As hockey players, remaining in shape is important to your overall gameplay. If you feel about this, you are on the ice mere minutes throughout a game, which means you absolutely need to bring your best. While leg strength can be quite important, cardio is usually left out when it comes to training, but it's essential. We asked the team at Hockey Pursuits for aerobic workouts you should supplment your exercise routine which is the things they said.
To begin with, cardio
exercises ought to be divided into traditional cardio, HIIT (high intensity
interval training workouts) exercises, and metabolic sprints.
Traditional Cardio
The tried and tested
cardio methods are what's going to improve endurance to ensure that you give the
best at the beginning of a game and all the way until the end of the game. Cardio
increases your lung function, enabling you to breathe easily to have an hour of
gameplay. While running might be the first cardio exercise that people think
of, there are other cardio exercises that may have similar results without the
impact.
Cardio exercises
include:
- Running
- Rowing Machine
- Stationary
Bike - Stair Climbing
HIIT
HIIT is cardio in which you alternate periods of high intensity
with periods of low intensity. Normally, it's four minutes of intense
workouts combined with three minutes of recovery, but you may also do lower
amounts, for example two minutes of high intensity and a minute of recovery. There
are even some schools of thought that recommend doing high intensity for 25
minutes then resting for Ten seconds after which going again. The effect that's
different with HIIT workouts is you might find results quicker than with
traditional cardio and it is also good for your metabolism. Most traditional
workouts could be converted into HIIT workouts, but it's easier with a few exercises
more than others.
HIIT exercises
include:
- Treadmill
(Walking and running) - Stationary
Bike - Outdoor Track
(Running and Walking) - Rowing Machine
- Elliptical
Machine - Swimming
Metabolic Sprints
Metabolic sprints
make reference to specific kind of running workouts. This kind of training is perfect to
do before the next hockey season starts. Metabolic exercises incorporate a variety
of sprints for different intervals and distances. Ideally, you want to do
each movement in a intense for around 30 seconds to some minute then give
yourself the same amount of time to recovery. These workouts focus on all of
your quads, which is different than the more traditional exercises.
The different sprints
include:
- Straight
Sprints - Side Shuffling
- Skipping
- Backpedalling
Other Details
As is the case with any workout, you must ensure that you warm up and funky down properly. A great warm up should last about five minutes as well as your cool down ought to be the same. Your warm up should include minor cardio with light stretching. You will need to be sure to stretch thoroughly after your exercise routine too to help ward off any soreness.
Most cardio workouts
need to be no less than 30 minutes in order to assist you to reach your purpose, but
you might want to build up to longer workouts in case your goal would be to have a good
quantity of stamina to last throughout the game. If you HIIIT workout has short
intervals, you will find that you've trouble reaching the 30 minute goal,
simply because you're exhausted. That's ok as well. You can work up to being
capable of working out for extended periods of time.
Before you begin any
workout, ensure that you talk to your physician to make certain that the
workout that you're choosing is protected for you to do.
