Month: August 2022

Diagonal Core Progression

Start basic. Eliminate joints, teach control.

 
 
 
 
 
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½ Kneel eliminates lower leg and enforces single-leg stance control at the hip/core.

Tall Kneel adds in rotational control at the hip.

Standing adds in lower leg, but still emphasizes control (shoulders turn over a stable pelvis).

Rotational teaches loading through the hip and transfer through the core.

There are many Cable Lift variations not shown here, but this is the structure of a great off-season core training progression, and demonstrates how changes in position can emphasize different areas of the body.

Typically performed for 2-3 sets of 6-10 reps.

Feel free to post any comments/questions below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For more information on in- and off-season program design, training and reconditioning for injured players, and integrating sports science into a comprehensive training process, check out Optimizing Adaptation & Performance

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1-Arm DB Lateral Squat

Developing strength in multiple planes is important for improving the transfer of strength to sport-specific movements and to improve durability by preparing the tissue to produce and accept force in these patterns.

The 1-Arm DB Lateral Squat is an example of an accessory single-leg strength exercise that emphasizes a lateral push.

 
 
 
 
 
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Two quick coaching cues:

✅ When you hit the “bottom” position, all your weight should be centered over your stance leg, so your nose down through your sternum should be centered over the foot.

✅ Actively push your hips away from the ground coming out of the bottom (e.g. don’t lift with your upper body).

Typically performed for 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

Feel free to post any comments/questions below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For comprehensive hockey training programs to improve your speed AND repeat sprint ability, check out: Speed Training for Hockey

Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!

 

Key Qualities for Training Success

Every performance coach has a unique background in terms of their education and experience, and as a result, has different preferences for how they design and coach their programs. Over the years I’ve worked with athletes that have found success (in terms of physical development) coming from a lot of different programs.

The two key qualities that dictate whether a program will “work” for an athlete, or not, are CONSISTENCY and INTENT.

Athletes that skip training sessions won’t make progress and will experience more soreness/fatigue from each training session.

Athletes that JUST show up, but don’t do things correctly or put forth their best effort won’t make progress and may have an increased risk of injury.

You need both.

A “mediocre” program done consistently with maximal effort will outperform the “best” program done sporadically or haphazardly, every time.

Feel free to post any comments/questions below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For comprehensive hockey training programs to improve your speed AND repeat sprint ability, check out: Speed Training for Hockey

Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!

 

Individualizing Upper Body Exercises

@timlebbossiere shares an important consideration on how to individualize upper body exercise seleciton based on t-spine presentation:

From Tim:

An easy way to individualize your program can be changing upper body exercise selection based on the thoracic spine.

 
 
 
 
 
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GENERALLY you can classify individuals as more kyphotic (curved) in nature vs. more lordodic (flat). Individuals with flatter t-spines can obviously benefit from a strength stand point with bench press variations, but the extension pattern of these types of lifts could be feeding in to upper body movement restrictions that are already present.

Switching these individuals to upper body pressing variations where the scaps are free to move, allowing the serratus to protract scaps around the rib cage could be extremely beneficial for improving movement potential, leading to better gains down the line with the ability to recruit the correct musculature through a bigger range of motion.

Feel free to post any comments/questions below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For more information on in- and off-season program design, training and reconditioning for injured players, and integrating sports science into a comprehensive training process, check out Optimizing Adaptation & Performance

Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!

 

Bear Position Alt. Shoulder Taps

Bear crawl variations provide a great opportunity to integrate core strength with shoulder stability work.

 
 
 
 
 
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A few coaching cues on this exercise:

✅ Slightly tuck the tail bone under
✅ Stay long through the spine as you push your chest away from the ground
✅ Keep your hips square as you pick one hand up to touch your opposite shoulder.

Typically performed for 3 sets of 6-8 reps/side.

Feel free to post any comments/questions below. If you found this helpful, please share/re-post it so others can benefit.

To your success,

Kevin Neeld
SpeedTrainingforHockey.com
HockeyTransformation.com
OptimizingAdaptation.com

P.S. For more information on in- and off-season program design, training and reconditioning for injured players, and integrating sports science into a comprehensive training process, check out Optimizing Adaptation & Performance

Enter your first name and email below to sign up for my FREE Sports Performance and Hockey Training Newsletter!