You may have taken a 1 or 2-week vacation and been surprised at how foreign hitting the ice felt upon your return.

“I’m used to skating multiple times per week. I had great cardio. I even exercised when I was gone. Why does it feel like I’m learning how to play again?”

Like many of you, while I love a good vacation, I also have a phobia of losing the work I’ve put into developing skills, muscle memory, habits, balance, etc due to 1, 2 or 6 weeks off the ice (and likely eating and/or drinking more than normal).

If you’re an elite athlete with a custom-designed exercise and nutrition regimen, this article isn’t for you. If you enjoy your beer league and are on the ice as much as possible for the love of the game, and have experienced what I’m talking about, read on.

I’ve been tweaking my off-ice workouts over the last handful of years, ranging from the 300-kettlebell-swings-per-day challenge during all the COVID lockdowns, to more hockey-specific routines, with the following goals and observations:

• I don’t particularly enjoy the gym. I want to skate faster, battle harder, and keep the puck more often with only 2 workouts per week that are doable from home.
• I want minimal pieces of equipment.
• My workout needs to support my on-ice performance. I am not interested in building strength for the sole purpose of continuing to lift heavier and heavier weights.
• I don’t want to have to go gym-crazy when I’m on vacation: If necessary, i’ll add maybe one or two extra steps to reduce the shock of getting back into hockey after an extended absence.
• I no longer want to fear going on a bucket-list trip.

After traveling a lot in the past couple of years and adjusting my workout based on the above, I’ve found what works for me and I’m hoping to help anyone with similar thoughts. So I offer you advice based on:

• Focus and equipment
• Routine
• What to add when you’re gone (and not playing hockey)
• Conclusion and thoughts on progression

1 – Focus and equipment

Much of the benefit you’ll see playing hockey from working out is related to core strength and balance. This is for retrieving and protecting the puck, shooting harder, skating faster, battling opponents, and the list goes on.

Meanwhile, we aren’t building strength purely for the sake of building even larger muscles (all the power to you if this is one of your objectives). It’s about strength in motion while balancing on blades of sharpened steel, battling for a 6oz piece of rubber with a stick, and while reacting to various situations that would put the average individual off-balance 90% of the time. Easy sport, right?

For everything I’ve described, I’m a big fan of the kettlebell. Many kettlebell exercises work on multiple muscles simultaneously and also consist of ballistic movements intended to throw you off-balance and engage your core muscles while training. 1-2 kettlebells are all you’ll need for a complete hockey-enhancing workout. They also won’t break the bank.

What weight kettlebell should you buy?

I’d recommend something around 18-25lbs or 8-11kg for women, and somewhere around 35lbs or 15.8kg for men (of my approximate weight and build 5’10, ~175lbs and slender; you may need to scale up if you’re 6’3 and 240lbs).

It’s worth noting that many of the exercises I’m about to suggest can be done as calisthenics (meaning, no weight at all) – so if you have a condition that requires you to ease into it a lot slower, by all means do so. If you’re currently doing nothing, anything will help.

The reason I don’t recommend higher weight is because our goal isn’t achieving “max press” under short durations and ideal conditions; we’re looking for sustained strength and stability while under stress which will be ready when you’re caught on a 2+ minute shift hemmed in your own zone on the ice.

2 – Routine

I built and tweaked the following routine based on the principle that every exercise should engage your core and improve balance, and be focused on not only increasing your strength but challenges you for a duration similar to a hockey shift.

Given that we’re exercising twice a week, I’ve also tweaked day #1 from 2 so our bodies don’t get overly used to specific motions. My workout days are Monday and Thursday; adapt your routine based on your playing schedule and unique commitments.

FYI, each full workout if not taking too-long-rests is about 30-40 minutes. The entire workout, for me, is completed with 1x35lb kettlebell. Links below are videos found in youtube (randomly searched for your reference with no affiliation to me)

Staple Exercises (both day 1 and day 2):

Core exercises to enhance strength, stability and balance

• 3 sets of 70 kettlebell swings (Russian)
• 3 sets of 15 goblet squats
• 3 sets of 15 kettlebell halo’s, but switch directions with each rep (unlike the video)

Day 1 Exercises (in addition to Staple Exercises above):

Balance-focused exercises focusing on one leg at a time, hip flexors and ankle strength

• 3 sets of 12 single leg kettlebell Romanian deadlifts, per side
• 3 sets of 24 reverse kettlebell lunges, but alternate legs with each rep (unlike the video)

Day 2 Exercises (in addition to Staple Exercises above):

Core stability exercises, giving your legs a bit of a break vs. day 1

• 3 sets of 16 kettlebell around-the-worlds, but switch directions every 2 reps
• 3 sets of 16 kettlebell figure-8s
• 3 sets of 15 kettlebell cossack squats, alternating sides with each rep

Feel like making it a bit more dynamic and skating-like? Add a side-shuffle or “crossover” between each cossack squat!

