Linear
Bad Crunch
Hockey players should NOT be doing these! These are terrible for your back and train your core in an isolated, non-functional movement pattern.
Bad Leg Throw Downs
Hockey players should NOT be doing these! These are terrible for your back and train your core in an isolated, non-functional movement pattern.
Lying 1-Leg Raise (Half Roll)
A dynamic core stabilization exercise focusing on maintaining an unmoving hip and lower back while controlling the leg all the way down and up.
Lying 1-Leg Raise (2-Board)
A dynamic core stabilization exercise focusing on maintaining an unmoving hip and lower back while controlling the leg all the way down and up.
Med Ball Woodchoppers
An explosive core exercise. The anterior core controls hip and ribcage movement at the top, the posterior core controls movement at the bottom.
Overhead Med Ball Perturbation
An exercise used at the end of my core stability progression. The perturbation creates a unique reflexive challenge to core stability.
Reverse Crunch
An old core exercise that I still use from time to time to emphasize the core’s role in controlling anterior tilt of the pelvis.
Side Plank Perturbation
An easier exercise used at the end of my core stability progression. The perturbation creates a unique reflexive challenge to core stability.
Side Plank with Hip Abducted (Flexion and Extension)
A basic core stabilization exercise with an added dynamic stabilization requirement because of the movement of the upper leg.
Slideboard Rollout
Another variation of the traditional bar rollout exercise. This is a VERY high intensity linear core exercise. I’ll progress to this after stability ball rollouts and after doing a slideboard rollout iso-hold.
Stability Ball Front Plank
One of my new favorite core exercises. If your lower back starts to drop, pull your elbows in closer to take some of the stress off your core.
Stability Ball Rollout
The first step in a rollout progression leading up to slideboard, bar, or ab wheel rollouts.
Rotational
Belly Press IsoHold
A core stabilization exercise for hockey players emphasizing the core’s function in preventing rotation. This progresses to more dynamic rotational power exercises.
Belly Press IsoHold w/ Perturbation
An exercise used at the end of my core stability progression. The perturbation creates a unique reflexive challenge to core stability.
Diagonal Split Stance Belly Press IsoHold with Perturbation
A low load dynamic anti-rotation core stabilization exercise with the added neural changing of maintaining stability while being perturbed.
Half-Kneeling Chop
A diagonal pattern emphasizing the core’s function in preventing rotation. This can be progressed to adding thoracic rotation.
Plank-T Rotation
A rotational core stability exercise. The goal is to rotate as a rigid segment from the hips through the shoulders. If you do this right, you’ll be hurting the next day!
Reverse Lunge Med Ball Catch
A dynamic anti-rotation core stabilization exercise. The goal is to use your core to not let the momentum of the ball rotate your torso.
Split Stance Belly Press
A low load dynamic anti-rotation core stabilization exercise.
Standing Cable Pull->Push
An exercise I use at the end of a rotational core training progression. This is great for improving rotational power in hockey players.
Standing Cable Rotation
A rotational core exercise emphasizing moving the hips and shoulders as a tight unit, efficiently transfering force between the lower and upper body.
Standing Rotational Cable Chop
A rotational core power exercise emphasizing a downward diagonal pattern, similiar to the beginning of a shot.
Standing Rotational Cable Lift
A rotational core power exercise emphasizing an upward diagonal pattern, similiar to the follow through of a shot.
Standing Tight Rotations
An AWESOME rapid rotational core exercise that mimics the demands on the core during skating/sprinting movements. I stole this one from Nick Tumminello.
Stick Hit Rotation
These tight powerful rotational movements put a stress on the core that is similar to skating and running. A great exercise I learned from Nick Tumminello.
Tall-Kneeling Belly Press
A dynamic anti-rotation core stabilization exercise. This is a progression from a strict isohold.
Hip
1-Leg Glute Bridge with Straight Leg Hip Flexion
A glute activation exercise necessitating dynamic core stability. This is a great hockey training exercise to “teach” the core how to maintain stability while decelerating a skating stride.
2-Way Skaters
A single-leg stability exercise that helps train proper hip and core stability while moving in hockey-specific skating patterns
Band-Resisted Hip Adduction (Triple Flexed Position)
A progression from a hip flexor/adductor (“groin”) activation series to help minimize injury risk in this area for hockey players.
Band-Resisted Hip Adduction
A progression from a hip flexor/adductor (“groin”) activation series to help minimize injury risk in this area for hockey players.
Band-Resisted Hip Flexion-Adduction
A progression from a hip flexor/adductor (“groin”) activation series to help minimize injury risk in this area for hockey players.
Band-Resisted Hip Flexion
A progression from a hip flexor/psoas major activation series to help minimize injury risk in this area for hockey players.
Band-Resisted Slideboard Diagonal Lunge
A progression from a hip flexor/adductor (“groin”) activation series to help minimize injury risk in this area for hockey players.
