If you are going to be checking players on the ice, you gotta be able to move your own body weight! Push ups are age-old, yet they still remain one of the top strength exercises for hockey players today. Push ups do more than strengthen the arms; when done correctly and with variations, they can become a great total body trainer.
Try adding these tips to your push up routine to take your ice strength to the next level!
Upper Body positions:
- diamond hand position
- wide hand position
- close hand position
- low hand position (hands near waist)
Upper Body "body" positions:
- Incline hands on elevated surface (about 12") using above hand positions
- Incline feet on elevated surface (about 12") using above hand positions
- Hands elevated on 2 individual surfaces so body lowers between hands
- Same as the above, only with feet elevated as well
Core Tips:
- Push ups with one leg off the ground about 4" for duration of the set
- Push ups with one leg off the ground and to the side about 6" for duration of the set
- Push ups with one leg off the ground using elevated hands, feet and different hand positions
Add these tips to your workouts and experiment with them to create your own push up routines. Push up routines can be performed daily, and the strength and conditioning you gain will help your game immensely.
