Some fitness coaches who specialize in hockey training insist that hockey players should stay off the ice during the summer months. The advocate a return just in the weeks prior to training camp. Some believe that riding the bike is the best mode of energy system development for hockey players. Others, like me, use a combination of modes to train hockey players who will be fitter, faster and more injury resistant.

The elite level players that I train skate 1-2 times per week. Some of them go to the local power skating guru and work on their skating skill. This is my preference, I do not really want them scrimmaging, I want them skating. For the pro players, we go on the ice twice per week, once for medium duration interval sessions and once for agility and quickness training. The skating is supplemented with land-based agility training, a track or hill workout and yes, even some biking. You may be asking yourself, “What is the difference? As long as they are getting more fit what does it matter if they only bike or not?” To be clear, I am not saying that hockey players should not ride the bike. I have my hockey players ride the bike at times during the summer, just not all the time. And I think it is a great tool to use during the season. Here are a few of the pros and cons of using the bicycle with hockey players:  

PROs   I like biking because you can very easily adjust the resistance. It is relatively safe; no athlete is going to sprain their ankle riding the bike. From a skill perspective, there is a level playing field for different athletes. If you are running at the track, some hockey players have a great running stride whereas some athletes are not nearly as proficient. Finally, the player will get a great leg workout. When we do intervals on the bike they will tell me that their legs feel the same fatigue they feel when they are on the ice.  

CONs   I dislike the bike because it trains the hockey player in a hip flexed, spine flexed position, a position where they already spend a good amount of their time on the ice and sitting on the bench. If they are a student then they spend all day sitting at their desks in a hip flexed, spine flexed position. With these sustained postures we see shortening of the hip flexors among other adaptations. When a player skates she must extend at the hip to get a full powerful stride. If the hip flexor is tight they will not be able to get this range from the hip joint and will likely compensate by either taking short choppy strides or by hyper-extending the lower back. This will reduce their skating performance and may lead to overuse injuries.   

One of the arguments against skating in the off-season is that it lets the player’s groins recover from the use they get when skating. This is used to support the use of the bicycle as a training tool. If you look at someone bicycling you notice that their thighs stay parallel as they pedal, the movement is in the saggital plane. So you can see how this will not put the groins on a stretch the way skating does.   

If I take an athlete who needs to abduct at the hip (which puts stretch on the adductors or groin muscles) to move in their sport and train them in a way that does not put any stretch on those muscles, can you see how they may adaptively shorten in response to the new demands? They are not being repeatedly stretched, so they do not need to be as long and they will shorten. Then if the athlete starts skating everyday, they are now putting those adaptively shortened groin muscles on repeated stretch and risk a strain. Not a great way to start training camp.   

So my argument against riding the bike in the off-season is that it compounds muscle imbalances that already occur in hockey players and undoes some of the adaptive lengthening that is necessary in the adductor (groin) muscles. Both may reduce skating efficiency and contribute to overuse injuries.   

I will finish by saying that there are some amazing fitness coaches out there who specialize in training hockey players, love the stationary bike, use it effectively as a part of their overall hockey training system and produce some very effective players. Clearly they are addressing the muscle imbalances and mobility issues in other areas of their training. My goal is to encourage you to continue thinking about the specific demands of hockey on your athletes and train them systematically with those demands in mind.

Terrell Eldorado Owens wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals recently created a home gym in conjunction with Blake Kassel the owner of Bodylastics international. They called this home gym the “Terrell Owens Super Strong Man” resistance bands system.

However, recently the company has renamed the product and it’s now called the “Bodylastics Super Strong Man Edition Resistance Bands.”

This is not the first time that Terrell Owens has been fired or quit from a company. His reputation as a flamboyant loudmouth has gotten him in trouble when he played for the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and even at the San Francisco 49ers.

Aside from the fact that his name no longer appears on the product it is still an outstanding value. And in our opinion, it is probably one of the best home gyms on the market today that sells for under $100. In this article, you will discover some of the benefits of purchasing the new Bodylastics super strong man edition resistance bands.

