There’s a difference between exercising and training. And when it comes to at-home hockey workouts, that difference is everything.
Exercising is doing push-ups, squats, and burpees because it feels productive. Training is building a structured workout around the specific physical demands of hockey and executing it with purpose.
Both will make you tired. Only one will make you a better player. Here’s where to start:
At-Home Hockey Speed Workout
Watch the full session above, then use this breakdown as your reference.
Warm-Up
Don’t skip this. The warm-up primes your hips, ankles, and core for the explosive work ahead.
- Jumping Jacks x 30
- Knee Hug to Reverse Lunge x 10 per leg
- Iron Cross x 8 per side
- Rollover Into V-Sit x 8
The Workout
A. Triple Split Squat Jump Into Isometric Hold 8 sets x 2 reps | 30 seconds rest
This is the centerpiece of the session. The explosive jump trains the fast-twitch muscle fibers you rely on for acceleration, and the isometric hold at the bottom builds the stability you need to maintain your edges under pressure.
B. Vertical Jumps 8 sets x 3 jumps | 30 seconds rest
Pure power output. Research consistently links vertical jump performance to on-ice sprint speed, so this one is more hockey-specific than it looks.
C. Lateral Hops 8 sets x 3 per side | 30 seconds rest
Hockey is a lateral sport. This trains the same pelvic muscles you use every stride, and it builds ankle and knee stability at the same time.
D. Plank With Elbow to Knee Touches 3 sets x 30 seconds | 60 seconds rest
Core stability is what holds everything else together. This variation adds rotation, which is closer to how your core actually works on the ice.
At-Home Hockey Conditioning Workout
Watch the full session above, then use this breakdown as your reference.
Warm-Up
Run through this circuit two times with 30-45 seconds rest between rounds.
- Prisoner Squat x 10
- Mountain Climbers x 6 per side
- Cossack Squat x 6 per side
- Push-Ups x 10
The Workout
A, B, and C are supersets. That means you do the first exercise, rest briefly, then move straight into the second. That short rest between exercises is intentional. It keeps your nervous system primed for explosive output while giving the primary muscle group just enough recovery to go hard again.
A1: Plyo Push-Ups / A2: Vertical Jumps 4 rounds | 10 seconds rest after A1, 45 seconds rest after A2
Pairing these two is deliberate. Plyo push-ups train upper body power and teach your muscles to contract fast. Vertical jumps do the same thing for your lower body. Together, they’re training total-body explosiveness in a short window, which is exactly how hockey demands it.
B1: Bulgarian Split Squat Jumps / B2: Close-Grip Push-Ups for Speed 4 rounds | 10 seconds rest after B1, 45 seconds rest after B2
The Bulgarian split squat jump is one of the best single-leg power exercises you can do off the ice. Every stride in hockey is a single-leg push-off, so training that movement explosively carries over directly. The close-grip push-ups for speed keep your upper body in the game and reinforce fast-twitch muscle recruitment when your legs are already fatigued.
C1: Alternating Split Squat Jumps / C2: Plank 4 rounds | 10 seconds rest after C1, 45 seconds rest after C2
By this point in the workout, your legs are tired. The alternating split-squat jumps keep the single-leg power work going while building endurance. Core stability is what holds your skating posture together when you’re tired in the third period. Training it when you’re already fatigued is the point.
D. Military Burpees As many as possible in 60 seconds
This is your conditioning finisher. Full-body output under fatigue is a real hockey demand, and finishing a workout this way teaches your body to keep producing when it wants to stop.
At-Home Hockey Workout For Kids
Watch the full session above, then use this breakdown as your reference.
Warm-Up
There’s no warm-up included in this video, but do one before you start. Five to ten minutes of active movement: jogging on the spot, jumping jacks, leg swings, arm circles. Something that gets the blood moving and the joints loose before you ask your body to work hard.
A. Front Foot Elevated Split Squats 3 sets x 8-15 reps | 1 minute rest
Single-leg strength is the foundation of skating. Every stride is a single-leg push-off, and this exercise builds the quad and glute strength to make that push-off more powerful. Elevating the front foot increases the range of motion, which means more work and better results.
B. Bird Dogs 3 sets x 15-20 reps | 1 minute rest
Bird dogs build core stability and teach the body to control movement on opposite sides at the same time, which is exactly what happens when you’re skating and need your upper and lower body working together.
