How Should I Strength Train Leading Up to Training Camp?

Mike Potenza

The month of August begins the final training phase that prepares hockey players for training camp and the upcoming season. As we get closer to the start of rookie camp and Veterans training camp we transition to more on-ice conditioning and off-ice strength circuits. There is an emphasis on increasing workloads and reducing rest periods during both, conditioning and strength training. Our strength training sessions are made up Complexes and Circuit Training which help to develop work capacity and strength endurance. The goal is to physically acclimate the players to workloads they will experience during training camp. If athletes do not prepare themselves for these high-workloads then there is a major potential for injury.

This article outlines specific workouts that I prescribe in San Jose for our final phase (work capacity) leading up to training camp. I will also discuss how we blend on-ice training with work capacity training to help further prepare your players for skating and practice volumes.

It is debatable as to what strength qualities you should develop leading up to training camp. The football world has taught us that performance testing is traditionally done the week before training camp. Football testing commonly measures not only speed and metabolic conditioning, but max strength as well. Max Strength assessment comes in the form of 1rm testing the Olympic lifts and or traditional power lifts. I do not totally disagree with this thought process. You should safely determine your athletes max strength abilities either by safely testing 1rm's or safely testing their 5rm. My concern is that if you schedule "max strength" performance testing one week prior to training camp then your program will prepare the athletes for 1rm-type testing and not work capacity development. Essentially you are teaching the body to handle heavy loads and low volume with full rest periods and you are not preparing the athlete for the intensity, duration, and work volume of training camp.

When developing my off-season training progressions I first determine what our training camp start date is then work backwards to the beginning of the off-season. August is a month not only to develop work capacity, but it's a month where we begin skating. I simultaneously increase skating volume along with work capacity training loads from the second week of August to the second week of September (generally 1 week before training camp begins). July is a time to develop max strength, speed strength, and power qualities. There is no skating scheduled during this month so our athletes can fully commit themselves to increasing strength qualities. June is our Corrective exercise and general physical preparation phase which sets the foundation for July's training.

Work Capacity Exercise Examples

Javorek's Dumbbell Complex # 1 Exercise:

Dumbbell Upright Row                  x 6
Dumbbell High Pull Snatch           x 6
Dumbbell Squat Push Press         x 6
Dumbbell Bent Over Row             x 6
Dumbbell High Pull Snatch           x 6

Javorek's Dumbbell Complex # 2 Exercise:

Dumbbell Upright Row                  x 3
Dumbbell High Pull Snatch          x 3
Dumbbell Squat Push Press        x 3
Dumbbell Bent Over Row             x 3
Dumbbell High Pull Snatch          x 3

Javorek's Barbell Complex # 1. Exercise:

Barbell Upright Row                                            x 6
Barbell High Pull Snatch                                    x 6
Barbell Behind the Head Squat Push Press   x 6
Barbell Behind the Head Good Morning         x 6
Barbell Bent Over Row                                      x 6
Barbell High Pull Snatch                                    x 6

Javorek's Barbell Complex # 2 Exercise:

Barbell Upright Row                                              x 3
Barbell High Pull Snatch                                      x 3
Barbell Behind the Head Squat Push Press     x 3
Barbell Behind the Head Good Morning            x 3
Barbell Bent Over Row                                         x 3
Barbell High Pull Snatch                                      x 3

*** Perform in a non-stop, continuous order as listed above for 3 sets of each. ***

Sharks Bar Complex ~ x3 sets

Snatch x5
High Pull x8
RDL x8
Row x8
Front Squat x10
Split Squat x8each side
Push-Press x10
Push-Up // Scap push-up x15+12

Sharks DB Complex ~ x3 sets

DB Snatch x5
DB Front Squat to Press x10
DB Row x8
DB RDL x8
Nordic Skiers x10
Alternating Step-Ups x8each side
High Pull x10
Push-Up // Scap push-up x15+12

Leg Circuit x3sets

OH Jump Squat x10
Single Leg Squats x8 each side
Lateral Step-In Squat x8each side
Transverse Lunge x6each side

Push-Up Circuit x3sets

Left staggered Right x5
Right staggered Left x5
Rotational Push-Up x5each side
DB Row Push-Up x5each side

Hip Extension Circuit

1 Leg hip bridge March x10each side
Slideboard Leg Curl x10
Reverse Hyper, Sprinter style x8

If you believe in the concept of utilizing circuits and complexes for training camp preparation you need to also consider how to "blend" weight training and skating together. I take the approach of increase skating volume and intensity as we get closer to camp and decreasing off-ice metabolic conditioning as we get closer to camp. We begin our "Captain's ice" sessions in the second week of August, four days per week. Three weeks out from training camp we go to five days of Captain's ice per week. The above circuits and complexes are combined with our on-ice metabolic training in the form of sprints, specific skating patterns, stops and starts, turning drills and specific puck work drills. With the program structured this way, strength endurance and work capacity are addressed off-ice and the majority of metabolic conditioning is addressed on-ice.

Mike Boyle talks about how his players at BU embraced the team workout concept by making the environment competitive. That completive environment also brought the team closer because they spent time training in a physically demanding environment. Players were motivated to work because they saw their teammate working to a higher level. The training environment you create, weather it is competitive and hard working, or lazy and lacking commitment, is contagious! The Work Capacity circuits we perform as a team from late August to the beginning of September allow us to have both a competitive training environment and a "chemistry building" training environment. Fostering this environment has made our group function as a tighter unit on the ice and off the ice.

When designing your off-season program start by looking at what phase of training you will finish with and work backwards. To reduce the potential for injury during training camp prepare your athletes with work capacity circuits that save time and space as well as mimic the workload demands and intensity associated with training camp practice.