest intervals that mimic the ratios commonly seen in the game.
Don't Overdo It
Most junior hockey teams have very little on-ice time prior to playing their first games. As a result, coaches try to "whip" their players into shape by using high-intensity conditioning sessions. By doing too much too soon, players don't develop a solid base of conditioning and are at a higher risk for injury.
Start With More Rest
Start your season-long conditioning program with higher W-to-R ratios (such as 1:3) and work your way back to lower ratios (1:1) as the season progresses. This 'top-down' approach allows players to develop their conditioning while reducing risk of injuries, and helps the team to peak right in time for crucial late-season games.
So forget all the moderate-intensity, long-distance running nonsense, this isn't the freakin' cross-country team; get off the damn treadmill and start running sprints, with plenty of rest in between. Remember proper training for hockey meansHigh Intensity for 60 seconds, Rest, and Repeat.
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