Here is the truth about goalie exercises…
The actual exercise is not the most important factor contributing to your success on the ice.
Choosing the right exercises is important – that is what gets you the most bang for your buck while minimizing the wear and tear on your hips, knees, ankles and back.
The right exercise selection is what gets you a wider butterfly flare while actually improving the health of your hips rather than achieving the same goal at the EXPENSE of your hips and your long term durability.
Think of the goalies who actually get to the NHL only to become plagued by injury and disappear into oblivion.
What do many of them do then? They work harder. More squats, more sprints, more, more, more.
That is not the answer, even if they are doing the exact RIGHT exercises.
The #TRUTH is that exercise selection is important, but the magic is in finding the right combination.
- Doing the right amount of stretching – how much is enough – four times per week? Four times per day? (HINT: at least once per day five days per week)
- Finding the right number of sets and reps in the gym – should you go heavy with your hips or stay light and do lots of reps. (HINT: stabilizers need stamina, prime movers need strength and power).
- How much stamina work should you do compared to pure speed work? (HINT: they cannot be trained at the same time and the mixture depends on the time of year. In-season 2:1 speed to stamina. Off-season 1:1 speed to stamina).
So when you see an exercise posted online that INSERT YOUR FAVE GOALIE does for his off-ice training and decide to incorporate it into your own training program, make sure you ask yourself – what is this exercise actually training; stability, mobility, strength, speed, stamina? Then adjust the volume and intensity accordingly so you can actually get the benefit.
Hope that helps you fine-tune your training so you can win more games with fewer injuries.
If this make no sense and only confuses you, I’m sorry – sometimes I geek out on this stuff.
If you want it all done for you, so you just need to follow along step-by-step training plan then you will probably fall in LOVE with that new plan I put together for you.
Cheers,
M
M
PS – don’t feel bad if this confused you and made no sense – I have been at this for over 20 years, studied it in University for 6-years. You don’t need to know it all – I’m here for you to separate the fact from fiction.