Make sure to use safe, joint-friendly exercises such as a dumbbell or Swiss Bar bench press. The Swiss bar is used for several pressing and pulling exercises, including the bench press. You can also use high bar back squat, front squat, or trap bar deadlift. Perform 2x weekly for both lower and upper bodies.

If you don’t have access to a gym, use movements at home such as loaded pushups, pull-ups, body rows, and goblet squats. Or use this bodyweight workout. Make progress with what you have access to!

Modified German Volume Training

This is a training style first used by weightlifters moving up a weight class. In German Volume Training, you target one muscle group for 10 sets of 10 repetitions. However, 10 sets right off the bat can be too much to recover from!. In the modified version:

• Work within 50-60% of the main lift
• 2 mins rest between sets
• Start with 5 sets of 10, adding a set each week until you reach 10×10

Eccentric Overload Training

Eccentric overload training is a type of strength training in which we use both the lifting and lowering phases of an exercise. Still, we add load (hence the term “overload”) to the lowering phase, either with weight releasers or flywheel devices. The eccentric part of a movement (lowering the weight) is where your body has the greatest ability to produce force. Think of someone who can’t bench 300 lbs but can take it out of the rack and lower it down to their chest. We can take advantage of this force to spur greater muscle gain!

• Work within 65-75% of the main lift
• 2 mins rest between sets
• 8 reps are performed, with a 6-second lowering portion on each rep; x 5 sets

*eccentric overload can be done even heavier than 75% — but you will need a training partner to help you bring the weight upon each rep!

High-Intensity Drop Sets

Leave no reps in the tank! Using drop sets, you can pump nearly every last possible muscle contraction out of your body.

• Start with 70-80% of the main lift
• Perform 7 reps, then drop 10% of the load, perform another 7, then drop 10% of the load and perform as many reps as possible!
• 2-3mins rest, perform 5 sets.

Build your body up this offseason and put fear into your opponents when they see you step on the field next year!

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The Dumbbell Split Snatch is a great tool to develop power and landing position for skaters. To perform a Dumbbell Split Snatch, start by holding a single dumbbell with an overhand grip and a slight bend in the knees. Hinge forward at your hips, bringing the dumbbell to knee level before hinging back up, jumping explosively and landing in a lunge position with the dumbbell overhead.

To add layers of difficulty to this exercise, you can add Walking Overhead Lunges at the top of the movement. You also can start the movement on a single leg.

When performing the Dumbbell Split Snatch, make sure you have the appropriate dumbbells, floor surface and space to drop the weight safely if needed (you will need to drop the weight at times). A good gauge of having impressive explosive power is being able to complete 3-5 reps using a third of your body weight.

Although this exercise is especially useful for figure skaters, it also translates quite well to any sport where explosive movement followed by rapid deceleration is important for performance. Think of a running back hurdling a defender before continuing to sprint downfield, or a forward grabbing a rebound before going back up to the rim or starting the fast break.

Here’s a potential progression program you can utilize with the Dumbbell Split Snatch.

• Week 1: Stay with a light weight for 3 sets of 5 reps each side.
• Week 2: Increase 5 pounds from last week, 3 sets of 5 reps each side.
• Week 3: Take your time working up in sets of 3 each side until you reach the heaviest weight you can do.
• Week 4: 80% of your 3-rep max for 4 sets of 5 reps each side.
• Week 5: 90% of your 3 -ep max for 4 sets of 3 reps each side.
• Week 6: Try to beat your Week 3 max!

READ MORE:

• Building Functional Balance for Figure Skaters
• 2 Landmine Olympic Lifts That Increase Explosive Power
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Clean and Snatch Pull

• To perform a Clean Pull, begin with an overhand grip on the bar just wider than hip width.
• While maintaining a neutral spine, hinge down until the bar is at knee level (make sure you are hinging at the hip and not squatting).
• Explosively hinge back up and jump with the bar.
• Shrug your shoulders at the top of the movement to complete the pull.
• You want to land softly by bending your knees and keeping your chest tall.

The Snatch Grip Pull is the exact same motion, only with a wider grip. To gauge your snatch grip, simply make sure your grip wide enough that the bar sits right at the crease of your hip when standing up (the closer your grip is, the lower the bar will sit on your body, and the wider your grip is, the higher it will sit). If the bar is riding up to your abdomen, your grip is too wide. If it’s still on your thighs, your grip is too narrow. The benefit of the Snatch Grip Pull is you’ll be able to build similar strength using lighter weight. The Snatch Grip Pull is also a great developer of the upper-back muscles, an important muscle group for protecting the head and neck from impact.

Another great positive to pull training is that you get the explosive power benefits of Hang Cleans and Snatches without the stress on wrists, elbows and shoulders that can occur when catching the bar on your shoulders or overhead. This can be an especially big problem for people who train in gyms that have stiff power barbells and not barbells built specifically for weightlifting. This makes Clean Pulls and Snatch Grip Pulls a great in-season option to lighten the pounding on your joints while still incorporating explosive work in your routine.

6-Week Pull Training Sample

• Week 1: Clean Pull 5 reps x 3 sets @70%
• Week 2: Clean Pull 5 reps x 3 sets @75%
• Week 3: Clean Pull 3 reps x 3 sets @85%
• Week 4: Snatch Pull 5 reps x 3 sets @70%
• Week 5: Snatch Pull 5 reps x 3 sets @75%
• Week 6: Snatch Pull 3 reps x 3 sets @85%

Photo Credit: Skynesher/iStock

READ MORE:

• Hockey Players: Develop Strong Hips for a Powerful Skating Stride
• Top 3 Hockey Training Mistakes
• Build Hockey Speed and Power with the Hang Clean