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Building Elite Hockey Performance: A 5-Phase Off-Season Training Plan · FitMitTuro Fitness Podcast

• 1:15
  Hey and welcome back to fit me through a fitness podcast. If you are hockey player or a coach, this one is for you. So today I'm sharing the exact off ice training blueprint I used to help hockey athletes to pick at the right time, just as the on season begins in late summer. So this is we are talking about strength, speed, stamina and the right kind of mobility work to stay healthy and sharp. So if you are starting off vice training in April or May, this episode gives you a structured, athlete centered roadmap that builds performance step by step.
• 1:57
  So this is, this is exact blueprint what I'm using with my ISO key players to make sure that they are working on all elements. And of course, this is just a blueprint. There's always individual variations that apply for individual calls, what you are working towards. But as a blueprint, this has been working very, very well. Within the past years, I have been doing it myself, with my athletes and feet. Have feedback has been just amazing. So because this is something like I, if you know a little bit about me, I used to be a isob player, professional myself too, but at the time it was working out of of off season, off high season, in a summer season workouts we were doing even I was lucky to be in Finland, where was at the time was education was very good. I was lucky to work with the one of the best strength coaches I have had. We had a jacole Arvi is a former great lifter who was actually doing making a world record. And I really learned a lot. But at the time we unfortunately, at of course, at the time, there was not so much science. It was more like kind of knowledge, what you used for weightlifting, and then you did the basically the same workouts, then you use in in a regular gym course or or just to build strength. And obviously you were building strength, but it was not specified for ice hockey and what it needs. Of course, there was something, but things have changed so much, and it was at the time nobody talked about mobility, work or recovery or it was kind of doing everything, what you need, because sports like ice hockey, it's a very difficult sport to train because there is so many things you need, and because you need a pure strength, you need speed, you need conditioning, you need skills. So there is, there is all kind of elements what you need, but the and the problem is that if you try to train everything at the same time. It won't be it's not the most effective way to try to do everything. It changes little bit when you go on season training because you don't have because main focus is on your games and recovery. So at the during the season, you kind of try to do everything little bit, and at least to maintain everything, because making progress is not, it's not, it's not. The main focus is on games and and making progress is getting harder, but at least to maintain everything so. So this is this episode I'm reading, giving you that road map how to create that periodization and why it matters. So because that random workouts, they don't build that elite performance.
• 5:16
  And office training needs to have a clear, clear progression, and so you have to, first step is always building the base.
• 5:29
  Then you kind of, you try to add complexity, what is usually it's on on ice, like those specific skills, what you need on the ice. And then next step is converting that strength, what you have built into speed and then kind of putting in the end that conditioning, what you will be needing on games. So when hugging season starts, usually it's in at least here in Europe, it's in August, September, and you want to feel fast, explosive and ready for repeat shifts, not just being fit, but powerful.
• 6:06
  So, so this is I have built a five phase of ice blueprint, so I'm going to break down the monthly focus for each phase and for how you can structure your weeks. So first is always where I like to start. Like, of course, there are different kind of approaches, but this is what I have seen, that as is working the best, and that this is blueprint what we are going to use as I'm, I'm a strength and conditioning coach for women's national hockey team, women's national hockey team, Italian.
• 6:47
  And we are preparing for Olympics. We have big year coming up. So Olympic Games in in Milano Cortina. So home Olympics for athletes, and we are going to start in beginning of May. And so if you are someone who is starting in April already, this is more or less the same principles. Of course, those times might be a little bit different, but this is the blueprint what we are going to use also preparing for the Olympics. So like I said, Of course there will be some individual variations based on goals. What you what each individual have. But basics are going to be the same. So first phase is always strength phase.
• 7:35
  So focus is going to be on heavy lifting, like just the basic exercises, exercises, quads, dead lifts, presses and repetitions are in this phase are low. Rest is long. And usually what I like to use is that you you're going to have three lift days and two to three mobility days. Because what is the disadvantage with the strength is that always it makes you kind of a little bit stiff, and mobility work is then keeping your like joints more kind of that you have the greater range of motion and and that also that you are not losing all your all your movement patterns or or those that that you are not getting too stiff, because there is often, like when you are lifting heavy, that you start to feel that now I, I don't I, you get stronger, obviously, but then At the same time we you don't want to sacrifice that flexibility and mobility from your joints and from your muscles so and plus also mobility, work is a amazing tool to keep your recovery. Because I used to be like that more, working harder.
