About 10 years ago I switched the majority of my off-season program phases to follow this weekly template. Days 1,3,5 are the high neural stress days that have the bulk of the speed, power, strength, and alactic conditioning stress. Days 2 and 4 are primarily aerobic training days and include some extra mobility, core, and multi-directional movement work.
Day 1 has a lower body emphasis, day 3 and upper body emphasis, and day 5 a full body emphasis.
A key feature of this template is that total volume and neural stress fluctuate throughout the week, but the thing I’ve really come to appreciate is the flexibility it offers.
Considering the intended stressor for each individual training day, it’s easy to move days around based on different situations.
For example, in a condensed week (Monday-Thursday), we can put Days 1&3 back to back, and have the athlete do extra conditioning (less equipment intensive) at their hotel on the weekend if they’re on vacation.
If a player comes in on Monday and they’re sore from playing over the weekend, we can transition to Day 4 conditioning that day, and cycle through the lower body, upper body, conditioning, and full body emphasis days afterward.
The template allows flexibility in the programming based on things that may pop up to alter the player’s training schedule, but also to account for how the player is responding to the training throughout the week.
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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Kevin has rapidly established himself as a leader in the field of physical preparation and sports science for ice hockey. He is currently the Head Performance Coach for the Boston Bruins, where he oversees all aspects of designing and implementing the team’s performance training program, as well as monitoring the players’ performance, workload and recovery. Prior to Boston, Kevin spent 2 years as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the San Jose Sharks after serving as the Director of Performance at Endeavor Sports Performance in Pitman, NJ. He also spent 5 years as a Strength and Conditioning Coach with USA Hockey’s Women’s Olympic Hockey Team, and has been an invited speaker at conferences hosted by the NHL, NSCA, and USA Hockey.
“Kevin Neeld is one of the preeminent Strength and Conditioning Coaches in the country. I have personally benefited a great deal from his writing and educational products and much of what I do with my athletes is a direct reflection on the education Kevin provides.”
Devan McConnell, Director of Sports Performance, UMass Lowell