What we focus on during our hockey training sessions (in and off season)
What we focus on during our hockey training sessions (in and off season)
First of all the main reason why I chose to become a trainer over 10 years ago was to help young hockey players reach their goals. It is my biggest passion when it comes to my career. I don’t only want to develop better athletes but better people. I believe accountability, work ethic and team sports are huge attributes in paving the way. If I can help these athletes fall in love with fitness, I know it won’t only make them more successful on the ice but off as well. Team workouts are not only vital in developing the players, but also in creating a stronger team morale and bond. Teams that have great friendships have great success which in turn leads to individual success.
My goal is to make sure so that I create a positive, fun atmosphere during each of our hockey training sessions. I program each workout with a purpose as I want the athletes to be challenged physically and mentally. On a physical level, I make sure the athletes are focused on proper movement patterns, making sure they perform the exercises correctly. On a mental level, I challenge the athletes to identify the muscle groups being worked in each exercise. The last thing I want is for the athletes to “go through the motions” during the workout. Identifying the muscle groups being worked on is a huge key to success in seeing improvements in speed, strength and agility as every athlete is different and nobody moves the same. I pride myself on being able to speak to each athlete individually. Describing an exercise to one person might not resonate the same with another- that is why I make sure each athlete gets the one on one attention they need.
Feedback is very important to me. I make it very clear that I am always open to feedback from players and coaches as I am always looking at ways to improve. I always want to provide the best service I can to each of my clients.
In season hockey training needs to be well thought out and performed with a purpose. As the strength coach, I want to make sure that I am not taking away from their on ice performance. I also make it a focus to ensure that the athletes do not lose the strength, speed and size that was built during the off season. This is all happening while mobility and injury prevention exercises are implemented in the programming. As mentioned previously, making sure proper body/movement mechanics are included in each session will make each player not only more efficient but help with the recovery of the athletes.
With different age and gender comes specific programming. As younger athletes are still growing into their bodies, we need to make sure that body awareness and technique is key. We must lay the proper foundation before adding resistance. If somebody cannot perform a body weight squat properly, the last thing we are going to do is load a barbell on their back. Older athletes generally have better stability and body awareness, saying that technique is still our main focus. We want them to be able to perform the exercise under a load but also be able to contract the proper muscle groups through the movement. Training female athletes is much the same to training males- metabolically both are very similar. Females generally carry about 2/3 of the muscle mass males specifically lacking in their upper bodies. Making sure we are doing core and upper body exercises will give the female athletes an edge. Females also carry more slow twitch muscle fibres (Type 1) so making sure we are performing fast, explosive movements during workouts is very important. That being said females generally have better endurance than males so if we are looking at doing 75% of a one rep max, females will most likely be able to perform 1-2 reps more than a male. This is something that is taken into consideration when programming.
As we talked about earlier, in season hockey training is very focused on maintaining strength that was built in the off season- so obviously summer training is where we focus on growth in all aspects of their fitness. Workouts are generally more intense and programming is catered to make sure the athletes are getting stronger/faster. We do this using proper repetition schemes, supersets and anaerobic workouts. We make sure that athletes do not peak during the summer but do so as they head into camp so they are performing at their best.
Regardless of in-season or off-season training each workout is well thought out and delivered with a purpose. I want nothing more than to see our athletes succeed and reach their goals.
By Brett Kirkland
FAQ
We certainly do! You can either purchase programs or book personal training sessions and be given your workout at the end of the session.
We have free parking, showers, sweat/shower towels, wifi and toiletries.
If you need to reschedule a session, no worries at all! Just give us a 24 hour heads up and you will not be charged for your workout.
Ideally, you should have some form of fuel in your system before you workout. Eating an easily digested carbohydrate an hour or so before you come to the studio ensures that you’ll have enough energy in the tank to get through your workout. Fruit is always a great option if you are concerned about getting an upset stomach. But once again everyone is different so experiment with what works best for you.
Most likely you will start to feel better before you really see the results. We always remind clients to celebrate everything along their fitness journey- whether it is lifting a heavier weight, recruiting the proper muscle groups or dropping/gaining inches. The more consistent you stay to your workout and nutrition plan the quicker you will see physical results.
There is no magic pill or diet. At the end of the day it is a very simple equation and that is calories in vs. calories out. If you would like to lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than you are burning. If you are looking to put on weight you want to eat more calories than you are burning.
We definitely believe we are the best gym in Edmonton. With our owner having 15 years of experience in the fitness industry, being named one of the Top 10 Trainers in Canada by Muscle Insider and having owned training studios for over 12 years there is confidence in our team. Every trainer is fully certified and extremely knowledgeable with tons of experience from all types of clientele. Don’t believe us? Come try out a free one-on-one personal training session and find out for yourself.
All of our trainers are fully certified and have the knowledge to help you reach your goals. We are so confident that you will love our team that our first training is always free. We will literally put our money with our mouth to prove to you that we are what you are looking for.
You’ve come to the right place. Zone 105 is a private personal training studio and our only goal is for you to crush yours.
That is a loaded question but weight loss comes down to a simple equation – calories in vs. calories out. If you eat less calories than you burn you should lose weight. Unfortunately sometimes the scale can be stubborn but your body composition will change. That is why we always recommend that you take measurements to also track your progress.
We are a private personal training studio located centrally in Edmonton. All of our clients in the gym can only work out when they are with their trainer so you will never have to deal with a busy, public gym.