Is there a faster way to develop strength?

Is there a faster way to develop strength?

by | Mar 14, 2016 | Strength Training

Is there a faster way to develop strength?

The number one goal we should have in the gym is to develop our strength. Once our strength is where it needs to be, we can focus on developing power. And the more powerful we are the more explosive we’ll be on the ice which will result in us being faster.

Even though some players need to put on size (mass), their number one goal should still be to gain strength. There is no point in gaining extra weight if it’s going to slow us down on the ice. If we have a “strength first” mentality the size will naturally follow because our body will have to develop more muscle fibers (increased size) to help with the stress (weights being lifted) we are placing on our bodies.

Before I get into a faster way to develop strength, I want to talk about the differences between unilateral training and bilateral training. Unilateral training is classified at using one limb (arm or leg) at a time while bilateral training is using both limbs. An example for each would be dumbbell single arm bench (unilateral) and regular bench press (bilateral).

Hockey requires a lot of balance, stability, strength, power, speed and change of direction. We have to do exercises that will help improve these aspects the most. We only have so much time and energy to devote to the gym so we can’t waste any of it by performing bicep curls and overhead tricep extensions or any other exercises that don’t directly improve our on-ice performance.

But getting back to the question at hand, is there a faster way to develop strength?

YES, by doing UNILATERAL TRAINING.

I need to get a little scientific for a second. Research has shown that sprinters who had a discrepancy between their bilateral strength and unilateral combined strength were slower coming out of sprinting blocks. What does that mean? It means that if they can squat 100lbs (bilaterally) but can single leg squat 60lbs (unilaterally) which would add up to a combined 120lbs squat, they would have a negative difference of 10lbs per leg in their bilateral squat.  And the difference between these two totals directly relates to the amount of force they can generate during a sprint. The greater the discrepancy the slower the sprinter. Therefore you should always strive to have your bilateral strength equal your combined unilateral strength.

Even though hockey is played on ice, our stride isn’t that much different than of sprinters. During a game of hockey, we perform multiple sprints. We’ve heard our coaches say it all the time, “first 3 strides are the most important”. A discrepancy between our bilateral and unilateral combined strength will affect our force and explosiveness on the ice, which means we’re winning fewer races to the puck.

Let’s talk about some of the benefits of unilateral training.
  • more effective in increasing single leg vertical jump than bilateral training
  • reduces the amount of load (weight) placed on the joints to stimulate the muscle fibers
  • increases the demand for balance, anti-rotational, anti-flexion/extension, and other forms of stability
  • helps decrease any muscular imbalances between sides
  • improves strength gains faster in a 6 week period compared to bilateral training

As you can see there are many benefits to training one side of our body at a time. But before you scrap bilateral training altogether you should know the following.

While research has shown that performing only unilateral training does increase strength faster during a 6 week period compared to bilateral training, it also found that this type of training plateaus after 6 weeks. Although bilateral training may show slower improvements in strength it takes much longer to plateau. Therefore your workout should combine both types of training to optimize your gains and on-ice performance.

Everything I just explained may sound slightly scientific and overwhelming, and that is exactly why I don’t expect you to know how to implement it. That’s what I’m here for!

If you’re looking to follow a hockey specific training program, below are a few options for you.

4 Ways to Get The Most Out of The Front Plank

4 Ways to Get The Most Out of The Front Plank

by | Feb 1, 2016 | Strength Training

4 Ways to Get The Most Out of The Front Plank

When I was younger the worst part about going to junior hockey tryouts was the fitness testing. You are probably thinking that would be the part I enjoyed the most given my profession now. But I have to be completely honest with you, I used to hate everything about exercise.  Looking back, it was because I was barely in shape. I couldn’t do push-ups or run more than a few hundred meters without getting tired. When hockey tryouts came and we had to do all the fitness testing I wasn’t good at it. The worst exercise they would test was the front plank. (If you don’t know what I am talking about, click here). The coaches used to make us do this exercise as long as we could. And the longer you could perform the front plank the stronger your core was. There are two things I remember from this test; the first was my back would absolutely be killing me after and the second was I sucked and could only do it for a few minutes. Hopefully, times have changed and coaches no longer test the front plank in this manner.

I don’t want you to think that I am saying that the front plank is a bad exercise and we shouldn’t do it. That couldn’t be any farther from the truth. The front plank or any variation of the plank is a great core stabilizing exercise and should almost be incorporated into every workout. But having said that, please remember that there is a correct and incorrect way to perform this exercise (like all exercises). To get all the benefits the front plank has to offer, you need to perform it properly. Otherwise, you will be putting too much stress on the wrong parts of the body like your lower back. I am going to share with you 4 ways you can get more out of the front plank. Implement these changes and you will actually start to increase your core strength.

1 – Engage the Glutes

In order to remove the dip in your lower back, you must align the pelvis into neutral position. The easiest and most effective way to do this is by squeezing your butt. Having the pelvis in a neutral position allows the musculature of the trunk to stabilize the spine. When performing the front plank, the goal is to increase the strength and endurance of your trunk muscles (external abdominal oblique, internal abdominal oblique, rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis).

2 – Three Contact Points (head, upper back, and butt/low back)

To achieve perfect form in the front plank it is imperative to have the back of the head, upper back, and butt/low back aligned. Looking at the photo, you can see the athlete has these 3 contact points aligned. This posture helps the development of the core muscles and increases their strength and endurance. When trying to get your head into proper alignment think about getting your ears in line with your shoulders and tucking your chin into your chest. To help with the chin tuck, take a tennis ball and hold it against your chest with your chin. Most people stick their upper back way up when they perform the front plank. You actually want to drop the chest down and to achieve this try to lightly touch your shoulder blades together while bringing your shoulder blades down towards your hip. Next time you are at the gym get a friend to place a stick on your back and make sure you have the 3 contact points aligned. You should be able to notice a difference in the exercise and how having the proper alignment increases the difficulty. Don’t worry, you get more out of the exercise this way!

