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Sports training

Off-ice hockey workout: jumps, legs, groins and trunk

In high-level players, putting jumps at the start of strength sessions improved acceleration on the ice more than strength training alone, and in young elite players extra strength sessions made forward skating faster. Groin strains are hockey's classic non-contact injury: National Hockey League (NHL) players whose adductors were much weaker than their abductors were 17 times as likely to strain one. This session puts the jumps first, then legs and pulling, then groins and trunk. The groin work is the Copenhagen adductor exercise from a football trial, borrowed because no groin programme has been properly tested in hockey. You need a barbell and rack or dumbbells, a bench, a pull-up bar and a light band.

50 minIntermediate13 movesA wall · A band · A barbell · A bench or box · A dumbbell · Pull-up bar · An anchor pointCalves · Hip flexors · Adductors · Hip abductors · Glutes · Quads
Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Warm-up

  1. Skipping2 min
    Beginner · Calves, Hip flexors, Quads · 3D demoEasyEasier: Ankle bounces (mini pogo)Harder: Alternate-leg bounding
  2. World's greatest stretch3 each side
    Intermediate · Hip flexors, Adductors, Glutes · 3D demoSlowEasier: Low lunge (Anjaneyasana)Harder: Active pancake lift-off
  3. Side-to-side leg swings8 swings each leg
    Beginner · Adductors, Hip abductors · 3D demoSide to side, holding a supportHarder: Lizard pose (Utthan Pristhasana)
  4. Lateral band walk10 steps each way
    Beginner · Hip abductors, Glutes, Quads · 3D demoKnees out against the bandEasier: Hip abduction machineHarder: Lateral band walk, band at the feet

Jumps first

Rest 60 to 90 s between sets

  1. Lateral bound (skater jump)3 × 4 each side
    Beginner · Glutes, Quads, Hip abductors · 3D demoPush sideways like a skating stride; land on the outside leg and hold itHarder: Box push-off jump
  2. Standing broad jump with stuck landing3 × 3
    Intermediate · Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings · 3D demoSwing and jump; land quietly and holdEasier: Snapdown to athletic landingHarder: Single-leg hop and stick

Strength

Rest 2 to 3 min between sets

  1. Barbell back squat4 × 4 to 6
    Advanced · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demo2 lighter sets first; stop 2 to 3 reps short of failure. Or goblet squats, 3 × 8Easier: Bodyweight squatHarder: Overhead squat
  2. Rear-foot-elevated split squat (Bulgarian split squat)3 × 6 to 8 each leg
    Intermediate · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoFront knee over the middle toesEasier: Reverse lungeHarder: Split squat jump
  3. Single-leg Romanian deadlift3 × 8 each leg
    Advanced · Hamstrings, Glutes, Abs · 3D demoHinge with your hips levelEasier: Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
  4. Chin-up3 × 5 to 8
    Advanced · Back, Biceps, Forearms · 3D demoFull hang to chin over the bar. Or chest-supported rows, 3 × 8 to 12Easier: Assisted pull-up (machine)Harder: Weighted pull-up

Groins: the Copenhagen exercise, borrowed from football

  1. Copenhagen plank1 set each side, 3 to 15 reps
    Advanced · Adductors, Abs, Shoulders · 3D demoStart with your top knee on the bench, lift your hips into a side plank and lower slowly. Too hard? Side-lying inner thigh lifts firstEasier: Hip adduction machine

Trunk

  1. Side plank2 × 30 s each side
    Intermediate · Abs, Hip abductors, Shoulders · 3D demoHips highEasier: Knee side plankHarder: Side plank with leg lift
  2. Half-kneeling Pallof press2 × 10 each side
    Beginner · Abs, Glutes, Shoulders · 3D demoDon't let the band turn youHarder: Pallof press

Tips

  • Off-season: 2 or 3 sessions a week for most players. High-level players in the trial did 5 strength sessions a week for 8 weeks, with jumps in 3 of them. In season: 1 or 2, with no heavy legs or hard jumping in the 48 hours before a game (our suggestion).
  • Groin strains peaked in NHL training camp: do the Copenhagen exercise 3 times a week through pre-season, then once a week, as in the football trial, moving up a level as each gets easy.
  • Conditioning is separate: on the ice, short intervals (3 series of 13 × 30 s) or all-out 20-second sprints with 2-minute recoveries, 3 times a week, improved hockey fitness in trials.
  • Goalies: keep squats and split squats to a comfortable depth, and get hip pain that catches or limits turning checked, as our hip impingement guide explains.
  • With groin pain now, use our groin strain guide first and leave out the Copenhagen. Neck pain with tingling or weakness in an arm after a hit: stop, and see our pinched nerve in the neck guide.

The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.

Guides that recommend it

Find more moves like these

More sports training

Injury prevention exercises for runners

Foot, calf, balance and hop exercises taken from the running trials with positive results, in a 25-minute home routine for 3 or 4 days a week.

25 minBeginner11 movesOther / check instructions, A bench or box

Plyometrics for runners

A 20-minute hop and bound session for runners: ankle bounces to pogo hops, one-leg hops and bounding, building foot contacts slowly over 10 weeks.

20 minIntermediate8 movesCardio machine

Strength workout for cyclists (gym)

A 50-minute gym session for cyclists: heavy squats, one-leg presses, hip flexion and calf raises as in the cycling trials, plus jumps for bone.

50 minIntermediate13 movesCardio machine, A barbell

Questions people ask

How long does the off-ice hockey workout: jumps, legs, groins and trunk take?

About 50 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.

What equipment do I need?

You need: A wall, A band, A barbell, A bench or box, A dumbbell, Pull-up bar, An anchor point. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.

Is it suitable for me?

It is written at intermediate level. 10 of its 13 moves have an easier option listed beside them; use them freely.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.