Gettin' Big - Hypertrophy Training

One of the more popular questions I hear from players goes a little something like this, 'Hey man, I don't want to get to big and bulky; and anyways, why would anyone want to train to become more muscular in a sport that requires strength and speed'? Well, quite simply hockey is like many other contact sports in that the more one weighs the harder it is to stop them once they are in motion.

I ask you a question, who is harder to knock off the puck, Marc Savard or John Leclair? Leclair, of course. Leclair outweighs Savard by about 36lbs. That added weight surely helps Leclair while battling along the boards and in front of the net. In hockey, like in many other sports the more muscle one has the better.

The only instances that I would prescribe laying off of a hypertrophy phase is if the athlete were becoming slower on the ice and if they have an extremely short time off season in which to train. As for becoming slower on the ice, this is very unlikely to happen if one incorporates a strength and power phase into their training regimen.

Since we have now determined that added muscle mass is a benefit when playing hockey lets look at a hypertrophy program designed for the elite hockey player. What follows is an outline of each day's workout (exercise, sets, reps) and the sequence in which the workouts are to be followed.

Remember, this is just one example of what I might prescribe for a typical, completely healthy client of mine. It is, by no means what every hockey player should follow since every player has different strengths and weaknesses, different structures, and different injury profiles.

Day 1 - Hamstrings/Quadriceps

Hamstrings

Stiff leg deadlifts 4 X 10
Glute ham raises 3 X failure
Single leg curls 3 X 12
One leg barbell squats 2 X 12

Front Squats 4 X 10
Leg Press 3 X 12
Reverse deadlifts (barbell hack squats) 3 X 12
Leg extensions 2 X 12

Day 2 - Back/Chest/Abdominals

Back

Wide grip chins 4 X failure
Wide grip rows 3 X 12
Single dumbbell rows 3 X 12
Close grip seated rows 2 X 12

Flat dumbbell press 4 X 10
Incline machine press 3 X 12
Dips 3 X 12
Flat dumbbell flyes 2 X 12

Flat back curl-ups 3 X 15
Toes to the sky 2 X 10

Day 3 - Shoulders/Trapezius

Shoulders

Seated military press 4 X 10
Standing dumbbell laterals 3 X 12
Bent dumbbell laterals 3 X 12
Dumbbell Shrugs 3 X 10

Day 4 - Triceps/Biceps/Abdominals

Triceps

Lying head cavers 3 X 10
Bench Dips 3 X 12
Straight bar pushdowns 3 X 12
Single arm pushdowns (supinated grip) 2 X 12

Barbell curl 3 X 10
Standing dumbbell curl 3 X 12
Hammer curls 3 X 12
Rope curls 3 X 12

Russian twists 3 X 15
Oblique raises 3 X 15

Workout Schedule

Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Off	Day 4	Day 1	Off
Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Off	Day 1	Day 2	Off
Day 3	Day 4	Day 1	Off	Day 2	Day 3	Off
Day 4	Day 1	Day 2	Off	Day 3	Day 4	Off

Why, Why, Why? - The Workout Breakdown

As you can see above the program is split up into four different days, for reasons that I will now elaborate on. First, in order to induce hypertrophy a muscle must be worked through many sets (9-12 in the above example), and working more than two muscle groups per workout would be extremely fatiguing. Therefore four days are needed to cover most of the body's muscles.

Secondly, this protocol allows for at least 72 hours of recovery before a muscle group is worked again. This should be sufficient time for a muscle to rebuild bigger and badder than before. Thirdly, using a four-day split taking every Thursday and Sunday off ensures that each muscle group will be worked after a day of rest at least once throughout the four weeks of training.

This will help ensure that not one body part is being trained after a day off (being better rested) a significant number of times over other body parts.

Form and Function - Performing the Workout

Since this is a hypertrophy workout the key here is to fatigue the muscle. Therefore the volume is rather high (many sets and reps) and the intensity moderate (75-80% of 1 rep max).

Rest intervals between sets should be kept to a minimum (60-90 sec.) and the lifting tempo should be moderate 1-1-3 (1 sec to lift the weight, 1 sec pause, 3 sec to lower the weight). Using a 1-1-3 tempo raises the time your muscle is under tension to about 40-60 sec/set. This is perfect for inducing increases in muscle size.

In addition to using periodization throughout the entire off-season of workouts, it is also important to periodize each phase. This can easily be done by increasing the amount of weight used for each subsequent workout. For example, if I were to use 200lbs for 10 reps of stiff leg deadlifts during the first cycle (days 1-4), than I would increase the weight by 5-10lbs for the next cycle.

Therefore I would be lifting 210lbs for 8 reps. This is still ideal for inducing hypertrophy as the time the muscle is under tension is still 40 sec. (1-1-3 = 5 sec., 5 sec X 8 reps = 40 sec.). Although this phase is designed to induce muscle growth you will also see some increase in strength that will allow an increase weight while maintaining a rep range of 8-12.

Fitness?

What about aerobic training? After all, athletes need to be fit, right? Well, since gaining muscle size is the goal during this phase, doing too much of the old stationary bike won't do much but burn needed calories. Therefore I suggest 15-20 minutes of stationary bike riding 2-3 times per cycle at an intensity of 50-60% of max (this is about 70% of HR max).

Do no more than this! This type of aerobic work should be included after hitting the weights and used as more of a cool down activity than a preparation ride for the Tour de France. Later on, during our other training phases, aerobic and anaerobic work will be included to improve overall fitness. For now, let's just get big!

Just Do It

So there you have it. In only four weeks you train each muscle group five times and receive some freaky growth. Remember to get plenty of rest and maintain a caloric intake above maintenance and a diet including plenty of good proteins, fats, and carbs. I know that's not too specific but this site is packed with nutritional articles that will point you in the right direction.