Hockey
Playing
hockey requires a variety of attributes. Hockey is a game
that places tough physical demands on our bodies. Moving on
a slick surface such as ice adds an additional eliminate.
Skating at speeds in 30 miles per hour also posses increased
risk factors. Hockey players must cut, turn, maneuver and
race for the puck, all while fending off opponents body checks.
Hockey conditioning must, therefore, take into account the
fact that an athlete has several things going on at once -
in both mind and body while he is playing the game. To be
successful a hockey player must have superior level of strength
endurance, as well as agility and exceptional balance.
A
rigorous training and nutritional program must accompany every
bit of hockey players training. This is the only way a player
can prepare for a full-court hockey season. Nutritional needs
should be geared toward the anaerobic energy system. This
does not mean training for or playing the game is easy. You
must again body check,
speed after the puck, defend against your opponents, and perform
lighting quick reflexive movements over and over again. This
will test your tolerance for pain and fatigue caused by lactic
acid buildup in your muscles. Muscles grow when they are stressed.
Hockey aims to make the muscles grow as strong and as quick
as possible. Conditioning efforts by following the routine
below will enhance your performance on the ice. Remember the
greater the strength--through proper weight training and superior
conditioning and nutritional efforts--can make you a better
hockey player, even if you’re a weekend player.
In
hockey, the muscles rely on three major systems to supply
the energy needs -- the intermediate, glycolytic, and oxygen
energy systems. The intermediate energy systems are nonoxidative
-- they do not use oxygen. Instead, these systems generate
energy through the use of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and
creatine phosphate (CP). CP is produced in the body and stored
in the muscle fibers. It is broken down by enzymes to regenerate
ATP, which is also stored in the muscle fibers. When ATP and
is in turn broken down, the result is a spark of energy that
triggers a muscle contraction.
For
medium -- term energy for repeated near -- maximum exertion,
the muscles turned to the glycolytic energy systems. In these
systems, which are also nonoxidative, glycogen used produced
energy. Glycogen it is a storage form of glucose. It is stored
in the liver and muscles, and is readily converted back to
glucose when he is needed for energy.
For
a long -- term energy for endurance activities, the muscles
use the oxidation energy systems. In these systems, oxygen
is used to oxidized long -- chain fatty acids, protein, and
glucose, which generate energy. For athletes, getting enough
oxygen can mean a winning performance rather than a second
-- placed showing. Every sport involves a variety of skills,
and each skill utilizes a unique combination of these three
energy systems.
When
considering a nutritional support program to enhance your
training for hockey keep the following factors in mind:
- All
athletes needed to consume high -- quality protein several
times a day for effective recovery in adequate repair
of damage muscle tissue.
- Athletes
whose muscles relies substantially on the intermediate
or glycolytic energy systems should keep their fat intake
to a minimum because that is not inefficient energy source
for their intensive training, which is almost exclusively
anaerobic in nature. Since the fat calories consumed by
the athletes are not generally used for energy, they are
stored as body fat.
- Athletes
should consume a carefully measured amount of high-quality
carbohydrates several times a day to insure adequate supply
of energy.
- Carbohydrates
in all pre-workout meals should consist of low glycemic
indexes to insure that training intensity does not diminish
and the muscle tissue is not capitalized for energy.
The
aim of your nutrition programs to make your body healthy enough
to accomplish recovery and tissue repair speedily and efficiently
with out adding body fat. Your further aims are to do this
while maintaining a high strength to wait ratio. These aims
alone make diet an important part of your hockey success.
Eat the wrong foods or the wrong amounts just a few times
too often you'll sabotage your fitness efforts. Even more
important, do not be in a hurry takes years become a great
hockey player. Rush the nutrition and training process in
you will become fat, your recovery will get to decline, and
your injury rate will increase.
Nutrition
for Hockey
Hockey
players are combination power-middle distance and endurance
athletes. Every position must obtain energy from each of the
three energy systems. Therefore, as a hockey player, you need
to plan your nutritional intake, from both food and supplements
sources, to support all three systems. In addition, since
her energy expenditure changes in the off-season, you need
to adjust caloric intake and macro nutrient ratio to match.
Following are the dietary guidelines for boxers to help you
in planning your nutrition program. In addition to the nutritional
guidelines, a supplementation guideline is also added.
Dietary
Guidelines
The
following charts illustrate how you should divide your caloric
intake to match the energy demands a hockey during the preseason,
seizing, and off-season. They show the target percentages
of fat, protein, and carbohydrates that you or five to six
meals should supply each day.
For
more advanced workouts and training methods
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