Which Is Better for Hockey Conditioning: Short or Long Intervals? A Look at the Science

by | May 26, 2025 | Educational

Building Better On-Ice Conditioning for Hockey Players

When it comes to improving hockey performance, not all conditioning is created equal. A 2021 study has given us valuable insight into which type of interval training produces better results for adolescent hockey players: Short-Interval Training (SIT) or Long-Interval Training (LIT).

(The study by Bent R. Rønnestad,1 Ole Christian Haugen,1 and Torstein E. Dæhlin1,2 Superior On-Ice Performance After Short-Interval vs. Long-Interval Training in Well-Trained Adolescent Ice Hockey Players, 2021)

And the findings are clear: short intervals deliver better on-ice results.

Here’s Why 👇

🧪 Study Breakdown

Researchers compared the effects of two interval training approaches over a 9-week preseason training period in well-trained adolescent hockey players:

  • Short-Interval Training (SIT):
    30-second sprints repeated 13 times at 95–100% max heart rate, with a short 15-second rest.

  • Long-Interval Training (LIT):
    5-minute intervals performed 4 times at 90–95% max heart rate, with a longer 2.5-minute rest.

Both groups trained 3x per week in their conditioning program and then followed the same strength training program twice weekly.  So the only difference was the conditioning they were performing.

🏒 On-Ice Performance: SIT Comes Out on Top

After 9 weeks, both groups showed improvements, but the SIT group had significantly better results in on-ice performance, especially in:

  • SMAT

  • Repeat sprint ability (Wmax)

  • Overall anaerobic recovery

  • VO2Max

These gains are especially valuable in hockey, where the game demands quick, explosive bursts and rapid recovery, shift after shift.

⚡What is SMAT?

Skating Multistage Aerobic Test (SMAT). This is a special on-ice test designed to measure a hockey player’s endurance while skating.

Players wear their full gear, stick and all, which replicates what they’d be doing in a game. They skate back and forth on a 45-meter track (about half the length of a hockey rink)

Think of this test like an on-ice “beep test”, it’s specifically designed to measure how well a player can maintain their skating performance over time, which is a crucial skill during long shifts and or late in the game.

Every time the players hear a beep, they must skate to the other end. Each time, the beep gets faster and faster, making the players skate faster. The players continue to skate until they can’t keep up with the beeps. At this point, the total distance covered is recorded for each player.

⚡The Importance of Wmax

This measures the highest power a player can produce during an all-out effort. In the study, this was measured on a bike by gradually increasing resistance until exhaustion.
 
Think of Wmax as a player’s “top gear”, how much power they can generate when they need to give it everything they’ve got, like during an important sprint to the puck or a breakaway.

⚡What is VO2Max

It is a measurement of how efficiently your body can use oxygen during intense exercise. It’s like measuring the size of your body’s “engine”; a higher number means you can work harder for longer without getting tired.

⚡ Why It Matters

Hockey isn’t a slow-burn endurance sport. It’s a repeated sprint sport.

Short, high-intensity efforts, like a 30-second puck battle or backcheck, are followed by brief rest. This is exactly what short-interval training replicates, and why it’s more effective for building real game shape.

Longer intervals are typically used to build aerobic capacity, but if your goal is quicker feet, better recovery, and more explosive skating, short intervals should be a cornerstone of your off-season conditioning. This study also showed that the SIT group improved their VO2Max by 3.8% while the LIT group only improved their VO2Max by 0.4%.

When it came to power output, the SIT group improved their Wmax by 1.0% while the LIT group had the opposite effect, they decreased their power output by 3.7%.

While not statistically significant, the difference between improving versus declining is meaningful. The short interval training seemed to help players maintain or slightly improve their “top gear,” while the long interval training actually led to a decrease.

Conditioning matters because when a player gets tired, their performance goes down, and their mistakes go up. And how one goes about improving their conditioning matters even more. Performing long intervals will not improve VO2Max as well as short intervals and long intervals will also decrease power. So when it comes to hockey conditioning training, choose wisely!

🧠 Takeaway for Players & Coaches

✅ If you’re still doing long runs or steady-state cardio for hockey, you’re missing out on performance gains.
✅ Short, intense intervals (30 seconds or less) are a better match for the energy systems used in hockey.
✅ Integrating this type of training just 3x/week can significantly impact speed, power, and endurance on the ice.

🔗 Want This Built into a Hockey-Specific Program?

At Martell Elite Fitness, we build science-backed training plans tailored specifically for hockey players.

Whether you’re training for AAA, juniors, or rep tryouts, our goal is to help you skate faster, recover quicker, and dominate more puck battles when the season starts.

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