3 Great Exercises for a Hockey Player

Those looking to get better on the ice often focus on bench presses, squats, deadlifts, ladder drills, and plyometrics. The question is: how many explosive push-ups, pull-ups, and basic pistol squats can the athlete perform? These three exercises are essential foundations. Let’s dive in.

The Push-Up

When done correctly, the push-up incorporates core engagement, four points of contact (feet driving into the ground and hands), and an anterior chain focus. Learning the full range of a push-up is a fundamental movement that is often underdeveloped prior to adding weight. Understanding how to move through the push-up with full range at regular tempo, fast/explosively, and at a slow tempo (5 seconds down, 5 seconds up) will help recruit full control of the movement.

You can then advance the movement by incorporating lateral, rotational, and distance variations. The push-up offers many ways to challenge the athlete.

The Pull-Up

The pull-up is one of the best ways to impress a coach. Many athletes can perform push-ups, but not all can do pull-ups. The pull-up is an excellent exercise for posterior chain activation, core strength, and understanding muscular balance in the upper body.

By improving your pull-up strength, you can impress coaches and scouts, protect your body from injury, and enhance your ability to generate power. Simply put: get good at pull-ups!

The Pistol Squat

The pistol squat is one of the most challenging exercises for most individuals. It requires balance and understanding how the body needs to load during a one-legged movement, which can create difficulties for many athletes.

Although underrated—often because athletes dislike the challenge—it can lead to frustration and unnecessary fear. However, mastering the pistol squat develops balance, coordination, and power through one-legged acceleration and deceleration.

The Three Ps of athlete development

The three Ps (Push-Up, Pull-Up, Pistol Squat) are essential to building the foundation of power and strength for hockey players and athletes in general. Before beginning a formal strength training program with weights, focus on establishing a strong foundation of body movement.

Use weights as an extension of the body rather than the sole focus. The ability to move with strength, power, and finesse will yield the greatest results for the athlete.

#unleashthepotential

Written by:
Kirill Vaks
BA, CSCS

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Voorhees Flyers Training center.

The Hollydell ice arena, in the main building.