• 9:05
  That was, that is, and that is the kind of attitude for what I see that many huggy players still have that you have to work out, you have to be exhausted after the workout. Or good workout means that you are feeling tired after and and especially this is often what I hear from feedback when you go, when you do heavy lifts, focusing on strength and building that basics, that workouts, they don't feel you are not exhausted. You have long rest period, and you need to have that long rest period, because if you don't have that rest period, then it means that you can't you could be using heavier weights, and that is like just for especially for women, women's side, women are little bit different than men in this side, like most of the women, they don't have, they don't want to take those rest times because they think that why I suggest I'm I'm okay to go for the next set. I don't need that long rest. And that is exactly the mistake, because if you don't take that long rest you are not able to use as heavy weights as you would be able to use if you take that longer rest time, and that is the hardest thing to do for hockey players like I used to be the same like and especially women they are, many of them are scared of using heavy weights. And if you are not pushing yourself hard enough, you are not going to see as good progression as you would see when you push yourself harder, take longer, rest and then repeat it. So that is, that is the basics for the beginning and then the next phase, kind of phase two, what? What is like, if this plan is starting in April, next phase would be then in May. And that is what I like to call is a three, three basic strength. So it means that it's you have a kind of only two weeks focusing on different kind of elements of strength. So week one and two are isometric holds.
• 11:15
  So for example, post quads or holding that weight in the in the middle of the pull pulling exercises. And then week three and four are concerned concentric power, so fast lifts, lower reps, so and that is that is a great time to focus on controlled intensity. And goal with this phase is to teach your body to absorb and produce force efficiently. So then, then we move to June, and that is kind of what I call multi planner strength. So it means that you are able to move in all directions, like in a hockey you have to be able to perform in all kind of directions. It's not just moving forward, you have to move sideways in different angles and and, but you have to also inter include those kind of exercises into your strength program. So exercises like lunges, all kind of with rotation, single arm presses, because how the you are playing it, you have to use a very much kind of single joint exercises, because you are not that. That was the mistake. What we did in the past, it was just focusing on heavy purple lifts and using using bench presses, two leg squats, uh, dead lifts. But if you think like a ice hockey as a sport, it's you are you are going to play with the you are basically never using two legs at the same time. You are not you're using always other hand more than the other one. And so that's why you have to be able to move to all directions and quickly. So in this phase, it means that you have a higher reps, so you have more balance and more control and adding kind of stick mobility and core work.
• 13:22
  So because the goal is to become strong in hockey relevant planes. So that is, that is kind of the tune frame, tune phase.
• 13:32
  And that is often what is what you don't you are kind of building that basis in the beginning. And then when you move to July, and it's getting closer to that, when you go on the ice, it's time that you start to build that speed and power. So it means that fast lifts, sword sprints, medical ball throws, and all kind of Olympic lift variations, push ups, so all kind of fast stuff.
• 14:04
  And usually volumes are lower, more rest and but intensity is all out, so it means very short trips, but with the really, really high intensity and long breaks. So this is, this is also I gotta tell story from myself, like, Why was I was never the fastest player myself, and probably the problem was that I knew that I need to train more speed and more sprints and kind of all jumps and stuff like that. But now I understand as a coach that at the time there was like a longer rest time, like a two minute rest. But then when I was doing sprint, I was like just a short print sprint, let's say 1020, meters, and then you know you are back, and you feel you are as a hockey player, I was used to like, I know almost all hockey players are that it have to feel that you are getting tired. So of course, I skipped the rest. And basically did those prints because I just wanted to finish my workout and and, of course, now, when I with the knowledge I have now, I think back I was like that, no wonder that you didn't get faster when you skip the rest, because the that's the that's the biggest mistake. What I see is that because you need, if you if you work like a higher reps, and what kind of circuit you broke on your condition, rest is not important. That is time to push, but when you work on maximum strength, when you work on speed, in those phases, you need to have that longer rest time, and it's kind of counterproductive. What is the mindset of happy player? Because you think that those are kind of easiest phases, but that is the time when you should be focusing on quality over quantity and intensity. So don't try to make those workouts feel that you are tired. Because if you feel if your focus is to improve your speed, and you feel tired after you didn't work on your speed, so that that is, that is always something to remember that, and it's the hardest one, because you at least for me, when I was a hockey player, when I work for speed, it's kind of boring to wait and think that I could be doing something else if you want to do something else, keep that rest. Add some mobility. Work during your break, during the time between exercises, because that is something you can always be doing. So it's not that you are wasting time when you have 2345, minute rest, because that was the funny story. Was when I was in in gymnasium in back home in Finland, and we had a different athletes. They were like a sprinters, who were doing athletics and hockey players.
