Strength training for hockey players must focus in on the development of speed, power, and quickness, period! If you are a hockey player and are looking for a strength training drill that is highly effective in developing your athleticism then you must include kettlebell swings into the equation. Read on if I have your attention.
As a strength and conditioning professional I often get asked by many people, consisting of serious fitness enthusiast and athletes alike, about what single exercise would I recommend to everyone for total body fitness if I could only choose one. Well the truth is that if I had to pick one and only one exercise it would probably be kettlebell swings. Now having said this there are many variations of kettlebell swings that you can perform, but for the sake of this article I am referring to the single bell double arm version. In order for you to be successful at the game of hockey you have got to work on developing the traits that I mentioned earlier. The more speed and power you can put out the more you will frustrate and ultimately dominate the competition.
Kettlebell swings are valuable in helping you with this because this single lift incorporates hundreds of your muscles at once in order to pull it off. You see you are basically picking the bell up with both arms and swinging it like a pendulum back and forth from between your legs up to chest level. This is done by you executing a technique in kettlebell training known as the hip snap. The hip snap is performed by you forcefully flexing and extending at both your hip and knee joints in order to effectively create the momentum you need in order to swing the bell. Once you attempt this seemingly simple lift you will be shocked at just how challenging it can be. Not only are you working on the development of your muscular power, but you are also building the cardiovascular fitness of a champion. This is hockey strength and conditioning at its best my friend.
If you haven’t taken the time to include kettlebell swings and other kettlebell lifts into your hockey strength and conditioning workouts then you are truly missing out. Take the time to learn this basic lift and I promise you will not be disappointed. I will even make it easier on you by challenging you to access the rest of my articles on the matter for free. Remember that most anyone can train hard, but only champions train smart my friend!