C. Push-Ups 3 sets x 8-15 reps | 1 minute rest
Upper body strength matters in hockey more than most people realize. Battles along the boards, maintaining position, holding a player off the puck. Push-ups build the chest, shoulders, and triceps in a way that carries over directly.
D. Sprinter Step-Ups 3 sets x 8-15 reps | 1 minute rest
Another single-leg exercise, this time with a drive component. The sprinter arm action trains coordination between upper and lower body, and the explosive step-up builds the same fast-twitch muscle fibers you need for acceleration out of a stop.
E. Bicycle Crunches 3 sets x 15-20 reps | 1 minute rest
Skating, shooting, and protecting the puck all require your core to rotate under load. Bicycle crunches train that pattern.
Quick 15-Minute Bodyweight Hockey Workout
Watch the full session above, then use this breakdown as your reference.
Warm-Up
Do an active warm-up before you start. Five to ten minutes of light movement: jogging, jumping jacks, leg swings, arm circles. Get the blood moving before you ask your body to work.
The Workout
This is a circuit. Move through each exercise with no rest in between. Once you finish the last exercise, rest for 90 seconds and go again. Three rounds total.
Split Squats | 12 reps per leg Single-leg strength is the foundation of skating. Every stride is a single-leg push-off, and split squats build the quad and glute strength to make that push-off more powerful and consistent.
Diamond Push-Ups | 10-15 reps The close grip hits your triceps harder than a standard push-up. Upper body pushing strength matters more in hockey than most people realize, whether you’re winning a battle along the boards or holding your position in front of the net.
Squat with 2-Second Pause at Bottom | 15 reps The pause removes momentum (the stretch reflex) from the equation. That’s directly relevant to hockey, where you’re often driving hard out of a low position on starts, pivots, and crossovers.
Burpee with Push-Up | 12 reps This is where conditioning meets full-body output. The burpee with push-up trains your body to produce power when it’s already working hard, which is exactly what the third period asks of you.
V-Ups | 15 reps Hip flexor strength and core control in one movement. Your hip flexors drive your knee lift on every stride, and your core holds your skating posture together. V-ups train both at the same time.
Wide Push-Ups | 10-15 reps The wider grip shifts more of the load to your chest and shoulders. Pairing these with diamond push-ups in the same circuit means you’re hitting your upper body from two different angles.
Plank | 30 seconds Core stability is what holds everything else together. A strong plank is about teaching your entire trunk to stay tight under load, which is what keeps your skating posture solid when you’re tired.
No Equipment Follow-Along Hockey Workout
We run you through the entire workout in the video above, but you can use this breakdown as your reference to what we’ll be doing.
Warm-Up
Do an active warm-up before you start. Five to ten minutes of light movement: jogging, jumping jacks, leg swings, arm circles. Get the body moving before you ask it to work hard.
The Workout
The workout has two parts: a six-exercise circuit and a 60-second finisher.
We’ll run through the circuit, rest 90 seconds, and repeat for 3 rounds total. And then move straight into the finisher.
The Circuit (3 Rounds)
Deep Squat x 15 A deep squat trains hip mobility and lower body strength through the full range of motion, which is directly relevant to the low skating position you hold all game. If your hips are tight or your squat is shallow, your skating stance will be too.
Stop and Go Push-Up x 15 The pause at the bottom eliminates the stretch reflex, the same concept as a pause squat. Your chest and shoulders have to generate force from a dead stop instead of using momentum.
T-Stand x 6 per leg Single-leg balance and hip stability. The T-stand challenges your body to stay controlled on one leg while your hip opens up, which is exactly what happens every time you push off into a stride. Weak hip stability is one of the most common reasons skating mechanics break down under fatigue.
Scap Push-Up x 15 Most players skip scapular work entirely. That’s a mistake. Your shoulder blades need to move well for your arms to work efficiently, whether you’re shooting, protecting the puck, or absorbing contact.
Dive Bombers x 15 A brutal full upper body and core exercise in one movement. Dive bombers train shoulder mobility, pressing strength, and trunk control through a long range of motion.
Reverse Crunch with Hip Lift x 10 Standard crunches train your abs in flexion. This one adds a hip lift at the top, which brings your lower abs and hip flexors into the picture. Those muscles drive your knee lift on every stride.
