The slide board is a tool that was originally designed to be used by speedskaters but is now being used by a wide variety of sports — hockey being the most popular outlet for its use for obvious reasons. Incorporating a slide board into your training is just like any other tool in strength and … Read more
It’s very well established in sports science that getting stronger can improve your overall functional outputs and lead to an enhanced athletic performance. Hockey players need to be strong if they want to optimize their potential, there’s no question about it. There is a reason every single NHL team has a strength and conditioning program, … Read more
This might sound strange coming from a guy who has a blog on a site called “Hockey Training” and not “Hockey Nutrition” – but it’s true nonetheless. If you want to gain maximum muscle size to improve your strength out on the ice, drop maximum body fat to improve your speed out on the ice, … Read more
“Hey Dan, can I add XYZ to my existing program?” “Coach Garner! When is the best time to add in this finisher I saw?” “Hey coach, I’m already on a hockey training program of yours but am looking to do more, what can I do?” The examples could go on and on, I get these … Read more
When it comes to choosing exercises for hockey performance, it’s somewhat of a conceptual idea (albeit still highly scientific) in comparison to choosing exercises for sports like powerlifting or Olympic lifting. In weightlifting sports, the movements you are doing are perfectly “specific” since that is exactly what you will be doing on competition day. But, … Read more
Think about some of your most memorable lessons in life right now. Whether in the gym, on the ice, as a child, or in a relationship – anything at all. What did you learn? More importantly, how were you forced to learn it? I can tell you how… Pain. Pain is the best teacher you … Read more
You know that feeling you get when you have an amazing workout or game? Your body aches, you’re having trouble walking, and you’re cursing your legs every few seconds of the day? Despite the euphoric feelings of accomplishment, this is your body telling you that it’s broken down and that it needs time to recover … Read more
A critical observation I have made through the years of working with thousands of hockey athletes and networking with some of the top coaches in the industry is just how often handgrip strength is made an afterthought in program design. Athletes and coaches disregard the importance of handgrip strength and don’t understand what unique benefits … Read more
One of the primary drivers of motivation that I use to make so much content on a weekly basis is because I want to change the way in which hockey athletes and hockey coaches view strength and conditioning program design. There are an incredible amount of articles, videos and social media posts in existence today … Read more
Put very simply, compound exercises are multi-joint movements that involve several muscle groups. These exercises consist primarily of the traditional strength training and bodybuilding movements – things like squats, deadlifts, chin ups, bench press, and rows all apply here. In sports science, it’s very fair to classify compound movement as “general” exercises because they don’t … Read more