What are you doing during the season to make yourself not only a better hockey player but a better athlete? If your answer only consists of hockey practice, games, and mandatory dryland training, that is not enough. Too many players work hard during the off-season only to drop their weight training during the season. You will lose much of the athletic gains that you made during the off-season if you do this. The goal of in season training is to maintain the foundation that you built during the off-season and to stay healthy.
In order to succeed in sports, it should be a top priority to work hard in the off-season. Getting bigger, stronger, faster, and more explosive will not only give an athlete more confidence, it will set them apart from the competition. Off-season training is very important when it comes to maximizing the performance of an athlete during the season. However, one important aspect of training that is just as important as off-season training is in-season training.
In-season training plays a crucial role in an athletes’ performance.
Let me make this clear, In-season training is NOT the same as Off-Season Training. The goal of In-Season training should be to keep players healthy, strong, and on the field. Maintaining an athletes’ strength during their season should be a main focus. When an athlete loses strength, they also lose speed, power, and acceleration. When those aspects of training are lost, the risk of injury goes up, and their performance goes down.
Continue to Train.
One thing I urge all athletes to do is to continue training during the season. Taking an entire season off from training would result in a loss of all of their results. There would be a loss of muscle mass, the athlete will feel weaker, and will eventually lose a significant amount of weight due to the rigors of the long sports season. Simply put, all of the hard work that was put in goes to waste. It is highly recommended that athletes of all ages train at least 1-2 times per week during their season.
The workouts performed in the off-season will not be the same ones that are performed during the season. Most of the exercise variations that are performed in both phases will be similar, however, the sets, reps, intensity, and the volume will be different.
The in-season program should not hinder the athletes’ play on the field or ice, nor lead to overtraining.
Optimal Recovery is the name of the game during the season. The most important day during the season is gameday, and the programming is designed to help an athlete perform at their best on those days. In-season training will help athletes recover quicker and stay fresh throughout the season. Self-Myofascial Release, Mobility, Flexibility, and Stability exercises should be staples to the in-season programming to ensure an athletes’ recovery for their games. The workouts should be auto-regulated on a case-by-case basis. The in-season training program should be developed for each athlete depending on what their game schedule looks like, and any aches and pains they get from the long season. This will help maximize recovery and performance.
What is done in the weight room should only enhance and compliment what is going on the ice. Commit to training year round and the results will show with the performance on the ice.
As always feel free to reach out at any time if you have any questions on your in season training program. Jacob.alberts@irgpt.com
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