'Off Ice' Training

Because this is mainly a skating blog I don't want to crowd it out with other subjects.  But, at the same time, I do want it to be a true record of my progress towards being a better hockey player.  So far the steps forward I have taken have generally been in skates.

Recently, as readers will know, I have started a program of 'off ice' physical training involving weights and stretches.  The whole point of doing this is to make me a better hockey player.  Therefore, it deserves a place on this blog, and will get one under the category of 'off ice training'.  I'll work it into many of my more skate oriented posts, and use the new category to facilitate searches on the subject, rather than post titles.  I will do this to reflect the subsidiary nature of this type of training and the whole thrust of my work and production.

Just to make it simple, the new category does NOT include all my inline escapades, even though they are, strictly speaking, occurring 'off ice'.  I will limit the category to those areas of training that do that do not involve any form of skate.  It will rarely include a record of anything other than weights and stretches, but it might.  I will stick to the term 'off ice' because I am using the term in the sense that is usually accepted to mean non skating training and development in the hockey lexicon.  It seemed the best thing to do...

In the four days since Wednesday I have had three off ice sessions.

On Thursday I worked a twenty minute circuit focused on the core and lower body.
On Friday, I did a half hour session on core and upper body.
On Saturday, I had a day off.
Today, a circuit focused on the upper body (20 mins).

I have got to the stage where I am going to add a repeat of the upper body circuit when it turns up in the schedule Jess has laid out for me.  I am going to do this because I had more energy left at the end of today's session than I did the first two times I tried it.  And I did it in five minutes less time.

A final note.  With the upping of my physical load and calorie expenditure, I have also increased the amount of food I am eating.  Trying to have some fruit and/or nuts and a glass of fruit juice within minutes of the end of a session, with a main meal loaded with 'good' carbs and some protein within the half hour.  Roughly an equivalent of four main meals a day now, and eating until I feel 'full' rather than to when I feel I've 'had enough'.  The idea, afterall, is to put on some muscle, and that takes energy.