\,) rffilffi$$ -- ,'-ra/)' pmf0nffiffi ron nlffi ffiilfin By Howie lVenger,P h.D. F; I s 6{d D, Eo reruordb y Wayne Gretzky Recommendeds up1tlunentt o Wayne Gretzlcy's Traht to Win" uideo C-^, { - *- I l-La ,a ta lrJlra tJ, a FITIIESF$O R f, a a a HIEHP ERFORMAIIGE HOGKEY 2 a a by a *a Howie WengeqP, h.D. a University of Victoria PhysiologistN, ew YorkR angers - a ,-.2J Foreword by Walme Gretzky ,te ( tle J Exercisesil lustrated by ,tC a Kelly Dukeshire ,'J J t- a a- a - a - a - a - a - a - a - a ) a - - ) ) ) ) ) t Designedt o supplement wayne Gretzky's "Train to win,, oideo - : Yt -. -il I.illr. I I - r @ 1998b y Dr. Howie Wenger All Rights Reserved Canadian Catal-oguing in PubJ-ication Data Wenger, Hourard A. (Howard AJ.J.an) Fitness for high perfolrn€rnce hockey rsBN 0-9684517-0-5 1. Hockey--Training. I. Tit]-e. GV848.3 .W46 796.962 c98-9LrL24-5 'Graphic Design by Details' Printed by Hillside Printing 3050 Nanaimo Street, Victoria, BC, Canada V8T 427 No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recordirg, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the pubtisher. - - - a a PREIAGE a atz t a2t his book is written for young players from L3 to L5 years and '1,6 lC to 19 years of age.I t is an adaptation of my first book by the 12 same title and has been especially designed to supplement Walme "Train ar> Gretzky's to Win" video which I had the pleasure of scripting and shooting with him - the best player the game has ever seen. - - It is fundamentully important that kids have fun playing hockey and - also have fun in acquiring the fitness levels to play the game to the best - of their ability. Most would agreet hat you get more fun and enjoyment out of a game when you are skilled enough to play the game well. It is - our belief that in order to learn many of the skills in hockef, you need to - a have sufficient fitness to do them well and to practice them regularly. For example, you need leg strength to use your skate edgesf or speed,t o a do outside drives, and to changed irection. You need flexibilig to stick - handle or make a great pad savea nd you need upper body strength to a establishp osition in front of the net, to battle for the puck in the corner, a or cycle down low to keep possessiono f the puck. Good acceleration, a braking, and agility are necessaryt o get oPen,t o capture sPace,a nd to a be effective in the transition from offenset o defencea nd vice-versa. a And, along with all of this, you need good aerobicf ihressf or recovery a between shifts, between periods, in back-to-backg arnes,a nd over the long season.C oupled with all of thesei s the proper nutritional strategies a so that you can have the fuel to work and play hard, the nutrients to a build strength and faster muscles,f luids to replaces weat losses,a nd the .- proper balancet o keep you healthy. t- In my experiencew ith Olympic teams,C anada Cup teams,N HL teams .- such as the New York Rangersf or whom I presently work, and my - experiencea s an educatora nd coacho f young people,I have learned so ) much from the coaches,t rainers, management,a nd, especially the ) players. This book attempts to bring together this knowledg" to help '- young players gain the fitness necessaryt o be the best they can be and ) to have fun doing it. ) Howie Wenger ) t a ,, .O hr { \ I" I- - I r 7 FOBEUORII herever I go people always ask me what it,s like to be a Il|| professional hockey player. I tell them all that it is the greatest life you could ever imagine. After saying that, I empha sizehow crucial it is to work hard every single duy on your skating, passing, shooting and hitting. Unfortunately for most of us that *ut not be quite enough! In the early years of those great glory days and winning years of the Edmonton Oilers, I met a man that changed my careerf or the better. As most young hockey players, I didn't rcarrzet he importance of proper mental and physical preparation. In many ways Dr. Howie Wenger has done as much for my careera s anyone around me. He has pushed my body and mind to a level that I may not have ever known existed. In this book you will learn the ProPer work habits off the ice and in the off