I hope by now you know that my passion is helping goalies win more games with fewer injuries…that’s ALL goalies.
Of course I am going to help 10 of you get to the NHL and I know that for some of you that ship has sailed – but it doesn’t mean I don’t love you!
So let me pass along three of the most common mistakes I see BABL (bad ass beer league) goalies make with their off-ice training.
#1 – You do what you have always done.
When you were in high school or college you used to do heavy back squats, leg press and these crunching things with a medicine ball that really worked your abs. If it worked then…it’s gonna work now right?
Sorry, broken record time… young athletes can do almost anything and see some improvement. It is why it is tough to talk young players out of some of the popular training fads like Cross Fit (and this is not a discussion of CF – as I have said before, if you absolutely love CF, that is awesome – go for it) in favour of more specific training for their sport.
The argument is always – but I am getting stronger and more fit.
Hard to argue with that – but don’t lose sight of the goal – – to get the maximum returns with the least excess wear and tear.
Because you CAN, doesn’t mean you should.
#2 – You use machines at the gym because you were told they are safer.
They may be safer if your goal is to lift as much weight on that specific machine as possible, but if you actually want to get out on the ice and play hockey then that machine based training that big box gyms promote is leaving you vulnerable to injury because what they do is allow you to train your big prime mover muscles without training your stabilizers.
So you can produce force, but not stabilize it – this is pretty much how injuries are created.
#3 – You don’t take a systematic approach
You jump on the wagon and go full tilt – you are in the gym 7 days per week, doing sprints, watching what you eat, working on your flexibility – you are 100% all in!!
Then one of two things happen – you tweak something (BABL speak for “injury”) or life happens and you get pulled away from your 100% all in program. And since you cannot be 100% all in – – you do nothing at all.
…Until the cycle starts again. Sound familiar? Sound frustrating?
Here’s what to do…
- For the love of Mike Palmateer, STOP doing crunches, just stop! (same for back squat and leg press)
- Make more of your training ground based, where you support and stabilize yourself in space – like Reverse Lunges to balance, like Standing Cable or Bungee Press or like ½ Kneeling Lateral Crease Pushes. Exercises that build strength in your big movers, but also your stabilizers.
- Have a foolproof plan. There is what’s ideal and then there is what is a no-brainer. Yes, you are a grown up and sometimes grown ups have other priorities that take precedence – so plan for that and when life hands you a few extra hours per week, then you can build it out. If you can get two full body strength workouts, four mobility workouts and 2 speed/stamina workouts per week you are doing great! Total training time for this can be as little as 2-3 hours per week
- Get rid of the notion that a good workout takes at least an hour. Not true – better to get in a quality 30-minute workout than spend 60-minutes in the gym where you actually only do 30 minutes of real work. This is where having a detailed plan is essential.
- Listen to your body and if something is squawking at you for more than a week, THAT is what we in the biz call an injury – get it looked at. Warning: your doctor may tell you to take two of these and rest it for a couple weeks. That will not address the underlying issue – better get in to see a good sport physio for an assessment.
Okay BABL – keep living the dream. Continue to be what makes the game so great and please keep sending me your success stories and questions – I love hearing from you.
Cheers,
M
PS – If you want to move like a goalie who is 10-years younger, but you don’t have the time to train like one – you have commitments outside of hockey, but playing goal is your passion and you still want to DOMINATE. If that is you – they consider the Rapid Response Goalie Training system I created specifically for you – train at home or the gym; workout 2-4 times per week for only 20-40 minutes; then go out and win more games without feeling like an old man getting out of bed the next morning 🙂
CLICK HERE to see how it works.