Train like a Champion - Olympic Hockey Gold

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!