At the end of a long, grueling hockey season, your body is ready for recovery mode. But by the time late summer rolls around, you should be well into your off-season hockey training program, which ideally runs three to four months. If you aren’t training yet, you’ll have to play catch-up.

Many hockey players hire a strength coach with expertise in biomechanics to evaluate their weaknesses in agility, stability, strength and endurance. The strength coach can help you acknowledge and address your flaws, ordering them from greatest to least, and build a hockey training program around correcting them. A good coach will also be there to guide and inspire you and motivate you through the tough times.

To track your progress, record data that pertains to your performance. If you don’t see improvement in the numbers, there’s something wrong with your protocol, effort or intensity.

Each off-season, you should improve in at least one athletic attribute that will boost your performance on the ice. Your program could be structured something like this:

Phase 1

• Muscular endurance
• 3-4 weeks

Phase 2

• Muscular strength
• Begins at Week 3 of Phase 1

Phase 3

• Cardiovascular output
• Begin anywhere from Week 2 to 4 of strength
• Get your cardio tested to see where you’re at

Phase 4

• Agility and speed
• You may only need two weeks of this, so plan accordingly

Read more:

• Off-Season Dry Land Hockey Workout
• Strength Training for Hockey: 5 Areas of Focus and a Sample Workout
• How to Maximize Your Hockey Off-Season