Hockey Speed Training for 40+

Okay, this one is for the beer league gang.  I get lots of emails from hockey players looking for ways to improve their fitness, strength and speed, but I have had quite a few requests lately from self-proclaimed “Beer League’ers” looking to improve their hockey speed.  In my exclusive online training group I have some players who are over 40 years of age and I find that they are even more disciplined with their training than some of the younger players who are still trying to play junior or get a scholarship, thus this special article for you.

I firmly believe that age is a number, however there are a few places where the risk of certain off-ice training drills outweigh the benefits.  I am specifically thinking of sprint training, like going to the track and starting from a standstill then taking off at full speed for 40-50m.  Athletes who are not accustomed to this type of rapid contraction are susceptible to hamstring, hip flexor or achilles/calf strains.  Some of you may do sprint training without difficulty and that is great, keep going, but if you have not sprinted since the day you missed the bus to your freshman physics exam; don’t decide to start now.  It is something that you may build up to, but if you are looking to improve your hockey speed over the next three weeks, start with the workout below.

  • Bike or Stairmaster sprints
  • Perform a nice dynamic warm up and then pedal or step lightly for 3-5 minutes.
  • Sprint at 80-90% of your maximum speed for 10-15 seconds.  Use a very fast tempo, rather than cranking up the tension and grinding away at a slow speed.  So if you are on the bicycle go for over 100 rpms during your sprint.  Your legs need to learn how to move quickly.
  • Go easy for 45-50 seconds.
  • Repeat for 10-minutes.

Not only will this help you be faster on the ice, it will also improve your hockey endurance.  You will perform better and have more gas in your tank.
Enjoy!
Maria