Effective Dry-Land Training Structure for Hockey Players

June 14, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

In celebration of our very own Vancouver Canucks and Stanley Cup PlayOffs, check out our newest Partnership with Crash Conditioning. A great article by Doug“Crash” Crashley, president of Crash Conditioning, a hockey performance center in Calgary, Alberta.

Effective Dry-Land Training Structure for Hockey Players
By Doug “Crash” Crashley, President of Crash Conditioning
Full Article in Stack Magazine

When developing a dry-land training program, hockey players and their strength coaches need to consider many factors to ensure that it is effective and leads to athletic development.

Some of the factors are obvious—e.g., age and development level. A veteran NHL player will not follow the same plan as 20-year-old Edmonton Oilers rookie Jordan Eberle, or as a 13-year-old bantam house league player. Also, simple differences in physical maturity between male and female athletes of the same age must be taken into consideration.

Other factors are more long-term and developed. Effective dry-land training requires a properly phased program, including workouts that are individually broken down. An athlete’s program should have small and medium goals that lead to his or her long-term development. Every exercise performed should have a reason, and progressions done correctly should link together like puzzle pieces—creating a better athlete overall.

At the simplest level, athletic development for hockey is structuring an individual workout to get the most out of an athlete. And with a basic program to follow, it can work for any age, skill level and degree of commitment. From the time an athlete shows up at the gym to when he or she is walking out the door, the workout structure should be designed correctly and efficiently.

For the most part, I use the following template to develop my players’ workouts:

General Warm-Up
Skip, bike or jog for five to 10 minutes; this increases physiological and psychological levels.

Dynamic Warm-Up
The athlete spends 20 to 40 minutes going through a series of exercises to increase range of motion; activate specific muscles and muscle groups; and wake up the central nervous system [CNS] to increase efficiency and reaction speed for movement patterns. I start to blend this phase with the next one, but some exercises can fit under either heading.

CNS Development
CNS development focuses on speed, agility, quickness and power [SAQP] training. During this time, the athlete works on various high-intensity exercises, never allowing fatigue to harm technique. The exercises include plyometrics as well as other agility drills such as speed ladders, mini hurdles, jump training and sprints. For older athletes, this phase may include Olympic lifts, as does the next phase.

Power and Strength
This phase can include any exercises that involve resistance training. According to livestrong.com, “resistance is simply putting a load on a muscle, making it move against a force. That force might be external, such as a weight, or it might be internal, like another muscle in your body.”

Energy System Development
This can actually be done on a separate day, involving as little as 15 to 20 minutes of work. It includes threshold training, jogging or biking to specific agility patterns for longer duration.

Recovery/Regeneration
Flexibility training, such as stretching and rolling out with a foam roller, and even ice baths and massages, are as vital as any other aspect of the workout, because they allow better nutrient transportation and recovery for the next event

Nutrition
After the end of a workout, it’s time to refuel the tank!

 

To view videos of the about training principles or to see Doug “Crash” Crashley in action please visit the full article at: http://blog.stack.com/author/doug-crashley/

 

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Doug “Crash” Crashley is the president of Crash Conditioning, a hockey performance center in Calgary, Alberta. Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith and nominee Mike Green, along with other NHL players and prospects, come to Crash each year to prepare for their seasons. Crashley’s training focuses on enhancing hockey performance through both physiological and psychological conditioning. He has been a lecturer and presenter for Hockey Canada, Hockey Alberta, Nike Hockey and CBC Hockey Night on Canada’s Hyundai Nation. His work has been featured in Hockey Now, Royals Report, Hockey Calgary and STACK magazine

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Season Highlights From Our Athlete Ambassador – Ariane Lavigne

June 7, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

ariane lavigne snowboard

Season Highlights From Our Athlete Ambassador – Ariane Lavigne

Wow! Winter as been flying!

Each year, I feel winter goes too fast… I guess it’s because I’m having fun!

Snowboarding is my biggest passion, and most of it comes from traveling and meeting great people with different culture, where we often travel to remote places locations sometimes do not always have the biggest mountains or the most popular resorts. Away from the tourist crowd; we get into the traditional vibe, meet locals, and ride on perfect snow all day long and when we have time, we go to hot spots or the beaches… what a privileged lifestyle I’ve got!

My top spot of the year? I would say Italy for the culture, food and good people in the small towns, close second, New Zealand for the spectacular views and proximity to the ocean, and coming in a close third, Barcelona for the city action and Spanish/Latin vibe!

Train hard to play hard: Adrenaline!

Another aspect of competing I really like is the excitement and challenge of racing with people from all over the world. At every start, adrenaline is cranking! I get to learn a lot when training with the best riders on the planet. World Cup athletes are definitely inspiring and I find they motivate me to always push my limits to the maximum.

When I think of my season, I have great memories: Technically, mentally and physically.

I feel I’m improving and getting closer to the top 16 in World Cup (finals by elimination). I got 18th twice in the last races, which is really close to my goal. I also finished in top 30 for overall World Cup standing, and on the NorAm circuit, things as been going great: 6 podiums and…the overall 2011 NorAm champion title!

So what’s my plan for next year?!

First, this summer I’ll be training a lot in Montreal to start next season in top shape. I also have few projects in nutrition and working as a nutritionist at Nautilus Plus gyms. We also plan summer training camp on snow, probably Chile in august (I cross my finger because it’s my favorite spot…snow conditions are AWSOME!).

And then World Cup circuit starts in October. I will focus more on world cup circuit, hopefully will do the whole tour (I missed 4 event last year). Top 16 and podiums are definitely the next step!

So far so good

I believe dreams can become true if we put positive energy into what we love. We just need inspiration, motivation, and faith in destiny.

Cheers to life! – Ariane Lavigne- Pro Snowboarder –Canadian National Team

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4 STRATEGIES FOR SUMMER “NO SLOTH LIKE” HEALTH

June 2, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

By Sarah Jamieson, Personal Coach, YT, FMS 2

Winter hibernation has finally come and gone, however, if you are one of the many who are still somewhat, sloth like…get over it and get out of the hacienda!

As summer quickly approaches, parks and beaches will soon be in full swing. Why wait? Get out there and take advantage of the early bird summer season with 4 easy strategies to staying healthy and fit, post hibernation and pre summer bliss…. Subscribe to our June Newsletter for more info…

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