Playing harder for longer - Part I

By: Performance Institute

Ever wondered what that burning feeling is in your legs after a long hockey shift? It is a buildup of lactic acid, which ultimately causes that feeling of tightness and fatigue in your working muscles. The anaerobic, or the high intensity energy system, does not utilize oxygen and results in the production of lactic acid. This production occurs when we engage in quick, powerful movements with little time to breathe. With hard work and lots of training, this system can be improved to increase your lactic threshold.

The anaerobic energy system is the most important energy system in the sport of hockey, and is utilized during powerful acceleration, lateral explosiveness, speed and agility, shooting, passing as well as bodychecking. This system provides energy anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes in a highly trained athlete, and is ideal for your average 45 second hockey shift. A well conditioned anaerobic system is necessary for the sport of hockey as it enhances stamina allowing an athlete to play harder for longer without decreases in performance. Engaging in anaerobic conditioning trains your body to remove and utilize lactic acid more efficiently, while increasing your body's lactic threshold.

One of the greatest challenges of anaerobic training is that it takes hard work and dedication; you need the motivation to push to your max effort and beyond to improve your anaerobic system. While disciplined hockey players can improve anaerobic fitness with carefully planned and executed bike interval training, one of the best hockey specific anaerobic training tools is the skating treadmill.

Stay tuned for next month's Training Tip for an anaerobic specific bike interval drill and other anaerobic exercises that will immediately effect your performance.