The Trap Bar is a very useful piece of equipment.

The Trap Bar (also known as a Hex Bar because of its shape) differs from a normal barbell because you stand in the middle of the Trap Bar and the weight being lifted is in line with your body whereas the barbell has the weight just in front of your body. You can use the Trap Bar for deadlifts, heavy farmer carries, and shrugs. Today I’m going to focus on the Trap Bar Deadlift. Before I explain anything, watch the following video and see if you can tell the difference between the two variations of Trap Bar Deadlifts that I perform.

If you were able to pick out the difference in how I pulled the weight from the floor you are correct. In the first half of the video, I have less knee bend and use my hips more. While in the second half of the video I have more knee bend so there is more emphasis placed on my quads than hips when pulling the weight from the floor.

If you couldn’t notice the difference in the video, that’s ok. Look at the following photo so you can see the difference.

Let’s talk about the benefits of using more hips when performing a Trap Bar deadlift. First off, most hockey players are very quad dominant. This means the muscles that make up the front part of the leg (quadriceps) are more developed than the muscles on the back side of the leg (hamstrings). When this is the case, it increases the chance for hamstring and knee injuries and low back pain. Incorporating more hip dominant exercises will strengthen the posterior chain (back side of the body) and lower the risk of injury.

If you think about the movement when performing a hip dominant Trap Bar deadlift, you are moving your hips in a horizontal plane even though the weight is being lifted vertically. When skating, we’re moving our body in the same fashion. Strengthening the muscles of the hips in the same way we use them while skating will increase our speed more so than performing the same exercise in a more knee dominant manner. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do knee dominant exercises.

Why would we want to perform the Trap Bar deadlift with more emphasis on the quads?

While I believe it’s more important to have strong glutes and hamstrings over our quads, it’s still necessary to have strong quads. Strong quads allow us to stay down in our skating stance longer so we can continue to produce long powerful strides throughout the entire game. Strong quads also help with vertical power more than strong glutes. Even though skating is done in a horizontal plane it’s still important to have strong quads as they do play a big role in the overall power development of our lower body.

But why use the Trap Bar?

A few reasons we’d want to use the Trap Bar over the traditional Barbell. If you have any type of lower back issues the Trap Bar places less stress on your lower back because of how the weight is in line with your body.  Due of the placement of the weight, you are also able to lift a little more as well produce greater a force when lifting the weight. This will help make us more explosive on the ice. While this is very important for athletic development, the Barbell Deadlift still has its place in your off-season program and you shouldn’t avoid using it altogether.

Next time you’re going to train your legs, try using the Trap Bar but make sure you know which area of the lower body you’re looking to develop. The difference between your setup will determine which areas you are targeting.

In my post where I show you how to use only a Swiss Ball to get a good core workout, I talk about how the core is the most important muscle group we have. It connects the upper and lower extremities together. The better this connection is the better job the body can do at transferring energy. We improve this connection by improving the strength of the muscles that make up the core.

A hockey player needs a strong core to be successful on the ice (that doesn’t always mean a 6-pack). Every time a player engages in a battle on the ice the core should fire first. When engaging in battle with an opponent they will try and push you from one side or the other to get you off balance. If the core doesn’t fire first you will be thrown off balance (even for a split second) and this is all it takes for you to lose the puck. Focusing on core exercises that closely mimic the forces you’d experience while engaging in battles is important for maximal stability on the ice.

I previously wrote an in-depth article about how to properly train the core and progress accordingly with the correct exercises. Please make sure you read this article by clicking here.

Remember proper progression is important for any exercise and training program. If you start with exercises that are too advanced then your body will naturally compensate to put it in a position where you think you are performing the exercise properly but in reality, you’re only giving yourself a false sense of accomplishment. Not using proper form will teach your body poor motor patterns and you won’t develop the desired strength.

Training in the gym gives us the tools (strength, power, speed, etc) we need to become better hockey players.  But if we don’t apply those tools when we’re on the ice then everything we’ve gained in the gym is basically irrelevant. And if all we do is train on the ice and don’t spend any time in the gym then we won’t get any stronger or more powerful. Having the proper balance between on-ice practicing and training in the gym will make us the best hockey players possible.

Today I want to talk about the Do’s & Don’ts when it comes to core training.

When training your core, please make sure you don’t:

• Perform more advanced exercises that you’re not ready for yet
• Spend too much time using Swiss Balls or performing sit-ups
• Only focus on one area of the core
• Plank longer than 60 seconds
• Fatigue the core too much as it will hinder your big lifts like the deadlift or squat
• Hold your breath while performing core exercises

Here are 2 videos of some great core exercises that you can start to implement into your training program.