The Finisher (Once Through, Zero Rest)
This 60-second finisher is designed to push your conditioning at the end when you’re already tired. It’s building your mental strength just as much as physical.
B1: Single-Leg Burpees — Left Foot x 20 seconds
B2: Skater Bounds x 20 seconds
B3: Single-Leg Burpees — Right Foot x 20 seconds
Single-leg burpees are exactly as hard as they sound. They train explosive power and balance on one leg at a time, which mirrors the demands of skating more than a standard two-foot burpee does. The skater bounds in the middle keep the lateral power going and reinforce the push-off pattern you use every stride.
9-Minute At-Home Hockey Workout (Follow-Along Style)
This is a follow-along session. Hit play and work through it with me. Here’s what we’re covering:
Warm-Up
Do an active warm-up before you start. Five to ten minutes of light movement: jogging, jumping jacks, leg swings, arm circles. Get the body moving before you ask it to work hard.
The Workout
All exercises are done for 30 seconds. We will run through the circuit twice and then hit the finisher.
Jump Rope: Gets your feet moving fast and works on your lower leg muscles.
Prisoner Squats: Lower body strength with your hands behind your head to open up your chest and reinforce good posture.
Single-Leg Jump Rope: Challenges your balance and coordination on one leg at a time, which is closer to how you actually move on the ice.
Yoga Push-Ups: Upper body strength with a flow component that works your shoulders and core through a full range of motion.
Dangle (Stickhandle): Working on the hands under fatigue.
Superman Reps: Posterior chain work. Your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back are more important for skating than most people realize.
Freestyle Skipping: Mix it up however you want. Just keep moving.
V-Ups: Core and hip flexors, both essential for maintaining your skating posture when you’re tired.
Skater Bound Finisher: Lateral power to finish things off.
No jump rope? No problem. Go through the same motion without one. It looks a little funny, but the effect is close to the same.
Want a Full At-Home Hockey Training Program?
Every program we build at Hockey Training comes in two versions: a gym version and a bodyweight version.
That wasn’t an accident. When the only option is the gym, any disruption becomes an excuse to skip. And for younger players, many parents simply aren’t ready to send their kids to a gym yet. So we built both.
Some players use the gym version when they have access and switch to bodyweight on busy weeks. Others do the whole thing from home and never need a gym membership at all.
If the workouts above gave you a sense of what purposeful at-home hockey training looks like, our full programs take that further with more workouts in a structured progression.
Check out our hockey training programs here.
Frequently Asked Questions About At-Home Hockey Workouts
Yes, with one condition: it has to be designed around real training principles, not just a random circuit thrown together.
When you build a bodyweight program around progressive overload, hockey-specific movement patterns, and the right work-to-rest ratios, it absolutely moves the needle on the ice.
Is it as effective as a full gym setup? Probably not at the highest levels. But a well-designed at-home program beats a poorly designed gym program every single time.
It depends on the time of year. In the off-season, three to five dedicated training sessions per week is a solid target. In-season, two sessions per week is usually enough to continue to progress without adding unnecessary fatigue on top of practices and games.
The biggest mistake players make is doing too much in-season and burning out, or doing nothing in the off-season and showing up to camp starting from scratch.
Less than you think.
Your bodyweight gets you surprisingly far. If you want to add tools that expand what’s possible at home, a jump rope, resistance bands, and a foam pad are low-cost and high-value. A pair of skater sliders opens up a lot of lateral training options too.
But start with what you have. The workouts in this article require nothing except floor space and a willingness to work.
This is where most people get stuck, and it’s a fair question because progressive overload is less obvious without weights.
A few ways to increase difficulty without adding equipment:
Slow the tempo down on the way down (a 3-second lower on a split squat is significantly harder than a fast one). Add a pause at the bottom to eliminate the stretch reflex. Move to single-leg variations of exercises you’ve mastered on two legs. Reduce rest periods. Add more rounds. The goal is always to make the next session slightly more challenging than the last one.
Bodyweight exercises are actually ideal for kids because they build strength relative to their own bodyweight, which is exactly the kind of functional strength that translates to skating.
The kids’ workout included in this article is a good starting point. Keep the reps in range, emphasize good form, and let effort be the goal rather than chasing numbers.