Aren’t the Olympics inspiring! The drive and determination of the athletes is untouchable! And what about TWO Olympic Gold Medals in hockey!

I am very fortunate to have trained the University of Alberta’s Pandas Hockey team on the bike. Talk about dedicated athletes! They hoot and holler and push themselves to the limit just like our Olympic athletes. Here is a hockey inspired drill that I use when they are on the bikes.

Start by splitting the group into three groups.

1.       Defense

2.       Wingers

3.       Goalies and Centres

Group 1 participants/players work hard (i.e., 100% effort) for 30 seconds pounding the pedals just like a shift in hockey. The other two groups recover for 60 seconds just like sitting on the bench waiting for their next shift. Group 2 follows with their 30 seconds followed by Group 3. The work to rest ratio is 1:2. Resistance and cadence should match Power drills. And rest between each stage of the drill should be between 2-5 minutes.

Stage One (6 minutes):

Each group completes Seated Power for 30 seconds X4

Stage Two (6 minutes):

Each group completes Standing Power for 30 seconds X4

Stage Three (9 minutes):

Each group completes Seated Power for 45 seconds X4

Stage Four (9 minutes):

Each group completes Standing Power for 45 seconds X4

For each player, this would equal 16 shifts on the ice, which is close to the number of shifts a player would play in a typical game. Depending on participants’/players’ fitness level, adding or removing a stage may be necessary.

If you want to train like a world class hockey player, try this drill out!

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Fingers Crossed!

Valentine’s Day is a time for Love.  Here is my Valentine’s Day themed cycle playlist that I use to spark a little Love in the air. Please note that the Love songs are sequenced to start with a warm-up, followed by cardiovascular component, and a cool-down. The beats per minute are estimates.

If You Had My Love/Jennifer Lopez (110 bpm)

Sunshine of Your Love/Eric Clapton (120 bpm)

Love Song/Sky  (120 bpm)

Fast Love/George Michael (120 bpm)

The Love You Save/The Jackson 5 (120 bpm)

Like I Love You/Justin Timberlake feat. Clipse (120 bpm)

Love Train/The O’Jays (130 bpm)

Love Shack/B-52’s (133 bpm)

As Long as you Love Me (Soul Solution Mix)/Backstreet Boys (140 bpm)

The Love Scene (Henry Street Remix)/Joe (140 bpm)

Lay All Your Love on Me/ABBA (140 bpm)

She Loves You Ya Ya Ya/ The Beatles (140 bpm)

Love Train/Big and Rich (140 bpm)

You Give Love a Bad Name/Bon Jovi (140 bpm)

Lovefool/Cardigans (140 bpm)

It’s Love/Train (140 bpm)

Shot of Love/AC/DC (145 bpm)

Jungle Love/Steve Miller Band (145 bpm)

Hello, I Love You/The Doors (130 bpm)

Baby, I Love Your Way/Big Mountain (80 bpm)

This Year’s Love/David Gray (70 bpm)

Check out iTunes for the songs listed above or look to see what Love songs are in your music collection!