Now if you missed last week, Number 10 was flexibility.  You can always find the article here on the blog however so don’t worry.  Now although this is a count down to the best exercise we wanted to throw in a wild card to break things up a bit.

Number 9 – Body Weight Squats

Now Squats would be up the top when it comes to an exercise outside of the gym and off the ice that can really help your skating and power.   But as we mentioned earlier we wanted to give you some juicy stuff early.  As you can see in the photo’s when performing a squat your knees should not extend out past your toes as this is bad for your knees.  You will also see that you are not lifting any additional weights.

It is also important to keep a proud chest and straight back as shown in the photo’s as well.  Start out light maybe with a set of between 20-40 and see how your legs feel. Try 50 a day for a week and then maybe increase your load a bit each week*.

“I have seen a great benefit to my hockey when doing squats. I also remember when Alex D’Jamirze (an ex-ice dog) came back from overseas and he was just flying around the ice. I asked him how he had increased his speed and he was doing up to 500 squats a day!” recalls Scott Stephenson.

Squats will not only help your speed out on the ice but also contribute to further stability.

Remember to keep up your stretching as well, you might be a bit sore after the first few days of bodyweight squats.

*Ice Dogs recommend consulting with a professional i.e. qualified personal trainer, on the workload of squats you should be doing.