First, let me outline some of the benefits or features of this product that you will really like. For example, the system comes with more than 250 pounds of tension. And the system allows you to perform more than 139 different health club type exercises in the convenience of your home or even your office.

Furthermore, the company even provides you with access to their online video training website and most recently they began offering a streaming online daily workout. Which, you can follow along while you exercise at home. They offer a training program for women, teenagers, advance bodybuilders and even provide a sport specific workouts.

So, for example if you’re looking to improve your performance in football, martial arts, golf, baseball or just about any other sport – they have a workout program for you.

Recently, they have introduced a P90 X style workout DVD that is included with the purchase. The major advantage of this is that you won’t have to spend 150 bucks for the power 90 extreme workout DVDs. However, this product lends itself easily to the P90 X workout. So, if you already own Tony Horton’s workout then you may want to consider using resistance bands instead of dumbbells. Fitness tubing has many advantages over free weights. For one thing, they provide you with dynamic resistance. What that means is that the tension level is smooth throughout the entire range of motion. But, during the exercise as the tubing stretches out it becomes more difficult to complete the movement. As a result, you become stronger quicker than by just using free weights.

Whether, you decide to take a look at the Terrell Owens Super Strong Man system or not the most important thing is to get started with an exercise program.

We requested our fitness experts to put together a compact list of do’s and don’ts for every beginner to follow. So for those of you who have taken that healthy decision to get off the couch and start exercising, we say, Bravo! You have taken the first step towards a healthier mind, body and spirit.

A number of questions, doubts will creep into your head… How long should I workout? Do I need to workout every day? So we have put together this basic list to set you on the right track. Just apply these basic do’s and don’ts in your workout regimen, and enjoy a great beginning to this new way of life.

1. Easy Does It

Most experts say that for beginners, it’s good to start with 2/3 days per week, and for at least 30 minutes per session. You can then gradually crank it up from there. Don’t start with a tough daily regimen – Easy Does It! Start with 30 minutes of cardio 2/3 times a week and strength training once a week. Continue this for two to three months until this regimen becomes an integral part of your daily routine.

2. Warm Up and Stretch

Always, always, warm up first. Take your body through basic movements that will loosen and stretch your muscles. This will ensure that your body performs at an optimum level and more important, you avoid injury issues.

3. Don’t Follow the Same Set of Exercises

This is a common mistake made by many beginners. Do not stick to the same set of exercises every day. Mix it up. Alternate between the 3 main types of exercise – aerobic, anaerobic and flexibility

Aerobic exercise is exercise which requires the use of oxygen to fuel the body for exercise demands. This form of exercise is traditionally thought of as cardiovascular exercise, such as running on a treadmill or cycling. Anaerobic exercise is a form of exercise that requires glucose for short intense workloads. Strength training and sprinting are forms of anaerobic exercise.

4. Weight Training

The great thing about basic bodyweight training for beginners is that, you can, as a beginner, train from anywhere – even from home. You can even start working out at home with just a basic exercise band. There are excellent YouTube videos with basic exercise band workouts. All you have to do is choose and follow one of the better rated videos.

Dumbbells are another great way of starting basic weight training. Compared to barbells, dumbbells look far less intimidating for beginners. Dumbbells also have an added stabilization challenge, and point out muscle imbalances pretty easily. for those who wish to start weight training with a little more intensity, barbells is certainly the way forward. If your goal is strength above all else, this is the option that we recommend. Barbells allow you to progress clearly and quickly, allowing you to add small increments of weight each week.

5. Give your body adequate recovery time

Take a break, periodically. No pain, no gain. So if you find your body hurting during the initial stages after you start working out, well, that’s a good sign – you are on the right track. But, don’t make the mistake of pushing yourself to the limit and not giving your body adequate time to heal and recover. Also avoid taking painkillers, as they only mask the pain. The best way forward is to let your body recover naturally

If you do not give your body time to heal and repair itself, your performance will go down and you will get into a vicious cycle where you never fully recover. And if you are sore after a workout, that’s good (unless it hurts too much). Do not run to take a painkiller, because that can mask pain and cause you to do real damage to your body. Let yourself recover naturally.