The first exercise works on bracing the core while in an athletic position and the force is pulling on you while you move your hands away from your body. This exercise closely resembles battling in the corner while someone is applying an external force on you. During the second exercise, the load is only on one side of the body, this will require greater contraction of the opposite side of the core in order to keep the body level. Make sure you move slow with this exercise and don’t allow the arm without the weight to move away from the body.

Hockey players need to have many different aspects of athleticism to be successful. They need to be strong, fast, powerful, agile, and possess a great amount of endurance. So when it comes to training, if you only train a certain way or only use a select amount of equipment you may be missing out on some of these aspects that would help you reach your goals.

Just like a good carpenter needs many different tools to build a house, you as a hockey player need many different types of training to be effective on the ice.

Suspension training is a tool that you can add to your training tool box. The most popular name that comes to mind when talking about suspension training is the TRX. There are other brands that also make a  version of this piece of equipment but the TRX is the most well known.

Why should you incorporate TRX training into your program?

• It’s extremely convenient and allows you do perform multiple exercises with only one piece of equipment
• It develops your strength in a functional way by teaching you how to control your centre of gravity using your muscles
• It forces you to engage your smaller stabilizing muscles while performing any type of movement; this helps hockey players become stronger on their skates
• It reduces the stress placed on the joints compared to traditional weight training
• It can be fun and a new challenge for hockey players who’ve never used a TRX before

I have put together a video with exercises that I feel will best benefit a hockey player if they want to change up their training and add a TRX routine to their program.

Run through the following exercises.

Complete 2-3 rounds and make sure you rest about 60 seconds after each round

(Details are below)

TRX Rollout x10

TRX Single Arm Row x10e

TRX Spiderman Push-up x10e

TRX Hamstring Curl x10

TRX Mountain Climbers x30s

TRX Side Plank x15s Each Side

TRX Glute Bridge x15

TRX Push-up Plank with Leg Abduction/Adduction x10

TRX Inverted Row x10

TRX Chest Press  x10

Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think about this routine by leaving a comment below.

The core is the most important group of muscles we have!

The reason I can say this with such confidence is because the core is the connection between the upper and lower extremities. The core conducts energy between our extremities. The stronger the core the better the connection, the better the connection the more power and strength is transferred from our lower extremities to our upper extremities and vice versa. And the stronger the core the more weight can be lifted in lifts like the squat and deadlift. Everything we do goes through the core.

You can read more about the importance of a strong core here.

When training it’s easy to get caught up in all the fancy new exercises and equipment that’s out there. But there is something about the basics! They will always have their place in a training program. It’s important to know a good workout that only requires minimal equipment.

This core workout I have put together below only requires a Swiss Ball. Knowing how hockey players need to move on the ice to be successful this workout helps develop the strength to have more stability and efficiency in your staking.

The details of the workout are after the video.

Run through all the exercises in a circuit and complete it 3 times.

(Make sure you take about 15 seconds between exercises to catch your breath before starting the next exercise)

Front Plank (Elbows on SB) 30 seconds
Side Plank (Elbow on SB) 15 seconds each side
Push-up Plank (Feet on SB) with Single Leg Elevation 30 seconds each leg
SB Dolphin Kicks 20 reps
SB Rollout 10 reps
SB Single Leg Rotation 4 reps each side
SB Side Raise 10 reps each side
SB Pike 8 reps

REST 60 seconds and repeat

Having a strong core might be the most important thing for hockey players. A strong core allows us to have more powerful and controlled athletic movements. When our core muscles aren’t developed properly, our body is less efficient at transferring energy and this causes the body to leak power. The core is made up of the pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae (sacrospinalis) and the longissimus thoracis, and the diaphragm.

In hockey, the main purpose of the core is to stabilize the spine by stiffing up. When the core muscles do a poor job stabilizing the spine and keeping its neutral alignment we have what’s called an “energy leak”. What happens during an energy leak is, energy is absorbed into the soft tissues of the spine instead of heading to the appropriate limbs (legs or arms). Since the main job of the core is to stabilize the spine to help keep it in neutral alignment it would only make sense to train these muscles to do a better job stabilizing.

There are tons of ways to train the musculature of the core. The important thing to remember is “what are you trying to accomplish with your exercise selection?” Research has shown that constant flexion of the spine (like during a crunch or sit-up) causes small micro-traumas to the tissues and over time can build up and cause tissue damage.  I’m not saying that crunches or sit-ups alone will cause problems to the spine but adding a compressive load (like a squat or deadlift) to this damaged tissue can lead to a greater risk of injury.

