September 2010

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Best Warm-up for Your Team

I’ve been seeing a significant increase in young hockey teams using what is called a dynamic warm-up prior to games. I definitely applaud this new trend. It is a great way to stimulate the central nervous system and prepare the muscles for a dynamic activity like hockey. It can help improve game performance and reduce injuries. With that being said, many coaches are simply turning the warm-up over to the players to organize. The following table outlines the dynamic warm-up we use for the Hockeyot.com track workouts. Use this as a guide for your pregame warm-up and watch performance improve!

DRILL	DESCRIPTION	DISTANCE (M)
INCHWORM	WALK HANDS OUT THEN CATCH UP WITH FEET	15
KNEE-TO-CHEST WALK	DRIVE KNEE UP TO CHEST AND THEN STRIDE FORWARD	15
TOY SOLDIER	DRIVE STRAIGHT LEG UP TO HANDS	15
HEEL-TO-BUTT WALK	DRIVE HEEL UP TO BUTT AND THEN STRIDE FORWARD	15
LUNGE WALK	ALTERNATE LUNGE STEP	15
FORWARD SKIP	SKIP FORWARDS	15
BACKWARD SKIP	SKIP BACKWARDS	15
LATERAL SKIP	SKIP TO THE SIDE	15
SKIP WITH FORWARD ARM CIRCLES	SKIP FORWARDS WHILE ROTATING ARMS FORWARD	30
BACKWARDS SKIP WITH BACKWARD ARM CIRCLES	SKIP BACKWARDS WHILE ROTATING ARMS BACKWARDS	30
ALTERNATING SIDE SHUFFLE	SHUFFLE TO THE SIDE AND ALTERNATE EVERY 3 STEPS	30 x 2
CARIOCA	MOVE LATERALLY WITH AN OVER-UNDER PATTERN	30 x 2
BACK PEDAL RUN	BACK PEDAL RUN	30
SUMO SQUAT TO HIP RAISE	SQUAT AND THEN STRAIGHTEN LEGS WITH FLAT BACK	5 REPS

Dr. Chad Moreau is the President of HockeyOT.com, an online training site dedicated to improving the fitness level of hockey players of all levels. He was the former Strength & Conditioning/Nutrition Consultant for the Edmonton Oilers (NHL) and the Long Beach Ice Dogs (ECHL). For more information please visit hockeyot.com

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Only 5 Days left for your chance to win a signed Ethan Moreau jersey

To enter either all you have to do is "Follow" this blog! All followers at 12pm Thursday, September 30th will be entered to win. So follow us today for your chance to win a signed Ethan Moreau jersey!

In addition to entering our contest you will get great off-ice training information from former NHL Strength and Conditioning coach, Dr Chad Moreau and our guest bloggers.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

An Underestimated Training Tool. The Jump Rope.

A tool that we like to use for training is the jump rope. It is a low cost, portable and highly effective piece of equipment. A good plastic speed rope will cost you approximately $12. If you are going to be away from your local training facility for a period of time, the rope is easy to pack along.

Jumping rope is easy to add to any workout. It can even be used between sets of a strength training exercise to keep the heart rate at a certain level. In a recent study, this has been shown to improve muscle recovery.

If you think jumping rope is just for kids on the playground, I challenge you to try this workout. We use this for beginning hockey players and it’s called the 3D jump rope sequence. As with any exercise make sure your physician has cleared you for vigorous activity.

Perform each of these drills for 15 seconds, getting as many jumps as you can.

2 foot normal jump
2 foot side-to-side jump
2 foot twisting left to right
Rest for 45 seconds
1 foot alternate skipping
1 foot high knees alternate skipping
1 foot skater hop alternate skipping
Rest for 45 seconds
Repeat 1-8 one more time.

I guarantee this 3D jump rope sequence will get your heart rate up. You will also experience the added benefit of working on your foot speed and coordination. You won’t get this kind of workout sitting on a stationary bike!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Win a signed Ethan Moreau jersey

Everyone that is a "follower" of our blog at midnight on 9-30-210 will be entered to win a signed Ethan Moreau jersey. So start following us today and get instant access to all of Dr. Chad Moreau's weekly posts with information about proper off- ice training that will take your game to the next level.

Off-Ice Training during the season to take your game to the next level

What Should I Do For In-Season Training?

You worked hard all summer with off-ice training, and finally the season is here. “Do I need to keep up with the off-ice work now?” The answer is definitely yes. Over 60% of a hockey player’s time is spent in-season, so if you are not training with weights in-season, you will not reach your potential. You can get stronger as the season progresses; in fact you must get stronger to separate yourself from other teams and other players. HockeyOT.com provides the perfect program to optimize your in-season training. The key is to design a training schedule that has you workout at optimal times during the week while avoiding fatigue on game days. The following table can be used as a guideline to set up your training program.

MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
WORKOUT 1	OFF	PRACTICE	PRACTICE	WORKOUT 2	PRACTICE	GAME
WORKOUT 1/ PRACTICE	PRACTICE	WORKOUT 2	PRACTICE	WORKOUT 3	PRACTICE	GAME

In example 1, the player has hockey practice Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday with a game on Sunday. If we assume that this is a young or early-teenage player, then we will schedule workouts on Monday and Friday. In example 2, the player has practice Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and a game on Sunday. We will assume that this is a mid to late-teenage player and we will schedule workouts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Participation in HockeyOT.com will guide your in-season training schedule and workout. Maximize your potential. Separate yourself from the others. Train in-season and see the difference. Remember, it’s the way that makes the warrior.