Hockey is a high-intensity sport demanding explosive sprints, powerful checks, and the ability to sustain repeated, all-out shifts. To excel, you must develop four key attributes: quick acceleration and agility, raw strength and power, anaerobic endurance for shift work, and aerobic fitness for recovery between shifts. A periodized training plan—where the year is broken into off-season, pre-season, and in-season phases—ensures you build each quality at the optimal time¹. Modern platforms like Pedestal even offer adaptive periodization that auto-adjusts to your progress and life’s interruptions².
Phase-Based Progression
Your main window for fitness gains is the off-season. Rather than random workouts, follow a structured sequence of mesocycles:
Post-Season Recovery (1–2 weeks)
Active rest with mobility work and light cardio to clear fatigue.
General Preparation (8–10 weeks)
Prioritize General Physical Preparedness (GPP) through hypertrophy-focused lifts (8–12 reps on squats, deadlifts, presses) and moderate-intensity aerobic work (running, cycling) to build a robust fitness base³.
Power & Anaerobic Conditioning (6–8 weeks)
Shift toward Olympic-style lifts (power cleans, push presses), plyometrics, and high-intensity intervals (shuttles, hill sprints) to convert strength into sport-specific power⁴.
Pre-Season Transition (2–4 weeks)
Emphasize on-ice or simulated game-intensity drills—short maximal sprints with brief rests—and taper lifting volume to maintenance levels, ensuring peak speed and power come training camp.
Sport-Specific & Injury-Preventive Exercises
Include rotational core work (medicine-ball throws) to boost shot velocity and throwing power², and targeted “prehab” drills (band external rotations, face pulls) to guard against shoulder and hip injuries.
Adaptive Technology
Life happens—vacations, minor injuries, busy weeks. Pedestal’s auto-adapting plans will recalibrate your schedule if you miss sessions, preserving periodization integrity². For precise conditioning, leverage heart-rate zone guidance: see Pedestal’s guide to heart-rate zone training.
Maintain Strength with Minimal Volume
Once games start, you can preserve off-season strength by lifting heavy (≥80% 1RM) just once per week⁵. A single low-volume, high-intensity session suffices to retain muscle mass and power for skating strides and shot force.
Keep Explosiveness Primed
Speed and power decay fastest in-season. Integrate brief sprint or plyometric “maintenance doses” (e.g., 3–5 maximal 15–20 m sprints) twice weekly to sustain neuromuscular sharpness⁵.
Smart Weekly Microcycles
Align personal workouts around your team schedule. For a weekend game, plan strength and conditioning early in the week, taper to mobility and light skill work mid-week, and rest before game day. Prioritize recovery—sleep, nutrition, and rest days are as vital as the workouts themselves.
Monitor & Adapt
Track performance markers (sprint times, perceived fatigue). If you hit a slump, adjust by adding or reducing training volume. Tools like Pedestal can auto-adjust your in-season plan based on readiness and workload².
By following a periodized, research-backed approach—progressing from general fitness to high-intensity, sport-specific drills in the off-season, then maintaining gains smartly in-season—you’ll skate faster, hit harder, and outlast the competition. Leverage adaptive technology, monitor your metrics, and remember that consistency and recovery are the keystones of long-term improvement.
¹Pro Ambitions. Periodized Training. ProAmbitions.com. 2023.
https://proambitions.com/articles/periodized-training/
²HockeyTraining.com. Designing an Elite Off-Season Hockey Training Program. 2018.
https://hockeytraining.com/designing-off-season-program/
³Digital Commons. A periodized, 52-week training program for women’s ice hockey. College of Saint Benedict & Saint John’s University. 2013.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/elce_cscday/31/
⁴Koundourakis NE, et al. Effects of a 14-Day High-Intensity Shock Microcycle in High-Level Ice Hockey Players’ Fitness. ResGate. 2024.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343807551_Effects_of_a_14-Day_High-Intensity_Shock_Microcycle_in_High-Level_Ice_Hockey_Players%27_Fitness
⁵HockeyTraining.com. Why NHL Players Train During The In-Season. 2020.
https://hockeytraining.com/why-train-in-season/
