No Red Lights: Hockey

Link to video (unfortunately, it won't embed): Blood, sweat & cookies 

So mad props to the NBC producer who went through this. It is not easy to be thrown into these workouts or this lifting; these women have been doing this for 4-10 years (depending on when they go to college), and they are not easy skills to learn. But having said this, the video is pretty funny to watch (especially the producer's expressions!).  It was also interesting to see the Women up in Colorado because they used to do all their training in Lake Placid, which is definitely not as modern a facility as Colorado Springs. I spent some time in my youth out in Colorado, and that facility is amazing. They've definitely kept up with the times by adding a skate treadmill and keeping the weight rooms up to speed with the latest equipment. Even ten years ago, this place was amazing... and i'm not just talking about the cafeteria (they had a McDonald's frosty machine! I'm sure that's long gone now haha). Here are some of the highlights of the women's training regiment that can be good for both goalie and forward:

The Cardio. The show focuses on this as it's probably the toughest thing they do. Cardio is always a challenge -- the whole idea is to bring world class athletes to their knees. And really the only way to do that is to go longer, faster and more often. I believe they were just doing testing, which is why they ran on treadmills, but usually biking is the hockey player cardio of choice. It works more of the same muscles and has less impact on the legs (you won't injure your knees or hips on a bike). I love the look on the Producer's face when Chuy (Julie Chu) says that they have another 12 - 30sec sprints. Priceless.

The Incline. I love this. I could run up mountains all day long because it's such a good workout. It is perfect for hockey -- especially goalies -- since it requires tremendous leg strength and explosiveness. The biggest downfall is the impact. If you get sore knees, this may not be the exercise for you.  Another factor of this hike is the location. Because this hike takes place in Colorado Springs, the altitude will greatly increase the effort of the climb. Having less oxygen getting to your lungs will make you breath and work harder (which is exactly why the training center is in Colorado Springs). If you aren't acclimated to the altitude, this hike can easily kill you... as proof of the Producer's face. And like Engstrom, i'd probably be taking pictures too. haha.

Muscle Specific Workouts. The skater-stride lunges are really great. Having to not just reach back and gain leg extension, but also maintain your balance can help a goalie gain body weight control. The spider crawls are also one of those lesser-taught exercises. It works flexibility and strength in often not-used positions. And it also works every muscle group in the body, very nice.

So those are some good drills and take-aways from the video. I wish there was more footage of goalies but can't have everything, I guess :) It was good to see shots of Mego -- someone carrying her on their shoulders instead of the other way around! And it looks like Bells learned how to cook something other than Ramen; how far you've come! I guess Charps did teach you a thing or two.