I got this question from one of the hockey players who follows my online business – HockeyTrainingPro.com – here’s what he said…

I am a goaltender just trying to make sure I’m doing enough. I work out 6 days a week with three being legs/abs and three being arms and upper chest. My workouts usually last about 30/35 minutes, consisting of about 13-15 exercises and they are quite intense, resulting in me dripping in sweat. I started to follow a Henrik Lundqvist style workout and it has payed off. I diet very well cutting out all junk foods and soda. I have lost 25 lbs so far this summer and am pushing myself harder than ever before. I will be joining a (US) Division I high school this year as a junior, but it is making me paranoid even though I am out working my peers. I Roller Blade for over an hour each day usually and play on the ice for an hour and a half three days a week. I have a Fitbit and average about 150 active minutes a day along with over 15,000 steps a day and I always complete my goals. I have a one day recovery period each week and have missed my workout overall 4 times this summer due to vacation. I know I’m working to my potential, I just seem to be a little paranoid. Any thoughts?

2015-07-28 16.50.28So let’s start with the good.  Here’s what I like about his approach…

  • He is consistent, he does not skip workout days
  • He is working hard
  • He has cleaned up his nutrition
  • He takes a full day of rest each week

Those are all great habits that will help him throughout his hockey career and even with his other life pursuits.

Now let’s look at what could be better…

  • His measure of a good workout is that he is dripping in sweat (not always the case)
  • He has an “arms and upper chest day” – – just the upper chest?  what about the lower chest 😉
  • He worries more about volume than quality
  • My guess is that he is not feeling as great on the ice as he expected and that is why he is worried
  • I don’t see any specific speed or stamina work mentioned
  • 13-15 exercises in a 30-minute gym workout – that is a lot.  That gives him under two minutes to do all his sets of each exercise.
  • He is following a “Henrik Lundvist style workout”…but he is not the King, he needs a program for his level.

So there are some of the good and the “needs improvement”.

He is doing the best he can and it is not awful (that upper chest thing gets me) – but we all know it could be much, much better.  The main problem is that he is not following a system and he lacks the knowledge to build a proper system for himself.

Would you build your own car?

Some of you probably would – and a few of you would make pretty good ones I expect.  But the rest of us – if we even got the thing running – would be rattling around in death traps with questionable breaks and sketch structural stability.

In short, it would be ridiculous for us to even try when we can go out and buy a car that already works.

Your training program is the same.

For an athlete it is not enough to “do something everyday”.  If you are going for general fitness, then that is a good place to start, but not for an athlete.

It is also not enough to work hard so you are dripping with sweat.  If you are working hard on the wrong things, then you are just speeding your way toward a downward spiral in performance.

Why not chose a proven plan?

We all know there are awful trainers out there, but there are also very good ones.  So find the best one in your area (if you live near London, ON – that is naturally Revolution Conditioning ;)).

The one who actually gets results for athletes in your sport.  Then don’t just blindly sign up with them – interview them.  Ask them about their training philosophy and their system.

They should have no trouble explaining both.  If they take offence that you are asking them questions about their systems of if their answer is “look, it just works – it worked with this guy, that guy and the other guy” – – then leave and never go back.

Ask about their guarantee.  Will you get your money back if you are not seeing results in the first 30-days?  You should.

Or find someone you trust online and follow their plan exactly.

I offer tons of free workouts, articles, videos over at HockeyTrainingPro.com and my friend Kevin Neeld does the same on his site www.KevinNeeld.com – we also both offer done-for-you programs that you can download and follow along.

Very simple solutions.

Even if you were building your own car, I would feel a lot better getting in the passenger seat if I knew you had downloaded a proven plan from the interwebz and even better still if you had a great mechanic check up on what you were doing a couple times per week and keep you on track.

There is no excuse for not having a solid, proven training program that will develop with you to get you from where you are now to where you have the potential to go.

Work hard.

Train smart.

No excuses.

Cheers,
M

PS – fall schedules are now open for NEW and returning RevCon athletes.  Mondays and Wednesdays are filling fast – still room on Tuesday and Thursday.