Increase Hockey Stamina

[Sh00terMcGavin]

Any particular way I should go about increasing my stamina? Is it simple cardio or are there any particular exercises I should perform? Playing 2 on 2 hockey over a couple hours gets exhausting Thanks for the help.

 

[Thesensation19*]

Everything from jogging, sprints, plyometrics, swimming, rowing, other sports, hills and biking could be great ways to improve your stamina in any sport especially hockey.

Your main focus should be on training that mimics hockey functionality movements and cardio. Such as sprinting, stairs/hills, rowing. Quick, high intensity, short burts (for the most part).

Yet the Soviet who dominated from the 60s to the 90s in the hockey world believed in cross training. Jogging far distances would improve leg strength, balance and long distance cardio to have you last longer in games. They believed weight training, plyometrics and other sports would improve your functionality, muscle strength and balance that would all indirectly improve your cardio and game.

I have done extensive research and practices on training for years... message me if you wish to talk more about your training

 

[windycity]

Everything from jogging, sprints, plyometrics, swimming, rowing, other sports, hills and biking could be great ways to improve your stamina in any sport especially hockey.

Your main focus should be on training that mimics hockey functionality movements and cardio. Such as sprinting, stairs/hills, rowing. Quick, high intensity, short burts (for the most part).

Yet the Soviet who dominated from the 60s to the 90s in the hockey world believed in cross training. Jogging far distances would improve leg strength, balance and long distance cardio to have you last longer in games. They believed weight training, plyometrics and other sports would improve your functionality, muscle strength and balance that would all indirectly improve your cardio and game.

I have done extensive research and practices on training for years... message me if you wish to talk more about your training

I'm not seeing loafing on the couch watching hockey and Arrested Development marathons so this won't work for me . . .

 

[biturbo19]

I'm not seeing loafing on the couch watching hockey and Arrested Development marathons so this won't work for me . . .

Maybe if you do it for long enough. I mean, it is stamina we're after here, right?

 

[Ozz]

Interval sprinting/biking (or any other kind of cardio, really) will help very much. I've never done it but I'd imagine doing this nature of training with skating would be beneficial.

This is done as an alternating high/low intensity workout. You'd warm up, of course, and upon being ready to go you would aim for 30-60 seconds based on your abilities of high intensity work (sprint, bike, gym bike fast @ high level, etc.), followed by 60-120 seconds (based on your recovery requirements) of lower-intensity work to catch your breath and let your body recover a bit.

I'm sure there are dozens of routines out there but my go-to for the past 10 years or so had always been to do it 3x per week, every other day at the most frequent, and to begin with only 3-4 rounds of high/low to correctly gauge your body's abilities and to let yourself gear up for it. Every other session, add another round of high/low. I do 60 seconds high, 60-90 seconds low, personally.

 

[TheeNorthStar]

Run.

 

[Jarick]

I'm not seeing loafing on the couch watching hockey and Arrested Development marathons so this won't work for me . . .

It works great in conjunction with a bulking phase. If you consider growing the gut bulking

Just started season 3 (again)!

 

[vinc90]

i find the p90x workout a good combination of strength and cardio workouts. im currently one month into the program and ive definitely noticed that my overall fitness has improved. it also has a more cardio oriented program too. it does take a big commitment though bc its 6 days a week and workouts range from 1 to 1.5 hours (also the cost of the workout cds and equipment).

 

[reecardo]

Pickup

Playing all the pickup I can manage has really helped my game. I last a little longer month by month, and the more I skate hard and get off, the better I get at it.

 

[RussianBum86]

I always found high intensity jump roping for 1 minute intervals with a 45 second break and High intensity biking for 1 minute and low intensity for 45 second to be effective. Box jumps and sprints are also very effective. Basically any cardiovascular exercise is good, but high intensity activities with minute intervals will condition you better for game shape.

 

[Thesensation19*]

i find the p90x workout a good combination of strength and cardio workouts. im currently one month into the program and ive definitely noticed that my overall fitness has improved. it also has a more cardio oriented program too. it does take a big commitment though bc its 6 days a week and workouts range from 1 to 1.5 hours (also the cost of the workout cds and equipment).

Isnt the P90X workouts meant to be 45 min to 1 hour in duration. Also Insanity and Crossfit have similar methodologies. The idea of full body, intensity circuit training offering loads of variety. I am sure its great.

Yet I believe its not enough. The videos such as P90X and Insanity (not Crossfit exactly).

Those videos are great but they dont incorporate running. I believe in adding a bit of a run/jog in your weekly routine for all purposes. Long distance running can build up leg strength and increase your aerobic fitness levels. Anywhere between 20-40 minutes I would say. Like going for a 3-5 mile run 1-2x a week on top of your schedule.

Another thing about the videos is it forces you inside. In a small room usually. Andy O'brien said that he likes to take Crosby and his clients away from the gym and to the track to work on sprints and just work out outside. More open area.

 

[Thesensation19*]

Playing all the pickup I can manage has really helped my game. I last a little longer month by month, and the more I skate hard and get off, the better I get at it.

Absolutely. On top of my off-ice work outs and other sports, I tried to play open hockey as much as I could throughout the years. I remember I played it at least once a week back in HS and immediately I could see improvement. In my years at college I did it as well, and after 5 years of just Mens League, Open Hockey, Off-ice work outs and other sports I made such huge strides in my game. If we could only think of tis stuff when we were younger...

