I have been working with higher-level hockey athletes for the past 15 years. They drafted two into the NHL, while others gained scholarships to ivy league colleges. These are not flukes who are good at skates. Most of them are above the norm and have a lot more talent than a basic player does. I’m not taking anything away from the basic guys. I have zero talent or balance to skate like they do. Hockey is such a demanding sport that I am a fan of the sport. However, many kids come to me with the same issue: Speed or strength or both.

One young kid visited me with his dad. His dad came to me requiring that he increase his speed. I met with him, and we hit off quick. He was a quiet kid. Tall, kind of lanky, but strong. He was also very focused, and most of these guys have that same level of intensity. I guess it’s the eye of the tiger. I seldom see this in most people.

We started with his primary lifts: the squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press. I corrected his form first. Two weeks of me knowing he was ready to add weight and go for maximum effort, he hit respectable numbers.

Now the fun began. I programmed his first lifts. A variation for upper body (overhead press or bench press), the other a variation of lower body (squat or deadlift). These set the stage. He went for max weight on the final set for the compound lifts. Each week we did with different rep setups with variations of the squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press. The goal was to beat what we did last week. This is called the conjugate method, and it applies to many sports. This is just one way I’ve done it and I have provided a sample training week below. Programming is based on his hockey practice, his time management, and how much energy he has during the off season to meet his goals.

All athletes need a base of strength. Low reps, reasonably heavy weight, and explosiveness are crucial to any sport. Below is but one way to do this.

I could vary the reps or lift depending on what he felt like that day. We built up for how strong he is for that day. Stick with the variation for one to three weeks, depending on whether progress was made, and we did not make it progress. For three weeks, we would record a video of the weak area and focus on it. A supplemental or assistance lift is when we add a strength lift. These exercises would also be on the low rep side (but slightly higher), and multiple sets, with medium to heavy weight.  

Because hockey's is a lot of single limb strength, especially in the legs, the assistance work is a single limb exercise. After we completed the lifts, we did glute/core/hamstring work. Most athletes draw power from the glutes, core, and hamstrings. If he had a weaker upper body (or core), I would make him do some floor work and take the legs out of the exercise. For example, an overhead press easily becomes harder if you have them do a kneeling overhead press. Another strength exercise is the farmer's walk or heavy weighted carries. These can be done on the upper body's work and can twist that weakness into a strength. Finally, into a jumping or an explosive movement.

Last on the menu is a finisher, and we chose one for the day. This can be a weighted vest or sled push done as a sprint to emulate his hockey movement pattern; A heavy weighted carry for time, sled drags for sprints, or a tire flip. Anything that required a burst of speed was used. Once you build momentum on the ice in the initial movement, you are calling on your strength in the muscles to build up your force and ability to turn.

Finally, find the weakness and work on it. Don’t program hop and give the workout enough time to work, stay consistent, and try to add additional volume to each week. Added sets, added reps, added weight, or a slower tempo with the same weight as last week, just slowed down on either the concentric or eccentric portion of the lift are just some ways to add a challenge for the next workout.

Here is three day sample program for you to try.