WSBB Blog: Max Effort for Hockey

Tags: Maximal Effort Method, Conjugate Method, Accessories 

Time to Read: 3 min

As we have stated previously, the great thing about the conjugate method is its ability to be applied to any and all sports, leading to immediate gains in sport performance. Today, we will go over max effort training for the hockey player. As a hockey player, it is not only necessary to possess strength endurance as well as cardiovascular endurance to constantly move up and down the rink with speed, but it is also necessary to be able to exert maximum levels of strength as well.

Aside from the obvious benefits to being brute strong, improvement in maximal strength has the ability to increase resiliency and durability in an athlete. Given the high speed collisions and violence associated with hockey, these additional benefits can be extremely valuable. Additionally, being able to display maximum levels of strength will make for stronger passes, faster shots sent at the net, and violent body checks to set the tone on defense.

Below, we will go over a few workouts we suggest for both max effort lower and upper.

Max Effort Lower

When designing a conjugate program for a hockey player, it is obvious that a great deal of their sport depends on their ability to use their lower body to create power, speed, and balance. Knowing this, we would use exercises such as wide stance squats, box squats, and sumo deadlifts consistently. Bars would be switched out week to week for the squatting exercises, and deficits and block pulls would be used to modify the deadlift exercises.

Jump exercises would be utilized to warm up the athlete prior to max effort lower, ensuring that the nervous system is ready to go. Accessory work would not differ much from our powerlifters, considering the goal is the same, hypertrophy work used to grow new muscle tissue.

Max Effort Upper

For max effort upper, we would focus on building the upper back, shoulders, and triceps as much as possible. We would do this by selecting exercises such as the clean and press, standing overhead press, bench press, incline bench, push press, and hang cleans. Once again, these exercises should be performed for a top set single or triple.

Specialty bars would be rotated for bench press, and if accessible a log would be used occasionally for overhead pressing. Accessory work would include lateral raises and tricep work, while also focusing on developing strength and size in the biceps and forearms to aid in control and power when shooting or passing the puck.

We have said it before, and we will say it again, all sports can benefit from the use of the Westside Barbell Conjugate Method, and hockey is no different. With the level of customization allowed in conjugate programming, it becomes easy to tailor a program to fit any sport, or specific strength needs for the individual athlete. By utilizing the maximal effort method, a hockey player will become a faster skater, have a stronger wrist and slapshot, and be able to body check opponents and set the tone on the ice.

If you want to become the best hockey player you can become, you must choose the best strength training method available.