How do you think the pros make it? 99% of the time its because they are constantly playing the game. Its a shame now that kids are put into teams where they spend hours alone just getting ready and traveling. The teams only get very little ice time in a day, and when you focus on each kid they each get a fragment of that to properly practice the skills. Spending minutes upon minutes waiting in line to do a drill, spending more time listening to coaches talk about a complex drill.

When you practice the sport and its specific skill so much, your body evolves into it and becomes more efficent in skating, shooting, hitting, passing... You waste less energy.

Off ice stuff is used to increase flexibility, strength/power and fine tune any mechanics in your game or athleticsm. But if your looking to be a better hockey player, you have to be playing more hockey!

 

[Primary Assist]

A lot of experts will say don't ride a bike because it'll make your hips less flexible, but so long as you're not playing pro I think you'll be fine. One drill my coach would always have us do in college (club, of course) was to hop on the spin bike, and go 30 seconds as hard as possible then go light for 30 seconds, repeated for half an hour. When you get better at this try going for 45 seconds or up to a minute, then taking just as much time off for an hour. You'll notice results pretty quickly if you do this a few times a week.

 

[Ozz]

A lot of experts will say don't ride a bike because it'll make your hips less flexible, but so long as you're not playing pro I think you'll be fine. One drill my coach would always have us do in college (club, of course) was to hop on the spin bike, and go 30 seconds as hard as possible then go light for 30 seconds, repeated for half an hour. When you get better at this try going for 45 seconds or up to a minute, then taking just as much time off for an hour. You'll notice results pretty quickly if you do this a few times a week.

That's interval training as I mentioned way earlier in this thread. They do this in pro combines for crying out loud, I'm amazed few people have mentioned it. They're missing out, but it's not for everybody either. If you can't force yourself to go 100%, you're not going to get as much benefit from it. Still probably better than most other efforts, though.

 

[Sojourn]

HIIT's, and plyometrics.

 

[Clarkington III]

HIIT's, and plyometrics.

This times 1000. HIIt is perfect because you can match up your on/off times with shift lengths. Plyo helps mimic a lot of the dynamic movements in hockey.

If you really want it, you can add some more basic cardio to expand the tank a little further.

 

[Thesensation19*]

A lot of experts will say don't ride a bike because it'll make your hips less flexible, but so long as you're not playing pro I think you'll be fine. One drill my coach would always have us do in college (club, of course) was to hop on the spin bike, and go 30 seconds as hard as possible then go light for 30 seconds, repeated for half an hour. When you get better at this try going for 45 seconds or up to a minute, then taking just as much time off for an hour. You'll notice results pretty quickly if you do this a few times a week.

Yes, it can make your hips less flexible as a pro or amateur. Yet that is if your doing it commonly.

Nothing is wrong with a 30 minute bike ride once or twice a week. Zdeno Chara tours all of Europe every summer on a bike ride and mountain climbing.

Know the differ between the differ types of stretching. Idc if your a pro or amateur of any sport, if your desire is to be a more healthy and/or fit human being, you should be properly stretching daily and weekly. There are a few types that should be performed differently and at differ times.

All have their strengths and weaknesses.

 

[sanityplease]

Just keep doing 2 hour, 2 on 2 sessions.

 

[Thesensation19*]

I believe the best thing for most people in any sport especially hockey would be Crossfit when it comes to health and fitness.

1) Crosstraining is practically HIIT. 45 minute daily routines to attack your whole body both aerobically and anaerobically. Both which are perfect for hockey players.

2) It is essentially a specific form of cross training involving the three major athletic features. External load control and power (Olympic Weight lifting); balance, flexibility and strength (Gymnastics); and quickness, acceleration, agility (plyometrics)

3) I say its great for everyone because of what else it provides. A great online and offline learning center for health, fitness and nutrition. Not just basics, and not just I believe so.. but provides a great insight on past experiments and teachings from science and health books that a lot of us usually have misconceptions of. They will teach you the basics as well as the proper form of training and working out as well as provide you a basic schedule guide and eating plans (not just 1, but multiple options for different people). They show you countless videos on differ recipes to meet your needs, to build a gym in your own home and more.

I have not joined a CF gym yet due to its high cost (actually relatively cheap when your discussing personal trainers and open box gyms but its too much for my means of living RIGHT NOW) and classes dont meet my specific and tough schedule.

But even though I have not joined I have taken their tutorials, their videos, their game highlights and even read their how to books (or the ones they recommend) and they introduction (which was GREAT for basics) and I made my own schedule.

I went from split work outs to full body work outs. Found them much more fun off the bat and see much better results. Have not really taken their intensity into my work outs but try to put in a HIIT routine in sometimes. Just the work outs in general I have a better time with. Faster, more efficient.


If any of you want to join CF though I would recommend doing the research though. Start with reading the basic guide on their website (journal) and then when choosing a gym I suggest doing a ton of research. The biggest flaw in CF is that it doesnt take much for anyone to open up a CF gym and thus they are not always the best of trainers. They want such high intensities they dont pay attention to form or basics.

 

[Thesensation19*]

If you have time I would try to play other sports as well. Try to train your body in different sports as I believe it would benefit your athleticism, your overall fitness, your health and thus your hockey.

I play soccer 1-3x a week on a pretty competitive adult league. I like soccer, It works on my foot skill and balance, I like being on that schedule. Get to work on sprinting, some jogging, some kicking.

Or even rec style. Play some basketball or soccer in the park. Once a week try to do something different for a variety of reasons to your health and itness