There’s a lot more to foods than just the nutrition they contain. Some can act as medicines, helping to tame inflammation in the body, or protect cells from DNA damage. Others can act as aphrodisiacs (see number 2 below). Still others can protect your memory.

Superfoods are “super” precisely because they offer more benefits than what you can find on the “nutrition facts” label. Every one on this list qualifies!

1.Blueberries

These amazing berries are on anyone’s list of superfoods. Recent research shows that they’re brain food– feeding blueberries to rats actually slows their age-related mental decline. Blueberries contain pterostilbene, a plant compound recently shown to have cholesterol-lowering properties. Their ORAC value (antioxidant rating) is the highest of any fruit. And blueberries are rich in fiber. Tip: try them frozen. They taste like sherbet!

2.Maca

Based on a long history of traditional use in Peru, maca has recently become known as a “natural Viagra”, and is popular as an aphrodisiac, and for increasing fertility and stamina. (I talked about it in my book ‘The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth” as part of a natural treatment for restoring sexual potency.) But maca’s also a superfood from a nutrition point of view. It’s an important staple for the Andean Indians, has been around since 3800 BC and is rich in sugars, protein, starches and essential minerals, especially iron and iodine. You can buy it as a supplement, or, even better, as a powder which you can add to shakes.

3.Cherries

Cherries are absolutely loaded with anti-inflammatory, antiaging, anticancer compounds that don’t show up on your average nutrition facts label. These include quercetin, a member of the flavonoid family which has powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Cherries also contain anthocyanains which act like natural COX-2 inhibitors, reducing pain and inflammation. That’s one reason why they’re so great for gout. My favorite “healthy” desert- frozen cherries mixed with full fat yogurt. Tastes like Cherry Garcia only way better for you.

4.Guava

Among the superfoods of the world, guava is a sleeper. With a taste that’s been described as “part strawberry part pear”, one low-calorie cup of this vitamin rich fruit contains a whopping 8 grams of fiber. And in one widely used nutrition lab test for antioxidant power, guava scored second only to blueberries, and right behind kale. Guava also contains cancer fighting lycopene.

5.Kale

Kale is a member of the brassica family, vegetable royalty that boasts cabbage and broccoli among it’s relatives. It’s simply loaded with nutrition. It’s rich in potent cancer fighting substances called indoles, and loaded with bone-building vitamin K. Kale also contains sulforaphane, a powerful nutrient that helps the liver detoxify carcinogens and other toxins. Kale has the highest antioxidant rating of any vegetable and is ridiculously low in calories. Try it tossed with olive oil, a few dried cranberries and some pine nuts.

6.Sardines

These are the best kept nutrition secret in the world when it comes to health foods and the secret weapon of travelers looking for a cheap, portable, easily available source of protein. Sardines are rich in omega-3 fats, and one of the least contaminated of any seafood since it’s so low on the food chain. Eat them out of the can or throw them on some salad.

7.Coconut oil

This superb oil has been long neglected as a healthy oil because it contains saturated fat. But not to worry: the saturated fat in coconut is a very healthy kind called MCT (medium chain triglyecerides) which is easily burned by the body for energy. Coconut oil also contains lauric acid, a natural anti-viral and anti-microbal. And today’s excellent virgin coconut oil- unlike the inferior products of a few decades ago- doesn’t contain trans fats. Note to skeptics: The Puka Puka islanders consumed 80 % of their diet from coconut products and had virtually no heart disease.

8.Green tea

Here’s a superstar beverage if there ever was one. Green tea helps with weight loss and helps fight against cancer. It contains EGCG, a catechin (plant compound) which stimulates metabolism and has anti-cancer properties to boot. Green tea also contains theanine, a natural relaxant which helps explain why the caffeine in green tea doesn’t make you nearly as jittery as coffee.

