Jr.A/Jr.B Goaltending Conditioning and Training

Question
QUESTION: Hi I have been invited to a Junior A training camp as well as a Junior B camp in Alberta, Canada. As a goaltender I realize that the speed, competition, and new added length to the schedule will wear down my body. How do I best prepare myself in exercises in leg power and stamina as well as the diet regimen to match it.

Thank you for your time,
Michael

ANSWER: Hi Michael,

Congratulations on the invitations!!

I need some info from you so I have an idea as to how to help you.

What is your age?

Goaltending style?

Fitness level;do you run, bike, lift weights, play other sports?

What are your eating habits and have you ever had a meal plan for fitness?

When are the camps?



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the congrats,

I am 17 I am 6'3 185 lbs. I am a hybrid goaltender but goes down a lot. I play positional and use my size to my advantage.
I am currently using a treadmill sparingly about 20 minutes a day with incline, I lift weights doing weighted squats(60 lb barbell) as well as bench press ( same barbell) and leg curls with a 30 lb weight.
The camps are in the summer late June early July.

I have no eating plan. I have a very high metabolism and find filling meals very hard to find. I manage to eat whatever I want and remain fairly skinny. The problem is the small layer of fat still remains and I feel a healthy balanced diet would greatly help my stamina especially with the drastic scheduling increase.

Hope everything you need is there I know it's a lot and I appreciate your input,

Michael

ANSWER: Hi Michael
Sorry for the delay, I really had to think about this one and even still this could be a long discussion. So you are a tall lanky guy- Like Patrick Roy!

Workouts: I believe sprinting, bike work and throwing in some foot speed drills will help you become faster.
Well for foot speed you scan start with a drill called "dots". Set up 5 dots on the ground like a domino (some gyms already have these on mats) and you jump on them, hopping 1 and both legs, spin around, alternate dots or what ever. Remember to keep your head up and don't look down at your feet. Also, form is critical- stay low but not too low. Do a set of 10 repeats 3 times or something....you will be winded and your legs will burn!

Another great drill is a "ladder". If you don't have a rope ladder you can use a real ladder (but you risk tripping) and you could also chalk one up or something (a lot of gyms already have these rope ladders). You run through them, alternate each rung, hop in and out of them, go backwards or what ever through it. Repeat a few times taking a bit of a rest between them.

Of course there are "suicides" on a football field or set up your own distances.

Weights I think 30 lb for leg might be too light? Don't try to do more if you can抰! Regular squats, 1-leg squats, ball squats on the wall, leg extension and curls are going to be great for you. Remember to stretch b/c as your muscles grow they can get tight and you can抰 be like that. Also make sure you are doing ab work b/c a strong core is the key to everything. Can抰 limit workout to the legs, got to do upper body too. Try to do something to target every area. I use to stand in front of the mirror w/ dumbbells in each hand and pretend to be in net w/ hands up and simulate glove and blocker saves so that I could work on strength and hand speed. So got to do some push-ups, dips, bench press, lat work, etc.

For bike workout, if you could find a bike that has a big fan wheel and arms that you pull that would be great, but any bike will do. Warm-up then set a time and resistance and sprint through that time for example 30 seconds "on", 1 minute "off".

Treadmill workout could be similar to the bike. Pick a speed and incline (1% incline is = to a flat surface outside) and then just do a warm up for 5 min, sprint for time then walk for time.

Nutrition: A bit trickier b/c I really can抰 help someone other than myself or someone trying to lose weight. You want to eat several small meals a day and include a portion of protein, carb and good fat each time. It sounds like you aren抰 too much of a junk food eater. I don抰 know what would be good serving size for you but I抦 guessing 5 oz of protein would be good and not sure on the carbs. So a typical day would be

Breakfast: egg whites, toast, serving of juice (juice is not filling a 16 oz glass, it抯 prob 4-8 oz) and banana
Snack: fruit and yogurt
Lunch: Chicken breast, salad w/ lots of veggies, handful of nuts and piece of fruit
Snack: Protein bar or shake (let me know if you need advice on these)
Dinner: Similar to lunch
Snack: as before or something like English muffin w/ peanut butter
Using protein shakes like Myoplex or Metrx are good to add in nutrients. Also using a creatine powder helps build and maintain muscle.
Let me know what else I can help with.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: This has been an awesome help so far so thanks for that. The workout stuff is great but the nutrition part is tricky.

I eat a lot of junk food and have to cut back on it. Any ideas for protein shakes cheaper the better. Is cooking egg whites the same as regular eggs? Any other ideas for breakfast. Is Cheerios any good with fruit and a muffin. What are some good examples of lean meat that would help? I need some advice on protein bars and shakes. I used to drink Isogenix shakes that were not muscle building but they were healthy and filling. I could add fruit to them as well are the protein shakes like that?

Thanks again you've been a great help.
Michael.

P.S. I am on Spring Break right now and after it is over I am starting my real training and fully focusing on it.

Answer
Hi Michael

Go to the sports section then pick lacrosse and the expert- Jonathan Edwards. BTW he was also a hockey goalie so he definately knows the position too. If for some reason you can't find his info then let me know.

You are very welcome and thank you for the nomination!