When training your core don’t get caught up in all the fancy videos you may see on Youtube.  There are a lot of videos out there with guys and girls doing some pretty incredible things with their core training. You have to remember that they’ve probably been training for many years to get their core strength to where it is now. I’m pretty sure you started to crawl before you walked or ran. Start with the basic exercises first and then progress to more difficult ones. Performing an exercise that you think you have the strength for but actually don’t, will not get you the results you’re looking for. Focus on proper form and alignment of the body and you’ll get faster results than if you cheat the exercise to just complete it.

Start with the plank! To read how to perform it correctly click here. Once you can hold the plank correctly for 30 seconds for 3 sets (with 10 seconds rest between sets) then progress to a harder variation of the plank. Below are 5 exercises that you can progress through, from least to most difficult.

1. Front Plank 3x30s (10s rest between sets)
2. Front Plank with Reach 3x10e
3. Bearcrawl with Reach 3x10e
4. Front Plank with Plates 3x5e (use three 5lbs plates)
5. Body Saw 3×10

Start with the first exercise and once you can complete the exercise 100% correctly then you can progress to the 2nd exercise. The 2nd exercise gets a little more difficult because each time we lift the one arm up and reach straight out we narrow our base and this places a greater stress on our core. Make sure when you’re reaching each arm out that your movement is slow and controlled. You don’t benefit from the exercise if you rush it. Another thing to focus on is our hips. Make sure the hips stay level during each rep and they don’t sway from side to side or dip down. The Bear crawl with Reach adds two more elements to the Front Plank with Reach because now we have elevated the body and we’ve added the opposite leg to the reach. Same thing applies to this exercise, don’t allow the hips to shift at all and keep the back flat. The 4th exercise adds a load to the Front Plank . When we move the plates from one side of the body to other it is extremely important to not allow the hips to shift or dip down. Holding the form perfectly is what makes the exercises so difficult. If you cheat the form, the exercise isn’t challenging and you won’t gain anything from it.  The last exercise is the Body Saw which is another variation of the Front Plank. During the Body Saw, the feet slide away from the forearms creating a greater distance between the feet and forearms. This increased distance amplifies the stress placed on the musculature of the core and enhances the difficulty of the exercise.

If at any point you feel pain in your lower back it means you aren’t engaging your core to stabilize and you’re placing too much stress on the low back. If this is the case, shorting the distance of any of the movements will help prevent low back discomfort.

As I mentioned before progression is key with core exercises. Start with simple exercises and master them before increasing the degree of difficulty.  Proper form will always get you quicker and more efficient results than performing more difficult exercises with inadequate form.

I don’t know if you’re this type of parent or if you have this type of parent but when I was younger my parents were this type. What type is that you ask? It’s the parents who believe working out at a young age will stunt a child’s growth. I’m here to tell you that working out and lifting weights will NOT stunt a child’s growth!

Don’t get me wrong, if a child trains poorly and injures themselves it might hinder their growth BUT if a young athlete trains properly, he or she will only see benefits. To establish what is safe for young hockey players to do in the gym you need to look at the physical maturity of the athlete to determine what is deemed appropriate.

I would not recommend young hockey players to lift heavy weights and perform low repetitions as this can place extra stress on their growth plates. When training young hockey players the focus needs to be 100% on form and technique. If the athlete can develop proper motor skills and muscle strength within these movements they allow themselves a greater opportunity of future athletic development.

It’s also important to make the workouts fun for younger athletes. I have found they’re more eager to work hard and they actually learn better when the environment is enjoyable. The number one reason we engage in training, at whatever age, is injury prevention. If an athlete is injured it doesn’t matter how strong or explosive they are if they can’t play hockey. Younger hockey players need to remember that to avoid an overuse injury and prevent overtraining, their program needs to be properly planned out and training should be limited to 3 times per week.

To make things a little easier I’ve decided to give an example of a workout plan that a hockey player aged 13-15 years old should follow.

So remember:

• Form and Technique is most important
• 3 times per week of weight training
• Stay away from heavy weights and low reps
• Working out will not stunt a child’s growth
• Have fun!

Along with proper training, it’s very important to make sure you’re properly hydrated, this visual guide makes it easy to know when and how much fluids to drink. Being dehydrated is extremely detrimental to your sports performance. To learn more check out this article “Do You Know Your Sweat Rate?”