seasont o make you a better player and most important a better athlete. In reading Dr. wenger,s book he will take you step by step through proper r,rit iuon, sGngth training for the uPPer and lower body,mafmi zingyour endurance and helping improve your speed.H e will also answer questions on what age to start weight training and what kind of weight training you should do. I encouragea ll young hockey players to read and enjoy this magnificent sportsb ook. The reading you will do will be very enjoyable and extremely helptuI. Remember,w ork and sfudy hard but most of all have fun! Walme Gretzky 4 a - a a a a 4 -i - - - - - a a DEDICATION - a Tom y wifea nd besftr iend,lan, and my childrenM atthew,D aaida nd Sonia, a whoselo aea nde ncouragemetnhtr oughoumt y careehr naem adet his possible. a a a a a a a a a a a a a a )) ,) .) .) .) .) ) , , , .J I - TABTOE FG O}ITEIITS IHt FlIllE$$G HALLENGE pasel SEGIl0l|l : llUIRlIl0]l ..page8 The Good . The Sad . The Ugly StGIl0ll2 : SIREIGHI]fG. ...page13 The Reasons. The Principles . The program SEGII0]|3 : AEB0BIGF lIllE$$ . page1 8 The Reasons. The Principles . The programs SEGIl04ll : SIREIIEIFHl IltES$. ...page26 The Reasons. The Principles . The programs $EGMll 5: POwEARl lll SPEEFIIl IllE$$.. . pase4 8 The Reasons . The Principles r The programs $EGIl0ll6 : Acltlil Alfll 0UlGKllEs$ . . pase5 6 The Reasons. The Principles . The programs sEGIl0ll7 : SGHEllutlllGlB AlllltlG pag6er Putting Your FitnessP rograms Into your off-season and Competitive SeasonC alendars NOTE; As with any intensee xercisper ogram,y ou shouldg et medical clearanceto insuret hnty ou haaen o physicatin firmitiest hat wouldp ut you at risk or an old iniury that might bec ompromisebdy heavyt raining beforeit hasb eenp roperlyr ehabilitated. 6 - - - - - IHEF ITNESCSH AttElIBE - ,r- J Ytt- J ockey is a very physically demanding sport requiring high speed Y.e J bursts with many stops, starts and changeso f direction. Players tte are frequently involved in high speed collisions & physical struggles 4- both on 6md away from the puck; inside and outside drives against - opposing forwards or defensemen;c learing away opponents from the creasea rea;a nd occasionals kirmishes. Th"y also must executem any - skating, shooting and checking skills through a full rarlge of motion at - many joints in the body. Add to this, the necessityt o train hard to build - or maintain fitness, the demands of heavy game and travel schedules, - and the necessityo f being able to recover fully between shifts, periods - and g€rmes and the importance of fitness for high performance hockey - is obvious. - As shown in figure L, the fitness components of aerobic recovery - strength, explosive powe4 speed, agrlity,f lexibility, and nutrition must - mesh together like gearsi n a watch in order for performance to be -J maximized. -) -J .) -) 1 a a 1 t ) ) ) Figure L: ) , ) Therefore,f ibress for high performance hockey is not a single ) dimension but rather a blend of all thesec omponents that plknnrsy ou to , reach your full potential as a hockey player. a a a -t (t l" 4$frsqp-,,irs W I --- art L S E C T I O N ] . : ,.- ltulBlltolFt oB - HIGHP ERFORMA]IGE .1 HOCKEPYlf fERS Jt- .- -1 his is intended to initially highlight some general principles for organrzing your diet to establish optimurn weight and to provide .1 energy for explosive performance and high volumes of trai^itg. Thery .1 to categorizef oods into the GOOD (highly reconunended),S AD (to be .- cautious), and UGLY (avoid these or feel very guilty!!) at different times - during your training or game days. - - - - Tnr GururnrPu nrnctPtEs - - 1. High performance and training require high quality foods from the four food groups: - - Vegetables and Fruits - Meats - Grains ) Milk and Cheese - and H.IGH volumeso ff luids. - 2. The high quality foods should emphasize carbohydrates - (pasta, potatoes, fruits, vegetables) and minimal fats Brains, ) (oils, butter, creamy sauces,r ed and processed meats). ) 3. The best fluids for rehydrating are the electrolyte with ) sugar beverages like Gatorade; fruit juices; water; tea; and - mineral water. ) - ) ) a t t a 9 b t t qcqT L,