• 17:07
  And we were like, we were looking how they were, of course, it was interesting to see how other sports are training. And they were doing, like, one sprint, resting, talking five minutes. And we were as a hockey players, used to work really intense and feeling pirate, exhausted after workout. And when we were looking those Adley like sprinters, they were doing one sprint, doing so long stretch, I was like, how the hell they are practicing that this is nothing, this is wasting time, that they don't do basically anything. And we, instead, we did some circuits and worried, sourced it after the workout. But now if I think that, if my goal would be they, obviously they knew what they were doing, but and we didn't know that much. So if I think now that I would be an athlete who likes to improve their speed, and I just go 20 meter sprint, walk back or not to sprint, walk back. And that is the hardest part as a coach, too, to have that patience and trust what you are actually doing, because it's so easy to not take that enough rest time and then just do sprint, sprint, sprint, sprints, because you are maybe you don't have that much time or whatever, but you need to have because it have to be that you have to perform with the highest possible intensity.
• 18:30
  Otherwise it's it won't be. You won't work on your speed. So be explosive and reactive, and think first step is going to be speed. So that is usually what I like to use in in July. So first, kind of three phases, is building the basics and strength, and then kind of adjusting that speed, or that strength, what you have gained, to into speed. And then in August, when when season is getting closer, it's time, then to stimulate kind of that is fatigue. So that's the time.
• 19:11
  What I like to use for using like kind of circuits, if you have access to slits, interval runs, and maintaining that strength with two times per week, but lower volume. And our goal is in this phase is to begin to peak that repeats wind ability and mental toughness before the pre season starts.
• 19:36
  And what is the probably the most underlooked thing, what most people are not doing is to always include mobility and recovery. So no matter what phase you are, you need to have mobility days and and kind of stick work, those 9094, especially for hips, which are often, at least for me and many athletes I see ice hockey, it's so one sided sport. So you will have some often issues on on that your body is not exactly the same because it's always or most of the time, it's more one rotation than the other side and and to balance that your body, that it's not like in tennis, that if you you are repeating same movements. Or figure skater, figure skaters are good example.
• 20:35
  Also they they are doing lot of some sprints, but always on the same side, so you are not doing both sides. And that's why it's so important to keep your body balanced and and of course, otherwise you will have some problems. You might have some injuries. And that mobility work, you have to include it into your plan and in each phase. And good thing is, with mobility is that you can, you can do it basically anytime. So there is no it doesn't matter how hard your workout is. You can always do after mobility because it only helps you to recover faster. It doesn't matter you. Those are great exercises to include for your warm ups. If you work on speed or maximum strength, you can add mobility exercises into your if you have, if you feel that those breaks or pause between the exercises is too long and you don't want to get that to take so long, rest at some mobility exercise there, like, for example, you can work on your wrist, hips, shoulder mobility, whatever, whatever you need to work on. But those are, if you don't want to take like at least I feel always when I practice myself that I now. I have recently, I have included one mobility, day only mobility, but often is that that feels like that it need to be something more. But then often those are things that when you do them, you feel so much better, you are able to perform better. And it's something goes ultimately, if you think like that, what it it doesn't matter how strong you are, if you don't have that mobility in your joints, you don't get that all power out from your body. So that's why, why it matters. It's for example, if you lack mobility from your hips and your skating, you are not getting that full range of motion. So it doesn't matter how strong, how fast you are, if you don't get your strikes stripes with full range of motion. So it's very simple way to act speed at next element into your game when you can use full range of motion. So, so those are kind of before workouts. Great things to do, like rotation speed activations.
• 23:07
  Activate, Activate, activation drills. So making circles that is also like for your telling what you are telling to your nervous system to see if there is some underlying issues which might cause that you are getting insert. So because if you get insert and volumes are too high, you don't include proper warm ups, proper mobility work. It's it doesn't matter how good your program is, if you are getting insert. So this kind this small sessions, keeps you healthy and increase quality of your lifts and movement. So that's, that's kind of the plan, kind of faces, what I'm using, of course, single exercises. There is so many examples. So this is a kind of weekly structure, what it could be in in the beginning of the season. So example could be Monday, heavy lifts for lower body. Tuesday, it could be mobility and and core workouts.
• 24:14
  Wednesday, upper body strength.
• 24:20
  And Thursday could be light conditioning training. Friday, full body and lot of carries. So you get the core work and Saturday, Sunday, optional recovery or rest day. So that would be mobility work, something, so you are resting.
• 24:38
  So this is, this is kind of, kind of structure. A little bit, how it how it would work, and to be before perform your best in September. Your training needs from April needs to needs that structure and progression. So don't train everything at once.
• 25:06
  Train the right things at the right time, so I have that. I have created full plan. And if you want weekly workouts for each phase, just simply email me, Turo at fit me turo.com and let's check let's chat. If I can help you with your planning. So talk to you soon, and thank you so much for listening. So, and never forget. Train Smart and skate heart. Keep smiling.