Band-Resisted Slideboard Lateral Lunge
A progression from a hip adductor (“groin”) activation series to help minimize injury risk in this area for hockey players.
Band-Resisted Standing Psoas Lift
A progression from a hip flexor/psoas major activation series to help minimize injury risk in this area for hockey players.
Bird Dog
A great exercise to activate the glutes and lower trapezius of the opposite arm, while emphasizing rotational core stability.
Bowler Squat
A low-load lower body exercise that puts additional stress on the hip external rotators and abductors. A great exercise to include in a warm-up, circuit, or as part of a deload.
Glute Bridge
A glute activation exercise to include as part of a warm-up or as a low-intensity core exercise for hockey players. Proper glute activation helps prevent low back injuries.
Lying Psoas Lift
A hip “prehab” exsercise to activate the psoas major (a hip flexor), which should help reduce your risk of hip flexor strains.
Lying Psoas Lift with MiniBand
A hip “prehab” exsercise to activate the psoas major (a hip flexor), which should help reduce your risk of hip flexor strains.
Psoas Lift
A hip flexor “prehab” exercise to activate the psoas major. Proper function of this muscle helps decrease the risk of hip flexor strains.
Slideboard Diagonal Lunge
A lower body exercise that helps strengthen the adductors (groin) to help reduce groin injury risk.
Slideboard Lateral Lunge
A lower body exercise that helps strengthen the adductors (groin) to help reduce groin injury risk.
Standing Wall Hip Flexion
This full range hip flexion exercise is toward the end of a hip flexion pattern progression I use with hockey players to help prevent hip flexor strains.
Super Dog Hip Extension
This is the exercise that I replaced Bird Dog Hip Extension with after talking to Nick Tumminello. By keeping your hips flexed a greater degree, it helps stabilize your lumbar spine.
Super Dog
I replaced the Bird Dog with the Super Dog after talking to Nick Tumminello. Allowing your hips to flex past 90 degrees helps stabilize the lumbar spine. A great glute activation exercise for hockey players.
Vertimax Rapid Hip Flexion and Adduction
The ultimate hockey specific exercise to help train the hip musculature to decelerate the stride leg and return it under the body rapidly.
Vertimax Rapid Hip Flexion
A glute activation and hip flexor exercise that mimics the neuromuscular patterns involved in sprinting. A great exercise to include for all athletes.
Wall Psoas Lift (Prone)
A hip flexor (psoas) activation exercise to help restore/maintain a proper hip flexion pattern. Proper psoas function should help reduce hip flexor injury risk.
Wall Psoas Lift (Standing)
A hip flexor (psoas) activation exercise to help restore/maintain a proper hip flexion pattern. Proper psoas function should help reduce hip flexor injury risk.
Shoulder
Band Pull Apart
An exercise to strengthen the back of the shoulder and teach scapular retraction with humeral extension. Posterior shoulder strength is important for hockey players to prevent injury.
Diagonal Band Pull Apart
A variation of the straight band pull apart. Great for developing posterior shoulder strength and proper scapulohumeral rhythm.
Inverted Scap Row
A shoulder “prehab” exercise to activate and strengthen some of the muscles that stabilize the scapulae (shoulder blades). Great for keeping shoulders healthy!
Lat Pulldown Scap Depression
A shoulder “prehab” exercise to activate the lower trapezius, a muscle that controls movement of the shoulder blade.
Lying Dumbbell Humeral Internal Rotation
A strengthening exercise for the small shoulder internal rotator (subscapularis). Don’t load this too heavy or the larger surrounding muscles will take over.
No Money Drill with Resistance Band
A posterior shoulder exercise that I learned from Eric Cressey. It’s great for hockey and baseball players.
Plank-to-Push-Up Switch
A core stabilization exercise focusing on minimizing separated rotational movement of the hips relative to the shoulders. The goal is to move as a rigid segment from the hips through the shoulders.
Push-Up Hand Switches
A serratus anterior activation exercise for hockey players to maintain healthy shoulder function. Great to include in a warm-up.
Reach Roll, and Lift
A shoulder “prehab” exercise to activate the lower trapezius.
Reach, Roll, and Lift Variation
An exercise to activate the lower trapezius, a muscle influential in proper shoulder movement. This variation puts the upper body slightly more up and parallel to the floor, taking some of the stress off the back.
Scap Wall Slide
A shoulder “prehab” exercise to activate the lower trapezius and extend the thoracic spine.
Standing Dynamic Y-into-W
A serratus anterior and lower trapezius activation exercise. This helps “turn on” the muscles that control shoulder blade movement to help keep your shoulders healthy.
Straight Arm Dumbbell Dips
A lower trapezius activation exercise. This helps “turn on” a muscle that controls shoulder blade movement to help keep your shoulders healthy.
Straight Arm Dips
A lower trapezius activation exercise. This helps “turn on” a muscle that controls shoulder blade movement to help keep your shoulders healthy.