AUTUMN. In November, you’ll need the core strength developed in late summer so that you can safely try lifts in the 2-4 rep range. This will maximise communication from brain to muscle, yielding strength from coordination rather than size. These heavy lifts need long rests between sets so that your nervous system can recover fully, and you can use these rest periods to practice yoga postures for fully integrated stretches that have a massive impact on overall flexibility and injury prevention. Also take the opportunity to practise static gym ball exercises, focussing on technique as this will ensure control of joint movement, resulting in a lower risk of injury.
WINTER. Use early winter to concentrate on maintaining good technique through sets of high repetitions. Again, select a fairly large number of exercises that demand movement in all directions, using cables and balance equipment to challenge your core muscles in different environments. Start an injury prevention program focussing on ankle and knee stability, and make sure enough time is spent doing dynamic stretches in the warm-up and long, breathing stretches in the cool down. In February spend a month on 3 sets of 8-12 reps again for muscle mass, and then in March work through a phase of 3 sets of 4-6 reps for coordinated strength.
SPRING. Peaking for the end of the season, you’ll need to be careful not to build in too much potential for sport-specific injury. Hamstrings, hip flexors and lower back are all at risk of damage because of the constant stooping posture needed to control the ball. Work on stretching out the hip flexors by lying back over a gym ball for 10-20 breaths at a time, and by holding yoga’s warrior pose for 5-10 breaths at a time. Lower back mobility can be maintained by sitting on a gym ball and mobilising the pelvis in circles and figures of 8. At the end of the season, take some time to stretch out, go to some yoga classes and keep up the long duration cardio to keep a general base of fitness.
SUMMER. In late June and early July, high reps in a circuit format will serve as a good transition to the heavier loads to come. Make sure you include plenty of exercises that demand movement in all directions so that your movement quality is maintained. In late July and early August, loads should be heavier so that you can only perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps, building muscle mass for later strength development. Start with slow movements to maximise stability in the involved joints, and then add speed as you gain skill.
LATE SUMMER. As the season starts, build neural strength with 3 sets of 4-6 reps. Cut down to a few key exercises such as cable chops, (multi-directional) lunges, power lifts, and pull-ups. Start each rep intending to accelerate the weight, so that you train start speed into the muscles. In October take a 4-week phase of high rep, low load training again to restore endurance to the muscles, combining that with sprint training to match a hockey-specific cardio profile. Try to select exercises that will challenge balance at this stage, including using a gym ball as a weight bench for some exercises to strongly involve the core.