There’s a lot that I’m not going into here keeping in mind that this is a blog post, not a novel. Why a Russian swing instead of an American one? Why reverse lunges instead of forward lunges?

Keep in mind I’ve made many of the above selections deliberately with the goals and observations in mind from earlier in the post, and that the above workout is designed to be complementary to an existing hockey routine and give you the best bang-for-buck, time-to-impact-wise.

3 – What to add when you’re gone (and not playing hockey)

My workout assumes you’re usually also playing hockey: playing games, practicing, or playing shinny. When we’re off the ice for longer periods of time, I’ve found the following to be the game-changer in terms of keeping us game-ready and eliminating the fear of taking time off.

Many of us will add some cardio to our routine so we can “stay in shape” when we’re on vacation. But, like me, you may have noticed that it doesn’t translate well when you’re skating again.

This is because on their own, jogging/running, cycling, and/or elliptical machines do not engage the same muscles in the same ballistic motions as skating, and generally do not replicate the same type of short-term burst-and-rest style of exercise as ice hockey. Sprints can help, but if you’re in a small hotel or cruise ship gym, they may not be an option.

What I add to my routine to fill the gap of playing:

• 3 sets of 20 skater jumps to engage the right muscles in the right motions as skating (no added weight to start – i’d recommend progressing the length and height of each jump before adding weight)
• Anaerobic stationery bike routine to maintain “game-like” endurance
  • For the bike, I avoid pre-set programs which are generally designed for general fitness, weight loss, or training to be a better cycler. Here’s what I do on manual mode:
  • 5-10 minute warm-up aiming to increase your heart rate to the 100-120bpm range
  • High-intensity intervals (20 minutes total minimum including rest or, 45-60 minutes ideally including rest to replicate a typical recreational hockey game):
    • 90-120 seconds as fast as you can pedal and at high resistance
      • Aiming for your in-game, in-shift heart rate, for me this is generally 140-170bpm
    • 120 seconds rest/slow pace with low/no resistance
      • You’re aiming to reduce your heart rate back down to resting within a short timeframe so you’re “ready” for your next shift – focus on breathing and hydration
  • 5-10 minute cooldown

The above does increase the duration of the workout substantially but given that 2 days in the gym is still all we’re committing to, and it definitely does help you get back into hockey upon your return, it’s well worth the time investment.

4 – Conclusion and thoughts on progression

If the routine feels a bit too challenging for you or if you want to ease into it, there’s nothing wrong with reducing weight to begin, or reducing the number of reps per set. Take all the 12’s, 15’s and 16’s and replace them with 8’s or 10’s to start. Start with 30 or 40 kettlebell swings per set, and build up to 60 or 70.

I’m going to repeat a paragraph from earlier in the article: many of the exercises mentioned can be done as calisthenics (meaning, no weight at all) – so if you have a condition that requires you to ease into it a lot slower, by all means do so. If you’re currently doing nothing, anything will help.

Many players take the opportunity of an off season (or, say, the vacation you’re on) to make extra gains in the gym because our bodies are not as beaten down from playing hockey as often. Don’t underestimate the difference of adding a couple reps to your routine (going from 10 to 12 may seem trivial but it’s a 20% increase in your ballistic endurance!)

If you’ve always wanted to start a weight routine to complement hockey but weren’t sure where to start, or if you have an existing routine but experience that shock of getting back on the ice after a couple weeks off, I hope you’ll adopt some of what I suggest above.

If you’re going on vacation soon and don’t currently have a gym routine at all, rejoice: while your first week or two may get the lactic acid build-up going (especially in the hamstrings for us quad-dominant hockey players), just ~2-3 weeks should be enough for you to not feel a ton of vacation-ruining muscle-soreness after each workout.

You too can eliminate your shock of getting back on the ice after taking time off.

I went on a 14-day vacation and felt like I needed to learn to play again along with new lungs upon returning.

Then I went on a 40-day vacation and both coached on-ice and played a league game the day after. I was back to >90% in only 2-3 days.

This was my secret sauce. Let me know what works for you.