In-Season Training Do’s and Don’ts – Conditioning

Conditioning is a common word that gets throw around in the training world a ton! As it’s a great aspect of an elite hockey training program, there is a time and place as well as how are important things to consider when programming conditioning properly!

What is Conditioning?

Everyone wants to be a well conditioned athlete, and rightfully so, it’s an essential part to being elite at any sport you play. Conditioning refers to acclimating and normalizing the body to a certain training stimulus. You can condition the body for many things but typically conditioning is referring to a cardiovascular improvement. Ex: Improved stamina and endurance or not getting tired as quickly.

Why Conditioning Isn’t Optimal In-Season

Running excessive amounts or doing the highest intensity workouts you can find isn’t the best option for you to get better during the season. These types of conditioning should be reserved for the off-season and we’ll explain why. The In-season grind is typically already hard enough with multiple weekly practices and usually multiple games on the weekend. Not to mention the toll of all the travel and of course don’t forget about daily tasks like school and homework. Continually beating down the body with more conditioning and higher intensities is a recipe for burnout and/or injury. Now depending on your schedule and current weekly intensity determines how much if any extra conditioning is needed.

How To Condition Properly

Conditioning and how much will all be dependent on your current skating/training load. A typical hockey schedule is very grueling especially how long the season lasts. So the num

ber 1 priority should be to…well… last the whole season! There are ways to incorporate a conditioning aspect to your In-Season training program to make the most of it!

Focus on speed of movement – you can focus on increasing your speed of movement during your exercises while potentially reducing the load.

Don’t Just Run A lot – excessive running can put a lot of wear and tear on the body increasing the risk of injury. It also isn’t the best type of conditioning for a hockey player anyway!

Light Sprints and Plyos – It’s important to not stay away from running or plyos completely, focus more on sprint technique and plyo weight transfer combinations rather than excessive amounts of sprints or jumps.

Remember the most important aspect to any training program is load management…Especially during the season! Once the off-season hits it’s time to focus on big gains, In-Season training should be about strength maintenance, mobility/movement progressions and load management to ensure you stay strong, mobile and injury free all season long!

#unleashthepotential

Written by:

Rob Jost – ACE-CPT, NSCA-CPT

Suggested Article: Top In-Season Hockey Strength Maintenance Exercises

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