Christmas gift for skaters, MCL injuries in Goalies and more WINNERS!
I think this is the most jammed post I have ever written for the Hockey Training Blog – wow! There is something in here for everyone and I will start by letting you know that I have been working on a special Christmas gift for the forwards and d-men who are loyal readers of the Hockey Training Blog and I think I have come up with a doozie! I have had a few emails from some of the skaters out there asking why the goalies get so much content on the site lately. The answer is simple…it is the goalies who are posting comments on at www.hockeytrainingpro.com or emailing me every week asking questions about their training, or telling me what they would like to see posted to the site. I would rather give someone the exact information they need rather than guess at what you want to know.
Hockey Players! Leave Your Ab Twists in Russia – plus contest #2
Here are the exercises that I have now put on the Core Training for Hockey Naughty list:
How hockey players can reduce the risk of groin strains. Contest Winners!
When I worked as the exercise specialist at the sport medicine clinic at the University of Western Ontario, I learned that a key to preventing injury (or the reoccurrence of an injury) was to gain a full understanding of why that injury occurred in the first place. Once we identified the cause, we could rehab the injury and then train the athlete in a way that reduced their risk of re-injury.
If we look at groin strains in hockey players they often went hand in hand with a lack of core stabilization. If the muscles of the torso did not work with the muscles of the hips to maintain a stable platform at the pelvis, where the adductors or groin muscles attach, this instability could put undue strain on the tissue and result in a tear or strain.
Post-game restorative stretches for hockey goalies.
First things first, just a reminder to check out Monday’s post if you want to get a free copy of the Rapid Response Training system for putting in about 3-minutes of work.
Now to the business at hand – I had a question from Trev who checked out a few of the blogs that I recommended earlier this week. He was over at Kevin Neeld’s site where he had outlined a post-game stretching routine for hockey players. It is a really good article and worth a read. Trevor was wondering if the same stretching routine would work for goalies or if there were some stretches I recommend.
How to win a copy of the Rapid Response Goalie Training System
Sorry for the second post this week and it is only MONDAY! – but I wanted to tell you about a way that you can get a FREE copy of the Rapid Response Goalie Training system. This is the first of two contests that I am running this month, so if you don’t qualify for this one, don’t worry, you will qualify for the next one! Read on to learn more about it.
Read this Top 10 List if you want to marry a Brazilian model.
Bet that subject line got your attention! It was not just a ploy to make you open this either – it was the actual subject of a blog that I follow regularly. I did not read this post because since the blog is written by Tim Ferris, I assumed he was interested in marrying a female Brazilian model. I happen to like boys, so this does not seem like pertinent info for me. Then I thought, well maybe he has lessons for marrying female and/or male Brazilian models, but I don’t really go for guys in speedos so that puts it on the back burner too. Add to that the fact that I am already married to a guy who is a way better catch than any Brazilian underwear model and I had to shut this one down. But it may still interest some of you, so here is my top 10 list of blogs that you may wish to check out:
This is better for your abs than crunches.
As promised, today I am sharing with you the exercise that gets 5-10 times more rectus abdominus (six pack muscles) activation with less stress on your spine when compared to the old school crunch. It is tough – click below to see the video:
How many hockey players are making this core training mistake.
Paul & I were lucky enough to be in Toronto over the weekend – unfortunately the Leafs were in Montreal (losing again) so we did not get to see a hockey game. I attended a great course on spinal stability with Dr. Stuart McGill. I know most of you are thinking that sounds about a stimulating as watching paint dry, but for a geek like me – that is the sort of thing that gives me goosebumps!
I learned a ton over the weekend and I hope I don’t bore you by bombarding you with facts about core training over the next little while. Check out the video (by following the ‘Read More’ link) to learn about an exercise that lots of hockey players (and trainers) still use thinking they are building core strength (or a six pack) which only actually gives about 10-20% activation of the rectus abdominus and puts some extra wear and tear on the lower back.
It’s LIVE! Rapid Response Goalie Training
This has been in the works since August and now it is finally ready to go! Go get it right now if you would like to save $30 ( if you would rather not save $30, then wait a few hours!) Get it here – http://www.rapidresponsegoalietraining.com/wordpress (you may need to cut and paste this url into your browser)
Cheers,
Maria