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Please got to www.hockeystrengthconditioning.com for our newly designed blog with updated content. 

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How to choose the right fitness trainer

     You have decided to get serious about training for hockey. Many questions can come up now.   What exercises should you do? How many days per week? Should you train during the season? To help answer some of these questions you may decide to hire a fitness trainer. Trainers can help maintain motivation and avoid training injuries as well.   It is very important to choose the right fitness trainer to help you with dry land training. Hockey is a dynamic game based on speed, strength, endurance and agility and all can be improved through the correct application of training exercises.  You should do your homework when choosing a trainer. Some of the questions you should ask are:

1)     What are your certifications? A Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S) is someone with a Bachelor’s degree or more that has demonstrated a level of expertise in the fitness arena.

2)     How often do you work with hockey players? Hockey has specific training requirements unique to the sport that are different than many other sports.

3)     Have you worked with this age group before? Different age players will have different training needs and safety considerations to take into account.

4)     Can the trainer provide a few references of hockey players in a similar age group? It is revealing to talk to players that have worked with the trainer as to how satisfied they were with the service provided.

5)     Will the training be fun? Whether you are an elite hockey player or a weekend warrior, any training you do for the game should always be fun.

Remember, it is never too late to start a training program for hockey. In fact, initiating an off-ice training program might be just the thing you need to take your game to the next level.

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

New bi-weekly blog segment

We are adding a new biweekly blog segment where we will be interviewing our players from high school, collegiate, and PRO about how they use dry-land training in-season. Let us know what questions you would like to have them answer.  

A Pain in the Groin

Groin injuries are among the most common injuries seen in hockey. A groin pull is a painful and debilitating injury to the muscles of the inner thigh. The groin consists of 6 muscles on the inside of the hip and thigh called the adductor muscles. During the powerful skating stride, the hip extensors and abductors on the back and side of the hip are the prime movers, while the hip flexors and adductors act to stabilize the hip and decelerate the leg. In hockey, adductor strains occur during the lengthening contraction of the adductors as they decelerate the leg during the skating stride. The strain occurs when the muscle is stretched past its ability to handle a muscle load. Typically only some of the muscle tears while the bulk of the muscle remains intact. Any imbalance between the prime movers and stabilizers of the hip can make the adductors more prone to injury.

            Research has shown that hip flexibility, and more importantly, strengthening, can help decrease the occurrence of groin strains. Hip strengthening should be performed during the entire season to maintain a level of fitness necessary to avoid injury.

Once a groin strain occurs, there are a few treatment options that can help speed recovery. Ice right after the strain occurs is recommended to decrease the effects of inflammation around the injury site. After a few days, a very effective method of treatment is a hands-on soft tissue technique designed to take the injured area through its complete range of motion. This helps to minimize adhesions that will form after this type of injury. Once the injured area has begun to heal, a strengthening program is implemented in order to get the groin area strong enough to begin skating again.

            Remember, the groin and hip are under a great deal of strain during the sport of hockey. Be proactive and take care of this area so you won’t have to miss playing time with a pain in the groin!

Here are two exercises that can help you strengthen your hips:

To learn more about dry-land training that can help strengthen mussels to avoid injury check out HockeyOT.com 

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