9.Flaxseeds

Flaxseed oil is one of the only plant sources of omega-3 fats, but the flaxseeds themselves provide the added nutrition benefit of fiber along with the omega-3’s. Flaxseeds can be thrown on salads, tossed into smoothies, or sprinkled on vegetables. They also contain lignans, a group of plant nutrtients that have been studied by the National Cancer Institute for their cancer preventive properties.

10.Eggs

The protein source against which all others are judged. And for goodness sake, stop with the egg white omlettes. The yolk is loaded with good stuff! Half of the measly 4.5 grams of fat are actually monounsaturated fat, the same heart-healthy fat that’s in olive oil. The yolks are also one of the best sources of lutein, the superstar of eye nutrition. Plus they contain choline, which helps support brain function and help keep harmful homocysteine levels down. Look for the new designer eggs with increased omega-3 content.

11.Pomegranate juice

If you’re wondering if all the hype about pomegranate juice is for real, stop wondering: it is. Animal studies suggest that pomegranate juice combats artherogenesis (hardening of the arteries) as well as other cardiovascular diseases such as strokes and heart attacks. It’s rich in antioxidants and has a higher amount of polyphenols– heart healthy plant compounds– than even red wine. Look for the pure pomegranate juice (not the watered down cocktail). You can always dilute it with water or mix it with other juices.

In the long run, the rules for healthy eating are a lot simpler than you might think: Eat food that your ancestors could have hunted, fished for, gathered or plucked.

If it’s food your grandmother would have recognized as food, it’s probably good for you.

And if it doesn’t have a bar code, so much the better.

Stall bars, aka Swedish bars, should be part of your strength training equipment. While they are used in gymnastics, you can also use them for strength training. As a matter of fact, stall bars can be effectively used for muscle development and increase flexibility in your body. Let’s know you can use them.

According to many gymnasts, stall bars is on the list of most powerful tools that have been invented so far. They are used mostly by fitness enthusiasts and gymnasts. Aside from this, they are also used for rehabilitation, pre-rehabilitation and mobility in order to prevent injuries, correct posture and enhance body alignment.

You can use the equipment at your local gym. You can also build your own if you want to.

The Use of Stall Bars for Strength

Straight Arm Strength

This exercise can help you improve the strength of your straight arm. To do this exercise, what you need to do is lean toward the bars supporting your weight with your arms.

At first, this exercise can be hard for you to do. You can use your legs for assistance. Over time, you should try to get support from your arms only.

With the passage of time, this training will give strength to your elbows, lats and shoulders.

Straight Arm Strength

By contrast, this training is more difficult. In this exercise, you support your body weight; however, your back is against the bars. You may find this progression difficult. If you do, make sure you use your leg for assistance.

With back support, you can make your tendons stronger, thus preparing your body for a harder training. However, this exercise can give you a lot of benefits even if you don’t do other exercises.

You may feel it uncomfortable to hold your position since your body will be in an odd position. Moreover, there is no support and you will need to put in a good deal of strength to maintain your position.

We suggest that you use different grips since the stimulus may be a bit different.

Human Flag Training

You can also use stall bars for human flag training. If you want, you may change the grip width since they are quite comfortable to hold.

It won’t be possible for you to do the human flag at first. You can use the progression described below.

In this progression, you learn how to support your body and develop the required strength. What happens is that you try to turn yourself sideways attempting to elevate your legs.

You should take a grip and hold it for a while. You may fail to do so at first. If you do, make sure you work on building your overall strength.

To cut a long story short, if you are going to use Swedish bars for strength training, we suggest that you follow the advice give in this article. This way you will be able to get the most out of your equipment while staying on the safe side throughout the process. Hope this helps.

How many Calories

Are you eating enough calories? So many ectomorphs get this wrong, they think they can follow the same diet plan their buddies in the gym are following and that’s why they are not seeing weight gain.

The ectomorph has to eat more per pound of body weight than the average guy. There is some debate on the exact number but here is a good place to start.

