| If you are one of those players who just gets off the | | | | you are training yourself into a muscular imbalance. |
| sofa once or twice a week to go play hockey, then | | | | You know what happens when you skid into a curb |
| you can stop reading right now. This article is for | | | | and knock your wheels out of alignment (not that any |
| athletes who take their hockey seriously, regardless of | | | | of us have ever done that)? Your gas mileage |
| their age, then are always trying to sharpen their | | | | (efficiency) drops and the wheel bearings on that side |
| game. The hockey players I am talking to right now | | | | are going to wear out way quicker (wear and tear). |
| are the ones who perform some supplemental off-ice | | | | The exact same thing happens when you overwork |
| training to support their on-ice performance. | | | | your chest and neglect your mid-back. Luckily this |
| Okay, now that we are rid of the sofa surfers, let's | | | | problem is easily corrected; just match your muscle |
| talk off-ice training. Today the focus is on your | | | | groups. |
| strength training, whether you go to the gym, workout | | | | If you perform a horizontal pushing exercise like a |
| in the basement or do push-ups on your bedroom | | | | bench press, then balance it with a horizontal pulling |
| floor. There is one common mistake that I saw hockey | | | | exercise like a one arm dumbbell row, bilateral bent |
| players make over and over again when I worked as | | | | over dumbbell row, bent over barbell row, reverse grip |
| the exercise specialist at a sport medicine clinic in | | | | barbell row, standing cable row or seated cable row - |
| Canada. I saw lots of hockey players coming in with | | | | you get the idea. |
| sore shoulders, often it was a tendonitis as the result | | | | If you perform a vertical pushing exercise like a |
| of an impingement. Regardless of the actual source of | | | | shoulder press, then include an equal number of sets |
| the pain, these players often shared a common cause; | | | | for your vertical pulling exercises. Vertical pulling |
| forgetting that they have a backside. | | | | exercises include: chin ups, pull ups, wide grip lat |
| What do I mean by that? I mean, they forget that | | | | pulldown or reverse grip lat pulldown. |
| there are muscles in the mid-back as well as the | | | | Hockey players have enough going on when they are |
| muscles of the chest. It is common to train the 'mirror | | | | on the ice, so don't create injuries for yourself off the |
| muscles' more than the back side, but if your pushing | | | | ice. Balance your strength training workouts to save |
| exercises are not equal to your pulling exercises, then | | | | your shoulders and improve your performance. |