3 – Quality over Quantity

As with all exercises, the old saying stands true, it’s about “quality over quantity”. There is no point in doing a 60-second front plank if you are only holding proper form for the first 30 seconds.  Once your form starts to suffer, you should take a rest, recover and repeat for desired repetitions to build up your endurance.  You are better off holding the plank for only 30 seconds but in perfect form, than 60 seconds in mediocre form. This approach will give you the best results.

4 – Alignment of the Limbs

Your shoulders and elbows should be at 90 degrees and your forearms parallel with each other.  Keeping your feet hip width or less apart will make it easier to engage the glutes.

Why The Front Plank is So Important

When you squat, deadlift, and overhead press it takes an incredible amount of motor control to keep the spine stable. The more stable the spine is the more weight you can lift. Using proper form during the front plank teaches the muscles that surround the spine how to brace properly. If your spine does not brace properly you will leak too much power when lifting.

I hope you can now see how the front plank is an important piece of the foundation for all of your other lifts.

Next time you decide to do the front plank (which should be today!) here is a checklist you can quickly run through to make sure you are getting the most out of this exercise.

  • Feet hip width apart
  • Glutes engaged (squeeze your butt)
  • Shoulders and elbows at 90 degrees, forearms parallel with each other
  • Chin tucked in
  • 3 contact points aligned (head, upper back, butt/low back)
  • Quality over quantity (use proper form)

1 Simple Way to Maximize Your Performance

1 Simple Way to Maximize Your Performance

by | Jan 18, 2016 | Strength Training

1 Simple Way to Maximize Your Performance

Are you the type of the athlete that shows up to the gym and dives right into your workout? Do you find yourself sluggish at the start but as you complete your 3rd exercise you finally notice that your strength has decided to show up?

Or maybe you’re that person who sits in the dressing room before a hockey game and does nothing until you need to get dressed. Only to find out that the first few shifts of the game are difficult and finally feel like you have your legs halfway through the game?

Want to know how to prevent this feeling and be 100% ready to go right from the start?

DO A PROPER WARM UP!!

To maximize performance, it is imperative to warm-up prior to a workout and even more so a hockey game. When muscles, ligaments and tendons are cold prior to high intensity activities they are at a greater risk of getting strained (muscle and tendon) or sprained (ligament). When we warm-up, we increase the blood flow to our working tissues (muscles, tendons and ligaments). This increase in blood flow raises our body temperature. When the body temperature increases there are many metabolic changes that take place.  The heart rate increases and pumps more blood to the muscles, carrying more oxygen along with it. As the muscles warm-up they use this oxygen at a faster rate. This is important because muscles use oxygen to break down glucose (sugar) and turn it into energy.  The increase in body temperature also causes our nerves to fire at a faster rate.  The faster the nerve signal is sent to the muscles the quicker they contract. Myosin ATPase (an enzyme) speed is also increased when our muscle temperature rises, this enzyme also accounts for faster muscle contractions. When we warm up we not only cause these internal changes to happen, we also improve our range of motion and decrease muscle and joint stiffness.

Just like a good workout program requires structure so does our warm-up. We want to make sure we’re not warming-up too long otherwise fatigue will set in. The warm-up should include movements that closely mimic those of the workout as this will help prepare the body with the upcoming activity. The intensity of the warm-up needs to gradually increase until it is close to the demands of the workout. A warm-up should be at least 5 minutes and last about 15 minutes as this will allow for the tissues to reach their optimal state. The structure of a warm-up should include: mobility, stability, and motor control in all the major joints of the body. To achieve this we need to use:  foam rollers, medicine balls, swiss balls, and rubber bands. This will help target specific muscle groups and improve stability in specific regions.

CLICK HERE FOR AN EXAMPLE OF A PROPER WARM-UP
A proper warm-up allows us to obtain the advantage we need for a better workout by:
  • Improved muscle contractions
  • Increased oxygen to working muscles
  • Faster rate at which nerves fire
  • Faster rate at which glucose (sugar) is turned into energy
  • Increased range of motion

Make sure you incorporate a good warm-up into your workout next time you go to the gym or before your hockey game. It could be the edge you need!

One more thing, you may not think about it but if you’re dehydrated your performance will suffer tremendously. To learn more check out this article “Do You Know Your Sweat Rate?” and I’ve also added this visual guide for an easy reference.

This Youth Sports Hydration guide was created by Cisco Athletic

How to Figure Out YOUR 1 REP MAX

How to Figure Out YOUR 1 REP MAX

by | Jan 15, 2016 | Strength Training

How to Figure Out YOUR 1 REP MAX

How important is it to know your 1 REP Max?

If you want to take the guesswork out of your workouts, then it is very important to know your 1 Rep Max ( for each of the major lifts). These are what I consider the major lifts for hockey players: Hang Clean, Deadlift, RDL, Front Squat, Jerk Press, Bench. Now that you know what lifts I would recommend you use to find your 1 Rep Max (Yes there are other lifts you can determine your 1 Rep Max for but I feel for hockey players this all we need in order maximize our time in the gym).

Now that you know what lifts you should have your Maxes for. How can you go about figuring your 1 Rep Max out? You could start lifting until you can’t lift anymore to determine your max but that would not be very smart or accurate. There is actually a protocol that needs to be followed to get the most accurate results. Below is a downloadable copy of that protocol:

Click Here to Download Max Testing Protocol

Now that you have your 1 Rep Max for each lift, you are able to apply a scientific approach to your training to maximize your gains in the gym and get the most out of each session.