The skinny guy should multiply each pound of body-weight by 20-24. So if you weigh 150 lbs. times 20 equals 3,000 calories a day.

This is where you should start, and if you don’t see weight gain at this level than start adding 150 calories a week until you do.

The other part of this equation is the diet break-down. Now most people would limit the carbohydrate intake so the diet based on percentages of calories a day would be 45% protein 30% carbs and 25% fat. Because the average guy is scared that carbohydrates will put on body fat.

The ectomorph doesn’t have to worry about that because of a high metabolic rate. So for the ectomorph I would start with a 40% protein 40% carbs and 20% fat. This should aid in packing on weight and muscle.

You can always make adjustments to this as you see how your body responds.

How much sleep is right

Too many weight lifters under estimate the importance of rest and sleep. They put so much concentration on their training they end up hurting their gains because of lack of rest.

When you are sleeping your system releases natural growth hormones that help build and repair muscle fibers that get broken down during your workout.

Without this very important process that only happens when resting, the less you rest the less you gain.

Of course the other side of the coin is too much sleep. Because an ectomorph has such a high metabolism, it makes it more difficult to gain weight and muscle. Getting a solid 8-10 hours is sufficient rest to help your gains.

Once you start to go over this amount, you risk hurting your gains.

Remember you need to eat a lot of calories a day and you need to eat often. When we are sleeping we are not eating. If you sleep too long your body will start needing fuel to survive, remember that fast metabolic rate?

While you are over sleeping, that is more than 10 hours your body is looking for energy to keep going and muscle mass is what it is going after.

So you have to maintain a healthy balance between calorie intake and resting to make sure you are getting the optimal muscle building process.

Full body workout

Something that happens far too often for ectomorphs is following a workout that just doesn’t address the needs of a skinny guy.

The ectomorph will not benefit from a workout you find most bodybuilders doing these days. It’s not their fault they just don’t know any better.

They go to the gym and follow what ever workout their buddies are doing. They see their friends packing on muscle each week and they can’t figure out why when they look in the mirror after months of training they see the same body they had when they started.

This is what makes most skinny guys give up, they believe that they just can’t gain muscle, end of story.

But it is just a matter of using the right exercises in combination with the right amount of reps and sets. You see, an ectomorph body type responds to compound exercises and a full body workout.

Compound exercises allow you to get the most joints and muscle groups to work at the time. An example of a compound exercise is the squat. Think of all the joints and muscles involved when doing a squat.

You have your hips, knees, and ankles involved, and at the same time your quads, glutes, back, hamstrings, and core are involved, and that is not even counting all the small stabilizing muscles that are connected.These are the types of exercises that an ectomorph thrives on. When you do a full body routine with compound exercises you will start to see muscle gain.

Less is More

What do we mean by less is more? Well this is a very important point to understand if you are a skinny guy. Because just like the skinny guy who is doing the wrong exercises by following his buddies he is also working out as long as they do.

The problem is the ectomorph frame is not designed for a lot of stress. Your buddies might be putting in 2 or more hours during a workout and they might be doing this 4-5 times a week.

This is a disaster for the skinny guy. Because your frame and bone structure is smaller and frailer the amount of stress this type of workout will put on your body will assist in hurting not helping in any kind of muscle gain.

That’s why for the skinny guy less is more. Your body will thrive on a 45 minute routine doing a full body workout with compound exercises like stated above 3 times a week.

Your rest periods between sets should also be longer than the average guy. If you have only been resting for 30 seconds between sets while trying to keep up with your buddies you have probably noticed that you can’t keep up with the rep level.

Rest longer and make sure you are getting between 7-10 reps on each exercise for 3-4 sets.

Forget about what your friends are doing and don’t think of it as some kind of competition. You have to come to terms with your body type, when you do and start working out according to your body type you will quickly see gains.

And isn’t that really what you want. And think of it this way, how great is going to be when you are gaining muscle quickly and working out half as much as your friends. Soon they are going to becoming to you for advice on muscle building, and working out how sweet is that?